In July of 2018, I interviewed my friend, Chef Jon Maley, founder of ChūcH, a new American Cuisine Restaurant Concept.
ChūcH is an experience that changes your perception of what dining should be. Through textures and techniques, he strives to put more on the plate, while using the same ingredients. Jon has worked to change the guest’s ideas about what a certain ingredient should taste or look like. Food can transform into almost whatever you want it to, with proper technique. It’s the people at a ChūcH event that make it all worth it -friends, neighbors, strangers, all in one room, enjoying a great night.
Of course, the company is key. But setting the right atmosphere can also really help a dinner party to come alive and thrive. Nobody is going to enjoy themselves if they’re sat in a cold, dark room! Invest in some quality lighting fixtures and get them installed asap by this affordable electrician in Hudson Bend or a similar electrician closer to where you are. Lighting can either make or break a dinner party, so it’s worth taking some time to think about it because it’s actually a relatively quick and cheap fix for a dim, unwelcoming room. Once you have the lighting sorted, your guests will take their cue from the warm glow and enjoy themselves so much more.
For Jon, it’s all about service. As he stated in my 2018 interview, “The food could be the best I have ever eaten, but if the service sucks, I will never go back. And I mean service from people in the restaurant who really give a shit about this hospitality world. Excuse my swearing. Its just that important to me. Also, integrity.”
I wanted to have my own ChūcH dinner party experience so I laid out my best antique silver tableware and invited some of my closest friends over to my friend Lauren’s house for an incredible (socially distanced) dinner, brought to us by Chef Jon Maley! You can invite Jon over to your house and do the same!
How it worked.
Jon and I agreed on a set amount to pay him via Venmo. The price we came up with ensured he was able to purchase all the food needed and paid him and his sous chef, Shaianne Lopez, for their services. Jon and I worked on a menu, I took a poll of all food allergies that he took into account while purchasing. All my friends in attendance paid Jon with Venmo and brought their favorite bottle of wine to share. We could have even ordered all the wine we needed from a place like Total Beverage (a Denver wine delivery service), but well, they wanted to bring their own bottles which is just as good! Jon and Shaianne arrived at Lauren’s house a few hours prior to everyone else to cook and prep all the food. When it was show time, he went through each plate and explained the art we were looking at (and it was indeed art!), he was specific about which foods had dairy and gluten in them and which ones did not and then it was bon appétit and we all dug in!
The menu:
A few hours later, after we were all full and happy, Jon and Shaianne washed all the dishes, put everything away and left Lauren’s kitchen spotless.
I think it’s safe to say that everything was DELICIOUS! I went back for seconds and thirds, and I think some of my friends went back for fourths. Every single dish was mouth watering and I was sad every time I finished my bites. And if I can recommend Jon makes that banana butter for you at your dinner party – OMG, I can’t begin to describe that, I need him to make me an entire container of the banana butter!
It was an absolutely incredible evening and I can’t thank Jon enough for bringing his immense talent to my friends!
To plan your own dinner party with Jon, please contact: chuchbyjon@gmail.com. You can also find ChūcH on Facebook and Instagram.
