Issue #3: In the Garden with Lay Alston & Kate Pauley
On creating community through meals, following your culinary dreams, and working together on exciting events
Happy Thursday and welcome to Issue #3 of In the Garden. Before we get in to this issue, a quick announcement! We’re discounting our prices on our dinner at Bonnie’s for the 21st. It might be one of the only chances you get to try the whole Bonnie’s menu on a budget, vibe, and have another unforgettable memory of living in NYC! See you there!
There is something beautiful about working to bring people together but allowing them to discover the joy of delicious food in the process. In working in this industry, I also get to meet so many people who share a similar vision to mine. With every encounter, I’m left more inspired and more motivated to keep building Eden into something that makes people feel a sense of belonging.
Starting on September 22nd, two of my favourite people are working on an exciting project together. Kate Pauley of Create Dinners, a dinner party rooted in collaboration and community. She has hosted a myriad of dinners, workshops, and partnerships designed for creative women to support and inspire each other. This month, she is launching a new project, Sourdough, a multi-night series encouraging people to break bread together.
Kate will be partnering on this pop up series with Chef Lay Alston, a NYC-based chef and force behind SoulandWheel. Inspired by many hours of watching the Food Network, she yearned to experience those flavours on her own enrolling in culinary school and working at some world-class establishments. Yet it isn’t just about feeding people for Lay. SoulandWheel was created with the need of more accessibility and inclusivity in the food and hospitality industry. I had a chance to attend of Lay’s dinners a few months ago and boy do these dishes still live rent free.
I was so fortunate to sit down with Kate and Lay to chat about their individual ventures and the anticipation on working on this first project together.
Sourdough will be happening from Thursday September 22nd to Saturday September 24th at 7pm. More details can be found on their site here! Additionally, Kate and Lay were generous to give In the Garden subscribers a discount on the dinners in this series. Use code FRIENDLY25 at checkout!
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
In the Garden: Kate, what inspired you to start this Sourdough Series?
Kate Pauley: I’ve been thinking about Sourdough, or the concept of it at least, for a long time! Our dinners have always been small and intimate, and primarily women. We just finished our 20th dinner, and it feels like the right time to expand on and formalize our original dinner series a bit, making it more inclusive and available to anyone.
ITG: Prior to launching this, you’ve been running Create Dinners for a few years. Can you share a little more about the concept and what you’ve enjoyed about it?
Create Dinners started when I was living in LA and working at a marketing agency. All my friends more or less worked in a corporate setting, but they were all so individually talented and had these amazing creative skill sets. I wanted to get all of us together and create a platform to share our work and support each other. We put together our first dinner, everyone brought their offering and contributed something to the night - cooking, flowers, music, photography etc. It was such a supportive and empowering environment, and that’s what I still enjoy most about our dinners. The crazy thing is that that was 2016, and the format of the dinner series for creative women really hasn’t changed at all for the dinners. They’ll always be the heart and soul of Create Dinners… or bread and butter, pun intended.
ITG: Chef Lay, can you tell us about your journey into becoming a chef?
I have had the desire to be a chef for as long as i could remember. In 5th grade we had to write letters about the career we liked to pursue when we became adults, of course i said i wanted to become a chef. Learning about food and finance high school, I applied to the lottery and got accepted and my career officially began. My first cooking class, my chef took a liking to me and expressed to me that i was natural. I come from very humble beginnings, throughout my journey I’ve endure many hardships, but the kitchen has always been my safe space. A place where i can escape all of my life’s troubles and create something special for someone else to enjoy.
After high school, I attended The Culinary Institute of New York at Monroe College and joined the culinary team. This gave me the chance to to spend at least 40 hours in the kitchen. I worked as a teaching assistant for the senior culinary class and started to get real experience at restaurants. I worked as line cook at Morimoto NYC, then moved to Cafe Boulud where I became chef de partie and worked the pasta station. Then I was awarded the opportunity to work as a sous chef for chef Marcus Samuelsson and help open his red rooster location in Shoreditch, London. Additionally, i got to work a 50 person tasting even at kitchen + table in Sweden. These experiences were life changing for me for sure and i used them to become a mentor to many future chefs during my time as a chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in Pasadena.
ITG: An impressive resumé! Can you tell us more about the flavours and techniques that will be inspiring this menu?
This menu is inspired by Mediterranean cuisines. In between my time at red rooster and becoming a chef instructor, i was apart of a consulting team who assisted in redeveloping a mediterranean restaurant. Throughout my time there i learned a lot about other flavours and combinations and will be implementing them at this event. I always draw techniques from my classically French training i learned from culinary school and my time at cafe boulud. Additionally, there will be African and Asian elements which I use quite prominently throughout soulandwheel’s menus.
ITG: Kate, As we enter a new era where dinner parties are making a comeback, what are some learnings or insights you have gained in this time?
KP: Community is everything. Whether it’s with your family, your friends, or strangers, food and gathering around the table is such an intimate, bonding experience. I think we’ve all learned over the past few years just how important it is to surround ourselves with good people. That’s more or less all we’re trying to do with Create Dinners - give people a place to come together and connect in an authentic way.
ITG: Lay, I’ve been really inspired by your commitment to being philanthropic, cooking free meals for the community or raising funds at your dinners. Why is it important to use your talents to give back?
