This new Coast pop-up supper club serves 10 courses of ‘comfort food as a delicacy’

Chef Ally Bullock describes her culinary adventures as being rich in culture and free of trends.

She goes on to say that the pop-ups she hosts are about four basic elements: food, drink, people and fun. When properly combined, she firmly believes, a pretty amazing culinary experience can be had.

And that is exactly what she does with her Muddy Waters Supper Club.

The menu and venue will change with each occasion, but if all of Chef Bullock’s pop-ups are as diverse, and fun, as the one I attended at the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center recently, Muddy Waters is going to be the event-maker to keep an eye on.

Bullock grew up thinking that cooking could be therapy, and it could be shared around the table with friends, family and any one in need of “nourishment for the stomach and the soul.”

I like that, I like that a lot. I also like the way she describes her cooking, “comfort food as a delicacy, Southern flair for the discerning palate.” Sharing food around the kitchen table is as fundamental a human experience as can be had.

The LMDC event I attended was a ten-course meal, properly spaced out over several hours. Tables were well-spaced, and servers, cooks and chef were masked. If you are going not have public events in a restaurant venue these days, you have got to do it right.

The kitchen was fast-moving. That is a lot of food to get out in a relatively short period of time, but Bullock was ably assisted by one of the Coast’s up and coming chefs, Hillary Henley, and they made it look easy. I have worked with Henley before and can attest to her talents and passion for good food, so it was a great pairing of talent.

The first course was a real showstopper of roasted bone marrow, goat’s cheese and truffle BBQ.

The second course was in stark contrast to the first, a curve ball, but perfectly placed. It was a Creole version of the famous Italian salad, panzanella. A Tuscan chopped salad that presents bread cubes that have been soaked in juicy tomatoes, olive oil and mixed salad greens.

There is not room here to fully describe every course, but the menu included Mayhaw-glazed scallops, a delicious version of Mexican street corn by Chef Henley, confit duck lumpia (a wonderful Filipino touch), smoked snapper ceviche, root vegetables, shrimp and Johnny cakes, perfectly grilled hanger steak, butter milk crepes, and, finally, stewed strawberries.

I loved the diversity of the menu. Skipping about from Tuscany to the Philippines. It was a bold combination, but it managed to hold hands and each course was a pathway to the next.

Another Muddy Waters event was held at the Whiskey Bar in Pass Christian on Friday. Want to attend their next event? Check out their Facebook page for more details.

If you are an aspiring foodie, it’s time you met both Bullock and Henley.

This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 10:45 AM.