Magic Meals

Truth be told, Martha has a few lessons to teach beyond flaky pastry and hand embroidered napkins. She is just as much about magic as material. With a small army of staff lined up quietly behind her, she is the master of the mirage.

Savvymoms have found a few magic short cuts ourselves (in the absence of our own domestic staff) to help get that Friday night dinner party off the ground (or the counter in this case) and we’re not talking about deep-dish pizza. Rather, we were thinking more along the lines of Nicole Gourmet or Forage Foods.

Nicole Gourmet is owned and run by Chef Nicole Kammerer of Mercato Foods fame. For Friday night dinner, Nicole Gourmet offers a few delectable solutions. First, the huge splurge: full catering with staff for $80 per person for very special occasions. More moderately, Nicole can create custom dinner parties for 10 with sufficient notice in the $30 per person range as long as you pick up and prepare. Nicole is a delight to work with. Her friendly, approachable manner coupled with delicious dinners like Maple Sake Salmon will keep you coming back for more.

Forage Foods’ philosophy of food—eat locally, eat organically, eat healthy—takes the notion of farm to fork foods seriously. They offer a take-out service from their daily menu posted online. Dinners are casual and family friendly such as roasted chicken and some of the best mashed potatoes we’ve ever eaten. For larger portions (say Friday night dinner for six), call ahead and reserve.

Forage Foods also sells a dessert of the week and has local cheeses, crackers and other nibblies available as add-ons. A dinner for two runs a respectable $10–16 per person. However, you will need to add a vegetable and/or salad to complete the meal.

So if you’re looking for some magic in the kitchen next time you host a dinner, do like the professionals and hire it. You can still take all the credit (they do).

Nicole Gourmet
www.nicolegourmet.com

Forage Foods—farm to fork foods to go
www.foragefoods.com

Comments