Palatable Pleasures: Chef Iris Francis

STEVE'S CUISINE

Chef Iris' Story

I was inspired to become a chef because my mother was always hosting parties, having big cookouts and serving the community. I guess I'm following in my mom's footsteps. She raised me to have respect for myself to have values and to always love people, love yourself and put God first.

At the age of 11yrs. old I started cooking. My mom worked and I had to have food done when she got home from work. The first thing I ever learned cook was my mother’s southern fried chicken for dinner and once I passed the test my mother knew then that I could cook. My mother went home to be with the Lord, but I hold her recipes and recipes that our family passed down through our generations dear to my heart. I use those recipes that were passed down from my grandmother, aunts and my mother daily. With the cooking experience, I went to a two-year course culinary arts school, but graduated in one year at the top of my class. I was so ready to graduate and get into the industry working as a cook. My first job was at INOVA hospital which gave me a chance to meet and help people. Being a dietitian for the Heart Center there were patients who couldn't eat certain things because of illnesses. I also have the awesome opportunity to serve at my church cooking for the homeless shelter at 2nd & D streets and New York Avenue.

I named my catering Steve's Cuisine after my husband and Cora's Heavenly Desserts after my mom who liked sweets. It's been a journey, but God has inspired me and guided me through this journey and I know I couldn't have done this without Him, the support of my husband, family who has always been behind me and the blessings of my church leadership.

...love people, love yourself and put God first.

I like to make Cora's Heavenly Desserts, create new desserts and make some of my customers’ favorites such as banana pudding, strawberry shortcake, pecan pie, sweet potato pie, and birthday cakes. There are always challenges with desserts because there are so many people with dietary restrictions. To meet some of those challenges, I have learned to create sugar-free and gluten-free desserts.

When springtime and summertime arrives, I enjoy creating specialty drinks like watermelon Breeze, Jamaica punch and sorrel tea smoothies of all sorts. My favorite dishes are always fresh fruit and vegetables. I like them because of the sweetness and this time of the year you can always find an assortment of healthy fresh fruit with bright fresh colors and sweet to taste. It's just something about seeing the colors on a plate that is so beautifully decorated and full of vitamins our bodies need from each fruit that is necessary for existence. In the summertime, you really don't need to eat a lot of heavy food so it's always better to eat salads and fruits.

At Steve's Cuisine, we do a lot of event planning from weddings to parties, to family reunions, BBQ's, baby showers and a whole host of other different events. We enjoy what we are doing to make our clients’ events successful so that they are relaxed and enjoy their event without worrying about cooking and/or serving their guess. We are elated when we receive great reports telling us about their favorite dish and referrals for more events.

Reach out to Chef Iris for your catering needs.