Abigail Smith: Personal Chef and Catering

03/11/2024

Had the pleasure of serving a dinner party for a 50th birthday last night 🙂

For a snack we had a torched wagyu crostini with avocado and tomato confit. An Asian crunchy salad with a roasted sesame dressing was our started and for the main, a beautiful, grass fed strip loin with crispy pomme pave, red wine mushroom jus, asparagus, oyster mushrooms and dashi braised cippolini onions 🧅

01/11/2024

A lovely seafood forward dinner party on my birthday (and my clients!)!

My phone camera must’ve had something on the lens because the pictures didn’t come out as crisp as I normally like and the colours seem a little off 😞 what’s important though is that everyone was happy!

To start we had an assorted crostini board with some wagyu on it! Yum!!

⭐️ pan seared scallops, pea puree, lemon gel, smoked pancetta
⭐️ Nobu’s miso black cod with steamed ponzu bok choy
⭐️ Mahi Mahi with zucchini mosaic, a microgreen salad with champagne citrus vinaigrette with white wine dill sauce
⭐️ a little upgrade on my Lindt chocolate tart 🙂 added a pistachio praline layer! With some raspberry gel, raspberry crunch crumb, roasted white chocolate and fresh raspberry

Have you given any thoughts to the holidays yet?! They’re coming up quick and my calendar is booking up! Message me now to reserve your date! 🤗

20/10/2024

A beautiful dinner party for a returning client 💜

We started the night with a bunch of snacks. Two kind of chips with 3 different fresh salsas: tomato and corn salsa, edamame and cucumber salsa and kiwi pineapple salsa. We also had crispy shrimp hand rolls and some really delicious marinaded hot honey halloumi cubes.

For the dinner we had:

⭐️ classic ceasar salad with smoked pancetta and a Parmesan tuille
⭐️ butternut squash soup with pancetta, crème fraiche, chive oil and fresh grilled bread
⭐️ Nobu inspired miso black cod - 3 days of preparation. Elegant simplicity. Absolutely delicious.
⭐️ my signature short rib with jus from the braising liquid, pomme puree and honey thyme carrots
⭐️ flourless chocolate cake with raspberry crumble, pistachio praline, chocolate caramel sauce, roasted white chocolate and raspberry gel

Message me now to book your private event!!

06/10/2024

A beautiful little dinner party last night to celebrate a fabulous female 💪 💜

Had such a fun time creating all these little dips and bits and bobs for the crostini board!! So many yummy things in one small space 😋 the dips spreads and toppings were:

⭐️ chive whipped ricotta
⭐️ hot honey ricotta
⭐️ mushroom and leek spread
⭐️ steak tartare
⭐️ olive tapenade
⭐️ mostarda (an Italian condiment of stewed red grapes w vinegar and mustard seeds - kind of like a tangy jam)
⭐️ tomato salsa/bruschetta

We had a classic Cesar for the starter and I missed a photo of it! 😞 For the main a beautiful chateaubriand with pomme pave, honey garlic red carrot puree, a mushroom red wine jus (served tableside), lemon asparagus and crispy leeks. Dessert was my DELICIOUS sticky toffee pudding with all the biscoff fixins!

Message me now to book your event 💜

02/10/2024

Finally got around to checking out Grill 23 Authentic Mexican last night and man!!! Have I been missing out!!!

Unbelievable tacos!! Just incredible. I had to try the super sampler platter because.. obvs.. it had birria, barbacoa, Al pastor, chorizo, and carne asada. WOW!! So hard to pick a favourite but if I had to it would be the al pastor!! Yummmmmmm!!!

Please go check these guys out 🙂 the owners are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and the food that they are putting out.. well.. let’s just say it’s easy to see why they’re “Best Mexican in London” for 2024 🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮

29/09/2024

A beautiful little dinner party last night for some fellow bookish beauties in Zurich Ontario!! 💜

⭐️ Hot Honey Halloumi Arugula Salad
- hot honey halloumi, arugula, pickled beets, black and blueberries, yellow capsicum, English cucumber, mixed nuts, blackberry and pomegranate vinaigrette, mustard microgreens dressing

⭐️ Crispy Chicken Roulade
- crispy chicken roulade of chevre, sundried tomatoes, chives, chicken mushroom + white wine cream sauce, pommes fondant, red carrot puree with thyme and balsamic, lemon asparagus, crispy salty leeks, chive oil

⭐️ Biscoff Sticky Toffee Pudding
- biscoff flavoured sticky toffee pudding, Salted toffee sauce, fresh raspberries, Biscoff mousse, Lotus Biscoff spread, Lotus Biscoff cookie and crumb, pistachios

Printed menus are now included with all dinner parties 🙂

23/09/2024

We did this huge graze for a celebration of life at Huron Woods Community Of Grand Bend. The client requested we go easy on the meat and instead fill in with more veggies and dips. I LOVE how this turned out 🙂 so so vibrant and colourful!

