Page 14 - Leisure Living Magazine July 2019

Chef Marie
Continued from page 13
white chocolate, homemade vanilla whipped cream, sugared blueberries and vanilla cream cookie crust. If I might say so myself, it turned out pretty yummy!”
Marie’s talent in the kitchen was fueled by cooking with her Greek grandmother. “She made the BEST food and I wanted to know how she did it!” Marie explains. Marie entered the restaurant business when she was 14 years old, serving in every position including hotel restaurants. “I never even thought of running a kitchen until I talked with Eric Booker, who enjoyed some of my dishes from cocktail parties. He asked me to run Hooligans with promises of training, which I got. I have been here since day one, and couldn’t be happier!” she exclaims, adding “I would like to think that people come to Hooligans because I try to make as much as I can homemade, and I really try to make things just a little different from the usual. It is a great environment in the dining room as well, with very friendly, great service in a comfortable décor.”
Every great chef has his or her favorite ingredient as well as a kitchen gadget that is indispensable, and Marie chimes in on hers. “As strange as it might sound, I cannot seem to get away from poblano peppers. I am lucky enough to have freedom with my choice of soups that I make on a daily basis, and I can’t seem to get away from these mildly delicious spicy pep- pers. For instance, I make a white bean chicken poblano soup and a black bean gumbo with them. As for gadgets, I definitely have to have my food processor. I make all of my sauces in it, from my garlic parmesan aioli, to my home- made tartar sauce and honey mustard sauce and a lot of others made in-house.”
Every great chef also understands that cook- ing and baking are not synonymous. “I can say this. It is easy for me to cook while answering a million questions from my co-workers in training, and to multi-task. But when it comes to baking, PLEASE leave me alone. Baking is a scientific formula and everything is measured exactly, for a reason. Too much of this, or this added to that, at the wrong time can mean com- plete failure,” emphasizes Marie.
14 |LeisureLiving July 2019
The love and dedication that Marie pours into creating dishes at Hooligans comes back to her ten-fold. “Meeting people from all over the world and getting to know them and their way of life is very inspiring to me,” she says. “This happens every new season at Hooligans with our international exchange students. Plus, on my birthday I receive text messages from all over the world from past employees who wish me a happy birthday.” She continues, “I enjoy island life so much. I go for rides almost every day, usually with my dog, and enjoy our beautiful sunsets and the beauty of this unique island in general. I am so happy that this is where life landed me!”
This recipe actually is why Eric Booker hired me. We were at the same cocktail party and I brought this dish to the party and he loved the way I made my chips, and offered me a job at Rita’s at the Boardwalk. I really didn’t care to make chips all day, so he then offered me my position at Hooligans. True story! Every time I make this, which is a lot, I remember how I got my job. Here is a most delicious light summer recipe that everyone loves!
Fruit Salsa And Cinnamon Chips
1 # fresh strawberries
8 oz. fresh raspberries
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 green apples, peeled and diced
2 TBSP brown sugar
3 TBSP fruit preserves (any flavor,
I use peach)
10 (10 in) flour tortillas Butter-flavored cooking spray 2 TBSP cinnamon sugar
1. Mix all fruit together in a big bowl, add sugar and fruit preserves. Let chill in fridge for at least 15 min.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with cinnamon sugar. Spray tortillas again. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 min. Let chips cool, and serve with chilled fruit mix- ture as a dip.
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