Chef Thomas, a semifinalist in the recent Favorite Chef competition, is leveraging the national spotlight to advance his culinary endeavors in naples and promote his forthcoming cookbook, Grandma’s Hands. The competition,wich supports the James Beard Foundation’s mission to promote American cuisine and nurture culinary talent,saw Thomas secure 10th place.
inspired by Bill Withers’ 1971 song of the same name, which celebrates community building through food and love, Grandma’s Hands will feature customary recipes from grandmothers across various cultures, including meatballs wiht “nanas” and arepas with “abuelas.” Thomas continues to seek culinary wisdom from his own grandmother in San Antonio, highlighting the enduring influence of familial culinary traditions.
“I call her now, I’m like, ‘How did you do that?'” Thomas shared. “I’m a whole caterer, you know, I’m a whole chef.I do this for a living. And I’m like, ‘Mama, how did you do this,’ you know? She made it look so simple and taught me so much about, you know, cleaning as you go and just putting the love and the care into it … flavors, spices and just taking your time; taking your time and caring for people through food.”
