With ingredients and a live stream, Sacramento chef aims to deliver something different

On a recent Friday night, a group of Sacramentans gathered the only way we can these days ⁠— around our phones. In many disparate kitchens, the group was being guided through the tricky process of making risotto.

As the heavenly smell of Arborio rice grains toasting in shallot/lemongrass butter filled the air, chef Byron Hughes and guest Rachel Bussey led the group through the process. They added dashi broth a spoonful at a time until the grains plumped, then vigorously stirred for many minutes to free the starch that creates the creamy mouthfeel for this prized dish.

Interspersed with soooo much stirring, the group crosshatched trumpet mushrooms to create faux scallops, sampled briny sea beans to be tossed into a salad and were entertained and informed by the hosts as everyone sipped wine. As the group finished and prepared to plate the creations, Hughes even lit a pan on fire as he seared a chard garnish, a pro move not suggested for those following along at home. As the clock reached 8, participants were encouraged to attempt an artful plating and post a pic on Instagram. The first bite brought a tear to my eye; after three months lacking in fine dining, I hadn’t realized how much I missed the art and the care that goes into it.

The art, and all of the ingredients, were supplied as part of The Cook In, a recent venture from Hughes and Ryan Royster. The Cook In is a pandemic-era side hustle of their “culinary experience company,” Last Supper Society.

Reached via Zoom recently, Hughes ruefully related how over a year of planning to launch the Last Supper Society was upended by COVID-19, which then led to the creation of The Cook In.

It started over dinner

They met because Hughes had become known for his pop-up dinners, and Royster contacted him about hosting one. As they began to chat, they found other common ground.

“We had the same views on a lot of things as far as the culture goes, and our position as black men … we came up with the Last Supper Society concept … to be tastemakers, in that lane, and try to do that in Sacramento.”

Royster used his background in business, as a sports agent, to craft a business plan, which the pair had fully fleshed out and were on the verge of launching. Then the shelter-in-place order forced them into a quick pivot. Thus The Cook In was born, which just wrapped up what Hughes has semi-jokingly started calling their “first season.” They have provided nine weeks of communal cooking and engaging guests, with a portion of the proceeds always going to a philanthropic cause.

One of the guests was TV reporter Frances Wang, a Sacramento native who now works at a CBS station in Miami. Interviewed via email, she apologizes in advance for any typos, noting that she’s on Day 14 of morning shifts due to an intense news cycle.

Wang has known Hughes since high school and has been clocking his growth as a chef and a creative person since then. Like many, she’s taken up cooking as a hobby during quarantine and they have connected via FaceTime for him to offer advice as she tries recipes for the first time. They share a love of Asian cuisine, so they decided to honor May’s Asian-Pacific Heritage month by cooking a “Viet-Cajun” gumbo for her Cook In episode. It benefitted My Sister’s House, a nonprofit that serves Asian and Pacific Islander women impacted by domestic violence and other crimes.

Wang called The Cook In “brilliant,” adding, “We’re cooking together as a community, sharing an experience and that’s always special. In these times of quarantine and solitude, being a part of something…ANYTHING…is refreshing!”

So how does a customer join the class? First, you follow the Last Supper Society on Instagram and text a phone number listed in the profile. You immediately receive a text with a link to purchase; meal kits are available for one or two, and the price points are reasonable. The pickup location and time information comes via text as well. Then you tune in for an hour-long Instagram Live stream Friday to cook your meal from start to finish. Comprehensive written ingredients are included for those who prefer not to stream, but the banter and cooking tips are a big part of the fun. All of the raw ingredients are provided, but there are also premade fine-dining touches, such as dashi broth and vibrant green pea puree for plating. These chef-fy extras have a multitude of ingredients and Hughes said they take “mad technique” to create.

‘This dude is legit’

Hughes arrived at this mad technique through a lifetime of passion for food, sparked by British chef Jamie Oliver, when he saw The Naked Chef TV show on PBS at the age of 7 or 8.

“This wild, crazy British guy was flailing about the kitchen and cursing and drinking and I was fascinated by him,” he said. “I watched it religiously. As a teenager, my mom got me his cookbook and I thought — this dude is legit … he’s a chef!”

He started cooking the recipes and ever since, his life has been “centered around food.” Hughes picked up more technique from watching old clips of Jacques Pepin and Julia Child, and started working in kitchens as a line cook and dishwasher at various Sacramento spots. Over his decade cooking professionally, he also cooked in the Bay Area and traveled to learn his craft. His favorite food city in the world is Mexico City, and we took a brief break in the official interview to rhapsodize about tacos and dream about the day when travel is a thing again. He also likes to “escape” without leaving the 916, by eating in Stockton Boulevard’s Little Saigon area, which he does in normal times on five or more occasions in a week.

While toiling in various kitchens, including a Northern Italian spot in San Francisco in which a colleague from the Yucatan taught him the secret to a creamy risotto is a one-way stir, Hughes kept the flame of his creativity alive with pop-up dinners. Meeting Royster, a business-minded, yet also creative person led them to take their ambitions to the next level.

For now, they are taking a much-needed one-week pause (the next Cook In will be on Friday, June 19 and will commemorate Juneteenth). They need to examine the finances and participation trends, and hammer out the details of some potential partnerships, including one with a Napa winery. Hughes said, “It’s a pretty deep partnership, and I’m excited to reveal that, it’s looking lit!”

It’s a welcome sign of creativity during the pandemic. During a time when most of us groan at the thought of another Zoom or Hangout, Hughes and Royster say they’re also focused on representing black culture in a prominent, positive light amid protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

“We are two African American males working in a space where we don’t see a lot of us,” Hughes said. “We want to disrupt the dining space, and we want people to dine differently. As black people, we’ve got the cookouts, we’ve got grandma’s house. A lot of people don’t get to experience the vibes from stuff like that, and I want to translate why that communal aspect is a little different for us.”

This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 10:18 AM.