CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/9336
Fayetteville, the Wilsons wanted a spe- cial menu for a party of eight: the two of them, their French guests, plus Cynthia Wilson’s sister and their children. Their first impulse was to serve French cuisine but the Wilsons quickly realized that a better choice for their French guests would be an authentic North Carolina feast of barbecue and homegrown vegetables. The Wilsons are both busy professionals with the accompanying demands on their time so they called on Chef Mei Parker (pro- nounced: MAY). Parker has built a business in Fayette- ville preparing meals designed to order and, if a client requests it, serving them up in grand style. She does everything from the grocery shopping to the final cleanup. James Wilson knew Parker from a local business group. He was also familiar with yet another facet of her business, team-building activities where colleagues work together to cre- ate a meal they can all ultimately share. He knew Parker could assist in wowing the Wilsons’ French visitors, and in- deed, she did. “Delicious and healthy food is my passion,” she said, chopping and dic- ing and flashing one of her warm and A colorful display of tomatoes, peppers and M herbs from Parker’s personal garden spilled across the Wilsons’ kitchen counters. ei Parker pulls a kitchen from the back of her Toyota 4Runner. Pots, pans, bowls and spices are stacked in portable crates, everything but the proverbial sink. Recipes were organized the night before. Fresh vegetables were plucked that morning from the garden. Now, it’s time to get everything “mis en plas” – in place. For those who think Fayetteville is more Chef Boyardee than personal chef, Mei Parker may change your mind. Consider her recent assignment on a sunny afternoon in a quiet Fayetteville suburb: a dinner party for a couple entertaining friends from France. Cyn- thia and James Wilson were eager to return the hospitality they had enjoyed at the home of Bernard and FranÇoise Louzoun, a high-rise apartment in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower. In CityViewNC.com | 45