Happy labor Day to all my favourite people, I am happy to have made it through the long very hot summer and looking forward to cooler days and nights.

It was a slow August for Saffrons but the time was spent creating new menu items and special Holiday menus for the quickly approaching holiday season, Like the delicious Apple stuffed pork, Red Thai curry chicken toppers, Black bean, plantains and rice filled Empanadas Rosemary stuffed Chicken breast topped with a cherry balsamic reduction, well I have made myself hungry so I am going to have some of my homemade chicken soup with yuca, plantains and potatoes made for my Mom but too good to give it all away.

Today is Thursday and I am taking a break from prepping for a wedding at St Peters in down town St Pete I will be the first Caterer to use their new space, a beautiful lobby and gardens watch for pictures the Bride is from Japan and will be in traditional Japanese  Dress.

Also wanted to mention two other Locations that I am working at this weekend.

Tampa Bay Watch on the way to Fort De Soto, a beautiful Unique water front event space, get married on the grass down stairs and come upstairs to a room of windows with a view of the bay perfect for an Island wedding or any event where you want great food let Saffrons be your Caterer of choice.

The Island Bamboo gardens a much smaller venue filled with bamboo trees, bubbling fountains tucked away in a corner off 49th Street in St Petersburg, Great for rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, or the smaller intimate wedding again adding Saffrons food makes your event something to remember.

Just a note to my brides and grooms, I truly enjoy spending the time with you finding out about your big day sharing my expertise and allowing you to taste my delightful cuisine, so if you can find time please set an appointment with me so I can assist you with your needs.

Type talk to you soon

Chef Jackie

What is great about Caribbean food is the influences from all over the world that make it special. The original inhabitants of the Caribbean islands were South American Indians, the Tainos, Carib and Arawak Indians. The European occupation of the islands during the colonial periods, brought food influences from Spain, Portugal, France and England, and also new fruits and vegetables trees and plants, now associated with the Islands. Post colonial Caribbean food influences including from China and India.

When you begin to cook Caribbean food, you will notice that you will use lots of different spices. This is a significant component of Caribbean food. What is increasing interesting is the stories and histories that are associated with some quite famous dishes such as Jerk Pork

What makes Caribbean food so unique? Could it be that it is an amalgamation of cuisine from many different cultures? Caribbean cuisine takes its influences from African, Indian, Chinese and European communities. The wealth of colonizers from Europe that brought enslaved Africans to the islands and the further influx of Indians and Chinese who came to the islands as indentured workers all fused their food influences to create the Caribbean cuisine as we know it today.

Most people believe Caribbean food to be spicy. Although some cuisine cooked in the Caribbean is hot, Caribbean cooking uses lots of herbs and spices that are blended together to form a marinade for meats, whilst vegetables are steamed or roasted with a minimum of flavorings depending on the dish being prepared.

Well 2009 is behind us, it was the best of times and the worst of times but I survived and the new year ahead fills me with possibilities dreams not fulfilled last year but not forgotten push to the front and have created a must do attitude in me.

I am excited about the new menu items that I am working on that will hopefully be as popular as the portabella bruschetta and the guava beef empanadas, Avocado shrimp and brie topped with mango chutney were by far the favorites of the year.

If you have some item that you would like to see on the menu call or e-mail with a description or a recipe I am burning to do new things in my kitchen small and compact but filled with love and creativity.

Thanks for being a part of Saffrons.

Chef Jackie

Well today is my birthday, I am not going to say how old I am only how old I feel, 20ish LOL.

I feel fortunate to have lived so long having a healthy and happy life, I am fortunate to be doing what I love and being my own boss. I just finished loading out a party with some of the items I am still perfecting like my sweet potato cakes if you have any suggestions towards the perfect sweet potato cake let me know.

I think I finally got my Lime in the coconut chicken , this recipe came about because of a challenge from my daughter Safrone, we were out to lunch at one of the top eateries in Tampa and I ordered a dish that offered a sauce with lime, coconut and cilantro, it was very disappointing and as she often does Safrone said ” Mom I know you can make it better than this and on my third try i have finally gotten the taste I was looking for.

I am heading home to get dressed in my birthday finery and going to the Don Cesar for dinner should be lots of fun.

Happy holidays to all my friends.

Well Turkey Day is almost here, I have just finished marinating my turkeys for cooking tomorrow, slow cook with breast down for the first half is my secret let all those nice juices from the back baste the breast, the magic is to turn it before the breast becomes soft and flat or we will have a delicious but flat chested turkey.

I had a request to make some vegan dishes to accompany the turkey for a family, did a wild rice and grilled portabella stuffing,  Jasmine rice with lime and cilantro, acorn squash and grilled egg plant warm salad in a ginger mango teriyaki sauce.

also doing some vegetable dumplings for apps, decided to do them in a puff pastry, a cute little pillow,  as I did not think the dumpling skin would hold up to a reheat,

Peach cobbler seems to be on everybodies list, busy preping for the best cobblers in town.

Thursday i am taking the day off from cooking and kitchen clothes getting all dressed up and heading to a beach hotel for a delicous and fattening buffet dinner.

Heres best wishes for a perfect Turkey day spent with those we love.

Chef Jackie

As the holidays approach I am excited to add some new menu items for the many holiday parties that are happening around town.

Bacon wrapped pineapple shrimp, a piece of pineapple nestled in the curve of a large shrimp then wrapped in bacon

Citrus Salmon Lollipops, salmon bites crisscrossed in puff pastry with a citrus dipping sauce

Orange scented turkey breast, roast the turkey with oranges, onions garlic aromatic and juicy

Balsamic roasted sweet potato wedges

Grilled shrimp with a spicy lime dipping sauce

Fried Raviolis With a mango aioli

Curry seafood with Shrimp and Lobster

OK so these are a few of the special items to make your party the talk of the town,

Call me Jackie 727-744-0864 for more information

Happy holidays

With the cooler weather heading our way Catering by Saffrons has decided to open their space to those who would like to enjoy saffrons on a Daily basis.

There is limited seating so it will be mostly to go

There will also be a limited menu, we will always have Jerk Chicken and a chefs choice ,

Tomorrow Sat 25, our trial run chef special Chicken Wings in a curry coconut sauce, with rice and vegetables and Plantains, of course.

we will be reintroducing our Fabulous Iced Cappuccino, a Saffrons invention guaranteed to make you go YUMM !! 

The plan is to expand to meal plans and dinners to go but I am cautious and want to work out the kinks before I go full force with all I have planned.

If you have menu items you would like to see offered as specials just let me know and I will try to create them for you

Thanks Chef Jackie