Evans was among 11 area chefs who joined forces a few weeks ago for the new event to raise money for Miami Valley Meals (https://miamivalleymeals.org), a program that helps prepare meals for those serving the hungry in the region.
The fun event was an interactive and showcased and celebrated the creativity of local chefs as they crafted unique dishes from mystery ingredients. Participating chefs were challenged to transform the ingredients into something new and delicious which was judge by attendees and a panel of judges that included this writer.
The event raised more than $20,000 to support MVM.
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
While all of the chefs shined that night, Evans showcased incredible talent.
She started with a pork dish.
“My ingredients were pork loin, quinoa, zucchini and yellow squash, and red plums. The dish I made I called ‘Pork Toast.’ I dry-brined and roasted the pork low and slow, let it rest to a perfect medium, and thinly sliced it. I then made quinoa focaccia bread,” said Evans.
“Here at Coldwater, we are well known for our focaccia. So, I cooked the quinoa, cooled it down and mixed it into our focaccia dough, and then rolled it more quinoa for a nice crunch, and topped it with rosemary and sea salt. I then shredded my zucchini and squash, pressed all the water out, and cooked it with lots of fresh herbs, shallots, and garlic. Cooled it down, whipped some good European butter and folded in brie and zucchini mixture. One of our signature sauces we make is our hot pepper jelly. I cooked the red plums down with some nectarines and made a slightly different kind of hot pepper jelly. I think this one is even better. I toasted the quinoa bread, slathered it with the zucchini butter, piled on the deliciously moist pork, and topped it with red plum hot pepper jelly, and a little locally grown micro arugula. Killer.”
Her words ring true. It was absolutely melt in your mouth delicious, and was without question my favorite thing that I had the pleasure of sampling among many other wonderful dishes that evening.
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
The journey from Urbana to Tipp City
Evans had never heard of Tipp City until she applied for the Sous Chef job 11 years ago at Coldwater Cafe.
She grew up shadowing her mother who had a passion for baking and cooking.
“I always found myself watching the Food Network. I watched Emeril, Iron Chef, and Alton Brown like I was going to be graded on it. At about 16 years old, both my parents were working, and I started taking care of the house more, going to the grocery, and cooking meals. I would go through cookbooks, find recipes and try them out on my family. Looking back, one I distinctly remember was Bruschetta. I was so excited to make it and it took me probably 2 hours to execute it. It takes me about five minutes now. Every time I make it, I laugh a little to myself,” says Evans.
After graduating from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh, Evans moved to Savannah, Georgia where she learned the art of Southern cuisine, humility, and taking risks with food. From there, she moved on to Philadelphia in a high pressure job at a five-star hotel.
“In 2011 I moved back to Ohio to be closer to my family,’' Evans said.
She said she saw an ad for a job at Coldwater Cafe and interviewed with then executive chef Nick Hoover.
“For the next three years, I worked incredibly hard to prove to him that I had ‘it;’ that I could do anything that was asked of me and more, Evans said. I wanted to prove that although I was a young woman, I had ‘it’ and I did just that.”
Evans was promoted to executive chef at age 25.
“Here I am after 11 years with this amazing company, earning awards and winning competitions and I have no plans to slow down,” Evans said.
In the winner’s circle
Evans “pork toast” wasn’t the end of the evening. The night culminated with a live chefs challenge. After being crowned crowd favorite and judges favorite, Evans faced off against Chef David Drapes of Bernstein’s Fine Catering who took second place for crowd voting. The mystery ingredients were unveiled and the two chefs had a short window to prepare a dish. Both were given bacon, shrimp, and ham glaze as mystery ingredients. It was a first competition of its kind for Evans.
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
“My inspiration were the corn tortillas I saw in the pantry. Tacos are quick and everyone loves them. When you don’t have a lot of time to think, you go with the first thing you think of, and you make it work. That’s what being a chef is like and running a kitchen. You make fast decisions, and you make it work no matter what. If it doesn’t go as planned, you deal with it later. I quickly pickled some onions and peppers and cooked my shrimp with coconut water and simple spices, made bacon jam with the bacon and ham glaze and drizzled with some garlic chipotle aioli,” Evans said.
“Let me tell you, that competition was rough. Other than the three mystery ingredients, we were given very few pantry items to work with. You really had to rack your brain to figure out what to make with a very lacking pantry. A chef definitely did not stock it. But, in the end I persevered and won.”
Evans’ shrimp street taco with bacon jam, pickled onions and peppers, and a garlic chipotle aioli was a hit, but it was a close competition with her only winning by one point over Drapes.
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Evans says a big part of her success is Hoover who saw her potential, gave her a chance and never hindered her growth and progress. Her other secret weapon? The talented team at Coldwater Cafe.
“My personal philosophy regarding good food is staying true to myself and not being afraid to be different because I might fail. I’m too stubborn to fail. Being a great fine dining chef in small town America doesn’t mean I should limit myself. I want to break barriers, exceed expectations, and draw more and more people in,” Evans says.
Participating chefs
Katy Evans, Coldwater Cafe
Patrick Thompson, redBERRY
Santiago Herrera, Napales Mexican Street Food
Nick Roudebush, Golden Lamb
David Drapes, Bernstein’s Fine Catering
Nate Lansangan, Kung Fu BBQ
Maria Walusis, Watermark and Backwater Voodoo
Ashley Ashbrook, Blind Bob’s
Gavin St. Denis, Corner Kitchen
Summer Key, Key Ingredient Catering
Waver Howard, Cruisin’ Cuisine Food Truck and Creative Delights Catering
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