Kevin and Brooke Stovall recently celebrated 3 years of marriage. To some not a big deal, for them a milestone achieved after a two year, long distance courtship. They were separated by more than 700 miles. How did they make it work? They would try to visit each other bi-monthly. During the times they couldn’t see each other, they would meet up virtually. They dated via FaceTime, spending time cooking together. Technology helped to sustain the relationship while the couple communicated through food. Fast forward to the present and their love story has birthed another relationship, coauthors to a cookbook, He Cooks She Eats. It will be the story of their courtship alongside recipes. Pretty cool if you ask me. A love story. Over Food. Yes!
On November 3rd they hosted the inaugural meal for They Cook You Eat. It is their foray into the world of supper clubs. An opportunity to share their love story while highlighting up and coming chefs in the Atlanta area. Guess who was the chef they chose to roll it all out with? That’s right your girl, The Chef In Pearls. Of course I was more than honored to have this opportunity. It was an honor because I would be the chef making the first impression for their guests. I could have taken it on as a lot of pressure but instead I chose to see it as a challenge. How would I leave their guests wanting to attend future events while also setting the standard for the chefs to come? I believe I accomplished just that with this meal. With constant communication and open minds, the three of us came to an agreement on a menu. A menu that I felt would woo the guests. A menu that I hoped would create a new love story between guests and They Cook You Eat.
We started with a welcoming drink of Spike Horchata, a rice & almond milk drink spiked with tequila. The starter for the meal was a Tlacoyo. Traditionally a breakfast dish in Mexico, we filled the masa dough with lump crabmeat, roasted poblano peppers and oaxaca cheese. It was plated with an avocado crema and fresh corn salsa. The accompanying drink was a jalapeno- cucumber margarita. The second course was Pozole, which means hominy, a key ingredient to this soup. We kept it vegetarian, garnishing the soup with sliced radishes, minced cilantro, and pan seared shrimp. The accompanying drink was a grapefruit margarita with flamed rosemary. The entree was Red Snapper Veracruz, snapper fillets baked with a sauce of fresh tomatoes, capers, olives, onions and garlic, served atop lime-cilantro rice. The accompanying drink was a perfect Manhattan made with tequila. We finished the meal with a Mexican take on affogato, which is traditionally an Italian dessert of coffee and ice cream. We brewed our version of cafe olla using orange zest, anise and clove, topped a shot of Kahlua and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it. I overheard it described as eating clouds. That put a big smile on my face. As usual, I’ll let the pictures speak to you.
This event was truly a love story. I fell in love with my hosts, the Stovalls, and all the memories we created for ourselves and our guests. I hope that you will consider enjoying a night out at a They Cook You Eat event in 2019. I am excited to see who the reigns get handed over to in the kitchen. Come out and help make some new memories for everyone involved.
Until next time….
~The Chef In Pearls
Photo Credit to Michelle Turner of Excited to Feast, Kamiliah Edwards and Michelle Munroe…thankful for you ladies because it sure is hard to cook and take pictures
