Get to know our chef Laura Schmalhorst

Well, it's a long story, and becoming an experienced and respected chef, as most chefs will tell you, is not easy. But looking back, I have to say, it sure was interesting, and now its just plain fun!

When other girls were playing with babies, I was learning from my grandmother the art throwing the most amazing dinner parties. Whether in my grandmothers kitchen or the neighbors, I begged everyone to teach me and by the time I was twenty, people were hiring me to cater their parties.

As some would say cooking and entertaining was in my blood.

Soon there after, I moved to Boston. It was 1975 in the kitchen of the landmark Harvest Restaurant in Cambridge, Mass. Â I had the privilege of learning from the legendary chef Lydia Shire. As her Souse Chef at The Harvest I learned classic French techniques, but being somewhat of a maverick, I added my own spin to everything and earned my hippie French title. When Lydia moved on I began as Chef, and hired newly graduated Sara Moulton of Food Network and Gourmet magazine fame to be my Souse Chef. We were the girls of Boston and making quite a splash. Julia Child was a regular in The Harvest and loved us, giving us encouragement every step of the way. Little did we know we were creating history as part the New American cuisine movement and pioneers for all future female chefs.

Moving to Florida was the perfect antidote to a chefs life in a busy Boston kitchen, and just what the doctor ordered when my son Max arrived.

Opening a small gourmet take-out shop in Tampa was a great opportunity to combine culinary skills with family and in 1982 A La Carte Gourmet Specialties began. We made everything from scratch, and our homemade bread made us an overnight sensation. We soon discovered our niche was catering, and with my devoted staff we spent the next several years growing A La Carte Catering into a premier company known for excellent food and cutting edge style. We thrived on exceeding expectations, and our ability to combine creativity with menu design brought customers back year after year.

Beautiful parties with extra touches became our hallmark.

With the help of Tampa based Outback Steakhouse, A La Carte Event Pavilion opened in December 2000. This amazing state of the art event facility was our dream turned reality and was nearly the largest event space in Tampa! We still made our food from scratch with my recipes, along with a brilliant design team that brought us much success.

After 25 years, our mission was complete, and we closed this chapter of our story.

So as one door closes another opens. We created Vagabond Gourmet to share our passion for great food, wine and travel with our new friends in distant places. Our new adventures inspired a book Tales from the Table: Dordogne Stories coauthored by myself and Kimberly Lovato, as well as an opportunity to bring the experience home.

Throughout our journey we dreamed of one big kitchen where joy and celebrations are simmered with love, and tales from distant tables stirred imaginations. Chefs on the Loose invites you to pull up a chair in our kitchen and explore the wonders of world cuisine inspired by our favorite discoveries from a lifetime of culinary experience.

To find out more about our adventures with Vagabond Gourmet and how you can join the fun go to www.vagabondgourmet.com

Check out our Event Calendar here.