“Learning from and underscoring the brilliance of cooks like his grandmother inspires him when creating menus for his EMI dinners. Evans has hosted over 25 dinners, featuring dishes like piri piri prawns and roasted cauliflower and fonio salad, alongside a "chi chi," or a "correctional cake,” a microwaved cake made from commissary ingredients like M&M’s, Oreo cream filling, and mayonnaise, which acts a binder. Evans hopes to show diners the creative depth and ingenuity of incarcerated people, through the lens of cooking. The intent is not to objectify, but rather to illustrate the nuanced reality of the prison experience. “These people are really passionate and resilient," he says.“
Food & Wine
September 13, 2019