VARIANCE
A CULINARY EXPERIENCE
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Eat with Variance
Variance is . . .
A seasonal pop-up restaurant. A private dinner. A catered party.
Variance can be a lot of things, but what we aim to do consistently is serve exceptional food, all made from scratch. We focus on presenting fresh, seasonal, and fruit/vegetable-forward dishes. Our cuisine is an inspired take on New American foods with a Mid-South twist.
Variance specializes in intimate dining experiences with seatings of up to 20 people. When we're not whipping up dinners from
a set location for the season, we're available for brunch, lunch, private dinners, catered events, and other specialty dining services.
Reach out to book your next culinary adventure with us!
About
Athough you wouldn’t want to cook and eat one, a channeled whelk has at least a few things going for it. Among others,
the sea snail’s shell puts pattern variation on full display.
Years ago, when I was trying to come up with a name for my venture into the culinary universe, a friend picked up a whelk shell from the beach and brought it to the house. And there it was. The shell embodied how I like to cook, holding to tradition but making it current, changing dishes without straying too far.
I want what I know about New American cuisine and Mid-South food ways to be fully present in the dishes I prepare, but always with a twist. So, I called what I was doing“Variance,”and I took
the channeled whelk for its symbol.
I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and moved to New England in 2002. To make a living, I’m a professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where I teach a range of courses, including one on Food inAmerican History. But I’ve also worked at Boston-area restaurants, including Café du Pays, in Cambridge, Lennox Sophia, in the South End, and Asta, in the Back Bay. The chef at Asta, Alex Crabb, has taught me much of what I know about cooking. Drawing on all that and other experience,
I now do my own private dining events in the Merrimack Valley, Boston, and on the Cape
Sample Menus
Amuse bouche
Lime sorbet, mint syrup, and papaya
Salad
Cucumber miso, sockeye ceviche, and rice cracker
Soup
Cold beet soup, rye bread, and dill cream spread
Bean
Panisse, pea guacamole, and bacon jerky
Fish
Smoked hake pâté, pepper cone, and skin chip
Bird
Fried chicken, carrots, peas, and rice
Meat
Braised pork, onion ring, and sofrito
Dessert
Almond cake, tarragon ice cream, and orange sauce
Dessert
Raspberry gelato, chocolate mousse, and coulis
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Amuse bouche
Oysters w/wakame, glasswort garnish, and tapioca pearl cracker
Soup
Corn chowder, toasted pumpkin seeds, and tomato chips
Vegetable
Leek and mushroom pie w/sauteed mushrooms and golden beets
Fish
Razor clams, light mashed potato, and sofrito with cilantro
Meat
Smoked confit turkey and kale/farro on butternut squash w/cashew cream
Dessert
Banana nut ice cream w/banana nut bread and cranberry-orange relish
Dessert
Pecan sandies
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Snack
Curried mussel canapé
Soup
Split pea w/bacon and radish
Vegetable
Candied sweet potato
Grain
Cheesy grits soufflé
Main
Tourtière w/snap peas
Dessert
Strawberry roulade
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