Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa rolled into one!
Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa rolled into one!
Please give a warm welcome to our new executive chef, John Johnson! Johnson graduated from Johnson & Wales University, where he received his Cordon Bleu Medallion. Recently, he sat down with us for a Q&A. Here are some of his responses:<br /> <br /> π‘ Where did you get your start with cooking?<br /> β« My grandmother. She cooked everything from scratch, and she would always let me help. She always told me the bigger the mess, the better the food. Everyone in our family loved to cook; however, I think they liked to eat just as much.<br /> <br /> π‘ What’s a go-to recipe for summer?<br /> β« My family and I really like seafood, but it needs to be fresh. One of my favorites is a seared sea scallop over saffron rice, finished with mango, cilantro and red onion relish. Fresh vegetables from our area are also a favorite.<br /> <br /> π‘ What are your plans for ‘Ville Dining for the fall?<br /> β« I am planning a more interactive dining experience where we prepare more of our items in front of the students. This will give our students more decisions on what they want to eat instead of them having to eat what we already made. It will also provide them with fresher items. I plan to have a more allergy-friendly dining hall, too. And we’ll be adding a burrito/enchilada station, a carving station and an all-inclusive grill station. We are also working on a new menu system that will allow students to access dining food information through an app on their phones. They can find menus, nutritional information etc., at their fingertips.<br /> <br /> π‘ Do you cook for your family?<br /> β« Yes – I do love to cook for the family. I met my wife in the business. We always host Christmas at our house. The entire family loves to come just to see what I will be preparing. Everyone tries to find out what I will be making, but I keep it under wraps till they arrive. One year I prepared a smoked eel, and I made fried crocodile last year.