Will McGarry
For a chance to taste the future of American cooking, catering and event-planning company Creative Edge Parties is hosting 15-year-old chef Flynn McGarry—who is getting plenty of buzz for being young, talented and, well, young—for a two-night pop-up presentation of his eight-course Eureka tasting menu (May 19 to 20). McGarry, who has been holding dinners at his home in California since he was 12, produces what he calls "progressive American cuisine." But how does he transcend the novelty of being a teenage chef?
"McGarry is actually not about being 15 years old," says Carla Ruben, president of Creative Edge. "He truly is a culinary talent that takes a passion and pushes the limits. If anything, his youth removes all barriers that age puts up and allows him to explore ingredients in nonconventional ways."
Guests can definitely look forward to dishes that test taste conventions, including green mussels glazed with Thai curry, coconut, lemongrass and pickled daikon and scallops grilled in their shells with Champagne-fermented turnips, coffee-and-celery-root puree and smoked almond milk. And diners aren't the only ones who benefit. While Creative Edge gets to share some of its secrets with McGarry and other top chefs who come through, the house kitchen is opened up to new techniques and ideas from its visitors. "It's a win-win for everybody," says Ruben, "and a lot of fun." $150; 639 Washington St.; creativeedgedesignlab.com.
