Over the last couple of months, I’ve had the pleasure of returning to my Studio Mama persona a bit. It’s been more along the lines of lunch delivery than in-person cheffing, but since there’s a pandemic, it was the right thing for bands to create and maintain a safe “bubble.”
Above and beyond having work, it brought me SO MUCH JOY to see people that I know and love. The sweet fellas all came outside to greet me and catch up. I thrive on human contact and this was such a figurative shot in the arm. I’ve since gotten my second literal shot in the arm and am ready for more interaction. My cup and my heart were filled with love and joy over the last few weeks. I’m carrying that into the coming days as I work on recipe development and administrative minutia for a new project that I’ll be announcing soon.
For these studio sessions, I was able to use my commercial kitchen space to package meals for individual servings, using compostable containers and flatware. Since I wasn’t there posting pics of the whiteboard, here are some of the menus I created for Zac Brown Band, Oliver Wood, and Steve Poltz. Exceptions and substitutions were made for those who were gluten-free or didn’t eat red meat.
- Pork loin coated, roasted, sliced, and drizzled with a paste of Kimchi-inspired flavors, served with sides of roasted root veggies and skillet rainbow chard. (chicken leg quarters)
- Butterhead salad with colorful radishes, shredded carrot, and local sprouts, sliced lemon-herb Springer Mountain chicken breast and a shallot vinaigrette – This salad went out to all parties mentioned above. I got so many text messages from band and crew members, separately and individually, saying how this was the best salad they’d ever eaten. Must’ve been good to hear about a salad from a bunch of dudes!! I made it twice with no complaints!
- Whole Bucksnort Trout on a wild rice salad, green salad with pomegranate vinaigrette on the side – though I did receive plenty of compliments on the flavors of this meal, it was a less popular “studio food” for ease of consumption (whole fish have bones and reheating in the microwave can send the wrong ideas throughout the building).
- Rose Harissa Beef and Chicken Leg Quarters – These meats were coated in a homemade sauce of rehydrated local dried chilis, herbs, rose water and petals, raisins, and Mexican coca cola. The beef was pulled and served over a puree of potato and rutabaga, I left the chicken on the bone, with braised kale.
- Shrimp-n-Grits with a salad – Wild gulf shrimp cooked in Italian tomatoes with cajun flavors, served over slow-cooked, creamy stone ground grits with a green salad on the side and homemade ranch dressing.
- Single-serving-sized meat loaf that I dubbed Heart-shaped Flesh Muffins (tempeh hearts for the non-meat eaters), parsley potatoes, and skillet-scalded green beans. It’s usually the simplest things that make the biggest splash. That was the case here. Everybody reported having received my hugs to their bellies!!
- Albacore Salad Salad – no-mayo tuna salad on a bed of mixed greens, toasted almond slivers, and shredded marinated beets as a dressing.
- Meatballs in Red Sauce on pasta with kale salad (turkey meatballs and spaghetti squash were the respective substitutions)
- Chicken Legs in Alabama White Sauce with collard greens out of my very own garden and mac-n-cheese (baked sweet potato sub for the GF folks)
- Pork Butt slow roasted in banana leaves, pulled, sauced, and served over coconut sushi rice with a side of stir fried tatsoi (chicken leg quarter sub for pork)
Though I definitely ache for more in-person connection, I love knowing that I am feeding a far-reaching ripple. The music that my creations have nourished feed the spirits of so many individuals throughout the global community. I can sit in immense gratitude knowing that I have loved many by feeding some.
Watch for new albums from Oliver Wood, Steve Poltz, and Zac Brown Band!