The Quality Makers: Chef Karen Akunowicz On Holiday Entertaining

What do you always keep stocked in your fridge?

I have a two-year-old, so whole milk is always in my fridge. She's a little milk monster, so if we run out, it's a huge problem. Or if we run out of berries—huge problem. We have strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries at all times. We’re also a big seltzer house so there's always Polar seltzer in the fridge. 

And typically there’s a rotisserie chicken because nothing will save your butt more than a rotisserie chicken. We can do anything with that, right? I’ll make a vegetarian soup because my spouse is vegetarian, and for me and the baby, I'll add chicken to it. Or I’ll make sandwiches or add it to a quesadilla.

What about holiday cooking? What are your non-negotiable ingredients if you’re hosting?

I always have Hood heavy cream. It's the best of the best. New England girlies, we know. Using heavy cream is an amazing way to elevate your home dishes. A touch of cream adds amazing luxuriousness. Especially around the holidays, we want things to feel a little special and magical. There's a lot of heavy food this time of year, and I use Hood heavy cream to enlighten and enliven any dish. I’ll add some to pureed soup for a rich, velvety, beautiful creaminess. You don't have to add a lot to make a really fantastic dish. I also think risotto and polenta are great side dishes this time of year and I like to finish them with a bit of cream instead of butter to make them smooth and silky. 

What dishes are always on the menu when you host a holiday meal?

I’ve been making glazed short ribs with red wine, tomato, and tons of herbs for probably 10 years now. They started as an addition to what we had for Christmas and then they really became our main dish. In my cookbook Crave, I call them Christmas Short Ribs, because we have them every single year. 

I also make polenta, which is also in my cookbook, called the Easiest, Cheesiest Polenta. I bring grilled broccoli Caesar salad from [my restaurant] Fox and the Knife, as well as our tallegio-stuffed focaccia. And my brother-in-law makes potato soup. And I always try to get in another green vegetable. 

I do not do the dessert. My mom and aunt and sister baked cookies forever, but my nieces are 14 and 11 and they’re now the Christmas cookie brigade. They made a million different kinds of cookies last year. My aunt brings English tea biscuits that we all love.

What’s in your glass during the holidays?

We’re a seltzer family and for the holidays, I'll add berries or fruit and maybe some herbs to make it feel festive. It's amazing. What can’t a sprig of mint do? If you have a raspberry-lime flavored water, throw some raspberries in there, and a spur of mint. It feels incredibly festive. Or if you really want to go for it, put a beautiful straw in the glass.

During the holidays, I serve Berlucchi Franciacorta. It’s made in the style of Champagne. It's from Italy. It’s under appreciated, I think, here, but it’s absolutely fantastic. And I serve my own red wine. It's a Sangiovese from Amelia Romania that we serve with dinner.

Are you a big table-scaper or decorator when you’re hosting?

I've become more into that over the years. Kelsey Barnard Clark is one of my great friends, and she is a master tablescaper. She really inspired me to take my tablescaping to another level. Last year in Maine for the holidays, we had pine branches and pine cones on the table. Bringing the outside in is such a nice way to celebrate the holidays. Of course, there are a million beautiful decorations you can buy, but anytime you can bring the natural world to your tablescape, I think that's so beautiful.

What tools and cookware do you swear by?

I have a big Boos cutting block that I’ve had forever and is always on my counter. My knives are from MKS knife. He's a local knife maker in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He makes all of my favorite knives. They're beautiful, original, handcrafted knives. The blades are gorgeous. The styles are amazing. I think everyone should have one really great chef's knife.  And when I'm traveling, especially in Italy, I'm always looking for artisans and to bring products back.

I have about a million Le Creuset Dutch ovens of all different sizes and shapes. I would love to say they’re all from the same color line, but they’re not. They're all shades of blue and green. There's a green one that I'm eyeing, and I have one that stays on my stove all the time. 

What other chefs and cookbooks do you look to for inspiration?

There are so many great books just out this year, and there are books that I turn to over and over again. Stephanie Izard is a great friend of mine, and I love her cookbook Gather and Graze. Kelsey Bernard Clark just came out with a new book this year, Southern Get-Togethers, which is awesome. Anytime I'm baking something, I look at her books. Nini Nguyen just came out with Dac Biet this year, which is such a special Vietnamese cookbook. And I love Kwame Onwuachi’s cookbook My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef. 

Then there are cookbooks I've gone back to for years and years, like all of the Ottolenghi cookbooks. Sunday Suppers at Lucques was a book I've had since I was a very young line cook. I go back to Nancy Silverton's cookbooks. Travel is one of my biggest sources of inspiration, but when you can't travel, cookbooks are the way to go.

What can we expect to see from you in 2025?

We've had a lot of projects going for the past two years. I just opened my third restaurant in Logan Airport, Fox and Flight, which was a huge deal. We've been working on that since before the pandemic. I also have an olive oil in partnership with Bona Furtuna, which is an amazing producer with a farm in Sicily. It’s now in Whole Foods in the Northeast, so we're very excited about that. I have some fun things coming up on the Food Network next year. Tournament of Champions, of course, and some other appearances. And I'm just far enough away from the publication and book tour for my last book to start thinking about maybe starting another one.