Chefs share tips for entertaining during holidays

METRO DETROIT — The holidays are a time to eat, drink and be merry. 

To make the most of the season, the Culinary Studies Institute at Oakland Community College — Royal Oak shared tips on how to make holiday entertaining enjoyable for both guests and the host.

“I believe love is incorporated into the food,” said Angelica Galeana, 24, a longtime cook and first-semester student at the Culinary Institute. “If you’re cooking and you’re in a bad mood, it’s not going to come out right.”

A favorite for her holiday dinners and celebrations are pozoles, a traditional Mexican stew. Galeana said green pozoles are from southern Mexican near Acapulco and typically made with chicken while red pozoles are commonly eaten in northern Mexico and made with pork. The meat is the centerpiece of the dish and topped with vegetables, which can include onions, cabbage, cilantro, radishes, lime and avocado.

“There are so many toppings,” Galeana said. “We like to joke and say that it is the salad in the soup.”

The seasonings include chiles, spices, whole oregano, cumin, clove, black pepper and salt. A chicken or beef bouillon further enhances the flavor. Hominy — a white corn — is also added.  

Galeana prefers cooking with whole spices because the freshness of ground spices is difficult to determine. The dish is typically served with tostadas, which are crunchy and flat. Galeana likes the El Milagro tostadas, available at most grocery stores that sell Hispanic food.

She said the stew is simple, easy to make, and has been a crowd pleaser at her home.

“It takes putting love in small ingredients,” she said. 

Galeana has been cooking most of her life. She started working in the industry at age 16.

“I have been cooking since I was 8 … when I was tall enough to reach the pots and pans and things from the cupboard,” she said.  

Galeana said she knew a lot about cooking and preparing foods in the Mexican tradition, but she wanted to learn more. She has been working at an upscale Italian restaurant.

“It opened up my mind to learn new things,” Galeana said.

She said she’s always studying the craft, from beautifully plating a dish to incorporating different spices and preparing foods from other cultures. Galeana strives to “whip up something on the fly,” as professional chefs do. It was with this in mind that she enrolled in the program to study to be a chef.

Mike Dakoske is also a first-semester student in the culinary program at OCC. He describes himself as primarily a vegetarian, and he suggests preparing vegetables cooked properly for holiday entertaining.

“Watch that you don’t overcook vegetables,” he said. 

Dakoske suggested a technique used at the vegan restaurant where he used to work.

Wash the vegetables and slit the top to allow air in, keeping the vegetable whole. Put on a baking sheet, season with oil and salt and pepper, and then roast the vegetables for about 45 minutes or until they have some char. Then take the vegetables out of the oven.

“People would just walk by and grab them,” Dakoske said. “They taste like candy.”

Dakoske, 53, has more than 30 years of industry experience. He works at a high-end restaurant in downtown Detroit where he is responsible for cold foods, appetizers and desserts.   

He believes going to school and studying to be a chef makes a big difference.

“I would highly recommend anybody in the culinary industry go to school,” Dakoske said. “I’m on the other side of it now. I believe in the value of school.”

Julie Selonke is a professional chef who has been teaching at OCC for 14 years. Her career spans nearly 30 years. She has cooked for kings and queens, U.S. presidents, and celebrities like Tiger Woods and Kid Rock — to name just a few — during her 10 years working at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills and at the Tribute restaurant in Farmington Hills.

Selonke suggests preparing as much as possible in advance to make the event go smoothly.

A scalloped potato dish is an easy dish to serve when entertaining. The chef suggests prepping it in a casserole dish and then putting it in the refrigerator the day before eating. The extra time will enhance the flavor.

 “They probably taste better after hanging out in the refrigerator for a few days,” she said.

When it’s time to serve, add the topping, which can be crumbled pretzels and melted butter for crunch. Put the casserole dish in the oven, bake and serve hot.

Selonke also recommends enlisting others to bring a dish of their choice.

“As host, it’s lovely to spread the workload a little bit, and that can enhance the enjoyment,” Selonke said. “When you do the major items that may be difficult for people to bring — the roast, the turkey — invite people to bring a side or some other component. … You have an opportunity to get yourself put together and not look disheveled, (but rather) like the consummate entertainer.”