Famous EATS

Have you ever wondered what famous people’s favorite foods are?

Chef T does, and, his curiosity and love of cooking set off a whole lot of research, recipe development, & some colorful culinary words in order to put together a list of past and present movie stars, artists, writers, singers, coaches, athletes, activist, & political personalities and their favorite foods.

Each week Chef T will feature a favorite dish from Famous People and feature it as our special of the week along with a little history about the Chosen Person.

Follow our culinary Famous Eats journey and eat like you’re famous

We originally decided to start with Marilyn Monroe, but she had raw eggs in warm milk for breakfast!

Eek! No thank you. SO we changed gears, and to kick off the 1st Famous Eats…drum roll please!

Famous EATS!

Emma Watson

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films, she has received a selection of accolades, including a Young Artist Award and three MTV Movie Awards. Watson has been ranked among the world's highest-paid actresses by Forbes and Vanity Fair, and was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2015. As a child, she rose to stardom after landing her first professional acting role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, having previously acted only in school plays.

Emma Watson openly admits her passionate affection for Mexican food and one of her favorite things to eat for breakfast is a Breakfast Burrito. Having learned this, Chef T set out create a beautifully balanced breakfast burrito infused with some culinary magic with perfectly scrambled eggs, chorizo (can be made without for the veggies out there), fresh cut avocado, house made cucumber pico de gallo, sriracha seasoned pan fried potatoes all wrapped up in a flour tortilla and plated on a bed of creamy queso sauce and house made roja sauce.

All of this is, of course, cooked over Hermione’s magical fire from her spell known as “Bluebell Flames” which makes this dish even more special. So, not only can eat like a movie star, but also like a “Muggleborn”.

$15.95

4/24/2024-4/28/2024

Previous Famous EATS!

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-20th century. Sinatra is among the world's best-selling music artists, with an estimated 150 million record sales globally.

Frank Sinatra’s favorite restaurant in NYC was an Italian place called Pasty’s where he could enter through a private doorway and have dinner in a private room that was always reserved for him. There he would enjoy one of his favorite meals, Stuffed Artichoke, which is filled with breadcrumbs browned in olive oil with a plethora of fragrant, flavorful herbs, a generous amount of finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese and baked till tender. Served with a side of red wine vinegar dipping sauce.

This dish is not only a delight to the palette and the sense of smell, but also to the eyes; it is beautiful and comes out looking like a lovely flower. Come in, and “get a kick out of” eating like a famous crooner!

$16.95

4/17/2024-4/21/2024

Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Miller Hemingway; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Best known for an economical, understated style that significantly influenced later 20th-century writers, he is often romanticized for his adventurous lifestyle, and outspoken and blunt public image. Most of Hemingway's works were published between the mid-1920s and mid-1950s. His writings have become classics of American literature; he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Hemingway woke up at 5:30 am to write and enjoy his breakfast with a passel of six-toed felines also known as Hemingway Cats. His passion for food spilled over into his writing as he described the meals that his characters ate. His favorite breakfast was pretty fancy, distinguished, and only Small Café has it…a Truffle Omelette with Canadian Bacon which Chef T has recreated for all of our Small Café guests to enjoy. Three eggs whisked, infused with cream, black truffle, fine herbs, and tipped into a heated pan of butter and a spot of truffle oil, filled with Parmesan cheese, cooked so the egg is still soft in the center, plated and swirled with crème fraiche and garnished with fine herbs and fresh black truffle slices, served with 2 slices of Canadian bacon on the side.

After returning home from WWI and his first time seeing the world which inspired all of the “zest that feeds life”, Hemingway told his sister, Marcelline, "Don't be afraid to taste all the other things that aren't here in Oak Park. This life is all right, but there's a whole big world out there full of people who really feel things. They live and love and die with all their feelings. Taste everything, Sis."

$16.95

04/10/2024-04/14/2024

Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. One of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s, their most famous recordings include three US number ones: "The Sound of Silence" (1965) and the two Record of the Year Grammy winners "Mrs. Robinson" (1968) and "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1970).

