No. 2 "Coraçao"

On Thursday February 20th diners gathered for a menu celebrating another of my muses, my partner in many things and co-host of our dinners, @bonnaburn (who's birthday is today!)

From the moment we met our shared lives have been driven by a love of food, art, hospitality and nature - in no particular order. I wanted to celebrate both him and the flavors of his heritage that he introduced to me, the flavors of his childhood, of Portugal and Brazil.

Snacks: Pão de queijo - a gluten free cheese bread from Brazil; Les oeufs Jeannette - a pan-fried devilled egg that is a favorite snack of Jonathan's

Amuse: Steak tartar to commemorate our first date where we discovered our shared food love

Soup: Caldo Verde a Portuguese soup for gatherings and celebrations, this was his Mom's (@luciapinto5928 ) recipe she gave me and it was a hit! Also perfect for the cold day.

Heart: of course I'm going to serve heart! Chicken heart, to be exact. A staple in Brazilian churrascaria, little JJ loved snacking on these when available.

Fried: Coxinhas, yet another Brazilian staple, Jonathan's Mom and aunts would get together to make multitudes of these "little thighs" for family gatherings

Pasta: while neither Portuguese nor Brazilian, I wanted to incorporate a pasta course as he is the reason behind my work to make delicious gluten free pasta. This gnocchi is a throwback to the first meal I ever made him, dressed up with some Hen of the Woods, a favorite of ours.

Entree: Empadinha, an ubiquitous Brazilian dish and the first meal that he ever made me! Can you also tell that he loves food-in-food? Jonathan spearheaded this dish again Thursday.

Tres leches: the first dessert I made for his family, it was a hit back then, too.

Mignerdise: Brigadeiros - a Brazilian sweet treat that we love, made with the same care as always by Jonathan.

"roots" The Inaugural Dinner - on 1.31.25, Mommom's 98th Birthday
"roots" was an exploration of both the obvious and most abundant type of vegetable one can find in January, and also of my own memories with food and the people behind them. It was an ode to the women who influenced me to cook the way I do today. My mom from whom I got the baller crabcake recipe and who would go nuts over that Beet Gazpacho; & Chef Carolyn Johnson who taught me the art of pasta and a deep appreciation for rabbit. And, most importantly, it served as a love letter to my grandmother, Mommom, who first let me have free reign in her kitchen to experiment and do as I pleased, who's birthday we always celebrated with mine, and who's birthday we ate in celebration of last night. She loved a classic beef dish and she, much like me, loved her sweets.

No. 03 "Evergreen"

Evergreen was a celebration of the arrival of Spring and the colors and flavors you'll find through this month that sees a shift from darker to lighter days. With the Green theme, there was also a desire to play on my own Irish heritage and St Patrick's day.

Snacks began with Irish Cheddar Biscuits, Irish Butter and Boxty - an Irish potato Pancake. Those who opted for drinks started with a Pine & Irish Gin Gimlet.

For the Cru (Raw) Course I wanted to showcase my love of oysters both for their flavor and how good for the environment (green 😜) they are. 2 oysters to highlight two wild botanicals, one for Juniper and another for Wintergreen.

The Salad Course I wanted to celebrate the one leafy green I can often get to stick with me through winter if we don't get hit too hard: Kale. This is an evolved version of a salad I've been making clients for a while now and I'm so glad it turned out the way I wanted

Surprise Pasta Course with Risotto to highlight one of the first sprouting and available vegetables: Asparagus

Entree Course for me I really wanted to hone in on what felt like March flavors and colors, curing pork belly with Forest Chai from @teaistheway, a chai blend with foraged cedar tips, Chaga mushroom and other tasty finds, I then stuffed and rolled to roast it porchetta-style. Served over a buttery parsnip puree to represent the slowly melting snow and charred broccolini to give little smoke notes you might pickup from the fireplace of that cabin in the woods. Broccoli sprouts and a broccoli sprouts puree accentuate those first brave sprouts to pop out of the ground

Palate Cleanser we had to have sorbet. One last "frost" since March always tricks us with false spring. Much like the cold, this time our cocktail flavors returned with a Pine & Lime sorbet

Dessert was our celebration of real spring. A bright English Pea Cake accentuated by a tangy Lemon Curd and freeze dried berries. It's what we have to look forward to now, the bounty of Spring and Summer after it.

And of course a cookie to enjoy at home 😁on goes here