Lucy Wood
Food has always been a comfort for Taylor Pelton. Growing up in a Washington suburb, he was surrounded by a diverse group of classmates in a city heavily influenced by Korean and Japanese flavors, and the after-school snacks he'd eat at friends' houses ranged from Costa Rican to Pakistani.
Soon he was experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. “I have ADHD, so cooking has always been very exciting for me,” Pelton explains. “I was really lucky to have a great vocational training program in high school, and that was the only thing that really satisfied my desire.”
The high school program instilled in her the idea that cooking doesn't have to use fancy ingredients or look like it was plated by a Michelin-star chef to be of high quality. The secret is in the use of ingredients and flavors. “A student from Johnson & Wales University made a sweet potato bisque, which I still make at Thanksgiving, and when I had it, I had never eaten a dish with such depth of flavor. It blew me away.”
It's no surprise that Pelton chose to apply exclusively to culinary schools, including Johnson & Wales. After initially being rejected, Pelton remembers calling the dean of admissions two weeks in a row—”he told me he admired my tenacity”—and got in.
Tenacity, or stubbornness, is an important trait in an industry known for grueling hours and low wages. Pelton began his professional career as a sous chef under local celebrity chef Eli Dunn at the now-closed Eli's Kitchen in Warren. “That restaurant was pretty unique in that we gave our cooks as much creative freedom as they wanted,” Pelton says, joking that the list of specials was often longer than the actual menu.
After a period of burnout, Pelton recently rediscovered the joy of cooking by doing it his own way. “I'm making the food I love with friends who I love and appreciate and who share the same values as me about the industry,” he says. He runs pop-up stores under the name Tenney Cooks, where he works with chefs and restaurateurs who welcome him into their spaces to iterate on menu ideas, flavors, and concepts.
These days, cooking has become another form of refuge for Pelton, as he struggles with the state of the world. “I was feeling pretty powerless when it came to the situation in Palestine, and I really wanted to contribute,” he says, “so I started doing pop-up shops as a way to raise funds for World Central Kitchen.” He donates 10 percent of the event's proceeds to the organization. While each location, menu, and theme varies, there's a consistent focus on seasonal ingredients. He incorporates an eclectic blend of flavors and cultural influences into his cooking, reminiscent of the palates he developed as a child.
Through events, Pelton has also made a name for himself as a private chef. “One pop-up led me to serve as private chef for the Thomas Dumbo team, who created the Trolls at Ninigret Park,” he explains. As artists and builders traveled around the world, Pelton had the opportunity to incorporate Korean, Laotian and Thai cooking styles, lending his talents to the team's requests, from developing vegetarian menus to maximizing ingredients and reducing food waste across a variety of meals. One such feast was a Southern comfort food platter with black walnut and lentil bread with a smoked maple ketchup glaze, smoked cheddar mac and cheese, collard greens, honey and bergamot whipped sweet potato casserole and pecans.
Regardless of dietary restrictions or taste preferences, Pelton strives to create a “bespoke menu” for his customers: “I always like to know as much as I can about my customers,” he says — what they like, what they don't like, their culinary aesthetic — so that each dish served is memorable.
From Dye House to Like No Adder, Pelton has also cooked at venues in and around Providence. If you would like to enquire about Tenny Cooks' private chef services or find out about upcoming pop-ups, follow them on Instagram. Tenney Cook.
