We're excited to welcome Teresa Pierce to the Milestone Center Cafe as our new Chef!
Meet Teresa:
Name: Teresa Pierce
Education: I graduated from
Mercy Academy and have a BA in Psychology from UofL and an Associates in
Culinary Arts from Sullivan University.
Favorite Food: That may be the
hardest question to answer! It really depends on my mood. But I'd have to say
the last foods I'd ever give up are probably cheese and
bacon.
Favorite Restaurant: There are
SO many! If I have to pick one, I'll pick the one I crave and always go back
to, that would be Asahi.
Where did you grow up?
Louisville
Did you eat your veggies? Only
a few, I was a very picky eater as a kid.
When did you know you wanted
to be a chef? I remember making pancakes by myself when I was probably 5 and
drawing menus for my future restaurant when I was 7 or
8.
Do you have a favorite food
memory? When I was 13 I told my dad that I thought it was time I had fancy
birthday dinners so on my 14th birthday he took me to Lilly's. Fifteen years
later, I can still remember every course both of us ordered and what it tasted
like.
How do you get your
inspiration? I think I'm most inspired by really good, fresh ingredients. The
first step to making great food is starting with great
ingredients.
Who is your biggest
Inspiration in the Food Industry: Growing up I really liked Alton Brown, he made
food make sense. I loved learning the science behind it
all.
What is your favorite kitchen
equipment or gadget? I recently got a 5 burner gas range with a cast iron grill
insert and convection oven, it's been very fun to have. When it comes to small
gadgets, I'd have to go with a microplane grater.
Breakfast, lunch, (or brunch)
or dessert? I'll go with brunch, you can get away with eating most
anything.
What is your favorite food to
cook with? I'd say garlic and onions are the start of almost every meal I make.
They make everything better and I love the smell of sautéing garlic and onions!
I know it's crazy but if I could bottle that smell as an air freshener I
would.
What do you like to eat when
you’re at home? I really like to make simple comfort foods. And I try to make
healthier versions since my fiancé and I are trying to get in wedding
shape.
Favorite cookbooks? I'm not
really a recipe person. I get inspired by them then tend to use what I have and
what I like to make my own version.
What do you do for fun? I'm a
huge UofL sports fan so I try to attend as many games as possible. I coach
volleyball, watch more terrible reality tv than I should, and my life gets
consumed by fantasy football for about 5 months every
year.
What’s your ‘Last Supper’
meal? Your ‘Death Row’ meal, as Anthony Bourdain puts it: I've actually thought
about this a lot, probably more than a normal person should. It ends up being
personal highlights of Louisville restaurants. It would
include:
- Chicago Big Bull Roll from Asahi
- Duck Confit Flatbread from Mojito's
- Moules Basquaise from Mussel and Burger Bar
- Chicken and Waffle Sandwich from Four Pegs
- Shrimp and Grits from Cafe Lou Lou
- And it would end with Chocolate Chip Ice Cream from Graeters and a Maker's and Coke.
What are you most excited
about bringing to
the Milestone Center Café? I'm
excited to get to know what the members enjoy and learn their favorites and
hopefully add a few of my ideas to the menu.
Teresa starts on Monday and we can't wait! When you see Teresa around the club, be sure to give her a warm welcome!
