Photo courtesy of Stephanie's on Newbury
We all have a favorite comfort food — a familiar (and often guilty) source of gustatory pleasure we turn to when we need a little lift. For some people, it’s Mom’s meatloaf. For others, it’s a fiendishly spiced taco. Myself, I’ll take a gooey grilled cheese sandwich in any of its many glorious variations.
In the last few years, chefs in Boston and around the country have been serving up their own creative, upscale takes on classic comfort food. One of the earliest local champions of these upscale versions of homespun favorites is Stephanie Sokolove of Stephanie’s on Newbury and, more recently, Stephi’s on Tremont.
Recently, Sokolove announced a new collaboration with Vermont’s farmer-owned cheddar cheese powerhouse, Cabot Creamery. Sokolove and Cabot will collaborate on recipes and special cheese-centric events. It only makes sense, since cheese is a key ingredient in so many of the comfort food staples at both of her restaurants.
I emailed Stephanie to find out more about the origins of her partnership with Cabot, just what makes comfort food so comforting, and how cheese fits into the comfort food equation. You can check out some of her Cabot cheese-related recipes, including ones for Poached Pears stuffed with Cabot Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Pistachio Nuts and Mini-Fish Tacos with Cabot Habañero Cheddar Cheese, on the Stephanie’s on Newbury website.
Photo courtesy of Stephanie's on Newbury
PRK: Could you tell me a little bit about how your partnership with Cabot began? Who approached whom?
I have to say, we love Cabot Cheddar cheese and have been using it in our sophisticated comfort food recipes for years here at Stephanie’s. In fact, today, between both restaurants, Stephanie’s on Newbury and Stephi’s on Tremont, we use nearly 200 pounds of Cabot cheese each week! I can’t imagine using anything but Cabot in my kitchens and it just made perfect sense for us to team up together.
PRK: Why Cabot? What sets their cheese apart?
First and foremost, it tastes good! We serve a huge wheel of Cabot Cheddar at our bar every evening and it doesn’t last long. People love it. Also it melts well — which is a wonderful thing for our comfort food dishes; it’s readily available — we obviously need a lot of it — and Cabot’s a local company which really appeals to us. We’re proud to be able to support local businesses, like Cabot’s local dairy farms.
PRK: Is there a dish that’s a hands-down favorite with customers and do you have a personal favorite?
Without a doubt it’s our Mac & Cheese, made with Cabot Cheddar. Personally, I’m partial to everything on our menu. I really love the Chunky Chicken Salad, our Crab Meat BLT is fabulous, (I had that for lunch yesterday), our incredible Stephi Burger, also topped with delicious, ooey, gooey Cabot Cheddar; and our seasonal salmon dishes — it’s hard for me to pick just one!
PRK: How has comfort food changed in the years since you started Stephanie’s?
We’ve always believed in comfort food with big flavor! We continue to explore new and creative ways to bring our brand of sophisticated comfort food to our customers. We constantly add new and current ingredients to our old favorites. For example, you’ll find truffles, prosciutto, even lobster in our Mac & Cheese to please our customers’ discriminating palates.
PRK: What makes comfort food so comforting? Is it a matter of people craving the familiar foods of childhood, or is there something more to it?
Comfort foods are the types of foods that make us feel good! And we do associate the smells and tastes of these recipes, whether that’s homemade chocolate chip cookies or luscious cheeseburgers on the grill, with childhood memories and good times with family. And the atmosphere where you enjoy these comfort foods is meaningful, too. That’s why you can cozy up next to our fireplace indoors or enjoy al fresco dining on our patio — either way we want people to feel good and happy.
Go to her portfolio site to learn more about our new summer intern, Susanna Bolle. Welcome to the Kitchen, Susanna!