Zapata comes from a family of chefs

Zapata comes from a family of chefs

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Adrian Channing Lee Zapata is the son of Wilfredo Zapata and Koreather Zapata and they are a family of chefs. 

In Zapata’s middle school years, he moved from Memphis to Philadelphia and graduated from Philadelphia High School in 2017.

He comes from a family full of chefs. His father and his aunt, Evelyn Evans, are both chefs. 

When Zapata was a kid, he took an interest in cooking, so his father started teaching him how to cook. 

After graduating from high school, Zapata started attending the Culinary Arts program at East Central Community College.

This May, Zapata will be graduating with a degree in Culinary Arts. 

Zapata has been working at the Porter House in Philadelphia since it opened in 2017, his senior year of high school.

This was the first job Zapata got as a chef. Porter Frazier, the owner of the Porter House, is a huge role model to Zapata.

“I appreciate Porter so much. This has been an amazing first job,” said Zapata. “Porter is doing amazing things, we have done amazing things, fresh food, fresh everything, and we cook every meal by scratch.”

After graduating, Zapata is hoping to get an internship somewhere to learn more skills to become the best chef he can be. 

He hopes to go somewhere overseas to learn these new skills. When he gets done, interning Zapata plans to open a steakhouse and serve fresh food and seafood. 

When Zapata is not busy cooking at the Porter House Thursday through Saturday, he enjoys playing sports or brushing up his culinary skills. 

Zapata is passionate about his family, God, and cooking.

“Cooking is my life. It’s how I’m going to make a living,” Zapata said.

Zapata’s cooking influences and role models are his father, aunt, Porter Frazier, and his Culinary Arts teacher, Chef Barry Karrh, from East Central. 

His favorite part of cooking is creating new recipes in the kitchen. Zapata loves cooking fresh chicken Alfredo or shrimp scampi. 

Zapata is looking forward to his future as a chef and cannot wait to see where his Culinary Arts journey will take him.

PECAN-ENCRUSTED CATFISH

1 cup Pecans, chopped 

1/3 cup Fine-ground cornmeal 

½ cup Dried breadcrumbs 

2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped 

4 Catfish fillets (Salt and white pepper) 

1 cup All-purpose flour 

1 Egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water 

1 cup All-purpose flour, for dredging 

Vegetable oil, for pan-frying 

Place the pecans, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, and parsley in a food processor and blend until chopped. (This can be as fine as you like.) Season the catfish with salt and pepper and dip fillets in flour; shake off excess, then dip in the egg wash and let excess drip off. Place fillets in the pecan cornmeal mixture, pat and turn until completely breaded, then refrigerate for 1 hour to set the breading. Heat oil 350 degrees in a 10- to 12- inch skillet. Pan-fry the fillets 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, then turn to cook 1 to 1 ½ minutes more on the other side, until golden brown; drain on paper towels. 

BANANA PUDDING 

For Custard:

1 cup milk

1 cup Heavy cream 

½ Vanilla bean 

6 Egg yolks 

1/3 cup sugar 

2 tablespoon All-purpose flour 

Pinch of salt 

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract 

For the Meringue: 

6 egg whites room temperature 

¼ teaspoon Vanilla extract 

½ cup sugar 

For Filling: 

2 cups Angel food cake, in 1-inch cubes, lightly toasted or vanilla wafers 

2 Bananas, sliced 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make custard in a 2- to 3-quart nonreactive saucepan, combine the milk, ½ cup of the cream, and the vanilla bean. Heat to just below a simmer, cover, and remove from heat; let sit for 15 minutes for vanilla flavoring. Then remove the vanilla bean. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. Whisk the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture, pour back into the saucepan, and return pan to the heat. Cook until the custard thickens and begins to bubble. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and immediately whisk in the remaining cream and the vanilla extract. Make the meringue. Beat the egg whites until they begin to froth, then add the vanilla. Continue beating until they make soft peaks. Gradually add sugar and beat until egg whites are moist and very glossy. Assemble the pudding by spooning thin layers of custard into the bottom of a 4-cup ovenproof baking container. Top with a layer of cake crumbs or vanilla wafers and some sliced bananas. Continue layering, ending with custard on top. Top the pudding with the meringue. Bake for 5 minutes, until golden brown. 

SLOW-COOKED GREENS 

2 bunches mixed greens (turnip greens, collards mustard greens, beet greens, kale, sorrel) 

¾ cup bacon, diced

½ cup Celery, diced 

2 cups Onions, diced 

1 cup green bell pepper, diced 

1 ham hock 

2 tablespoons Red wine vinegar 

1/8 teaspoons red pepper flakes 

1 cup water 

Pick over the greens to remove any tough stems, veins, and yellow leaves. Wash the greens two or three times. Cut greens into 2-inch pieces. In a large pot cook enough to accommodate all the greens, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until fat has been rendered and bacon is brown but not crisp. Add the celery, onions, and bell pepper and cook 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the greens. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are wilted, about 10 minutes. Add the ham hock, vinegar, and simmer for 1 ½ hour or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hock. Pull the meat from the bones and chop the meat. Stir the meat into the green for 5 minutes.






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