For us, the face behind the food is almost as important as the food itself. We all have stories, and the stories that our chefs tell with their food are so important to us!
We're kicking off a new feature on the blog this week with the first installation in our 7 Questions series. Some of Arkansas's best and brightest chefs and foodies have taken our little questionnaire, allowing us a sneak peek into their lives both in and out of the kitchen!
Let's get started with Zara Abbasi Wilkerson, pastry chef at Natchez Restaurant in the Tower Building. Zara's no stranger to Eggshells--she's one of our go to girls when it comes to scheduling private cooking classes. She's given plenty of classes at Eggshells before--and her brunch class for this Saturday was a quick sell-out!
She makes amazing desserts, but we were surprised to hear her favorite thing to cook that isn't on the menu...
7 Questions for Zara Abbasi Wilkerson
1. It's Friday night and I want to go out to eat somewhere other than my restaurant. I go to ________.
Kemuri. I love the ambiance and the food is delicious!
2. My favorite type of international cuisine is _______.
French. It's simple, flavorful, and inspiring.
3. If I could cook for any five people (alive or dead), I would cook for:
Grant Achatz, Rene redzepi, my kids, my great grandmother, & princess Kate. All people I admire and respect who I believe are humble and talented.
4. My favorite thing to cook that isn't on the menu at my restaurant is ______.
Ribeyes with creamy mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.
5. One food I can't stand is _______.
Still don't like radishes yet.
6. I think everyone should know how to make _________.
A meal from scratch, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Task yourself to make each ingredient feasible.
7. Something few people know about me is _______.
I really try to hold myself accountable for everything. I direct my path, my emotions and my relationships. How I behave will reflect in my life so I hold myself accountable to behave as to what I want reflected back at me.
(photo credit: Jason Masters for Soirée, via this article)