Good Cooking

After retiring, Dave Beuoy hits the spot cooking up a new dream

Story by Jacquelyn Hall Photos by David Moore

An attorney turned home chef, Dave Beuoy is proof that dreams can be achieved after retirement. He was born in Chicago. His father, Everett’s air defense job required the family to relocate from time to time. The opening of the Marshall Space Flight Center brought them to Huntsville when Dave was 14.

Growing up, Dave’s mother Pat insisted on having him in the kitchen so she could teach him how to cook. She wanted to set him up for success in this area of life, he laughs, because Everett “couldn’t even boil water” and she wanted to make sure I didn’t follow suit.

“I enjoyed it,” he adds.

Pat extended the same experience to his younger siblings, Susie McLaughlin and Ed Beuoy.

Dave’s law career was full and fulfilling. He had his own practice in Russellville for 10 years and then partnered in Arab with the former Burke and Beuoy, later Burke, Beuoy and Maze, for over 30 years.

During that time he also served several years each as Arab prosecutor and city attorney. Rounding out his roles in the city, he was the municipal court judge for just shy of a decade.

Retiring from his law practice in May 2017, Dave soon found himself bored and desiring to learn something. He found inspiration in the skills his mother taught him and the love he has for cooking, so he decided to go to culinary school.

Weighing his options between Wallace State Community College in Hanceville and Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville, he decided on attending Drake State.

“The Drake programs looked more interesting,” he says. “The way the courses were described was more intriguing. Drake also has vocational classes and certificates – you don’t have to get a full diploma.”

He started in August 2017. The classes were hands on, cooking dishes with guidance from the instructors. There were generally no recipes. One instructor in particular would prepare a dish or full meal while the class observed and took notes.

“Once he was done, the instructor would give us trays of ingredients and then tell us to go make a meal,” Dave says.

His favorite classes were ones in which he was able to learn and hone specific skills and techniques.

“We learned about all the uses of a chef’s knife,” he explains. This ranged from crushing garlic to the proper and most practical way to dice an onion.

The most enlightening course, he says, was the first one on meat preparation, and he now uses those skills as his go-to way of preparing meat dishes of all varieties.

“It’s really easy,” he says. “You just brown the meat on the stovetop and then cook it the rest of the way in the oven.”

This method is particularly useful for preparing chicken, so that it is cooked thoroughly. Dave utilizes the technique when preparing his crab-stuffed chicken breasts.

Of the crab stuffing he says, “it’s so good, you can use it in pretty much any dish.”

During his three-year, part-time attendance at Drake State, Dave gained some real world experience cooking for some of the general public.

“We had some classes that would cook a meal for sale,” he says. “One day a week, Drake would open up the cafeteria and anyone could go in, and, for a reasonable fee, you could get a meal.”

The school also provided opportunities to learn via hands-on experience what the world of catering is like.

“Once a year we would cater for the Early Works Museum, which was an

Dave and Marsha Beuoy in their Arab kitchen with Juliet.

½ cup vinegar ½ cup sugar to taste 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped 3 cups seedless watermelon balls or small chunks 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced into small slices 1 cup water 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds Salt and pepper to taste

Mix: vinegar, water, sugar (adjusting as desired) and poppy seeds in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in scallions. Place watermelon and cucumbers in serving bowl and pour the marinade over the top. Toss gently before serving. May be served immediately or covered and refrigerated for 2-3 hours beforehand.

CUCUMBER SHRIMP APPETIZER

1 8 oz. can unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained 1 4 oz. can tiny shrimp, drained and rinsed ¼ cup reduced fat mayonnaise 1 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1½ tsp. fresh dill, minced 1 medium cucumber (about 8”) cut into ¼ inch slices Fresh dill sprigs, optional

In a bowl, combine the pineapple, shrimp, mayonnaise, onion, mustard and dill. Spoon onto cucumber slices. Garnish with dill sprigs if desired. Makes 32.

event with around 200 people,” he says. “We would also cook for special events like Valentine’s Day. The Drake State president would invite couples to dine, and on Veterans Day we would cook for the veterans on campus.”

While wrapping up culinary school, he met Marsha on the Facebook dating app. For a time it was a long distance relationship, with Marsha in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Dave in Arab. They texted and called, then finally met in person on Dec. 26, 2019, in Fayetteville.

They married in February 2020. The Covid pandemic, however, delayed any honeymoon. They were finally able to enjoy a cruise to Mexico in April 2022.

The Beuoys are well prepared for hosting a summer get-together full of mouth-watering and refreshing recipes like his cucumber shrimp appetizer, ribs cooked in the oil-less turkey fryer or on the smoker, serving them with Marsha’s favorite: sweet-sour watermelon cucumber salad. They can finish off the meal with alcohol-free key lime “shooters.”

The newlyweds are well and properly settled in their Arab home where Dave is more than happy to spoil Marsha with his culinary skills.

And she seems perfectly happy to let him.

