Chefs Kris Reid (left) and Vera Samuels.

By JILL STIERLI

One back-to-school project I always remember doing each fall was writing an essay about “how I spent my summer.” With fall finally upon us, I have been reflecting on what I learned this summer volunteering at the Davidson Farmer’s Market chef demonstration tent. I assisted and watched Kris Reid and Vera Samuels, two professional chefs who received their training at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte. If you were lucky enough to catch one of their demos, you also saw firsthand how knowledgeable these chefs are, not only in their craft but also about local foods.

In addition to cooking techniques and food knowledge, here are just seven things that I learned at the chef demos this summer:

1. Always have a sharp knife. Kris Reid frequently reminded us that 80 percent of your time in the kitchen is spent chopping, cutting or mincing so it makes sense to not only have a sharp knife but also one that you are comfortable working with.

Vera Samuels

Also, she told us we can all clean out our supply of various-sized knives because all you really need is ONE really good knife. Make sure you keep your knuckles tucked in when using your knife or you may need a good supply of bandages.

2. Beets really are tasty, and ostrich too! Kris and Vera used just about everything available at the market in their demos. Through the wide variety of dishes prepared, we sampled celery root, flap meat (beef), garlic scapes (shoots), and chorizo, just to name a few. Lesson learned: Try new foods or re-visit foods that you didn’t like in the past, you will be pleasantly surprised.

3. Supporting your local farmers is good for your health. The produce available at the DFM is at its freshest, most nutritious and although it may not be USDA certified “organic” it is pretty darn close. The meat, poultry and eggs are raised and slaughtered much differently than factory farmed animals. Talk to the farmers about how they grow their food and raise their livestock, you’ll feel much better knowing where your food is coming from.

4. Recipes aren’t sustainable – but they do provide inspiration and guidance. We had many requests for recipes but as both chefs demonstrated this summer, a recipe is just a guide. You need to use what you have in your kitchen or at the DFM and improvise when the items in the recipe are not available.

Kris Reid

5. You DO have to spend a little time cooking to have a healthy, delicious meal but it’s not as long as you think. All of our demos ran from 30 to 45 minutes. Although a few items occasionally were prepped beforehand, most of the dishes were made right at the tent in the time allotted. Knowing that a meal can be prepared in that amount of time makes the task much less daunting, especially at the end of the day.

6. Keep lots of garlic on hand. The chefs used garlic in almost every dish and I have to admit, this is the first year that I purchased my garlic from the DFM. This is after I learned from Kris Reid that my grocery store garlic is probably coming from China.

7. Focus on eating “real” food. The chefs used butter, cheese, salt, honey and other ingredients that most standard diet or nutrition books will tell you to avoid. However, almost every ingredient was fresh and I could recognize, pronounce and spell every one of them. I’m not sure I can say the same about the ingredients listed on boxes in the local grocery store.

MORE DEMOS AHEAD

With these tips in mind, plan to join us at the market for demonstrations by Chris Phillips from Restaurant X on October 23 and Vera Samuels on October 30. You may learn something new and will definitely walk away with a tasty sample!

The Davidson Farmer’s Market runs year-round on Saturday mornings in downtown Davidson. The market will run weekly through the end of October and will switch to a bi-weekly schedule beginning in November. Please visit www.davidsonfarmersmarket.org for dates and times.

Jill Stierli is a Davidson resident and active Davidson Farmer’s Market volunteer. In addition to being an accounting professional and busy mom, she recently received her health coaching certification through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.