Gourmet
Garage founder and personal chef Philomena Aceto
has always been passionate about food. In fact, her earliest memories
are of her family's kitchen, where she would watch her Italian
grandmother canning tomatoes, roasting peppers over an open fire and
rolling out homemade pasta.
While every day was filled with the aromas of freshly prepared
ingredients and the bustle of preparation, holidays were especially
exciting. Grandmother Philomena would spend weeks getting ready
to host a holiday feast. The whole family would gather around
a table laden with homemade dishes filled with ingredients from
Philomena's own backyard garden.
Philomena's food gene runs through the entire Aceto family.
Philomena's brother and niece are both culinary school graduates, and
her father is a wonderful chef as well. Despite the weight of
family tradition, Philomena initially tried to take another route to
success. She moved from upstate New York to Dallas in the late
1970's, and started a housecleaning business. Before long,
clients were asking her if should could handle catering as well as
party clean up. A new business was born!
In 1986,
Philomena moved to New York City and went to work for NY
Parties, helping cater events at The Met, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln
Center and other high-profile venues. The experience proved
invaluable, allowing her to develop her own sense of style and
cuisine.
Having honed her skills in New York,
Philomena returned to Dallas
to work as the executive chef at Cafe Georgia. While the
restaurant was successful, Philomena soon realized she preferred
catering. She started Some Enchanted Evening, a catering
company specializing in small intimate gatherings.
Philomena also cooks privately for a number of families and teaches
cooking classes out of her home. She is currently co-authoring
a lifestyle cookbook that will help readers create special moments
that incorporate simple dishes into a celebration of life.
Her dishes are heavily influenced by the hearty "peasant
fare" that was the essence of her grandmother's cooking. Tasty,
sustaining and easily prepared dishes that feed the body and soul as
the core of Philomena's cooking.
Funny, outgoing and innovative,
Philomena makes it easy to share
her passion about food. She is dedicated to preserving the
simple traditions of family recipes and looks forward to bringing
her message of the power of food to help us live, love and
celebrate.
