This month marks 16 years of being in business! To celebrate this huge milestone, we thought we’d sit down with Chef Deb, the Executive Chef & Owner of Savor Culinary Services and ask her 16 questions about food, her family and what she “savors” most in life.
What’s the first food you remember loving as a child?
My grandmother’s tomato gravy.
What do you usually have for breakfast?
That varies between a protein shake, paleo chocolate chip pancakes and bacon, to a great breakfast hash with eggs, sweet potatoes, brussels, onion and eggs and chipotle aioli. My favorite is a great Mexican breakfast with migas or chilaquiles and beans with tortillas and breakfast potatoes.
What’s your favorite hang out spot in Fort Worth?
Clearfork area because of the farmer’s market on Saturday, the bike trails, the events, shopping, movies and the restaurants.
How has your cooking changed at home since you’ve become a chef?
I rarely make the same thing twice and the variety of ingredients I have introduced my family to has been amazing. In some cases though, we go out to eat more to try new foods because I am around “my food” all day in my kitchen because how I feed my clients is really the way I feed my family.
Why did you decide to focus on serving those with special dietary needs?
Because of my son who had health issues at a young age that inspired me to cook meals that could alleviate his symptoms. Once I became a chef and started learning more about nutrition and how the body uses food, it seemed those are the clients that gravitated to me. I did not choose this. I honestly believe it chose me. Each time I thought I might want to do something different the next client would come along that needed want to heal themselves through food.
What’s one food you can’t stand?
Ginger.. just gross.
What’s a funny story about food?
I didn’t always know I would be a chef one day but I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up and they always had a garden year round. From what I am told I loved this garden from a very early age. One day, I was about 2 years old and we were visiting my grandparents and my mom could not find me. She eventually found me sitting in my grandparents garden grinning from ear to ear eating a onion like an apple I had plucked from the ground, dirt and all.
My grandfather would often steal me away right before lunch and take me to his orchard of peaches and pears. My grandmother would get so mad because she would find us there so full from the fresh fruit that I would have a tummy ache the rest of the day because I ate so many.
I grew up where bread was made fresh, veggies were harvested from the ground and prepared and you butchered your own meat. My grandparents grocery bill was about $200 a month their whole lives. I remember going to the grocery store when I was about 14 years old and seeing cans on shelves for the first time. I called my mom and said, “Do you know they sell vegetables in cans?”
What aspects of your life do you “savor” the most?
My time with my family when we are all together and especially traveling and trying new foods together.
What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
People are always surprised when I tell them that I can’t stand the sound of stainless steel scraping against something else that is stainless steel. I have to literally leave the room. Everything in a commercial kitchen is stainless steel to include the tables, spoons, bowls, pots, pans, spatulas, EVERTHING.
What has been one of your favorite meals you have prepared at Savor and one clients often request?
Grilled Buttermilk Chicken with Summertime Chow Chow (pickled relish) and Texas Watermelon Pickles. I also love some of the more comfort-food meatloaves we make like the Sante Fe Meatloaf, Classic Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf and Italian meatloaf stuffed with mozzarella cheese.
If you could make meals for a famous figure – past or present, who would it be?
Never thought about this one. Honestly it would probably be Anthony Bourdain so I could hear about his travels and what he has learned along the way. I love his unique no nonsense take on food. I would also love to prepare food in the era of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn where there was a certain class and sophistication in every day to life. White gloves were worn to lunch and families dressed up for dinner.
If you ever created your own Savor food product, what would it be?
Our own line of smoothies, and soups/bone broths specifically for cancer patients and those recovering from illness. Maybe even cured meats!
If you could have a celebrity chef on your team, who would it be and why?
Thomas Keller because it’s Thomas Keller.
What hobbies do you enjoy when you’re not running your business?
Traveling, interior decorating, flower arranging and working out.
What do you think makes a meal special?
The people you share it with, quality scratch-made local ingredients and fresh vegetables with unusual flavor pairings.
If you didn’t own Savor, what would you do for a living?
Go back into physical therapy or own a flower shop.