Skillet Cornbread From a Chef’s Kitchen, Williamsburg VA.

Skillet Cornbread From a Chef’s Kitchen, Williamsburg Va. 

I just read on November 3, 2021 of the passing of a dear man and friend whom I have spent many a happy hour talking and eating his wonderful food over the years. His signature receipt he had every meal was his cornbread which he had developed when he was at Colonial Williamsburg. John talked with the original Chef who 1^st made this recipe and asked him if he could tweak it. The Chef told him to go ahead.

A Little Information About Chef John:

Chef John R. Gonzales, owner of the popular Williamsburg fine dining establishment A Chef’s Kitchen, has passed away. Gonzales, a pillar of the Williamsburg community, died on October 31.

Gonzales, a native of Williamsburg, was a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and worked in the Washington DC and Northern Virginia areas before returning to Williamsburg after being hired at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1996. Gonzales eventually became the executive chef of the Colonial Williamsburg taverns and other properties. He was the author of two best-selling cookbooks for Colonial Williamsburg.

More recently, Gonzales was executive chef and owner of A Chef’s Kitchen, an interactive cooking class and dining experience that first opened in August 2004. The intimate establishment offered seasonal dishes and demonstrations from Gonzales and his colleagues and was often booked full months in advance. A Chef’s Kitchen remained temporarily closed with the exception of its wine shop during the pandemic prior to his passing.

Gonzales was an active member of the community and was a participant in the annual Dancing With the Williamsburg Stars benefit event in 2019. News of his passing quickly spread on social media.

A Chef’s Kitchen Executive Chef and co-owner, John R. Gonzales, is a Certified Food and Beverage Executive, graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, former Executive Chef of The Ritz Carlton-Fairfax Hotel and The Watergate Hotel in Washington DC. In 1996 John was hired as a consultant for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and then became their Executive chef for The Taverns and a few other CW properties. Chef John is a native of Williamsburg Va. and grew up in The Robert Carter House in Colonial Williamsburg. He has written two best selling cookbooks for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook and Holiday Fare – Favorite Williamsburg Recipes.

“Very sad news for our community,” Williamsburg Area Restaurant Association posted on November 1. “John was an extraordinary human being, amazing chef, and friend, who will be greatly missed.”

Chef John grew up in their historic area as his father was a VP with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Chef John’s mother was an accomplished pianist. I had heard her several times at the Chef’s Kitchen durning the years. John seemed to have inherited her musical ability. Chef John played the harmonica and the drums. He was in a garage band with Bobby Hornsby (brother of the legend Bruce Hornsby).

Skillet Cornbread from a Chef’s Kitchen

Imagine yourself in the studio audience of a world-renowned cooking show. Except you get to eat the five-course meal with its wine pairings surrounded by friends and laughter.

A Chef’s Kitchen gives you an unforgettable night of food, eating, and learning. Then they send you home with the recipes. Even as their menus change with the seasons, the skillet cornbread is a constant, and a favorite for guests to learn to make at home.

Skillet Cornbread During a Dining Experience

Chef John Gonzales, creator, and owner of A Chef’s Kitchen is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, has authored two cookbooks for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and been featured on HGTV among other TV programs.

The Classic Cornbread occurs after the appetizer and with the salad on A Chef’s Kitchen Dinner Menu. Yet, it is a favorite Side Dish returned to again and again during the meal.

You can watch Chef John making his now-famous cornbread recipe, in which he gives you tips such as using whole milk buttermilk for thickening. He also explains and the color of cornmeal in this Southern skillet cornbread is more for appearance (he uses yellow), and how necessary it is to use a cast-iron skillet, not a Teflon one. Videos on YouTube. 

Savory vs. Sweet Cornbreads

For years I’ve made a sweet cornbread to serve alongside Brunswick Stew. Chef John explains that his Southern-Style cornbread recipe is from Charleston, South Carolina where they don’t use sugar in skillet cornbread. He does use just one tablespoon and encourages cooks to double that if they want a sweeter result.

My big surprise? My family gobble up this Skillet Cornbread. They prefer it much more over my sweeter version. Maybe it’s because having grown up in Colonial Williamsburg and spent more than one field trip mixing cornmeal on-site at Jamestown and Yorktown.

Serves 8, Prep time is 20 min. Cook time is 15 min 

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cup stone- ground yellow cornmeal

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

2 cups buttermilk

1 tbsp butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Chef’s Skillet Kitchen Cornbread

Preheat skillet. Preheat the oven to 450 with the iron skillet in the oven. After the oven is preheated, leave the skillet in for an additional 5 minutes.

Whisk. Whisk together dry ingredients: cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.

Add and whisk. Add the large egg and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.

Add butter Remove the hot skillet from the oven and add the butter. Allow it to melt and brown. Swirl around the melted butter so that the edges and bottom are coated.

Bake. Pour in the cornbread batter and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.

Serve Turn out onto a cutting board and serve warm.