Gateway Grub

07/22/2026

Yeeeeah!!

07/22/2026

07/18/2026

Life is short, eat Dessert first. ❤️

Thursday night’s cooking class was full of sprinkles from the guest to the staff to my colleagues the energy was all raindrops and gumdrops!!

A Kitchen snafu is going to Kitchen snafu That’s the reality of cooking & we adapt.
😅 I simply made another batch, kept moving and by class time no one what is the wiser😜.

The menu became what I described as an off-season follow winter holiday dinner:

🍗 Smothered Chicken with Onion Cream Sauce
🌽 Crab & Corn Spoonbread
🥬 Sautéed Kale with Toasted Breadcrumbs
🍠 Whipped Sweet Potatoes
🍑 Layered Peach Cobbler
🍓 Strawberry Tea Punch

One guest reminded me I had mentioned finishing the chicken sauce with heavy cream and with the help of my amazing assistant Jan, those last two tablespoons gave the sauce the glossy finish it deserved.

The biggest compliment of the evening?

✨ Three returning students.
✨ They’re already signed up for my next class.
✨ Guests asked for seconds.
✨ Folks stayed after class talking, laughing, sharing stories and ideas and genuinely connecting.

That’s what hospitality means to me.

Food starts the conversation.
Storytelling keeps it going.
Community is what everyone remembers.

Thank you to Kitchen Conservatory my wonderful attendees, my fellow chefs and especially Jan for being an incredible teammate and capturing these beautiful moments.

Where it’s always Palate Pleasin’ Season™

CulinaryEducator StLouisFood FoodStorytelling

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