Last week Mayor Jerry Fried visited the Kettle Kitchen.  Did we chat about the intricacies of municipal government, the development of South Park Street, or the budget? Not a chance!

Turns out, Mayor Fried is a foodie. In a former life, following college, he worked his way up from fry cook to chef.  So during his visit, the Mayor prepared (drum roll please . . .) Chinese food!  Specifically, Chongqing hot pot, which is a traditional dish of Sichuan province. 

A hot pot is a communal way of cooking and eating. People gather together around a small boiling pot of broth and dip thinly sliced raw meat, fish, or vegetable into the boiling broth until cooked.

To prepare this meal, the Mayor arrived with a unique two-sided pot, in which he prepared a spicy broth on one side and a mild broth, made from homemade veal stock, on the other.  When the broths were boiling, cod, scallops, chicken, and assorted vegetables, like shitake mushrooms, arugula, and bell peppers were added individually to the broth.  We then enjoyed the food with traditional condiments of freshly chopped cilantro, raw chopped garlic, sesame oil, and vinegar.

 For more photos, visit the gallery.