Palm Beach County’s celebrity chefs aren’t just kitchen stars, they’re also Halloween pros at home with their kids.
From Bravo’s “Top Chef” champ Jeremy Ford to Food Network favorites Jamal Lake and Denise Elrod and Wellington’s Kelly Shivery on “Halloween Wars,” these culinary pros mix kitchen magic with trick-or-treat traditions.
Between spooky cocktails, pumpkin pancakes and candy raids, these chefs prove Halloween isn’t just for kids; It’s a sweet, TV-worthy affair filled with family fun and a dash of mischief.
Their ideas might just inspire you to take your own Halloween to the next level.
Jeremy Ford’s family is all-in for Halloween.
Jeremy Ford, Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 13 champion and the culinary force behind Miami’s dually Michelin-starred Stubborn Seed, is bringing his flair for drama to Palm Beach Gardens this Halloween because he also helms the Michelin-recommended Butcher’s Club at PGA National Resort.
During October, the steakhouse is rolling out a month-long Halloween pop-up bar with spooky cocktails. The showstopper? A shareable “Witches Cauldron” cocktail, served tableside and designed for six to eight patrons.
At home, Ford says his kids “go crazy from the sugar,” starting with a costume party before trick-or-treating. His favorite candy is Swedish Fish.
And when he checks their treat bags, “anything that I like to eat” mysteriously disappears.
Details: 400 Ave. of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens, 561-627-4852, pgaresort.com
Jamal Lake, Ganache Bakery in West Palm Beach
Jamal Lake with his spellbinding pumpkin.
Jamal Lake, Ganache Bakery‘s owner and cake artist in West Palm Beach, and a familiar face from Food Network’s “Halloween Baking Championship” and “Guy’s Grocery Games,” says Halloween is all about family fun and chocolate.
At his bakery, he’s whipping up spooky rum cakes and pumpkin-inspired treats, while at home, the candy haul gets a quick audit.
Brains never looked this sweet. Jamal Lake of Ganache Bakery conjures a creepy confection that’s pure genius.
“When those treat bags come home, the first thing that disappears is the chocolate because Dad gets first dibs,” he says.
Details: 306 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, 561-507-5082, ganachebakerycafe.com
Denise Elrod of Blackbird Modern Asian in Jupiter
Blackbird’s Denise Elrod has three kids who love Halloween. From L to R: Nixon, Ivy and Roxanne.
Denise Elrod, executive pastry chef at Blackbird Modern Asian in Jupiter and a two-time winner of “Guy’s Grocery Games” on Food Network, celebrates Halloween with her three kids by joining a favorite neighborhood tradition: lawn chairs, lanterns and candy bowls set out as the sun goes down.
“It’s such a uniquely Florida way to celebrate,” she says.
This year, she plans to make dark chocolate bark for trick-or-treaters, though her favorite candy is Unreal’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups.
Halloween pancakes are just one benefit of having an expert mom, in this case Denise Elrod of Blackbird, when it comes to homemade Halloween goodies.
For breakfast, she whips up pumpkin jack-o’-lantern pancakes decorated with M&M eyes, candy corn teeth, and homemade whipped cream, a treat she’s happy to share the recipe for.
Pumpkin Pie Pancakes
Ingredients
-
2½ cups all-purpose flour
-
Four teaspoons baking powder (sifted)
-
Two teaspoons Chinese five spice
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, combine flour, spices and baking powder.
-
Whisk eggs in a stand mixer on high, slowly sprinkling in sugar until the mixture doubles in size and lightens in color.
-
Add milk, pumpkin purée and melted butter to dry ingredients; whisk by hand.
-
Fold in the egg-sugar mixture gently to keep the batter airy.
-
Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat. Scoop 1½ cups of batter for a big pumpkin-shaped pancake. Cook until bubbles form, then flip.
-
Decorate with whipped cream and Halloween candy for a spooky jack-o’-lantern look.
Details: 1511 N. Old Dixie Highway, Jupiter, 561-589-7505, blackbirdmodernasian.com
Terrifying Trio teammates Kelly Shivery, Michael Valeroso and Kylie Holt during judging of the ”Ghost Scene Investigators,” on Food Network’s Halloween Wars, Season 15.
If you’re hungry for Halloween creativity, look no further than Wellington’s own Kelly Shivery.
The paralegal-turned TV cheftestant competed on Food Network’s current season of “Halloween Wars” as part of Team Terrifying Trio, crafting jaw-dropping displays with cake, pumpkin and sugar artistry. Alas, they were sent home during the third episode’s “Scary Square-Off” elimination.
Back at home, Kelly keeps the spooky spirit alive with bloody chocolate hearts of rich chocolate cake and Swiss meringue glazed in raspberry “blood” and DIY cupcakes topped with shards of sugar “glass.”
Her favorite candies? SweeTarts and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, though a few mysteriously vanish from her kids’ treat bags.
Kelly Shivery, a contestant on this season’s “Halloween Wars” on Food Network, offers tips for DIY murderously good cupcakes.
For readers looking to add drama to their dessert table, Kelly shares a chilling DIY: Bloody Glass Cupcakes. Melt clear isomalt tiles (found at craft stores), carefully pour the hot mixture onto a non-stick foil-lined sheet, let harden then tap to create shards. Top cupcakes with the “glass” and drizzle with a jam-and-corn-syrup mix for a realistic blood effect.
Stream the show to see her transform eerie ideas into edible art.
Diana Biederman is the Palm Beach Post’s new food & restaurant writer. Care to share news tips about the local dining scene? Please send them to [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fun Halloween ideas from local TV-star chefs who are parents