Inspired by Roberta Ashley’s 1967 “Singers & Swingers in the Kitchen: The Scene Makers Cookbook Dozens of Nutty Turned On Easy-To-Prepare Recipes From The Grooviest Gourmets Happening” for informal get-togethers with their friends, Simon and Garfunkel adapted an old-time New York favorite, Potato Pancakes. These potato pancake triplets will amuse your taste buds and make your full belly sing their praises. Russet potatoes are oven baked and mixed with all of Chef T’s little secrets like cheddar cheese, sour cream and a few other little surprise ingredients and then pan-fried till they develop that crisp coating on the outside, then they are plated and served with a dollop of sour cream and chives.

Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mrs. Roberson (and Small Café connoisseurs), you will love these more than you know!!

$13.95

04/03/2024 – 04/07/2024

Coach Jimmy V

James Thomas Anthony Valvano (March 10, 1946 – April 28, 1993), nicknamed Jimmy V, was an American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster.

Valvano had a successful coaching career with multiple schools, culminating at NC State. While the head coach at NC State, his team won the 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball title against improbable odds. Valvano is remembered for his ecstatic celebration after winning the national championship game against the heavily favored Houston Cougars and for an inspirational, memorable speech delivered at the 1993 ESPY Awards while terminally ill with cancer. Valvano implored the audience to laugh, think, and cry each day.

Coach Jimmy V had so many favorite foods he wrote his own cookbook called Jim Valvano’s Guide to Great Eating, so for this week’s Famous Eats it’s…

Jimmy V’s BBQ Brisket baked in a low temp oven for 6 hours with lemon, onion and house made BBQ sauce, then sliced and stacked on a Kaiser bun and topped with mushrooms and red onions caramelized in butter, brown sugar, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar to create a sandwich gushing with flavor!!

$16.95

03/27/2024 – 03/31/2024

Tim Duncan

Timothy Theodore Duncan was born April 25, 1976 and raised on Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Duncan initially aspired to be a competitive swimmer, but took up basketball at 14 after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the island's only Olympic-sized pool. He is an American former professional basketball player. He spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA history, and was a central contributor to the franchise's success during the 2000s and 2010s. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

We are appropriately celebrating Tim Duncan’s fame during March Madness and what better way than with a dish native to his hometown Caribbean Fish Fritters. These flaky white fish fritters are pan fried in a gluten free batter that is seasoned with onion, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, and various fresh herbs. It is served with Cou Cou (pronounced koo koo), a traditional side dish loved by the locals throughout the Caribbean, made with finely ground cornmeal, onions, garlic, fresh thyme and thinly sliced okra and a made-from-scratch Mango Pineapple Hot Sauce.

“Cheese on bread!” (aka WOW! In Caribbean speak) Come try something appetizingly different.

$15.95

03/20/2024 – 03/24/2024

COACH K

Michael William Krzyzewski (born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980 to 2022, during which he led the Blue Devils to five national titles, 13 Final Fours (the most of any coach in men's basketball), 15 ACC tournament championships, and 13 ACC regular season titles. Krzyzewski is widely regarded as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time.

According to wralSPORTSfan Coach K’s favorite meal is pasta paired with a nice glass of wine. Makes sense, he is a wine aficionado. So, for all of you pasta lovers we have prepared Coach K’s Breakfast Pasta which is pasta tossed a delicate blend of eggs, garlic sautéed in a splash of vino, parmesan, applewood smoked bacon (may be served with or without the bacon), freshly ground black pepper and served in a cast iron skillet with an oven baked garlic buttery bagel on the side. (Coach K also has a thing for bagels ;-)

AND…if you would like wine with this pasta, we have some lovely ones for you.

$14.95

03/13/2024 - 03/17/2024

Roy Williams

Roy Allen Williams (born August 1, 1950) is an American retired college basketball coach who served as the men's head coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels for 18 seasons and the Kansas Jayhawks for 15 seasons. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

It’s that time of year…March Madness! We are celebrating a local basketball icon’s favorite food Mimosa Fried Chicken with Sriracha Coleslaw on a BIG Gluten-Free Biscuit. The chicken is marinated in a plethora of spices blended into a orange juice base and then breaded with GF flour and fried to create a crunchy, crisp coating on the outside locking in all the juiciness of tender chicken on the inside, then it is placed on a BIG GF Biscuit that has been smeared with house made sweet potato butter and laden with our version of Sriracha Coleslaw.

