Gold-Plated

Dinner

BY SID PETERSON

Meet Alex Smith, Iowa City’s newest foodie transplant from Bloomington, Indiana. She’s the driving force behind Plated Table, a business specializing in small event catering, weekly meal deliveries and dreamy, intimate dinner parties. Smith takes on a variety of events and clients, cooking and creating menus for weddings and celebratory brunches, hosting ticketed multi-course seasonal dinners and everything in between.

She’s been operating out of her personal kitchen along with clients’ kitchens for as long as Plated Table has been around (eight years!). In late summer and fall, she plans to take over the space Her Soup Kitchen used to occupy on South Dubuque Street, planting the roots for Plated Table to grow more in this community. The new brick-and-mortar will serve as an event space and commercial kitchen, ultimately becoming a new place to gather, which Smith emphasized is one of the most exciting parts of seeing this dream come true.

Tell me about your move from Bloomington to Iowa City. I was feeling ready and excited to expand Plated Table (PT) but knew that I couldn’t do it in Bloomington because I would eventually be moving to be with my boyfriend and his daughter here in Iowa City. So, I decided to jump in and make the move! I liked Iowa City a lot the first time I visited. Establishing a business is a big commitment to place, and I am excited to be doing it here.

What is your background and training as a chef? I have an insatiable curiosity when it comes to food. There was a time when I thought about going to culinary school, but I realized I could also learn by reading, cooking, eating, talking to peers in the industry and making friends with farmers. So I primarily have learned by trial and error, cooking and eating, feeding and being fed.

What inspired you to create PT? I started PT my last semester of undergrad while I was studying nutrition at Indiana University. I was really disappointed by the lack of creativity and curiosity in my nutrition classes, so I started a blog where I posted recipes and political things about food. Someone liked what I was sharing and asked if I would be a personal chef for their family, and I did it! I had already been an avid farmers market patron for a few years, but I was a shit cook at that point. I really devoted myself to learning how to cook good food. I borrowed probably a hundred cookbooks from the library and read and cooked my way through them.

I was also going to a lot of university events where there were tables full of underwhelming or disappointing food—bland deli meats, tasteless cheeses, out-of-season fruits, driedout vegetables. The food feels more like a gesture or a prop than something you’re actually going to enjoy eating. Even though, as I said, I wasn’t very good at cooking yet, I knew I could do better than this! So, when I graduated, I officially started PT, started to advertise and look for personal chef clients. I booked up really quickly and have never looked back. It has grown and changed a lot over the past eightplus years—and me too! I am happy to say I am no longer a shit cook.

Who do you draw inspiration from as a chef? This is a dangerous question because there are so many chefs I admire and am inspired by. First, I am really lucky to have friends that are great cooks and hosts. I learn a lot by eating with them. I have been enjoying reading through Suzanne Goin’s cookbooks lately. She cooks very differently than me, but I love that the books are organized by season and she doesn’t shy away from big, deep flavors and complex cooking methods. I’m always inspired by Iliana Regan, her creativity, how she marches to the beat of her own drum, and how delicate and thoughtful her plating feels. I love everything I have ever eaten from Gjusta and Gjelina—restaurants in L.A. Their food feels very homey and familiar while also having incredible clarity of flavor. There is a restaurant in Portland called Sweedeedee that I have a big crush on. The vibe of their space is very welcoming, like walking into a friend’s kitchen where you know you’re going to drink too much coffee or wine and be served really good food while listening to great music. I love that. I admire how playful Sophia Rose is with her food and how her femininity and curiosity shine through. I respect how Tony Ortiz’s food feels important, big and proud, and I love the stories that inspire his dishes, make them demand respect. That is something I think a lot of chefs want to do, and he just nails it in a pure-hearted way. Gosh, I could go on forever!

How do you go about creating custom menus for dinner parties? After I have talked to the host and gotten a good idea of what kind of event they are having, who they are inviting, what they are celebrating, etc., I talk to my farmer friends and make a list of what I can buy locally. I always use that list as the backbone of my menus. Then I ask myself, “What would I be excited to eat if I was attending this event? What have I seen or tasted or read about lately that was inspiring or beautiful?” Then I start jotting down menu ideas. Sometimes these come first as an idea for a theme, and then I flesh out the full menu later. Sometimes I get really hooked on the idea of a specific main or side and build a menu around that. I usually try to create three to four menu options that excite me, and then I send them off to the host, who can choose any of them. Menu planning usually takes an hour or two of concentrated creative time. I really enjoy this part of the process.

Where do you source your ingredients from? I try to buy as much local produce as possible. I always start there. After buying from local farmers, I go to the co-op and buy the majority of my produce and meat there. Lastly, I go to international groceries—Chong’s Market, Acapulco and Taj—to pick up things I can’t find otherwise. I am hoping to buy more and more meat and produce directly from farmers as I get my new space more established.

How far in advance do you schedule popup events, and how can people sign up? The pop-up events are seasonal, and I release them through my newsletters and Instagram. Tickets can be purchased by emailing me directly (letseat@platedtablecatering.com).