
[ 2025 — 26 season ]
Everything we cooked this year.
5 tasting menus, 3 pop-ups, and one very full teaching kitchen — each one served once, then gone.
[ 09 — pop-up ]
[ stage ] x Killer Queen
Killer Queen, Durham
Our first collaboration with a real wine bar — focaccia sandwiches built to order across three seatings, with a wine pairing from Killer Queen's list. Around 120 orders went out the door.
what we served
- The Meat
- meat focaccia sandwich, built on house-baked focaccia
- The Squash
- vegetarian focaccia — squash, pickled zucchini, smoked labneh, preserved lemon oil, almond
- The Salad
- bright, acidic, built to cut the bread
- Bread & Butter
- baguette and cultured butter
- Lemon Blueberry Mint Pudding
- one of two desserts on the pre-order
- Chocolate Tiramisu Pudding
- the other — and narrowly the favorite



![Cups stamped with the [ stage ] logo](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fevents%2Fkq-cups.jpg&w=3840&q=75)


[ 08 — workshop ]
Chef's Kitchen
Durham
An open cooking demo — meatballs, mushroom sauce, eggplant parm, kale caesar, and fresh pasta made in front of everyone. Less service, more teaching.

[ 07 — tasting menu ]
Dinner 3.0 — Korean Steakhouse
Durham
The last dinner of the year: a Korean steakhouse, run as an eight-course tasting menu with a vegetarian track running alongside it.
the menu
- Amuse
- homemade cold tofu, crispy shallots, dubu jorim sauce
- Salad Service
- skewered green goddess salad, pickled daikon, shiso dressing
- Cabbage Jjim
- braised cabbage, jjim sauce
- Pasta
- Chinese sausage agnolotti with kimchi, carbonara sauce, smoked eggplant with doenjang
- Steak
- banchan and bellow butcher steak, charcoal-grilled shiitake — or oyster mushroom yakitori with tare glaze and ssamjang butter
- Bokkeumbap
- Korean mixed fried rice with leftover kimchi
- Palate Cleanser
- bingsu — kombucha granita, condensed milk, tapioca
- Dessert
- lemon curd disk, green tea meringue, barley ice cream, filo crisp
- Mignardise
- black sesame sablé, peach ginger pâte de fruit, peanut yeot-gangjeong






[ 06 — tasting menu ]
Dinner 2.0 — Steakhouse
Durham
American steakhouse bones with our own backgrounds injected into them — the melting-pot idea, run as a full tasting menu.
the menu
- Mushroom Parfait Tart
- port reduction, tarragon
- French Onion Soup Tart
- caramelized onion jam, parmesan crisp shell, pickled mustard seed
- Beet Tartare
- vadouvan yogurt
- Pasta
- hand-made pasta, lobster tail, white wine, shallot, breadcrumb
- Wedge Salad
- on a bed of kadhi
- Milk Bread
- with a saag artichoke dip
- Steak & Potatoes
- miso au poivre, caramelized cauliflower purée, burnt bread and peppercorn
- Palate Cleanser
- kombucha granita
- Chocolate Cake
- mascarpone chocolate frosting, espresso soak, raspberry
- Cheese Mignardise
- cheddar gougères, black pepper honey glaze, thyme






[ 05 — pop-up ]
Brunch Pop-Up
Durham
A game-day morning café — pastry case, open-faced toasts, and a small drinks program built with Counter Culture coffee.
what we served
- Smoked Salmon English Muffin
- whipped cream cheese, pickled mustard seeds, micros
- Mushroom Sourdough Tartine
- mushroom parfait, fried sage, jammy egg, smoked salt, pickled red onion
- Egg & Cheese Brioche
- the simple one, done properly
- Pastry
- olive oil cake with mascarpone and currants, banana bread with malt crumble, raspberry lemon scones, chocolate hazelnut tart
- Drinks
- mimosas, matcha-yuzu tonic, cold brew with cherry blossom cold foam






[ 04 — tasting menu ]
Dinner 1.0
Durham
The first dinner of the spring, served across two seatings — bright, citrus-forward, and built around a blue corn pozole tamale.
the menu
- Amuse Bouche
- hearts of palm, kalamata, radicchio, cucumber, tomato, dijon vinaigrette
- Ceviche
- sheepshead, coconut-lime base, mango, red onion, salsa macha, micros, wonton
- Bread Service
- burrata, blood orange, roasted leek, hazelnut, chive, sourdough
- Twice-Baked Eggplant
- muhammara, yogurt, tomato
- Winter Squash Soup
- carrot, coconut cream, cilantro oil, seared scallop
- Pozole Tamale
- blue corn masa, slow-cooked pork, salsa morita, cabbage-lime slaw, crispy pork belly, queso fresco
- Palate Cleanser
- champagne-passionfruit sorbet served on the shell
- Dessert
- almond-lime joconde, coconut mousse, mango jelly, white chocolate shell
- Mignardise
- tamarind pâte de fruit



![A chef in a [ stage ] shirt finishing a plate](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fevents%2Fd1-chef.jpg&w=3840&q=75)



[ 03 — tasting menu ]
Vegetarian Dinner
Durham
An entirely vegetarian tasting menu drawn from Indian cooking, served across two seatings of eight.
the menu
- Chaat
- melon, frisée, ladolemono, pistachio, mint, chaat masala
- Pappadum
- red kuri squash purée, pomegranate molasses, dill
- Patta Gobhi
- charred confit cabbage, pickled cashew cream, Kashmiri chili oil, roasted chickpea
- Tandoor
- smoked and charred yogurt-marinated paneer, charred bell pepper, mint chutney
- Roti & Daal
- masoor daal, paratha, fried okra, mango pickle, micro cilantro
- Mukhwas
- fennel, coriander, anise
- Dessert
- chai-spiced apple sorbet, cardamom cake, ginger meringue, macerated apples, almond crumble, tamarind-ginger
- Rasam
- mango and saffron crème légère tartlets, pistachio, rose
[ 02 — tasting menu ]
[ stage ] @ Shep's
Few Quad, Duke
A nine-course dinner in partnership with Shep Moyle, cooked for students in Few — local seafood, local greens, and a duck course.
the menu
- Canapé
- Boxcarr goat cheese, savory granola, tomato
- Amuse Bouche
- clarified stock, aromatics
- Crudo
- speckled trout (Local's Seafood), capers, blood orange, oil
- Grilled Zucchini
- feta, jalapeño honey, basil, microgreens (Piedmont Greens)
- Cappelletti
- spinach ravioli, crab, walnut cream sauce
- Seared Duck
- cauliflower, squash, jus, microgreens (Piedmont Greens)
- Entremet
- grapefruit, mint, puffed quinoa
- Mango
- cheesecake mousse, coconut, passionfruit meringue
- Mignardise
- choux au craquelin, coffee, blueberry, lavender
[ 01 — pop-up ]
Taco Pop-Up
Durham
The season opener — a backyard taco night under string lights, and the first event for a brand-new team.
what we served
- Cochinita Pibil Taco
- corn tortilla, pibil pork, salsa verde, tomato salsa, escabeche, queso fresco
- “Chile Relleno” Taco
- refried black beans, Oaxaca-stuffed poblano, pico, salsa macha, fried shallot
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownie
- with a horchata shot — regular and gluten-free
![Two chefs under a hand-painted [ stage ] banner](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fevents%2Ftaco-banner.jpg&w=3840&q=75)