This combo of sweet, savory, slightly spicy, crunchy and juicy is a SLAM DUNK of a meal!

$17.95

3/6/2024 – 3/10/2024

James Hewmings

James Hemings (1765–1801) was the first American to train as a chef in France.

Hemings, born into slavery, was selected by Jefferson to accompany him to Paris when he was appointed as Minister to France. There, Hemings was trained and worked in Paris for 5 years to be a French chef and even ran his own kitchen in French; independently, he took lessons to learn how to speak the French language. Hemings is credited with bringing many French cooking styles to colonial America and developing new recipes inspired by French cuisine. This includes crème brulée and meringues, but most famously, Hemings is credited with introducing macaroni and cheese to America.

Although, in this case, the food is more famous than the man, we thought it important to recognize this culinary genius. After all, what would America be without our beloved Macaroni and Cheese?

This is a historical recipe and the macaroni noodles are made from scratch with semolina flour right in our Small kitchen then they were gently simmered in milk and a little water to uptake that creamy texture, layered with a cheddar/parmesan cheese mix in individual cast iron pans, and baked in the oven until the cheese becomes velvety on the inside and has that bit of crunch on the top. Since it said that James Hemings’ kitchen in America was considered ½ French and ½ American, we have paired it with a side of Virginia ham just as he would have done.

This macaroni and cheese goes above and beyond your taste buds expectations. You’ll catch yourself savoring every morsel of this culinary delight especially when enjoyed with the savory flavors of the Virginia ham. (May be served with or without the ham according to your dietary needs)

$14.95

2/28/2024 – 4/3/2024

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, c. March 1822 – March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist.

Known as the “Moses of her people,” Harriet Tubman lived a storied life as a slave, then escapee turned liberator as a “conductor" on the Underground Railroad. Adding to her impressive list of accomplishments, Tubman was the first African American woman to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War as a nurse, spy and cook. A little known fact about Tubman is that in order to fund her freedom efforts, she was a professional cook. As the daughter of a cook, Tubman learned the skills that would help her keep countless mouths on The Underground Railroad fed. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage and provided the first housing for the elderly.

Harriet Tubman was known for her cornbread made with salt pork recipe, but according to FOODBEAST’s Favorite Foods of Famous Civil Rights Leaders, she also loved “Chicken, Wildberries, Hardtack Biscuits, Root Beer, Pie, and Gingerbread”.

This resulted in Chef T putting together a Small twist on some of her favorite foods to create the Pulled Root Beer Chicken Sandwich which is slow cooked for about 6 hours in house made Root Beer Barbeque Sauce to soak in the notes of sassafras, vanilla bean, and all of those other delightful flavors found in traditional root beer. Once the chicken is soft, juicy and easily falls apart, it is pulled and piled high on a Kaiser roll with made from scratch colorful coleslaw that has a gentle spiciness and all kinds of savories.

The result of the combination of the coleslaw and the root beer barbeque sauce equals pure culinary magic that you will not find any other place!

$15.95

2/21/2024-2/25/2024

Malcolm X

Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Islam (NOI) until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the Black community.

Malcolm X once said, “I loved especially to grow peas. I was proud when we had them on our table.” Black-eyed peas are a soul food staple and to honor Malcolm X’s love of growing them when he was a kid, this week’s special is Hoppin John.

Although we are aware that Malcolm X did not eat pork after converting to the Muslim religion, Chef decided to stick with the more traditional version of this dish which does include pork, and, of course, a Small twist.

Small’s version of this savory mixture includes black-eyed peas slow cooked to perfection with sautéed onion, celery, green pepper, some fire-roasted tomatoes, and tender bits of bacon and ham morsels intermingled throughout. It is then lavished over a bed of fragrant saffron rice and finished with an egg style of your choice on top.

$12.95

2/14/2023 – 2/18/2023

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Christian minister, activist, and political philosopher who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. A Black church leader and a son of early civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr., King advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and nonviolent civil disobedience.

