Staff Writer
Bistro Aix Chef Tom Gray joins the show
One celebrity chef has weathered a few storms during her life, so afternoon thunderstorms weren’t enough to keep her from a Publix Apron’s Cooking School in Downtown Jacksonville Thursday.
Food Network Celebrity Chef Paula Deen started her own catering service in Savannah in the late 1980s with the knowledge of cooking she learned from her grandmother after a divorce.
Deen and her two sons moved to Savannah, where she started “Bag Lady,” preparing fresh lunches to sell to downtown customers. Her specialties were chicken pot pies, barbecue sandwiches, lasagna, and banana pudding. She quickly developed a following.
Deen opened her own restaurant, “Lady and Sons,” in 1990 and moved the business to Downtown Savannah in 1995, where it stands today.
There were plenty of people excited to see the celebrity chef at the $100 per-ticket, sold-out event.
“I love that woman. I’ve wanted to see her forever,” said Dawn Hunter of High Springs. “My favorite recipes that she makes are the hash brown casserole and the squash casserole.”
The event included a book signing, buffet and cooking demonstrations by Deen and chefs Patrick Walley, chef in residence at Publix Apron’s Cooking School, and Tom Gray of Bistro Aix in San Marco. Walley contacted Gray about participating in the cooking demonstration and the Orange Park native had mixed emotions when he got the call.
“I was excited and honored to be invited,” said Gray. “But I was also a little bit stressed, but it is a great event.”
Gray prepared a summer dish of polenta and shrimp with gazpacho. Gray talked about the freshness of the summer recipe, which included herbs and vegetables from Twin Bridges Farm in Macclenny. Gray also calmed any fears about seafood, explaining that the seafood used in Bistro Aix is found along the East Coast and there is still a lot to be found.
Gray also informed students that the eggs used at Bistro Aix were from its own chickens, another way of keeping dishes fresh from the farm.
“It’s from the chickens to you,” said Gray. “We use those eggs to make our pasta as well, so there are a lot of dishes we can use them with.”
Guests attending the school can continue their education in Jacksonville, which hosts a Publix Apron’s Cooking School.
Operating at 10500 San Jose Blvd., the kitchen classroom was developed to help busy customers experience the fun and togetherness that home cooking provides, even when time is short.
The school features programs that bring local chefs in to talk about emerging trends and their favorite recipes, how to pair wine and beer with different foods and cooking techniques to improve skills in the kitchen. There also are classes for children and teenagers.
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