CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 23 FTCC Corporate & Continuing Education FTCC'S ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE classes are designed for any adult who is not a native English-speaker. Reading, writing and speaking skills are taught. Students are placed in class levels with others who have similar language needs. Those seeking to prepare to become United States Citizens will also receive instruction in American civics, customs, and culture. Several sites offer free classes through various days of the week. CONTACT US TODAY! 910-678-8495 • www.faytechcc.edu 910.484.8108 | www.sullivanshighland.com 610 Ramsey Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301 Family is at the heart of everything we do. ~ Karen Sullivan Mercer and Edward Mercer FUNERAL SERVICES ~ CREMATION ~ PRENEED HigHland Funeral Service & crematory, inc. SULLIVAN'S M ei Parker says her pantry is always stocked with a full range of herbs and spices. "Chefs are like dogs: We love to please," says the owner of Chef Mei Personal Chef Services in Fayetteville. Parker goes to her customers' homes to prepare a week or even two weeks' worth of meals for families. She also caters for private parties and corporate gatherings. "It can be for two people or up to 200 people," she says of the quantities she serves. "I bring everything — food, pots, pans — other than the kitchen sink." And she brings her own herbs and spices. For family meals, she cras a "boutique menu" that is fitted to personal tastes aer a conversation about food favorites with her customer. For family meals, personal chef Mei Parker crafts a "boutique menu" that is fitted to personal tastes after a conversation about food favorites with her customer. "I try to bring flavors from different parts of the world but to their liking," Parker says, adding that some ask for a specific ingredient. In the fall, she favors the "warmest" spices, including star anise, cloves, cinnamon and turmeric. For curry dishes, she combines ginger, cinnamon, cumin or paprika. "Ginger is one of my favorites," she says. "In marinates, it tends to break down the muscles of the meat and make it more tender." Tarragon is her choice for chicken salads and on seafood. Parker was born in Malaysia and says her family was always adventurous with food. e mothers and grandmothers would "drag all the cousins into the kitchen. ey would start us young, peeling and cutting the vegetables." "e table was always filled with different varieties of food," she remembers, adding that her parents liked to try international cuisines of all types.

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