Special thanks to Amber of At Your Bake & Call for the incredible variety of delicious dessert squares, cupcakes and cheesecakes. Her flavours are always out of this world!!! 💜

I know some people will balk at this but… CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST UPON US?!

What are your food plans?!?! Do you have an event or dinner that you are hosting?! Let us help alleviate some of your stress and take on the food!! Message me now for availability 🙂

15/09/2024

What’s this?!

💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨
🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩

That’s rrriiiiigggghhhhtttttt!!!! We invested in a smoker!

So excited to put this bad boy to use!

Look for new smoked menu items for your next private dinner party!!

Want to have a night with the boys and eat a bunch of smoked meat?! I gotchu 😉

Brisket, pulled pork, chicken, ribs!! You name it, I’ll smoke it 😉

08/09/2024

Started the weekend off with a nice little dinner in Grand Bend in good ol Beach O.

They had charcuterie and honey peach ricotta crostini as their snack, followed by seared scallops with pea puree, pancetta crumb and lemon gel. We had steak and crispy duck fat potatoes w Brussels and a honey garlic thyme carrot puree for the main but my picture didn’t turn out 😞 Dessert was a summer berry pavlova w fresh summer berries, mascarpone vanilla cream and berry coulis!

Then last night we celebrated a fabulous ladies 60th! TONS of appys and finger foods were served including:

⭐️ charcuterie
⭐️ Thai chicken lettuce cups
⭐️ Maine lobster rolls on brioche
⭐️ smoked salmon bagel bites
⭐️ crispy shrimp toast w a spicy sesame aioli

There were 3 or 4 others that were missed among all the celebrating but check out the menu for what we had 😉

03/09/2024

This board went out for a clients 50th birthday party over this busy long weekend!

You’ll notice the bowl of rice crackers is a little out of place/not my thing - funny story.

I have started serving all my pickles on my boards in bowls to prevent other things from getting soggy. I got to the clients house, unwrapped the board and opened my container of pickles to stock the bowl. The way that lid was slammed back on that container was too funny!

“NO!” They said in horror. “Pickles aren’t allowed in the house I can’t believe I forgot to tell you”!!! The birthday boy is horrified by pickles 🤣🤣🤣

Luckily they had some rice crackers in the cupboard of the cottage to toss in the hole to fill it up!

28/08/2024

Tommy boy 😲

This delicious platter was for my clients last meal of the season before they head back to Winnipeg for the NHL season.

YUM!!! 😋

28/08/2024

And this is why we do what we do 🥹🥹🥹

27/08/2024

With the end of summer fast approaching we have been busier than ever!

Here’s a shot of the beautiful board that went out this weekend for a 60th birthday accompanied by an AMAZING BBQ buffet dinner ❤️

⭐️ mixed green w summer berries and chèvre
⭐️ summer vegetable pasta salad
⭐️ local corn w herb butter and last of the season asparagus w garlic and lemon
⭐️ roasted baby potatoes w smoky garlic
⭐️ smokey sweet mesquite chicken thighs
⭐️ and the star of the show - RIBS!! This is a perfected recipe and I am beyond stoked every time I get to make and watch people enjoy these!! ❤️

(Turns out it won’t let me post pics and videos at the same time so will post the board tomorrow!!)

11/08/2024

I am beyond proud of my team for all of the hard work that went into making this weekend possible. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you!! Lora Elizabeth Chris Lynagh St-Laurent and the decor lead - Linds ❤️

A special thank you to the bride, Emily, for entrusting us to take on our first tablescaping service. We were beyond excited that you allowed us to do this.

We have been dying to break into the tablescaping aspect of the business, so the fact that Emily trusted us to go for it meant the world ❤️

So without further ado.. HERE SHE IS!!

Our first tablescape!

We will be offering this service moving forward on all event requests! Let us take it ALL on. Full service. From setting the table, to leaving the kitchen spotless - we do it all.

This will be a completely customizable, curated service with no 2 tables being the same. Choose everything from your theme, your colours, your flowers and everything in between.

Allow us to create the ambience and perfect setting for your perfect evening at home with friends and family. Imagine - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ dining in the comfort of your own home without having to lift a single finger.

I’m so thrilled to be able to offer this service. Ask us about it when booking your dinner ❤️

💐🌷🌺🪻🌹🌸🌼

04/08/2024

A lovely dinner party last night in Aylmer, Ontario!

They started off with some charcuterie and a mega honey lemon ricotta and peach crostini that was topped with a pile of crispy prosciutto and some Italian balsamic reduction.

For the starter we had the classic pan seared scallops with pea puree and bacon crumb. I added some different citrus into the gel this time to give it a slightly different vibe!

The main consisted of a chateaubriand roast with a lovely mushroom sauce, some pommes fondant and smokey lemon green beans.

A crispy pavlova with vanilla mascarpone cream, fresh berries and other little treasures made up the dessert!

