A Quebec Dinner

A crisp Fall day inspired a Quebec meal. 

Roasted Chicken with a Maple Syrup Gastriqe.   

White beans cooked with mirepoix and house made stock.

Maple Syrup Carrots. 

They guys loved it. 

Thanksgiving Week

The Kitchen is busy all week!  We have opened our doors to the community for nightly meals. AND what meals!

Real ham, whole turkeys, house made cranberry sauce and fresh biscuits! 

We are blessed with wonderful volunteers. 

Le Potager

Le Potager.  The kitchen garden 

The mission is blessed with a Potager.  We grow many herbs and we harvested some great tomatoes this fall. 

Today the Potager is a bit sparse as we prepare for Winter.   

What a Week!

Things get Cray as we prepare for the Thanks Giving!  We are spending a lot of time preparing for four events AND we are serving some great meals! 

Beauty in The Iron Triangle

The Mission is located in Richmond's Iron Triangle.  We are surrounded by many empty office buildings, by closed shops and vacant lots.  

Yet there are flowers that grow from the cracks in the pavement!

The Mission represents hope and a revitalization of the neighborhood. 

Crème fraîche, cultured butter and polenta.

The guys in the kitchen are hard ambitious  and creative.  Last week we made butter.  Last night we made Crème fraîche and today, we made cultured butter with the Crème fraîche the taste and texture is unbelievable!

For dinner we cooked up gallons of polenta and brined 200 pieces of chicken breast.  Fresh string beans with red onions.   This was served with a sauce made from fresh local tomatoes and herbs from our garden. 

What a Friday!

What a Friday!  Chicken Parmigiana for lunch.  Johnny said it was the best Lunch ever served in the Kitchen.  Marco said it was the best chicken he has ever eaten!

Gumbo Chez McGrath.  My personal recipe. Andouille, Chicken, Crab and my house spice blend. 

House Made Butter!  David asked me how to make butter. So we made butter. Wow!  What can be better than House Mase Butter?  Well Compound Butter or Cured Butter!  This is going to be great. 

The guys are blessed with Food Curiosity. I am looking forward to explore this with them!

220 pan seared T Bone steaks!

A wonderful local company donated 220 T Bone steaks!  And we served 220 diners!  More than a coincidence!  My Boss was away on his Honneymoon, so I knew I had to cook the steaks before he returned. He would want to "save" the steaks. 

The guys pan seared the steaks to perfection and topped them with onion confit.  Served with rosemary potatoes and fresh string beans. 

Steve, the Shift Leader, proudly displays our work!

As I predicted, the Boss came back from his Homeymoon and chewed me out for waisting the steaks. He wanted to serve them to VIP's .  That means the Board of Director's meetings and staff.  I said that I did serve the steaks to the VIPs, the men and women that we serve. 

The Art of Pan Searing

The guys are exited to master their pan searing skills!  

We are very greatful and excited that a generous doner has supplied us with an assortment of quality steaks and chicken breast.   We are using these gifts to sharpen our techniques and serve great food. 

Pictured is Leo, the head of security, enjoys a pan seared lamb steak with Pomme Frits and house cured pickles. 

Food is Art!

Food is Art and the Chef is an Artist!

The guys in the kitchen are expressing themselves through the food that they are preparing.  

They are excited to explore new cuisines and new foods 

House Made Bread

Pictured is Jesus, my very hard working and innovative Intern.  When he could not get the right bread for his sandwiches, he baked his own.  Enough for 180 Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches.   

House made Bread. House made Mayonesse and Mustard.  House made Pasta Sauces. The kitchen is doing a great job in turning our donations into Fine Dining Ingredientd. 

Team Work

The guys in the Kitchen know the importance of Team Work!  Everyone has a job and they jump to assist other complete their jobs.  

AND THEY COOK GREAT MEALS! 

Knife Skills!

Batonnet

Parmentier

Allumette

Macédoine

Julienne et Brunoise 

My guys are developing "sharp" knife skills! 

Pan Seared Salmon.

220 Salmon Steaks to be exact. 

We earned our money Friday Night when we pan seared 220 Salmon Steaks served with an herb butter sauce!

So much work, but well worth the effort!