Katie Button’s meteoric rise through the restaurant ranks may have been quick, but nothing feels rushed about the way she runs a kitchen. The chef-owner of tapas bar Cúrate and The Nightbell, both in Asheville, North Carolina, quality-controls each dish as it makes its way through the assembly line, while her husband and front-of-house captain Felix Meana expedites finished plates to service.
Such was the scene at last night’s installment of #SaveurSuppers, where Button presented recipes from the Cúrate cookbook to an intimate group of 25 journalists, PR professionals, TV personalities, and industry insiders. The evening started with a cocktail hour featuring wines from Lustau and the American Dry gin from Brooklyn’s own Greenhook Ginsmiths, complemented by tonic from Fever Tree and paired with delightfully briny olive-and-anchovy banderillas and a creamy salt cod-and-potato spread. Mains moved from creamy mushroom soup with Idiazábal cheese to a hearty salad of wilted spinach with pine nuts and apple to canelones: beef, pork, and chicken liver encased in pasta rolls, smothered in béchamel, and browned in Manchego cheese—sliced and served tableside. Dessert came in the form of Spanish-style flan with oranges and polvorones, a traditional Marcona almond-based holiday cookie. Now that we have your attention, snag your copy of the Cúrate cookbook today to start making these spectacular Spanish recipes at home.
SAVEUR Editor-in-Chief Adam Sachs, My Last Supper photographer Melanie Dunea, and Chef Scott Conant pose for a photo during cocktail hour. Matt Taylor-GrossGuests were treated to wines from Lustau and gin-and-tonics made with Greenhook Ginsmiths gin and Fever Tree tonic. Matt Taylor-GrossFelix Meana of Cúrate and The Nightbell inspects the wines from Lustau. Matt Taylor-GrossFrom left, SAVEUR Test Kitchen Director Stacy Adimando, SAVEUR Contributing Editor Shane Mitchell, and writer Kathleen Squires enjoy a drink before dinner. Matt Taylor-GrossWriter Priya Krishna and literary agent David Black catch up with a glass of wine. Matt Taylor-GrossFrom left, Bonnier Corporation’s Molly Battles, Wine Spectator’s Jordan McDowell, and NPR’s Rose Friedman sip on cocktails and wine before the seated dinner at the SAVEUR Test Kitchen. Matt Taylor-GrossTelevision personality Eden Grinshpan and Becca PR’s Liz Pierson are all smiles during cocktail hour. Matt Taylor-GrossWriter Kathryn Maier, influencer Jean Lee, and SAVEUR Deputy Digital Editor Dan Q. Dao raise a glass to Chef Katie Button. Matt Taylor-GrossSAVEUR Editor-in-Chief Adam Sachs chats with photographer William Hereford. Matt Taylor-GrossChef Katie Button takes a break from cooking to strike a pose with Fathom Away’s Pavia Rosati. Matt Taylor-GrossCocktail hour started off with Chef Katie Button’s delicious olive-and-anchovy skewers and salt cod-and-potato dip. Matt Taylor-GrossGuests dig into Chef Katie Button’s espinacas a la Catalana, a wilted spinach salad with pine nuts, raisins, and apples. Matt Taylor-GrossFresh out of the oven: piping hot canelones de carne, meat-filled pasta rolls with béchamel sauce and Manchego cheese. Matt Taylor-GrossKatie Button flips an egg flan for dessert. Matt Taylor-GrossChristophe and Nefissa Attard of Air France share a laugh with SAVEUR Test Kitchen Director Stacy Adimando. Matt Taylor-GrossA beautiful spread. Matt Taylor-GrossThe Cúrate cookbook came out last month. Matt Taylor-GrossEditor-in-Chief Adam Sachs addresses the crowd to introduce Chef Katie Button and Felix Meana of Cúrate and The Nightbell. Matt Taylor-Gross