Kitchen Doors: Around the Holiday Table
Local chefs share their family food traditions
Hector Cruz, Jocque Concepts
“Holidays look different for my family every year. We like to experience different types of food. It can go from smoking a whole pig in my backyard to Mexican cuisine. One constant is my mom’s spaghetti. Nothing says home for the holidays like her spaghetti sauce made from roasted red peppers mixed with heavy cream and chicken stock to make a smooth, creamy sauce. Holidays
for us are learning from other cuisines while bringing comfort dishes in as well.”
Drew Anderson, Kai at Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass
“I am of Swedish heritage, and my family comes together to make a traditional Swedish meal for the holidays. My favorite dish we make is raggmunk, which is a fried potato pancake served with creme fraiche and lingonberries that we serve as a side for roasted pork. It reminds me of my childhood, because my mother always made this for me when I was sick. It is a truly nostalgic flavor that I look forward to every year.”
Tracy Dempsey, Tracy Dempsey Originals and ODV Wines
“As a kid, it seemed that Thanksgiving leftovers were barely finished by Christmas. As an adult, I realized that we could create new traditions with an emphasis on quality time spent around the table rather than washing dishes. While we experimented with a variety of things, raclette emerged as the winner for holiday entertaining. As a postgraduate student in the early 1990s, I taught in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where the trendy raclette had replaced the fondue age. This consisted of raclette cheese cut in pieces to fit in the small pans of the raclette oven. Melted cheese would be enjoyed with boiled potatoes, charcuterie, pickles and mustard. I bought my little six-tray raclette oven with my humble earnings as a college lecturer and shipped it to the U.S. The raclette requires interaction from diners, which results in laughter and the ever-fun theft of the gaufrette (the forgotten piece of cheese that turns crispy) from some unsuspecting diner’s tray.”
Jorge Gomez, Humble Bistro and Humble Oysters & Bubbles
“Being from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, I had extensive family gatherings around Christmas. My grandmother was in charge of skillfully crafting tamales, enchiladas and an array of colorful Mexican candies, while my mother combined guajillo sauce and Coca-Cola that infused the pork-based dish with a unique sweetness and tang in every bite. My youngest sister delighted the family with traditional Mexican wedding cookies, complemented by a juicy fruit salad with marshmallow fluff. My middle sister provided a vibrant spinach salad dotted with sweet strawberries and crunchy walnuts. My dad expertly cooked bacalao, a Mexican Christmas dish made with dried and salted codfish soaked in milk, before being combined with sauteed onions, tomatoes, olives and tender baby potatoes to produce a warm stew. I baked a homemade lasagna, per my mother’s request, to round out the Gomez family Christmas.”
Sam DeMarco, Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen at Andaz Scottsdale
“On Christmas Eve, we often have rice balls, meatballs, charcuterie boards, stuffed artichokes, clams casino, prime rib and more to decorate the table. On New Year’s Day, all hands are on board for dumpling wrapping to make rice cake anchovy soup adorned with homemade dumplings and crushed seaweed. We love our Italian, Korean and American influences in the home and on our dinner table.”
Engin Onural, Sandfish Sushi & Whiskey
“My favorite holiday food tradition is celebrating New Year’s back home in Turkey, starting with braised lamb shanks. This dish is my personal favorite, slow cooked to tender perfection and bursting with flavor. It includes a wine reduction sauce with mushrooms and is served with creamy Turkish yogurt on the side. Another favorite holiday dish is Gavurdağı Salatası, a refreshing salad with pomegranate molasses and walnuts. I also enjoy a rich San Sebastián cheesecake for dessert, adding a sweetness to end the meal.”
Evon Profitt, Copper & Sage/Westside Concepts
“My favorite holiday tradition began when I was young, baking pies with my grandmother. We would bake every pie imaginable, but nothing compared to her extra-tall baked apple pie. To this day, sweets are my favorite part of the holiday season, and my mother carries on the tradition of baking a large variety of pies, including my grandmother’s extra-tall baked apple pie.”
Stacey Weber, Amelia’s by EAT and EAT by Stacey Weber
“For Thanksgiving, we spice up the day with some competition. The Weber turkey-off is never a dull time. Typically, my dad and I (and sometimes a guest) prepare our turkeys to perfection and let the group vote for the most juicy, flavorful bird. He had the edge for many years, but after perfecting my smoked turkey, bragging rights have been in my favor most recently.”
