Deck the Halls!

We had our company holiday party last night.
Mallet Kitchen was illuminated beautifully with pretty string lights and candelight and the space just glowed.
A reminder that this space is available for rent for your next private dinner, cocktail party, cooking class, test kitchen, photo shoot, etc.
Jessi, formerly of Le Pichet and Café Presse, from Peak Nutrition prepared a lovely dinner for all. Much more intimate than renting a space in a restaurant!

Family style.

Today we started a new Tuesday tradition at Mallet...family style lunch together.
We hired a fantastic chef, Jessi Aaenson formerly of Le Pichet and Café Presse, now with her own company Peak Nutrition. She made a simply perfect meal today for us, lasagna (with meat, without meat, gluten-free), she covered ALL the bases and hit a home run!

It has been proven that sharing a meal together with your co-workers boosts morale and bringing people from different departments together on a casual regular basis fosters good feelings and helps productivity. Oh, and um...IT'S DELICIOUS and FUN.

In the "old days" a lot of European factories used to have cafeterias where the mama would come in to cook for everyone and it would be a time for everyone to come together and break bread. Now in this fast pace world...even tech companies with cafeterias...people take their food back to their desks and keep working away. This is a great way for us at Mallet to do things the old world way...even if only on Tuesdays.

If you are ever in need of a superb chef...Jessi does it all...caters, cooks, shops, meal plans...whatever you need, in a healthy way.

 

 

 

M Kitchen photo shoot

Busy couple days in Mallet Kitchen! Photo shoot for Sur La Table in our space. The natural lighting in there proved to be amazing rain or shine.

Poulet rôti

Perfectly prepared roast chicken never disappoints. 

I was reminded today when I was in a Parisian open air market how much I love the way Europeans approach food shopping...and selling for that matter. Specialized shops for cheese, bread, seafood, meats, produce...which I'm so glad we've adopted in our farmer's markets at home...but this is different. I'm talking a whole family lineage can be responsible for that cheese shop...that butcher has been selling meat his whole life...and a wine shop owner will be one of the best sommelier's you've ever met. It's considered a métier to run one of these shops, a skilled profession or trade, much like a master craftsman is respected for his skill, these men and women are respected for theirs.

I bought a roast chicken from a man today that has probably sold roast chicken for 40 years...ask me if it was delicious...I dare you.

It was so succulent that I laughed inside how much happiness a simple roast chicken can impart.

I asked Chef Jim Drohman of Le Pichet & Café Presse how to make a proper roast chicken...find the recipe on his blog here or order one to go from Café Presse. Better yet, come take a cooking class with him in Mallet Kitchen next time he has one...French basics defined.

In the meantime, I'll visit Monsieur poulet again.

A bientôt!

He's scooping up the small round peeled potatoes he roasts at the bottom with the chicken drippings

 

Marche at rue Mouffetard, 4e.

A Moveable Feast...

In May, PBS Boston shot an episode of A Moveable Feast with two local celebrity chefs, Maria Hines from Tilth, Golden Beattle and Agrodolce and Holly Smith from Café Juanita at Mallet Kitchen.

It was a great way to kick off Mallet Kitchen and it's purpose: To support Mallet's core business of designing and building unique restaurants. We want to offer Mallet Kitchen as a place for chefs to test menus, host investor dinners and special events. Mallet Kitchen is also a great place to rent for photo shoots and private culinary events.