Today , Davis ’ s decades of schooling and experience are put to the test by a very hungry and notoriously opinionated group of 10 at 105 South Founder ’ s Lane , a 4-story home in Watersound with an uninterrupted view of towering sand dunes and the Emerald Coast from every floor . Not only has Davis brought enough ingredients to prepare 7 different courses , but she looks the part , too , down to the embroidered ‘ Chef Kali ’ scripted on her chef coat .
Davis ’ s clients range from vacationers to new moms to locals who simply want something unique , so cooking in a different kitchen every night comes with the territory . “ When you ’ ve cooked in as many kitchens as I have , they all tend to blend together . 360 Blue does a really great job at making sure their kitchens stay fully stocked , so I ’ ve yet to run into an issue in that regard . One thing I do enjoy about working in different kitchens is the change of scenery and decor .”
Tonight ’ s kitchen at 105 South Founders is anything but ordinary . Its open floor plan comfortably fits our large dinner party , not to mention the sliding doors off of the nearby living room open to a second-story balcony overlooking the sand dunes and gulf , allowing guests to flow in and out with ease .
Even though Davis is busy sautéing , slicing and dicing in the kitchen , she still manages to dabble in conversations with the group . She even goes as far as teaching us about lionfish and how they ’ re threatening Florida ’ s seafood industry . “ Lionfish are not native to our gulf , so they have no real predators in our area causing them to over populate .” It only makes sense that catching and cooking lionfish helps control the overpopulation of it , so it ’ s no surprise that one of tonight ’ s dishes is a lionfish ceviché with blood orange and grapefruit . Also on the menu : Seared Sea Scallops with Crispy Porkbelly .
“ I like to describe my cooking style as very ‘ farm to table ’. I don ’ t use processed foods , and I buy fresh and organic whenever possible . A lot of people in this area prefer seafood , so I really enjoy cooking that , but I always have plenty of great meat or vegetarian options for a family who hasn ’ t quiet warmed up to the treasures of the gulf coast !”
But Davis is in luck . We Floridians are fond of our seafood , and tonight ’ s group is no exception .
( Continued )