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Writer's pictureCatherine Elkins

Meet the Super Sidekick Who’s Got Your Back in the Kitchen



We’re thrilled to welcome the newest member of our culinary crew - say hello to Chef Caroline’s Sous Chef! This friendly AI assistant is like having your very own cooking coach in your kitchen.


Chef Caroline’s Sous Chef serves up solid culinary guidance faster than you can boil pasta water. Simply chat about what’s on the menu, and Sous Chef can whip up recipe ideas, prep tips, and creative ways to transform ingredients. It’s a kitchen game-changer.


We put Sous Chef’s skills to the test with a recent CSA haul from Carteret County farmers. Using Bogue Sound watermelon, figs, cherry tomatoes, herbs, carrots, radishes, beets, and blueberries, Sous Chef cooked up an amazing menu. From grilled Bogue Sound watermelon salad with whipped feta to roasted beets and carrots over fig and herb-infused farro, to blueberry cornbread muffins for a morning treat, we were wowed by the creative ways Sous Chef used the produce bounty.



With Sous Chef’s suggestions, you can give new life to familiar veggies like carrots and experiment with produce you’ve never tried before, like golden beets or kohlrabi. It makes weekly pickup from our CSA farm shares into a fun culinary adventure showcasing the diversity of Carteret County agriculture.


We’re already dreaming up new ways to team up with Sous Chef on our Mobile Market too. Imagine stopping by for fresh, local goodies and getting recipe ideas right on the spot featuring what's in season!


Sous Chef is the ultimate sous chef for home cooks in Carteret County and beyond. We can’t wait for you to chat with this master of tasty culinary magic. Get cookin’!


The Power of an AI Assistant in Your Kitchen

It’s easy to feel stuck in a cooking rut, making the same dishes over and over. And it can be frustrating trying to figure out what to do with the ever-changing mix of produce in your CSA box or the farmers market haul.


That’s where Chef Caroline’s Sous Chef comes in! This AI assistant acts as an endless source of culinary inspiration. No matter your experience level, ingredients on hand, or dietary needs, Sous Chef can serve up great suggestions.


With step-by-step guidance from Sous Chef, you can expand your skills and better understand how to bring out flavors. Discover new ways to prepare familiar foods like beets and branch out with interesting combinations you may never have thought to try, like grilled Bogue Sound watermelon.



Beyond just recipes, Sous Chef also provides tons of tips and tricks. Get advice on how to pick the ripest figs, properly store fresh herbs, or fun presentation ideas to impress dinner guests.


And Sous Chef makes it a breeze to use up what you have from your CSA box and prevent food waste. If you need an idea for those cherry tomato tops or beet greens, Sous Chef can provide creative ways to incorporate often discarded parts into tasty dishes.


The Convenience of an AI Kitchen Assistant

In today’s busy world, spending hours poring over cookbooks or searching online recipes isn’t feasible for most home cooks. We need convenient cooking solutions that save time and effort.


Chef Caroline’s Sous Chef delivers on-demand assistance in the moment you need it. No tabbing through multiple browser pages required. Just chat with Sous Chef in your own kitchen whenever inspiration strikes.


Staring down a fridge full of CSA box odds and ends and don’t know what to make? Ask Sous Chef for a recipe idea to use them up. Can’t remember the best way to roast beets? Sous Chef knows just the right temps and times.



With Sous Chef’s instant culinary knowledge in your pocket, you can spend less energy worrying about what’s for dinner and more time enjoying the experience and flavors.


It’s like having your very own personal chef available 24/7. But without the big salary, space demands, or scheduling constraints.


Community-Focused Culinary Guidance

While AI assistants are certainly impressive, we didn’t want to lose the heart and soul of cooking focused on real food and real community.


That’s why Chef Caroline’s Sous Chef offers guidance tailored specifically to the agricultural bounty of Carteret County. Get inspired to create dishes that showcase the best of what local farms have to offer based on seasonal availability.


And with Sous Chef’s help, you can become a more knowledgeable member of the local food community. Gain a better understanding of how to support sustainable growing practices through your purchases and meals.


We’re continually adding new community-focused content too in Chef's Corner. Look forward to future recipe collections celebrating Carteret County chefs and restaurants, featuring stories from local producers, highlighting food traditions, and much more.


Sous Chef also aims to make cooking more inclusive through options focused on various dietary needs and restrictions. Discover ways to make plant-based, gluten or dairy-free, or other specialized diets full of flavor.


At the end of the day, food and cooking should bring us together. And Chef Caroline’s Sous Chef provides tools to make that happen through shared culinary experiences.


Putting Sous Chef’s Skills to the Test

To give you a better sense of how Chef Caroline’s Sous Chef can spice up your cooking, we asked it to help create some menus tailored to themes we come across a lot in the Carteret County community:


Weekly CSA Box Surprise Menu

Using the example box with Bogue Sound watermelon, figs, cherry tomatoes, herbs, carrots, radishes, beets, and blueberries, Sous Chef served up:

  • Appetizer: Grilled Bogue Sound watermelon salad with whipped feta and mint

  • Main: Roasted beets and carrots over fig and herb-infused farro

  • Dessert: Blueberry cornbread muffins with lemon zest

As you can see, Sous Chef cleverly utilized all the CSA items like Bogue Sound watermelon and figs to create a cohesive and seasonal menu. It's a great example of how Sous Chef can transform whatever is in your CSA box into inspired dishes!



Dietary Restriction-Inspired Meals

For a dairy-free, vegetarian menu, Sous Chef suggested:

  • Appetizer: Grilled figs with honey, thyme and sea salt

  • Main: Quinoa carrot tabbouleh salad with cherry tomatoes

  • Dessert: Blueberry nice cream

Kid-Friendly Family Supper

To get picky young eaters excited about veggies from the CSA box, Sous Chef recommended:

  • Appetizer: Radish chips with herbed yogurt ranch dip

  • Main: Beet and carrot pizza pockets

  • Dessert: Chocolate zucchini muffins



As you can see from these mouthwatering menus, Sous Chef is a wizard at working with seasonal and localized ingredients like Bogue Sound watermelon and blueberries, tailoring to dietary needs, and appeasing young palates. The possibilities are endless!


We can’t wait to see what you whip up when partnering with our newest kitchen sidekick. Here’s to cooking up community!




Chef Caroline's Sous Chef is a brand new kitchen assistant AI. For questions about functionality or returned results not as expected, please send feedback to Stacy at stacy.clfn@gmail.com.

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