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REBEL CHEFS
That also means being out and about as a fixture in neighborhoods across the city.
“One of the things IwantBouillaBabes to focus on is partakingof events that are neighborhood-
centric, and to sell food in the middle of a local arts festival or a street party alongside acrobats
and live bands.We want to be an active part of the community,” says Brown.
Holidaze
For those looking to bring a little bit of GastreauxNomica-inspired innovation to their
holiday traditions this year, don’t sweat it: The crew has you covered.
Looking for a dish that can pull double duty? Andre upgrades his sweet potato casserole
with a pretzel crumble on top, and swears by its ability to be both a side
and
a dessert. Puletti
gussies up store-bought stuffing with hazelnuts and herbs, noting that simply adding fresher
ingredients can make all the difference, even in not-quite-from-scratch dishes. Brown turns
her sweet potatoes into a sweet bread, and also assigns the dish two very important roles.
“My dad loves sweet potatoes, and I like to do a sweet potato cranberry quick bread. Not
only is it delicious, but you can gift it. I have a huge Italian family, so I just bake stuff for
folks as gifts.”
Looking to stay healthy? Fellows is your guy. “I try to make subtle changes to things I love.
Mashed potatoes are better with butter and cream, but you can put in a quarter of them
and still get the same flavor. I also grill a turkey. It’s not very difficult, and you sear it off on
a grill or finish it in the oven. I can’t in good conscience make green bean casserole, so we’ll
do roasted green beans with lemon zest, and it’s super simple. It’s all about balance, not just
more for more’s sake.”
The hallmark of a community leader is not just involvement, but a willingness to push
against the grain, however big or small, in order to foster a better place to live (and in this
case, eat) for everyone. The brains behind GastreauxNomica know that, at the end of the
day, a “lift as you climb” mentality among chefs is the best way to push one another to new,
creative heights.
“I want to see friendly competition in the city so we can all improve each other, and lift each
other up so that the entire food chain gets better,” says Puletti. “The coolest thing is people are
starting to realize that it’s really chefs that drive the innovation instead of just the restaurant
itself. If you find a chef you really
like, wherever the chef goes, it’s
going to be good. We want to
educate y’all on how we think it
should be.”
GastreauxNomica’s Matt Vondenstein
Sean “Poochy” Rivera’s
Ginger Beer Spaghetti
Squash with Shrimp
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
2
spaghetti squash
1
cup olive oil
Salt and white pepper to taste
1
can of ginger beer
4
ounces pickled ginger
1
teaspoon ground ginger
2
sticks unsalted butter
1
pint heavy cream
2
garlic cloves, finely chopped
1
small yellow onion, finely chopped
3
pounds of tail-on, peeled and deveined
shrimp
2
sprigs of thyme
1
cup of white cooking wine
1
bunch flat-leaf Italian parsley
(for garnish)
HOW TO PREP
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Slice the squashes in half and scrape out
seeds. Line a large sheet pan with aluminum
foil. Season the spaghetti squash with olive
oil, salt and white pepper. Place flesh side
down and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until
fully cooked. Remove from the oven and let
rest until cool enough to handle.
Place ginger beer, pickled ginger, ground
ginger, salt and white pepper in a saucepan.
Heat over medium heat until reduced by half.
Add butter and cream; stir until sauce is thick
enough to coat spoon.
In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic till
translucent. Add thyme and shrimp, and
cook until shrimp is firm and cooked through.
Remove thyme sprigs.
Deglaze with white wine; add ginger beer
butter to skillet with shrimp and keep warm.
When squash is cool enough to handle,
scrape the strands of squash from the inside
of the skin with a large spoon. Reheat the
spaghetti squash just long enough to heat
through, in oven or microwave.
Place spaghetti squash in serving bowl. Top
with shrimp and ginger beer butter mixture,
and garnish with parsley.
Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash has a milder flavor
than other winter squash like acorn and
butternut. The flesh separates into long,
tender, chewy strands when cooked.