One of the most integral aspects of running a large-scale kitchen like MBC’s is minimizing waste or – as Marcey would say – using everything “from root to shoot.” As an avid cook and cultivator of an expansive garden at her home in upstate New York, she considers this something of a mantra. During her feature on Jill Blackway’s “Grow. Cook. Heal.” podcast, Marcey shared a recipe for pickled seedpods, and extolled the advantages of optimizing every component of an item, garden grown or otherwise.

“One of the things that anyone that has a large garden knows is that there’s a lot of harvest, and a lot of waste,” said Marcey. “I like to use every part of the vegetable; I like to use every part of the meat.”

In this spirit, Marcey made it a point to utilize every part of the whole lamb she prepared for her husband’s birthday last month, collecting every bit of meat for a ragu, roasting the bones, and then making a stock, reduction, and demi-glace.

“I think it’s that immigrant mentality,” she said. “My grandmother was from Poland, and she foraged. It’s just in my blood.”

This philosophy is one that resonates with the entirety of the MBC staff; at recent events, we have featured a variety of “duos” that emphasize the different flavors and textures of some of our favorite menu components. Our “Butternut Squash Two Ways” is a popular fall starter; guests are presented with a butternut squash “napoleon” with micro greens, crispy spiced pepitas, and oregano vinaigrette, and its butternut squash “cappuccino” pairing. On the entrée side, we created the “Duo of Pork”: cast iron-seared pork tenderloin and pulled pork croquettes with sautéed rainbow chard, cornbread pudding in casserole, and lapsang jus. And this summer, we debuted a Saint Louis pork rib accompanied by and garnished with corn, with a radish, apple, and summer corn succotash underneath and flash-fried corn silk on top.

We’ve braised, sautéed, seared, and puréed our favorite menu components, and we’d love to try our hand at yours. Our ultimate goal is to make your event a true reflection of your tastes – from hors d’oeuvres to dessert and from root to shoot.

Listen to the full podcast on iTunes >

Episode 42 – How To Avoid Charitable Scams, How To Pickle Veggie Pods And Can Acupuncture Make IVF Success More Likely?

Jill asks charitable consult Laurie Styron how to avoid charity scams and give to organizations that really are making a difference. Then Jill joins caterer Marcey Brownstein in the kitchen, Marcey prides herself on using vegetables from “root to shoot” and she shows Jill how to pickle something many people throw away. Marcey shares a recipe for a simple veggie pod and seed pickle, that can be used to accompany meats, in sandwiches or scattered on a salad. Finally Jill talks to Chinese medicine practitioner Katy Hogan about how acupuncture can enhance fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).