Grilled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries

Ninety-five percent. The bathrooms are done — clean tile, good fixtures, a changing station in the family restroom because Rivera's is a family restaurant and families have babies and babies need changing and I will not be the kind of restaurant that makes parents change a diaper on a bathroom floor. The parking lot is striped. The dumpster enclosure is built. The grease trap is installed and connected. These are not glamorous details. These are the details that separate a restaurant that opens from a restaurant that opens and stays open.

The final paint went up in the dining room: a warm gray that Jessica chose after looking at forty-seven paint samples over three weeks. I would have picked the first one. Jessica would have picked the forty-eighth if it existed. The gray is perfect — it recedes, letting the wood and the food and the people be the visual story. The booths are dark leather against the gray walls. The community table is mesquite against the concrete floor. The glass partition shows the kitchen in full — the smoker, the grill, the flat-top, the prep stations, the fire. The dining room is a frame. The kitchen is the painting.

I posted the remaining staff positions: two line cooks, one prep cook, two servers, one dishwasher. The applications came in fast — the combination of the magazine column, the Instagram following, and the word-of-mouth from the BBQ community has given Rivera's a profile before we have served a single plate. Twenty-three applications for six positions. Jessica and I will interview next week. Tomás will sit in on the kitchen interviews. Roberto has volunteered to sit in on all interviews, which I have politely declined because Roberto's interview technique consists of watching people eat and then delivering a one-word verdict, which — while effective — is not technically legal as a hiring practice.

Sofia finished her junior culinary class at the cooking school this week. She came home with a certificate and a soufflé that did not collapse and a confidence in the kitchen that makes me realize she is no longer playing at cooking — she is cooking. She is nine years old and she can make a soufflé. I could not make a soufflé at thirty. The girl has surpassed me in technique and she has not yet reached double digits. The corn station at Rivera's is going to be something special.

Diego finished kindergarten on Thursday. He brought home a folder of drawings, most of which feature fire, dinosaurs, or fire-breathing dinosaurs. His teacher wrote: "Diego is creative, energetic, and kind. He shares his snacks with everyone." The boy gives food away. He is five and he already understands the fundamental principle: feed people. The Rivera DNA is strong.

Sofia came home with that soufflé and I stood there holding it like it was evidence of something — proof that the girl is already past me in the kitchen and she hasn’t even hit double digits yet. I needed to make something that honored that feeling: light, a little bit of fire involved, and beautiful without being complicated. Grilled angel food cake with strawberries is exactly that — it’s the kind of recipe that looks like you tried harder than you did, which is the highest compliment I can pay anything right now, because between the paint samples and the hiring interviews, I don’t have much left. Make this for your table tonight. Sofia would approve.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 6 minutes | Total Time: 16 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 store-bought or homemade angel food cake, cut into 6 thick slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Macerate the strawberries. In a medium bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Stir gently and let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the grill, stirring once or twice to dissolve the sugar and release the juices.
Preheat the grill. Heat an outdoor grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Clean the grates well and lightly oil them to prevent sticking — angel food cake is delicate and will tear on a dirty grate.
Brush the cake. Brush both flat sides of each angel food cake slice lightly with the melted butter. Don’t skip this step; it helps the cake develop a golden crust on the grill and keeps it from sticking.
Grill the cake. Place the cake slices directly on the grill. Cook for 2–3 minutes per side, until grill marks are visible and the surface is lightly toasted and golden. Watch carefully — angel food cake can go from perfect to burnt quickly over high heat.
Plate and serve. Transfer each grilled slice to a serving plate. Spoon a generous amount of the macerated strawberries and their juices over the top. Add whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside if desired. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Angel Food Cake with Strawberries — When Sofia Outcooked Me at Nine Years Old