Real Weddings: Honoring Family Through Food

 

 

At Fluent N’ Food, there are two things we love without fail: family and great food.

That’s why we were super excited when beautiful bride Marcia asked us to create a special menu to honor her new husband’s Kenyan culture.

“When Marcia first contacted us for a tasting, she mentioned that her fiancé was Kenyan and she wanted to somehow incorporate Kenyan-style cuisine to honor and welcome his family. This made me super excited to create something that would be my take on, or Kenyan inspired,” says Chef John.

Kenyan Cuisine Made With Love

Presenting the bride and groom with their specially designed menu
Creative Director and Owner, Natasha, presenting the bride and groom with a plater of their special dishes.

Kenyan cuisine, as in many other cultures, is very diverse and differs between the tribes of this African nation. For Chef John, it presented a fun challenge and an opportunity to try creating dishes he had never tried before.

“I did some research online to try to figure out what hors d’oeuvres would best represent the Kenyan culture, and would still be able to be executed on site at the highest quality,” says Chef John.

For the wedding of Marcia and Mathenge, he chose to prepare two appetizers: samosas and bhajiyas.

Samosas are a popular street food in Kenya that stem from the country’s history with India. They are small, deep-fried “pockets” filled with meat or vegetables. For Chef John’s take on this dish, he filled them with potatoes, beef, coriander, cumin, and cilantro.

Kenyan-inspired beef & potato samosas
Chef John’s take on delicious, Kenyan inspired Samosas.

Bhajiyas are a simple, and yummy, snack food typically found in Eastern Kenya. To make this dish, Chef John fried potato slices battered with gram flour and served them with salsa.

“I had eaten Samosas before but never actually prepared them,” Chef John said.  “The Bhajiyas would something I have never eaten or prepared before, but it looked fun, so I figured ‘go for it!’.”

Based on the rave reviews from the happy couple and their guests, he did an amazing job nailing these exotic dishes.

A Chef-Inspired Take on Family Favorites

“We always say when creating a special menu for a client that it’s ‘chef-inspired’ or ‘our take on’,” John mentions. “This means it may not be exactly the way your grandma made but its ‘my take on it’. However, when they said it was better than their Grandma’s, I knew we hit a home run that day!”

After sneaking a taste, or two, of these delicious snacks, we couldn’t have agreed more!

Passed hor d'oeuvres including Kenyan-inspired dishes
Platter of delicious appetizers including samosas, bhajiyas, and ahi tuna spoons.

We loved being able to work with Marcia to create dishes that held a special meaning to her and her new family. Food is at the very center of what we do, and we believe whole-heartedly in its power to create and influence memories.

“I really enjoy writing special menus because it is different, fun, and, most importantly, it always means something personally to the client,” says Chef John.

We wish Marcia and Mathenge all the happiness in the world. Thank you, again, for letting us make your special day even more special with these scrumptious snacks.

Do you have any dishes or cuisine styles that hold a special meaning to you? Don’t forget to visit our contact page to find out how we can help you create a memorable event!

Eat & Enjoy Life!

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     A beautifully decorated Fluent N' Food's buffet

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