Kate Finio

Connect Who or what inspires you to cook?

I’m inspired by local, seasonal ingredients - chèvre made from a neighbor’s goat milk, farm fresh eggs, tomatoes in peak season… Nothing beats fresh food, especially when you know exactly where it came from.

What's your all time favorite dish to make?

My favorite dish to make is chicken parmesan - the perfect Italian-American comfort food. The star of the show is the thin, crispy chicken cutlet - I use my take on my grandmother’s chicken cutlet recipe. The chicken is pounded thin, breaded in a specific brand of italian-style breadcrumbs, and pan-fried in olive oil. I top the cutlet with homemade local tomato sauce and a mixture of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. All of that goes in the oven until it’s melting and starting to brown

What would you do with the $25,000?

I own and run a small grocery store in a rural town in northern New Mexico that specializes in locally sourced produce, meats, dry goods, and other products produce in the state. I would use the $25,000 to purchase a food truck that would have a rotating seasonal breakfast and lunch menu featuring the local products carried in my store.