I spent the earliest years of my career working part-time as a private chef to supplement my writing income. When I tell people about this time in my life, I often get asked about the dishes I would make, and the assumptions skew toward fancy restaurant food. Sure, there are plenty of those types of private chefs out there, but that was never me.
I’ve always been a proud home cook, not a restaurant chef. This meant that my clients ended up being people who wanted my type of food. If someone wanted restaurant-level menus served in their house, I was the wrong fit for them.
If they wanted home cooking, I was their person. I made dishes such as pots of chicken soup, big batches of meatballs, platters of pasta and roasted potatoes, and endless iterations of grilled vegetables topped with herbs, nuts, cheese, lemon and olive oil. For dessert, I baked cobblers, crisps and homey cakes.
No pastries on my watch! For lunch, I’d offer BLTs or tuna melts, sometimes burgers or grilled fish sandwiches. I’d serve these with sides such as herby potato salad, or tomato and peach salads. And I’d often make chopped salads, one of my absolute favorite things to prepare and eat.
I love chopped salads because anything can go in them. They’re a catchall. They’re a way to turn a side dish into a hearty, substantial meal.
And one of my best versions was the one I’m sharing with you today: a Tex-Mex-inspired, crunchy romaine salad adorned with corn, black beans and radishes, all topped w.
