FOODIE THE
ISSUE
Keeping it Simple Andrea Reusing sticks to the basics with a one-pot dinner for Lantern’s family meal
A
can feed themselves.” She has these hopes for other children as well, specifically the 12 to 14 fourth- and fifth-graders she invites into Lantern’s kitchen once a week through their charitable Kitchen Patrol program, collaborating with UNC’s Communiversity
Youth Programs. “We cook with the kids
and then all eat together,” Andrea says, the goal of which is to “help children discover and improve the skills they need for a lifetime of cooking and eating good food.” –Laura Zolman Kirk
ALTHOUGH THE CUISINE ON Lantern’s menu is Asian, you won’t find much of that cooking in the kitchen at noon when the staff of about 18 gathers. “Normally, we have Mexican,” Andrea says. Think chilaquiles and posole, says chef de cuisine and partner Miguel Torres. “We try to have a plan,” he says with a laugh. Today, the plan calls for a hearty one-pot chicken and rice dish, like a paella but without the saffron and more in the southern tradition. This dish will “feed a crowd,” Andrea says. It’s perfect for a family meal at the restaurant or at home. Between 15-year-old Lantern and her new project in the Bull City, The Restaurant at The Durham Hotel, Andrea actually rolls up her sleeves in her home kitchen a couple times a week. “I cook really simple at home,” she says. For her husband, Mac McCaughan, and kids Arthur, 9, and Oona, 13, it is usually a meatless dish, since Mac is a vegetarian. But when she’s by herself, Andrea says she’ll sear up a hanger steak. And the kids are not afraid to jump in. “They like to come to work with me,” she says. Oona has been lending a hand in Lantern’s office, and Arthur is a big fan of crouton-making. When asked what she hopes her kids get out of their time in the kitchen, Andrea says, “I hope they’re comfortable with work being integrated into the rest of the lives, and, for cooking, I hope that they September/October 2016 chapelhillmagazine.com
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