Food Glorious Food to launch new dinner series

Food Glorious Food plans to begin offering dinner, likely once a month to start, in the bakery. Owner and Chef Sean Wehr will design the meals which could take different formats, including themed menus, a buffet or set menus.

During a test run in November, about a dozen guests mingled while enjoying crostini and gruyere cheese puffs, then sat for a multicourse dinner of red snapper with lemon beurre blanc, vegetable fricassee with thyme and saffron, roasted red pepper risotto with chevre and chives, and beef sirloin with bearnaise sauce. The evening was topped off with apple tart tatin and coffee.

Dessert during November’s test run.

Wehr plans to experiment and have a bit of fun with the format. For instance, in the summer, the evening could kick off with appetizers across the street at Gallery Ama. One possible menu theme he’s considering is “they don’t make things like they used to,” which would include ‘70s and ‘80s era food, Wehr said.

He plans to publicize upcoming dinners via flyers posted in the bakery and word of mouth. Capacity will be approximately 15 people and guests will be invited to bring their own wine.

Food Glorious Food opened 20 years ago, offering cooking glasses and catering services, and for many years the bakery was open only on Saturdays. Wehr bought the business about three years ago.

Wehr has been in the food business essentially since graduating college and has had a varied and adventurous career that includes an apprenticeship at the Green Brier Hotel in West Virginia, owning a restaurant and vineyard in North Carolina, and a stint as a chef for a private client on a luxury motor yacht, traveling the Pacific.

Just before he bought the bakery, Wehr was the chef for a professional cycling team in Europe. “As they traveled around, I kept them nourished,” he said. It turns out that’s no small feat, as cyclists consume around10,000 calories a day when racing. A typical day for Wehr might involve making the cyclists oatmeal, eggs and toast for breakfast, followed by giant batches of soup, sandwiches or big bowls of rice, chicken and vegetables for lunch. Steak and potatoes often worked for dinner but “as soon as they were done, they’d start eating cereal,” Wehr said.

In addition to the scheduled dinners, Wehr is open to hosting private parties, either in the bakery or a host’s home. Interested neighbors can contact the bakery to discuss options with Wehr.