[vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/1″][custom_headline type=”left” level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ id=”” class=”” style=””]Featuring Feastly Chef Cuc Lam[/custom_headline][text_output]
Some Like it Hot!
“Pass the HOT-HOT, please!”
My section of the table, infused by wine, was getting a little rowdy. And we kept referring to the secret hot sauces at Cuc Lam’s Spicy Thai Feastly dinner as “the Hot-Hot.” I couldn’t help but laugh. And, it was okay. Getting loud is totally acceptable at a Feastly dinner. It’s part of the experience: dining at a chef’s table, bonding with the other Feastly guests, and enjoying good food and good company. At the table, we started off as strangers, but at the end of the night we left as friends.[/text_output][blockquote type=”left” cite=”Cesar Chavez ” id=”” class=”” style=””]If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart.[/blockquote][text_output]This is exactly what Feastly founder, Noah Karesh, envisioned for his web-based company. His global travels and food experiences inspired him to develop a platform to unite adventurous foodies and talented chefs to experience creative pop-up dinners. This is not your ordinary supper club either. Feastly’s model is similar to AirBnB, but for dining. Feastly allows home chefs the opportunity to share their passion and culinary skills through unique dinner events. Eaters simply sign up for the meal and show up at the chef’s house and enjoy their feast![/text_output][vc_media_grid item=”mediaGrid_BorderedScaleWithTitle” grid_id=”vc_gid:1450329085722-cf769844-3e4b-4″ include=”4505,4503,4483″][gap size=”1.313em” id=”” class=”” style=””][text_output]Cuc Lam invited me to her Feastly dinner called “Some Like it Hot!”– a Spicy Thai Feast. She warned me ahead of time that the food would be spicy. I accepted the challenge and promptly arrived on time. The table was set for 12 with neatly arranged red plates topped with a printed menu of the 6-course meal. Soft music played in the background creating a jovial ambiance for socializing. And, Chinese sausage, Roma tomatoes, spicy balsamic vinaigrette and basil served with toasted baguettes started our culinary journey for the evening. Feasters were served an introductory house cocktail upon entry. A Tropical Cooler made of limeade, pineapple, vodka, and soda.
As the house filled with guests, Cuc and her server prepped the first course, Tom Yum. The delicate broth accented with ginger and lemongrass was top with two spicy jumbo shrimp.
Seated at the table, guests engaged in light conversation and how they heard about the Feastly meal. Many of the guests were Feastly eaters and heard about Cuc through Houston MeetUp or on the Memorial Area Eats FaceBook group. I shared with my new friends that I met Cuc through the Houston Food Bloggers Collective and that I was there to photograph the event. And, to eat of course!
Before our meal, Cuc paused our chatter with a brief introduction and presented an overview of her featured courses: Tom Yum, Angel Wings, Turmeric Pork with Glass Noodles, Tiger Cry, and Coconut Custard Ice Cream & Fried Banana Chips.[/text_output][vc_media_grid item=”mediaGrid_BorderedScaleWithTitle” grid_id=”vc_gid:1450331860691-4ae8d3cc-de43-2″ include=”4487,4488,4490″][gap size=”1.313em” id=”” class=”” style=””][text_output]In between courses, I sneaked into the kitchen to take pictures and to learn more about the cook. Cuc told me that she grew up in southern Mississippi (Long Beach) and learned to cook from her mother. She was always passionate about cooking and even co-owned a sushi restaurant and a bar and grill in Houston. She ended her restaurant career to focus on her full-time job at Chevron as a SharePoint Administrator.
Through a friend’s prompting, Cuc joined Feastly in 2014. At that time, Feastly and pop-up dinners were fairly new in Houston which worked out in Cuc’s favor. On Cuc’s second Feastly dinner, Geoffrey Roth of Fox News interviewed Cuc for a featured story on Houston’s emerging pop-up dinners! The segment gave Cuc the exposure she needed to propel her side business. Since then, Cuc has hosted 36 Feastly meals.
The Feastly platform gives Cuc the flexibility to host dinners at home around her 9-80 work schedule. But most importantly, the platform gives Cuc the opportunity to share her love of southern comfort foods with her beloved Feastly friends. It’s a win-win!
I loved my first Feastly dining experience. The diverse group was a perfect mix of couples and singles with a passion for eating great food. It doesn’t matter if you sign up solo or with a group of friends, the common bond of food and breaking of bread will create new friendships.
So if you want to try something different and exciting, I encourage you to experience a Feastly pop-up dinner. Go taste and see for yourself!
Don’t forget to check out Cuc Lam’s Feastly profile to see what she is cooking up now!
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