There may be no French restaurants in Westerville, but there’s ample opportunity for a good French dinner for the diner who knows where to look.
EatWith (www.eatwith.com) is a fairly new website through which cooks can arrange culinary and cultural experiences in their own homes. The service was founded in 2013 and has been referred to by Time magazine as “Airbnb for the restaurant industry,” referencing the website through which vacationers arrange to stay in a private home rather than a hotel.
EatWith guests, be they locals or travelers, can find a host and either sign up for a scheduled meal or propose a date for one. Each diner pays a fee to attend a dinner, with 15 percent going to the company.
The EatWith concept is global, but there’s only one host in Ohio: Tess Geer, who lives in the Westerville area. She specializes in authentic French bistro dinners.
Geer has had a country house in Paris since 2006, and has learned firsthand the value of fresh food. At her dinners, she works to keep the food and experience as close to a bona fide French meal as possible.
“Bistro food is the equivalent of comfort food to the French,” she says. “My goal isn’t to serve French haute cuisine. Rather, I want my guests to experience a meal they might enjoy at Sunday dinner in a French home.”
Big Sunday dinners with family are a strong tradition in France, and that’s something Geer admires. Cooking a Sunday dinner for 12 or more friends and family members in her French home was something she loved and sorely missed after her children left the nest, which was what inspired her to become an EatWith host, she says.
“I love preparing a meal and seeing people enjoy it,” she says. “In Paris, I attended two dinners with a French organization similar to EatWith and loved the experience. When I heard a news story about EatWith, I knew I wanted to bring it to central Ohio.”
Most EatWith hosts live in major urban areas known to have significant tourist traffic – from New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles to Barcelona, Paris and Rome. But after convincing program coordinators that Columbus is on par with bigger cities in the food arena, Geer managed to get her foot in the door.
“Central Ohioans are sophisticated diners,” Geer says.
EatWith was originally set up for travelers, but now local foodies are getting hooked as well. Most of Geer’s guests – she aims for at least two and as many as 14 at each event – are Ohioans.
“My focus isn’t solely on tourists or business travelers,” says Geer. “Rather, I focus on people who live in central Ohio, want to try something new and will return again and again for my new offerings.”
Geer’s cooking is primarily French, with dishes including coq au vin, roasted lemon chicken and grilled Provencal chicken breasts. Wine is served as well.
“I also love serving traditional desserts such as mocha pots de crème. … I use organic, locally sourced ingredients whenever possible and plan my dinners around what is in season, much as they do in France.”
How does a guest know he or she won’t be served something subpar by an inept cook? Only those who have met the
requirements of the best food quality, venue and cleanliness receive “EatWith Verified” badges, assuring guests of top quality.
“EatWith offerings must be polished and enticing,” says Geer. “It took two months before my first offering finally made the grade.”
After becoming a part of the EatWith community, Geer turns the tables to become an EatWith guest when she travels.
“I go to EatWith dinners in other cities whenever I can, and I love it,” she says. “Every EatWith offering throughout the world showcases the unique skills and passion of the host. An EatWith guest doesn’t just get dinner; they get an experience.”
The suggested donation for Geer’s dinners is $30 per person.
Corinne Murphy is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Mocha Pots de Crème
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 6 egg yolks
- 6 oz. 100 percent cocoa unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into pieces
- ½ cup very strong coffee
- 6 ramekins, Pot de Crème pots or espresso cups
Instructions
- Bring the cream, sugar and vanilla to a boil in a saucepan over medium high heat, whisking frequently to prevent burning. Whisk yolks in a bowl. Whisk about a third of the boiling cream into the yolks.
- Return remaining cream to a boil and whisk in yolk mixture. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, another 15 or 20 seconds, until slightly thickened.
- Place chocolate in a bowl and strain cream mixture over chocolate. Whisk smooth, whisk in coffee and pour into molds. Refrigerate until cooled.
- Garnish with a spoonful of whipped cream.
- Consider making this dessert a day in advance to save time, and using a bowl with a spout to make filling the pots easier.