ALL-PURPOSE CRAB STUFFING

1 large green onion, white and green parts, minced 2 Tbsp. roasted red peppers (or jarred minced pimentos) ½ lb. crab meat ²/³ cup fresh breadcrumbs (about two slices of white bread chopped in the food processor) 1 egg, beaten ½ tsp. Old Bay Seasoning ⅓ cup mayonnaise 4 Tbsp. fresh parsley minced very finely Paprika for sprinkling lightly

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Excellent to use as stuffing for nearly any dish, particularly chicken breasts and pork chops.

ONION PIE

1¼ cups Ritz cracker crumbs 6 Tbsp. melted butter 2 cups onions, thinly sliced 2 eggs ¾ cup milk ¾ tsp. salt Dash of black pepper ¼-½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mix the cracker crumbs with ½ stick melted butter. Press into an 8 inch pie plate. Chill.

Sauté onions in 2 tablespoons of butter. Spoon into chilled crust. Slightly mix the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper, and pour over the onions. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

3 lbs. white potatoes 2 cups mayonnaise 1 (1.25 oz.) packet taco seasoning mix 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ½ cup sliced scallions 1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced black olives, drained 2 cup coarse-crushed ranch-flavored

TACO POTATO SALAD

tortilla chips

Wash, peel and cut potatoes into quarters, and place in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook 20-25 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise and taco seasoning, mix well. Cut potatoes into ½ inch chunks and place in a large bowl. Add mayonnaise mixture and remaining ingredients to potatoes and mix thoroughly to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

4 oz. of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk Zest of 3 limes Juice of 3 limes 15 graham crackers, processed into crumbs Whipped cream for topping

KEY LIME PIE SHOOTERS

Using a stand or electric mixer, combine cream cheese and condensed milk until well mixed. Add all the lime juice and half the zest. Mix to combine. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to overnight.

Layer the glasses with the mixture and graham cracker crumbs, until you reach the top. Top with whipped cream and garnish with zest and lime wedge if desired.

NOTE: If not serving immediately, wait until serving time to add the whipped cream.

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce 2 Tbsp. honey 1 Tbsp. chili garlic paste Zest and juice of 1 lime ½ cup mayonnaise 1 cup shredded green cabbage 6 radishes, finely chopped 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds ¼ cup rice wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. fish sauce 1 tsp. toasted sesame seed oil 1 lb. boneless New York strip, sliced 1 Tbsp. Asian hot sauce

THAI STEAK TACOS

1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks 8 corn tortillas ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, honey, fish sauce, chili garlic paste, sesame oil, lime juice and zest.

Place steak in a 2 gallon resealable bag and pour in marinade. Refrigerate 3-6 hours.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and hot sauce. Set aside. In a medium bowl, toss together cabbage, carrot, and radishes. Set vegetables aside. In a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat, warm 2-3 tortillas at a time, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean dish towel.

Increase heat to high and heat olive oil in the same skillet. Add the steak and discard the marinade.

Cook until seared, stirring for 3-5 minutes. Assemble tacos with the steak, reserved vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds.

ROASTED POTATOES AND BELL PEPPERS

2 lbs. potatoes, russet or yellow gold are preferable 1 large green bell pepper 1 large red bell pepper 1 large red onion 1 large yellow onion 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1-3 tsp. Italian seasoning 1 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 400. Scrub potatoes and dry. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place in a colander and rinse in cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel. Cut peppers and onions into bite sized pieces. Place potatoes, peppers, and onions in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and Italian seasoning to taste.

Spray a 9x13” baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray. Add the vegetables to the prepared dish and place in the oven and bake 30-45 minutes, or until fork tender and slightly crispy.

CUBAN SLIDERS

24 pack Hawaiian rolls 1 package deli sliced ham 8 slices of Swiss cheese Dill pickles

Dijon Spread

2 Tbsp. minced onion 1 stick melted butter 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9x13” pan. Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half, removing the top and placing the bottom half in the pan.

Layer the meat, cheese and pickles. Replace the top half of the rolls.

Prepare Dijon spread by whisking together butter and mustard. Add the minced onion (can grate the onion to avoid the minced chunks), stir, then spread across the tops of the rolls.

Cover the sliders with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 minutes or until the rolls are toasted brown. Cut to separate the sliders and serve.

DARN GOOD CORN SALAD

8 ears fresh corn (or 2 lbs. frozen, thawed and drained corn) ½ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup cider vinegar 1½ tsp. fresh lemon juice ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley 2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. sugar ½ tsp. dried basil ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional) 2 large tomatoes, diced ½ cup chopped green bell pepper 2 scallions, thinly sliced with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add corn, cover loosely, and return to a boil. Remove pot from heat and let stand 5 minutes or until corn is tender. Carefully drain and let cool. In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, parsley, salt, sugar, basil, lemon juice and cayenne pepper (if using), and mix well. With a chef’s knife or corn stripper, cut the kernels off the cobs and place in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, bell pepper and scallions. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix well. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.