The Back Story
I grew up in Bethlehem, PA, and after graduating high school moved to Asheville, NC, where I went to Warren Wilson College. I studied Theater. After two years, I moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, where I studied Danish and took art classes. I then moved to Brooklyn, NY, and went to The Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. After graduating, I worked at Tabla in Madison Park. I decided to visit my sister in Burlington, VT, for a summer and wound up moving there. After six years in Burlington, I found my way to Lancaster.
First job in the Restaurant Industry
Waiting tables. I worked in a small café/ice cream shop serving sandwiches and scooping ice cream. I loved to hang around the kitchen much more than I liked being in the front of the house.
What Brought Me to Lancaster
My mom remarried and moved to Lancaster. I came to visit and here I am years later!
Services My Company Offers
We do catering for all types of events: weddings, cocktail parties, corporate lunches, house parties, dinner parties. We also do pop-up dinners called Sunday Suppers every couple of months at The Candy Factory on N. Queen St. All of our food is seasonally driven, and we are always trying new things in the kitchen and testing our boundaries with food. Each menu is custom created for each event/client. We are passionate about food and love getting people to try new things.
Culinary Magazines/Websites/Social Media I Follow
Lucky Peach magazine. I follow a lot of chefs on Instagram, but my favorites are David Chang, René Redzepi, Thomas Keller, April Bloomfield and Rosio Sanchez.
Favorite Cookbook
Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine
If I Had a Television Cooking Show, its Theme Would Be
Making street food from around the world. I love to travel, and some of the best food comes from food carts/small stands. The food is always authentic and provides for a great way to eat local!
Favorite Cooking Ingredient
This changes with the season. In the spring I am excited for ramps, asparagus, fiddleheads and anything green, really. In the summer I look forward to berries, corn, peppers and tomatoes. In the fall I love Brussel sprouts, apples, and hearty squash and cabbages.
A Staple in My Fridge
Preserved lemons. I often puree them into a sort of dressing and call it magic – it always adds just the right amount of salt and acid to whatever I am preparing.
Favorite Cooking Gadget/Tool
My Shun knife.
If You Could Invite 4 People to Dinner, Who Would Be on the Guest List
Alice Waters (the godmother of the sustainable food movement and owner of Chez Panisse in Berkley, CA); René Redzepi (Danish chef and co-owner of two Michelin-star restaurants); Amy Schumer (comedian/actress); and Fela Kuti (Nigerian musician and pioneer of Afrobeat music, and a human-rights and political activist).
Thescarletrunner.com, 435-3133
I am so proud of you!!!