All-Purpose Dry Rub
August 23, 2022
Formerly “Employee Spotlight”
August 23, 2022
November 10, 2020
July 21, 2021
July 30, 2020
November 5, 2019
Recently, we sat down with Jay Vetter to see why he thinks his job as Executive Chef at Elon University is the best job he’s ever had.
Q: Have you always been into food?
A: I’d say definitely. I grew up on a small family farm in West Virginia, so food was something that brought us together. I’ve always done something that involved food—I owned an inn and a few restaurants and was really into farm to fork before it was even a thing.
Q: What’s your favorite recipe?
A: I love anything pickled. It reminds of spring when I was a child. Fresh spinach would be delivered to our door, and my grandmother would make a 3-2-1 dressing. It’s something I still make today.
Q: Why Harvest Table?
A: Harvest Table is doing things differently. As a chef, we have more creative freedom to express ourselves–and that’s what I was missing in my previous career. Making friends with the farmers is built into my day-to-day and that allows me to get creative with seasonal ingredients. Just the other day, we purchased surplus corn. It was fresh, in season, and buying local helped eliminate the need for packaging and storing. So, we drove our corn back to campus and set up a Mexican street corn station– the students were excited to try something new.
Q: What do you like most about your team?
A: We’re like-minded. We all have the same passion for food, we have integrity around the ingredients and we’re not going to take shortcuts. It might be harder to produce something from scratch, but we know the end result makes a big difference.
CHEF JAY’S 3-2-1 DRESSING
3 large cage-free. pasteurized eggs
3 Tbsp water
2 cups extra-fine granulated sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard spice
Wisk together the sugar, mustard, vinegar, water, and egg
Cook over double boiler until thick and thermometer reads 160 degrees F
Chill and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days
Notes:
Mix dressing with equal parts mayonnaise and use as a dressing for potato,macaroni, chicken or egg salad. Also makes an excellent dip for fresh asparagus or other fresh vegetables.
We’re like-minded. We all have the same passion for food, we have integrity around the ingredients and we’re not going to take shortcuts. It might be harder to produce something from scratch, but we know the end result makes a big difference.
JAY VETTER
Q: What’s your favorite part of the job?
A: My first day, I started visiting farmers markets and helped cultivate local partnerships, whether that was with restaurant chefs or partners. We have great ingredients growing in our backyard and usually, those people are just as passionate about their ingredients as we are about cooking, and we’re able to change their lives.
CULTIVATING QUALITY
Understanding the value of food sourcing, culinary creativity, and good partnerships—It makes sense Chef Jay thinks his job at Harvest Table is the best
January 18, 2019
See what we're up to
today on Instagram.