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SOUTH COVENTRY — Sixth-year culinary arts student and graduate Gregory R. Williams decided to thank his family and friends with something very special. He recently hosted a 30-person dinner party at the restaurant where he is executive chef, The Coventry Tea Room in South Coventry, and he served as chef for the event.
Williams, a graduate of the Culinary Arts Institute at Montgomery County Community College, wanted to thank all of the people in his life who helped him to achieve this milestone. He is also a 2009 Center for Arts & Technology Pickering Campus graduate.
“School was always a challenge for me, so when I decided to major in Culinary Arts back in high school, I received a lot of support from my family and friends,” said Williams. “Frequently, I would stay up for hours in the middle of the night cooking and my friends and family would be my test subjects.”
Williams, who achieved executive chef status before his May 17 graduation, says he is extremely thankful for his accomplishments.
“I have the love of nurturing parents and a strong family who have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, he said. “I credit my grandmother for giving me the cooking bug. At the time, she was a typical Italian grandmother who took care of me while my parents worked at The Philadelphia Inquirer. I used to stand on a chair in front of the stove next to her so I could see what was in the pots.”
The food bug also bit his parents. His dad, Robert O. Williams, is the arguably the country’s foremost classic diner photographer (his book, “Hometown Diners” is a cult classic among Retro-Americana enthusiasts). His mom is a huge cookbook collector, with more than 1,000 volumes in her library. That went hand-in-hand with their love of then-newbie cooking channel, “The Food Network,” where she and Gregory learned many cooking tips from Chef Emeril Lagasse’s shows.
Williams said he frequently attended cooking events around the country where he had the opportunity to meet his mentor Lagasse on many occasions, and even appeared on his show.
He agreed to share one of his award-winning recipes, Greg’s Maui Wowie Fried Chicken. It’s a dish that looks almost too good to eat, but too tempting to resist.
Greg’s Maui Wowie Fried Chicken
Corn Salsa
1 can of corn (12 oz.)
½ red pepper (diced)
½ orange pepper (diced)
½ yellow pepper (diced)
1 whole jalapeno pepper
(diced)
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Sauté peppers and corn in
butter. Add pepper, salt and
sugar to finish.
Sauce For Chicken
½ yellow pepper (diced)
½ orange pepper (diced)
¾ red pepper (diced)
1 large yellow onion (diced)
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups of pineapple juice
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup water
Sauté peppers and onion in
butter. Once translucent,
add pineapple juice & sugar.
Blend cornstarch in ½ cup
of water. Gently add
cornstarch mixture to
broth to thicken mixture.
Fried Chicken Batter
(for 4 large breast portions)
2 cups flour
1 cup half & half
2 teaspoons black pepper
4 teaspoons salt
Blend all ingredients.
Set aside.
4 large chicken breasts
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Rub cleaned chicken with
black pepper and salt. Roll
chicken in batter, then drop
into 12-inch frying pan with
hot vegetable oil (soy
preferable) covering
chicken just over ½.
Cook on each side
till golden.
Finish by crisping
in 350-degree
oven for 10 minutes.
Presentation
Take one whole
pineapple (Shop for
a real specimen.)
Cut it in half and
scoop it out into
a boat (retaining the entire
crown on top). Place two
chicken pieces in the
pineapple and spoon 6
to 8 tablespoons of the
heated pepper & pineapple
sauce over the chicken pieces.
Decorate the plate with the
corn salsa and a few thinly
sliced lime wedges.
