A Chef’s Tea Party…The Red Hat Ladies’ Menu

High tea for over 100 red hat ladies–if you were the chef for this event, what would you plan?  Would you go traditional with tea cakes and sandwiches or would you venture out, try something new and exciting and dazzle these lovely ladies with food out of the ordinary!  My good friend and outstanding chef, Gary Schuessler, posed this question to me.  And, all I can say is WOW!  What an assignment…what a challenge…what an event!  Instead of just sharing a few recipes or ideas with Chef Gary, I decided the beckon the creative ideas, talents and creativity of the FB foodie universe!  This collection of culinary entrepreneurs, from home cooks, caterers, writers of cookbooks to professional chefs and restaurant owners, can surely supply Chef Gary, a person who is selfless and gives without expectations of payback from others, with a cache of options.  That’s what this post is all about–garnering the collective genius of foodies who will provide links to their blogs and websites with specific ideas.  I just can’t wait to see what his final menu will be.  However, until then…read a little about this amazing man, his journey into food and how he, like me, considers himself a ‘happy-maker’!

The Drill?  Just leave a comment for Chef Gary with a LINK to your recipe(s) and ideas!  Ally’s Kitchen is his command central for getting this menu planned…deadline SEPTEMBER 28 2012!!  

Two years ago I was a chef without a kitchen and a patrol sergeant with the Guardian Angels (a volunteer safety patrol group that was started 30 years ago in NYC to patrol the subways and prevent muggings. Since then Guardian Angels has evolved to over 6000 people in a 180 cities worldwide). We were ask to come and patrol and keep the peace for a little program in a church basement where two devoted , selfless women and a few volunteers were serving breakfast to the homeless and hungry. Well, one look at these two gals, and I fell in love!   I watched them as they scrimped and scraped and do whatever they had to do to come up with enough food to feed these people in dire straits. I watched them pray and thank God for his help every day ! I saw the fridge and freeze empty many times, wondering what we would do!  Somehow God always took care of us.

Since then, we have moved to a larger place and we serve lunches now. We do not run a soup kitchen, but a cafe where people are treated dignity and respect.

We have other programs that we have started In education and Ohio benefits counseling as well as a new program we called, Baby Gate. We help young mothers in distress get food , diapers, clothing, whatever they may need . We also work with women on welfare benefits, helping them to work off their hours and helping them to get real jobs and get out of the system.

I started cooking in an oven before I was tall enough to work on the stove top. My mother became paralyzed when I was 4 years old. I grew up taking care of myself and my mama. It was not easy for me when I was a kid.

I wish that I could say that I am self-taught, but I am not. I have no formal schooling. I didn’t have the luxury of that. I sweated over grills filled pans and plating food until I couldn’t stand it!

I caught my break of all things after my father died.  I worked with chefs for years honing my skills Working my butt off till I leaned everything they could teach me, and I am proud to say that I am a part of them . When I started my restaurant they were there for me and continued to support me. I was half owner and chef at the Palms here in Toledo.

My father left me enough money to make this happen.  Nothing more than the economy killed me.  I sold out to my partner leaving on good terms.  I’m a hardworking man that loves to make people happy with food.  Cindy’s Corner Outreach  is the name of our organization. OOH yeah, I have to have the menu by Oct 1^st 2012!