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 Mid-South and Southcoast twists.
Variance specializes in intimate dining experiences with seatings of up to 30 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
Basil corn ice cream, dried sour apple, and chicharrón
Crudo
Ceviche in coconut broth with wakame
Bean
Panisse on beet purée with black olive caramel
Soup
Carrot velouté, pickled carrot, and rice cracker
Interlude
Sesame tuile with bacon onion jam and praline cream
Fish
Crab cake on creole sauce and miso cabbage slaw
Meat
Pork bolognese, lobster stock grits, and smoked red peppers
Dessert
Cherry ice cream and chocolate hazel nut tart
Dessert
Mango gelato and fig with blue cheese on orange gastric
Pour Partir
Rosemary pine nut brittle
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Amuse bouche
Bluefish paté in conserva pepper cone and tapioca pearl cracker
Soup
Corn chowder, toasted pumpkin seeds, and tomato chip
Vegetable
Leek and mushroom pithivier with golden beets
Fish
Razor clams, mashed potato, and sofrito
Interlude
Green tea and cherry kombucha
Meat
Smoked turkey, kale, and farro
Dessert
Tarragon ice cream, almond cake, and pistachio
Dessert
Lime sorbet with raspberry coulis
Pour Partir
Pecan sandies
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