The Clinton Chronicle (July 2006)
My neighbor called excitedly, "Have you seen the new catering brochure 'Carliss' New Orleans Kitchen? Right here in Hell's Kitchen." Dropping everything, I ran over and there it was: a scrumptious list of the foods I indulge in each time I visit New Orleans. Not the modified version found in restaurants but the authentic, down-home, fresh-from-the-kitchen vital food. Memories of dinners with friends in the Crescent City flooded my mind: large pots with simmering sauces, the intoxicating aroma, the distinct flavors and the laid back carefree fun and festivity. ...And all that jazz!
Time to have a party and share this "joie de vivre" with my friends. Carliss Retif Pond who has recently opened her New Orleans catering business is a native New Orleanian. When asked how she went from cooking in her 1835 plantation Bed & Breakfast to Bloomingdale's Culinary Advisor and Plaza Hotel Banquet coordinator, she replied, "Cooked my way North, discovered Hell's Kitchen and found heaven." But her southern demeanor remains with her relaxed approach to food and entertaining. All dishes are "one-forkers" or "one-spooners". Emphasis is on comfort, traditional family recipes and the simplicity of the freshest ingredients.
I wanted to know what makes this regional food so unique. Quick response: First, you start with a roux. Not a French roux of butter and flour but a Louisiana roux of oil and flour cooked to the color of crawfish fat. The secret she will never divulge is an ingredient she ships from a company founded in 1889.
Now, what to choose for my party? Delightful decisions! Which gumbo?!? The Jazz Gumbo chock full of sausage, chicken, tomatoes, the "Trinity" (onions, celery and bell pepper) and African okra or the Gumbo Z'Herbes known as the king of gumbo. Traditionally served on Good Friday, this sublime dish is a mixture of pork, smoked ham, oysters and an array of bright, crisp greens. Legend has it that for every green added to the pot on that day, a new friend would be made during the year.
I sampled a teaspoon of Jezebel Sauce and my taste buds worked overtime to identify the unusual flavors. Divinely wicked.
Chicken Mamour. I know what a chicken is but what is a "mamour". Wow, it's French for "caress" and what Carliss called her great-grandmother who prepared this every Sunday. The chicken is gently sautéed in butter and olive oil and added to a roux-based sauce with a medley of herbs and spices.
Delta Queen Catfish transported me back to my sunset cruise on the Mississippi River when a gazed DOWN at the French Quarter. The catfish is soaked in milk, quickly sautéed and crowned with a delicate roasted pecan and butter sauce.
Maque Choux, a concoction of succulent corn, vine-ripened tomatoes and crunchy green bell peppers with enough heavy cream to make all happy. But how do I pronounce it? Carliss: You'll know you're saying it right when your guests respond "God Bless You".
Mushrooms Farci, a Creole-Italian dish reflecting the Sicilian influence in New Orleans cuisine. Although "farci" is French for "stuffed", it is typically Italian: mushrooms filled with Italian sausages and garlic, topped with Parmesian cheese and broiled to produce a superb crust.
Dessert had to be Cajun Bread Pudding with pecans and wine plumped raisins and a light floating rum sauce.
My party was a tremendous success. As my friends and I were oohing and ahing and savoring every morsel, we were happy the New Orleans Kitchen had arrived in Hell's Kitchen. We all felt the ultimate "Mamour".
Other mouth-watering dished offered by "Carliss' New Orleans Kitchen" include Oyster/Artichoke Bisque, Shrimp Creole, Alligator Sauce Piquant, Satchmo Red Beans & Ricely Yours, Mardi Gras Jambalaya, Bourbon Street Yams, Crescent City Grillades & Grits and much more. So, Laissez le bon temps rouller.
To book your next get-together or receive a brochure, call "Carliss' New Orleans Kitchen": Monday through Friday 9am to 6pm at 212-246-9563.
The Clinton Chronicle (Volume 7. No. 5 - May 2001)
Only a few months ago Hell's Kitchen Restaurateur Guillermo Vidal opened his new Cafe Andalusia Tapas Bar which specializes in Spain's delectable "little dishes." Now he is already embarking on another new cuisine adventure. Guillermo has joined culinary forces with talented New Orleans chef & event manager Carliss Pond to create Mardi Grass H.K., a corporate, private catering & event planning, offers an authentic taste of the multi-national New Orleans cuisine: a savory mix of French, Spanish, Italian, African & Native American.
Mardi Gras Hell's Kitchen customizes each party & event to suit the client. Carliss told the Chronicle about the fabulous Plantation, Bourbon Street and Riverboat Parties she produced back home in New Orleans, each party complete with richly costumed staff, lavish decor and the exotic, world famous New Orleans culinary fare such as Alligator Sauce Piquant. Yes, folks this dish really does contain alligator meat which Carliss & Guillermo obtain from two long-time Hell's Kitchen merchants on 9th Avenue, Esposito (500 9th Ave) and Central Fish (527 9th Ave).
Other blissful dishes on the Mardi Gras Menu includes: Jazz Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, Muffaletta Salad, Bayou Catfish & more. Don't be surprised if the Hudson starts to look like the Mississippi!
Now you can creat your own version of such a fabulous experience right here in Hell's Kitchen. To sample their New Orleans cuisine Guillermo & Carliss present bourbon Street Tastings, every Sunday in May, 12-3PM, $7.95, Cafe Andalusia Tapas Bar, 533 9th Ave, 212-736-9411.
To Market (Philadelphia - June 2001)
Lunch with culinary advisor Carliss Retif Pond can be a mesmerizing mix of classic Southern gentility and down-home delights. "Wash day" rice and beans served in generations-old fine china on a table set with lace and heavy cloth napkins and the "good" silver.
Much the same can be said about Carliss herself. The New Orleans native is as capable of surprising you with a flat-out burst of laughter as she is of charming you with a coy Blanche Dubois stare, even if you're the Stanley Kowalski type.
No surprise then that Carliss, who lives in Olde City, has taken on a new project that will being together two seemingly diametrically opposed elements: manners and children.
It wasn't that way, Carliss fretted, explaining that she got the idea for such a daunting endeavor when an "upper-crust" friend asked her to teach her children proper table manners. The friend explained that with she and her husband working full-time jobs, traditional, everybody-at-the-table-at-the-same-time family meals were hard to pull off.
"No one is sitting around the table anymore," Carliss said. "The children are just lost. And as much as they protest, children want guidelines. Who doesn't? I would love to have someone spell everything out for me."
Those guidelines are so naturally important to children that they often develop an etiquette of their own, even if that means a code of behavior that is considered de rigueur on the streets. Extreme examples of this include young gang members fighting to the death over a perceived social faux pas, such as "dissin'" the wrong person or wearing the wrong colors.
In April, Newsweek ran a long piece titled "The American Uncivil Wars," exploring "how crude, rude and obnoxious behavior has replaced good manners and why that hurts our politics and culture."
Fear not, America. Carliss' program, "The Art of Good Manners" consists of six one-hour sessions for children from 7 to 11 years old.