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Jun 09, 2023

Chef Jason Smith prepares selections from cookbook

Lord Honey, it was an echoing of laughter during a food preparation demonstration by Chef Jason Smith at the Laurel County Library on Monday evening. Smith, who grew up in Laurel County, returned to

Lord Honey, it was an echoing of laughter during a food preparation demonstration by Chef Jason Smith at the Laurel County Library on Monday evening.

Smith, who grew up in Laurel County, returned to his hometown to promote his cookbook, “Lord Honey: Traditional Southern Recipes with a Country Bling.” During Monday’s session, he prepared two dishes from that cookbook.

The first featured butternut squash with bacon vinaigrette dressing poured over a bed of kale. Smith said while kale was not always a popular item, the blend of the squash, bacon and dressing offsets the flavor of the greens.

“I write a lot of my recipes so it’s interactive, you know, where you can get the whole family back into the kitchen,” he said. “It’s all about getting families back around the table again. How many times do we see that everybody is such a daggone hurry anymore and nobody takes the time to sit down at the table anymore.”

Smith’s presentation included commentaries that have marked his professional career with the southern accent and insights of the Appalachian culture — comments that initiated laughter from the crowd.

Part of that included his preference for cooking with cast iron cookware.

“I love using cast iron. You’ll have to have your shoulders replaced when you get old but it’s worth it,” he said. “Cast iron is one of my favorites. You know, it picks up flavor over the years. You can take the recipe and put it in another dish and it doesn’t taste the same.”

A dessert using frozen French toast sticks and fresh fruit exemplified the southern taste with a blend of strawberries, blueberries, orange zest and orange chunks. Smith placed the toast sticks on a waffle iron while mixing the fruit concoction together. Carefully stacking the toast sticks, he then poured the fruit mixture and fruit juice over, adding a bit of whipped cream for the topping.

Smith announced during the presentation that he is now working on a second cookbook — “Lord Honey: 8 Ingredients or Less Decadent Desserts.”

“It’s a whole book of desserts,” he said. “It will be out in the spring of 2025, and then we’ll do this all over again.”

Smith explained previously that his cookbook tour had gone exceptionally well thus far, booking far more spots than was required. The sales of the cookbooks, he added, have also skyrocketed, with the first publications selling out and a second printing now being delivered.

Chef Jason Smith has appeared on numerous shows and currently is a judge on Best Baker in America and is regularly featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Information on Chef Jason can be found on his website.

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