YUM!!! 😋

02/08/2024

Have you always wanted to go camping but are intimidated by the amount of gear needed? Are you a family that just can’t fit it all in the car?! Do you just not want to be bothered by the hassle of setting up and taking down an entire campsite?!

Lora Elizabeth has the solution for you!!! Check out her amazing new business venture Camplified!!

She will bring all the gear, set it all up, and take it all down!

Having been camping with her - trust me, you want her to do your setup!

Message her now to experience camping without the hassle

Simplify your efforts and amplify your experience with Camplified your friendly camping concierge.

Camping Setup and Take down service that includes equipment rental! Servicing public campgrounds within 100km of London, Ontario. Book today!

28/07/2024

Had quite a busy weekend in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada!!!

We’ll work backwards starting with the dinner that my right hand man (in business and life ❤️), Chris took point on last night:

⭐️ hot honey halloumi salad with a citrus champagne vinaigrette
⭐️ braised short rib with pomme pave, roasted vegetables, garlic scape and parsley oil, honey thyme carrot puree and jus
⭐️ flourless chocolate torte with berry coulis, salted caramel butter, and a dusting of pistachio, freeze dried raspberry and meringue

Then also yesterday we had a celebration of life that we did a large grazing table for!

And then finally on Friday we had a vow renewal where we had a large appetizer spread of buffalo chicken meatballs, ahi tuna, Mexican shrimp cocktail and strawberry bruschetta crostini. We also served Korean beef and southern shrimp tacos!!

Special thanks to At Your Bake & Call for supplying some DELICIOUS desserts for the vow renewal as well! There was such a crazy assortment, I didn’t even capture it all!!

Thank you to all my wonderful clients ❤️

21/07/2024

I gotta say.. that was a fun one!!!

It was such a joy to build this massive steak platter!!

2x50oz Dry Aged Tomahawks, duck fat potatoes, lemon asparagus, beautiful blistered cherry tomatoes, cippolini onions, baby buttons mushrooms served alongside a mushroom jus!! WOW!! Beautiful 😍

For a snack with cocktail hour we had a crispy spicy shrimp hand roll done my way 💁🏼‍♀️, a beautiful crab cake as the appetizer with some zingy lemon dill aioli and finished off the feast with a summer berry pavlova! This consisted of a crispy meringue on the bottom, a mascarpone vanilla cream, berry coulis, fresh berries, pistachios and a dusting of freeze dried raspberries 🙈 🧚

20/07/2024

Dry aged Tommy boys for a lucky dinner party tonight 🤯

17/07/2024

Third year in a row I have called the winner from episode 1!! Congrats Nat you deserve it!!!

13/07/2024

Had so much fun last night celebrating a bachelorette party with 12 fabulous ladies!! 🥳

⭐️ hot honey halloumi arugula salad with Smokey orange balsamic dressing with all of the fresh summer produce
⭐️ chateaubriand with pomme pave, honey thyme carrot puree, caramelized onion, leek and garlic puree, fresh summer peas and asparagus and a mushroom jus
⭐️ flourless dairy free chocolate cake with a raspberry coulis, fresh and freeze dried raspberries, pistachios and a crispy meringue snake!

❤️

10/07/2024

You’ll likely see a lot more of these healthy looking meals from me over the next few months as I’m excited to let you all know that I have officially been hired by a family to cook for them on a regular basis!

Im so excited for this new challenge!

Rest assured: I will still be doing private dinners and events on weekends - this will just take up the rest of my week 🙂

One of the challenges that’s going to be facing me is learning new ways to cook and alter dishes to fit their dietary needs (and also cooking for the CUTEST little 3 year old guy out there!)

All of the dishes you see for them will be gluten free, dairy free, corn free, soy free and all produce, meats and seafood will be organic, free range, grass fed, wild caught etc. The best of the best!

If anyone has any good recipes, ideas for dishes, brands to use, etc - PLEASE REACH OUT! I’m so open and excited to try new things!

Pictured below we have:

⭐️ a summer produce extravaganza salad with a smokey citrus balsamic dressing - cucumber, snap peas, bell peppers, blueberries, rainier cherries, radishes, golden beets (I know it’s not summer produce but I love adding earthiness to a bright salad), mixed nuts
⭐️ herby chicken meatballs - these things are PACKED full of veggies and fresh herbs. Served over a bed of lemon and dill quinoa, beet hummus and topped w a cucumber and radish salad with apple cider vinegar - yum!
⭐️ lemon baked halibut with a tomato salsa topped on a bed of “risotto” - the “risotto” uses plant based butter and nutritional yeast in place of traditional butter and cheese and a vegan pesto was mixed in as well as fresh summer peas
⭐️ my signature herb braised short rib with a duck fat pomme pave, caramelized onions and asparagus

We finished off the night with some vegan chocolate chip cookies!!

07/07/2024

Come on out today for some amazing tacos!!! 🤗