According to The Spruce Eats, Dr. King loved a few of the hallmark specialty recipes of the South with great reverence and grace. In no special order, he was known to enjoy, as frequently as possible, a generous serving of fried chicken, stewed greens, sweet potatoes, and for dessert, a slice or two of pecan pie.

After reading this, Chef T got busy creating the MLK Crispy Chicken Sandwich. The chicken is marinated in a yogurt and herbs with a few dashes of sriracha, breaded in a mix of flavorful herbs and breadcrumbs, dredged through a buttermilk egg mixture, breaded again and pan-fried until crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, then added to a buttery Kaiser roll with sautéed collard greens seasoned just right, finished with some swirls of house-made honey mustard and served with a side of kettle chips.

This sandwich has some of everything: some sweetness, some spiciness, and some crunchiness… its pure heavenly comfort in your mouth!!

$16.95

2/7/2024 - 2/11/2024

President George Washington

George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was one of the American Founding Fathers, military officer, politician and statesman who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797.

George Washington’s Morning Hoecakes (GF, DF, Ve, Vg) is a historical recipe with, of course, with a SMALL twist. According to GW’s niece, he loved this “temperate repast” of hoecakes, “swimming in butter and honey” along with hot tea. These crispy on the outside and soft on the inside cornmeal hoecakes are served in threes with your sweet choice of honey or maple syrup and Fairy Butter. Yes, Fairy Butter is also a historical recipe where the butter is infused with orange blossom water and it is quite lovely on the palette.

This one is for the History Books, folks! Come, eat like a Founding Father and a President!

$9.95

1/31/2024 – 2/4/2024

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES

Princess Diana or “Princess Di” (July 1st 1961 – August 31st 1997) Born Diana Frances Spencer she became a member of the British royal family as Prince Charles III first wife at the age of 20. She later had 2 sons, William and Harry. Her activism and glamour made her an international icon, and earned her enduring popularity worldwide.

Princess Di’s Eggs Suzette (GF, Veg.) The Small version is a twice baked potato, which is baked once, scooped out, and mashed with salt, pepper, butter, English cheddar cheese, sour cream, and chives; returned to its shell and then in the oven to crisp the potato skin and meld all of those delicious ingredients together. We serve it with a nest of spinach placed on top to nestle the egg, and then it all gets a lovely drizzling of our house made Hollandaise sauce, served with a side of bacon bits to top off, if you wish.

Now, that’s a Pip Pip Cheerio way to say “goodbye, hungry tummy”!

$13.95

1/24/2024 - 1/28/2024

BABE RUTH

George Herman “Babe” Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed “the Great Bambino” and “the Sultan of Swat,” Babe Ruth said that for breakfast he had a pint of whiskey mixed with a pint of ginger ale in a pitcher of ice followed by a porterhouse steak, four fried eggs, fried potatoes, and a pot of coffee. Phew! That’s quite the heavy hitter’s breakfast!!

At Small Café, Chef T’s answer to recreating Babe Ruth’s favorite breakfast is The Great Bambino’s Steak and Potato Hash: A fine piece of 4oz NY Strip marinated in an Ayinger white beer-based blend of spices, red potatoes, sautéed tricolor peppers, onions, and 2 eggs, made your way, perched on top served with a side of Chef T’s own house-made steak sauce for dipping or drizzling. NOW, That’s a DINGER, Folks!!!

$19.50

1/17/2024 - 1/21/2024

TAYLOR SWIFT

Taylor Alison Swift, born December 13, 1989 is an American singer-songwriter. Her songwriting, artistry, and entrepreneurship have influenced the music industry and popular culture, and her life is a subject of widespread media coverage.

French Ham and Cheese Galette Complète: this dishy singer, Taylor swift, has quite the sophisticated pallet according to Bon Appetite.

The Galette is composed of delicately blackened Black Forest Ham, sliced paper thin and the intriguing sweetness and saltiness of Compte Cheese (a French semi-firm, unpasteurized, aged, milk cheese) nestled inside an earthy Buckwheat Crepe topped with a good smear of salted butter and your choice of our Massey Crek Farms egg style on top.

Fearless

$15.95

1/10/2024 – 1/14/2024