recipe development
Years ago in the kitchen at Duke Divinity School, one of my super-talented cooks created a stew filled with exquisitely layered flavors, textures and aromas. It was lentil-based, so we called it Dal, but the simple name belied the interesting depth and richness. It was an instant hit with the hundreds of students, faculty and visitors who ate there daily.
The problem was that the recipe was several pages long and took hours and days to create in small batches. As chef, my work was to streamline the recipe for bulk and timely production, and to balance the cost of ingredients with the low price (our mission at Divinity)... without ruining the dish or crushing the culinary artist’s spirit. We did it so well that thousands and thousands of gallons were sold, a whole generation of that community was nourished on it!
I love that work, have done it in lots of kitchens, including developing hundreds of recipes for inpatient eating disorder treatment settings: real food for real people with real medical needs.
Fresh, Local Foods
Integrating fresh, local food into recipes and onto menus is a constant balancing act. Few businesses have the margin to do everything in season, or to create daily menus. And yet, if you’re going to make the commitment and tell the world (which you should!) you need to walk the talk in a way that makes sense for your business. With deep experience, I can help with recipe creation, menu and production planning, and connections with great suppliers.
Recipe, menu, cookbook managEment
Organizing isn’t what we first think of as art, but if you want a sustainable concept you need great recipes, and systems to manage them so your team can do what they do best. I can help you find, set up and use the right tools, as well as create and share recipes. Together we can audit, cost, and organize your cookbook and set it up to be simple for you or your chef to streamline production and maximize your team’s efficiency in the kitchen.