LA: I don't talk about it much but i was raised in Queensbridge houses with 8 other siblings by my single mother who relied on government assistance to keep food on our table and clothes on our backs. I could never understand how she made it happen. Unfortunately, there were times when we ran out of food and had to wait for the next check to come in for dinner. Even though we didn't have the best situation, my mom taught me with her actions to always give to others even if you're in need and the blessings will make its way back to you. I know that we were not the only family going through this and i know there's still many families going through this today. If there is anything i can do to make someones life a little less stressful and a lot more full, I will. I owe it to my younger self and i owe it to my mother.
ITG: That’s so profound! What should people expect from the sourdough series, from the experiential and culinary side?
KP: From the experiential side, people can expect to enter as strangers and walk away as friends. I hope the entire night will feel nourishing and dare I say therapeutic? They can get excited about a really lovely fall-inspired tablescape in a stunning space, a moody playlist, excellent food, cocktails, and wine. Obviously they can expect to see and taste some Sourdough
LA: On the culinary side, i believe food is love, and love is the most powerful thing we can experience as humans. The entire process from preparing to serving involves deep care and understanding for each ingredient and it grants a special energy of love and celebration. We indulge in foods daily, but it's something memorable about including intentional conversations we wouldn't typically have at the dinner table.
ITG: Why are you both excited to work with each other?
LA: When I first met Kate, it felt like I already knew her for a while. As we interacted with one another in planning this event, i appreciated her attention to detail because it mirrored mine. Her passion and love for what she does is always so prominent which makes it so much easier to connect because i have the same feelings about my contributions. i'm excited to work with her because i have a strong feeling we will continue to grow together and that there is so much I can learn from her.
KP: The first time we talked, I knew she was the person I wanted to partner with for this project. She’s executed dinners at this scale, has spent time cooking for some of the top restaurants in NYC and across the world, and is a fellow female entrepreneur who I resonated with and instantly felt connected to. Lay knows how to hustle and work hard for things she wants, yet maintains a humble spirit, literally signing her emails, “with gratitude.” Additionally, she’s overcome a lot in her life and deeply inspires me. I can’t speak for Lay, but I hope this will be the first of many collaborations between Create Dinners and Soul & Wheel.
ITG: How cute! Asking you to dream a little bit. Where do you see Create Dinners and SoulandWheel going in the next 5 years?
KP: I hope it goes a lot of places, quite literally. We’ve primarily hosted in LA and NYC until now, but I’m looking to expand into new cities over the next few years. I’m particularly interested in taking things to Chicago, Maine, CDMX, Stockholm, and Texas, where I’m from. Do you love how I casually threw in some international locations? Haha.
I’ve got a handful of extremely talented, generous women who help with specific events, and I’m hoping to be in a position where I can hire whoever wants to be a part of the Create Dinners team full-time.
Last, I would love to open a physical space for us to host our own and others’ events in. I’m always on the hunt for a venue and it would be awesome to have a space that can transform from dinner to dinner as well as be enjoyed by others for their various gatherings and celebrations.
LA: I see soulandwheel as a brand that inspires and uplifts every person that we meet and feed. I know we will have our mobile restaurant established and will be evolving into a brick and mortar location. Additionally, we will start developing the vision I have for a bed and breakfast/resort like experience for underprivileged communities, families of wheelchairs users, and differently abled people. It will be a safe space to enjoy nutritious and delicious food, relax and learn more about themselves through intentional mindful practices, and to be adventurous and enjoy life through a different lens. Overall I want people that typically wouldn't be able to participate in certain experiences to enjoy them through soulandwheel’s offering.
ITG: Now to end things, we’re tossing a few rapid fire questions at you! Starting off with dream dinner guest?
LA: Sophia Roe. She is unapologetically herself and it is super inspiring to see. she represents more than a chef, but the importance of food advocacy, and inclusivity in the industry.
KP: This feels like a cheesy answer, but I’m going to say my husband, Brian. He’s yet to come to one of my events because they’ve historically been geared towards creative women. He sees all these boxes come through the house and helps so much behind the scenes, but hasn’t ever stayed to see things happen. Thankfully, he’ll be coming to Sourdough and will finally get to partake in the festivities!
ITG: Best season for produce?
KP: Summer! When I’m cooking or often grilling at home, I try to eat pretty clean. Summer lettuces, corn, onions, strawberries, rhubarb, tomatoes, cherries, and herbs that come with the season make that easy, and are really colorful and delicious.
LA: Spring is the best season for produce. All the bright flavors and colors come out in spring and it makes creating menus that much more intriguing.
ITG: Best piece of advice for anyone wanting to host dinners, Kate?
KP: Set an intention. I strongly believe in having a clear objective for any dinner, as it’ll help you make so many decisions along the way. Is it to connect? To celebrate? To network? As long as you have a clear intent on what you’re trying to achieve, you’ll be able to design the dinner around that
ITG: Now to you, Chef Lay. Best piece of advice for anyone wanting to get into the cooking world?
LA: Be a student in every situation you're in. every experience is a chance to learn more about yourself and others. be willing and ready to learn from everyone around you, from the dishwashers to the owner, everyone has something to teach.
Immense gratitude to Chef Lay Alston and Kate Pauley for chatting with us! Follow their journeys along on IG @createdinners and @soulandwheel to learn more.
If you want to watch Kate and Lay in action, Sourdough Series will be on from September 22-24th in NYC. Use FRIENDLY25 for a discount to join in on the fun.
Hope you have a wonderful week and Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
Your friend in food
Abena