If Sunday morning was a place, this would be it. When walking into Che, you will be greeted by a soft and minimalist colour palette: natural wooden chairs, decor brought back from travels abroad and custom-made benches meant to bring people together whilst sharing the most delicious plant-based meals. You may come for the beautiful interior, but you will certainly stay for the menu.

This humble eatery will open in 2020. It is located on the ground floor of the boutique hostel Eat & Stay, the new concept space from Sincerely, Tommy which is tucked away in Brooklyn, NYC.

In this interview, we meet Tara Thomas, the executive chef at Che. She is responsible for serving slow and healthy food made with mostly seasonal produce that “guides the menu and is embellished with spices from around the world and sauces with ingredients from origins to compliment the dish and bring homage. It’s all about applying techniques to make these restrictions an adventure.”

Thomas at Che. Photo credit: @steatandstay. Edit by NUET.

Quickfire

A kitchen is never complete without… A spice collection. A cabinet well stocked with essentials and herbs from travels will always embellish your dishes with comforting flavours and nostalgia as well as an option to paint a new landscape of flavours. Tip: Make sure your spice collection is stored in a place where there is room to grow… I currently have 71 spices and 23 salts in my collection.

In relation to cooking, which season of the year is your favourite?

Spring is the best season to cook! I love fresh and bright produce that springs from the ground as the days get longer. They don’t need much cooking to process them but a light sauté, roast or an incredible sauce will give you bright cosy vibes. I’m just so excited thinking about this and planning my trip to the market as I’ve been anxiously ready to see the goodies!

If you could pick any destination in the world, what would it say on your plane ticket?

Somewhere in West Africa. I intend to travel there to get in touch with my roots in Africa as my father's side of the family was taken from the land that is now Cameroon. To indulge in the food and learn the traditions and iterations is always my choice of taking in the culture!

Favourite memory from the year so far?

I went to Norway in February for the first time where my boyfriend is from and lives. We went up to his cabin in the mountains and had a “hygge” holiday.

Seasonal cooking, community and Che

Besides being an executive chef at Che, Thomas runs her own business producing culinary experiences for private events, something that keeps life varied and busy. She spends her day doing office work from home and running around to meetings and events, but her morning routine remains the same:

“Ideally, I wake up between 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM, meditate for 30 minutes. Then I drink water, fill my essential oil diffuser, make my bed, sweep the house, make tea, journal, and my day starts.”

Thomas explains that her interest in cooking started at an early age. She would play kitchen in her garden year-round, regardless of the weather, making concoctions with everything she could get her hands on, from stones to flowers and pine cones. She describes it as her own little farm to table kitchen studio.

“I was truly living the dream… someday I’ll have that again,” said Thomas.

Among the people that have inspired Thomas’ passion for cooking, she names her father and Ina Garten (who you might know for her cœur à la crème and Food Network TV show): “Ina Garten was my idol from the garden to the real kitchen. I would watch her techniques on the TV and attempt them in the kitchen. My parents always kept food interesting at home. My father, in particular, loves to study flavours and taste the food, he taught me that. He always encouraged me to try new things in the kitchen and trust my instincts. He went through a slight vegetarian phase that shocked me as a child to truly love vegetables. I can kind of see how that turned me into a vegan 10 years later!”

Photo credit: @justin.mariano & @steatandstay. Edit by NUET.

Now, after years in the field, Thomas can look back at how her personal relationship with cooking has developed. What advice does she wish someone had given her before she started out?

“Know your worth, be confident and be a little mysterious. Being vulnerable welcomes others to potentially take advantage of your skills and work. You don’t deserve that… I think it's part of the process, however, having a layer of confidence and mystery is never going to harm anyone!”

Before putting together the menu for Che, Thomas has created menus for the Brooklyn-based restaurant Premium Blend, as well as developing her own concepts. She explains that she has a special routine for creating menus in collaboration with a brand:

“For restaurants, I am creating a dining experience that aligns with the brand I am creating for. Sincerely, Tommy’s second iteration is the Eat & Stay concept with Che, an all-day cafe concept in Bedford-Stuyvesant. At the beginning of creating the menu, I required a few one-on-one conversations with the founder Kai and her family to learn expectations, goals, and common grounds on values.”

