Home Cooking with Laurie Beth Gills

Home Cooking is a regular feature on The Front Burner that offers a peek at how home cooks around the Fredericksburg area work in their kitchens. If you’d like to answer our questionnaire, download it here and return your responses to ebattle@freelancestar.com with a digital photo of yourself, or pass it along to anyone you think would like to participate.

Name: Laurie Beth Gills

Tell us who you are and why you cook.

I am a Personal Chef, Caterer and Cooking Instructor

Describe your cooking style in three words.

Fine, Mediterranean, Balance

Favorite cookbook?

At the present…Fiesta at Rick’s by Rick Bayless

What is one dish on your menu this week that you’re excited about?

Brussels Sprout Bisque (Lunch at Wittingham’s)

What is one thing that must be in your pantry at all times?

Pasta

What one kitchen gadget could you not live without?

Vegetable peeler

It’s 6 p.m., the people in your household are hungry and you just walked in from work and need to get something satisfying on the table as soon as possible. What’s your favorite thing to whip up in this situation?

Instant soup. It’s so easy. All you need is water and lingering leftovers from your refrigerator/pantry. Satisfying, quick and nutritious.

It’s a snowy Sunday, you’ve just done the grocery shopping and have the rest of the day to spend in the kitchen cooking a meal that will bring comfort. What’s for dinner?

Homemade Potato Gnocchi!

What is your favorite dish to make for pot-luck dinners?

Braised anything

Do you have a favorite food source in the Fredericksburg region?

I am a gardener and seasonally grow my own vegetables, flowers and herbs. Shopping around, I frequently visit farmers markets and Wegmans Food Store.