Kai’s mother and grandmother immigrated to the United States from Grenada into Brooklyn in a Caribbean influenced neighbourhood with African-American cuisine that travelled from the south.

“There was incredible value in honouring sustainability, seasons and being simple with intention without gentrifying. After studying the foundation of the brand I examined the Sincerely, Tommy brand and its lineage in Brooklyn through media (social, articles, video), and I wanted to capture the storyline of the band and its influence on the community within a flavour profile that could be celebrated in the neighbourhood just like the boutique. From there I was sure that this menu was rooted in African and West-Indian cuisine and explorations of flavours from travel and community. I want this space to honour the overall black community and our common roots in Africa and fuse the flavours from the overall human experience of food.”

The menu is specifically honouring food traditions of Grenada, Mexico, and Africa:

“Grenada in the West Indies, Mexico, and Africa have all brought abundance into our world of food. Through colonisation, their lands have been exploited to serve their incredible flavours into European standards and have become a part of the culture. We live in a world where fusions are represented by gentrification and not community. I never grew up eating cuisine that aligned with my ethnicity so I’ve learned from a young age to respect food and also see ingredients without borders.”

After moving from Portland, commonly known for its healthy lifestyle, to Brooklyn, Thomas noticed a contrast - there was a lack of vegan restaurants that fully served the growing plant-based community. When asked what makes Che stand out from the hundreds of plant-based restaurants in the borough, she explained:

“Che will nourish the community with consciousness through nutrition without sacrificing flavour. I felt more purpose here to serve a community who is demanding this opportunity to eat delicious food in a beautiful dining space.”

Che is built on the idea that food can help people connect, a value that Thomas shares:

“Food is our fuel - we all need it to survive and it brings us joy! Why not come together around it and give each other quality time.”

The communal bench at Che was an intentional detail that is supposed to encourage sharing meals and dining together, whether it is with a stranger or a friend. This behaviour has also been encouraged through the menu:

“The menu is made up of small plates and entrees that welcome you to taste the menu and share the flavours.”

Photo credit: @mejuri & @cheftarathomas. Edit by NUET.

In September, Thomas went on a trip to Oaxaca, a city that has inspired many of the dishes on the menu at Che. She wanted to receive a better understanding and proper experience of the cuisine of the region as Kai wanted to honour it in the restaurant.

“I really fell in love with the slow pace, sunshine, and the people. When you have time, sunshine, and a community the food is always good! You can taste the intention through each dish. I felt that so much in Oaxaca. I discovered these mini mangos there literally the size of a large grape… packed with flavour, a burst of sunshine. Oh, and I hate American bananas, nothing is like the ones grown within a region where it is picked fresh and tree-ripened.”

Wherever Thomas finds herself in the world, she makes sure to pick up inspiration. This includes her recent trip to Norway:

“Nordic cuisine has a huge impact on the modern outlook of food, especially around sustainability. However, I was most interested in “lefse” which is potato tortillas. As I learned how it was processed it really connected to my experience in Oaxaca, cooking fresh-pressed tortillas on the comal just as you would press fresh potato dough on a “takke”. I spread fresh hummus on lefse and top with pickled or fresh vegetables … it is incredible, I would like to make some and get lefse here in the US.”

Although the official opening of Che is yet to come, Thomas has already hosted a successful weekly “cosy brunch series” at Sincerely, Tommy to mitigate the opening of Che. Giving people a taste of what is to come once the eatery opens is one of Thomas’ most treasured memories from her career:

“The neighbourhood absolutely loved it. By the last two, we sold out before service was up. It made me so happy that people really felt connected to their community and space through the event. So much that we even gained some regulars who always came for the brunch… shout-out to all of you, can’t wait to see you at the restaurant.”

There is no doubt that Thomas is a conscious chef with many talents, but what dish will her grandchildren remember her for?

“Oh my goodness this brings me joy, I hope to have a few children who have families of their own that I get to bless with my food. They will certainly remember me for my delicious vegan pancakes and hash browns. No doubt that will bring smiles and joy around the family table.”

Honouring traditions, community and sustainability through food with Tara Thomas

Quickfire

Seasonal cooking, community and Che

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