Chef Millie Peartree, known as the “Queen of Repurpose”, is a Bronx-based, world-renowned chef, taste-maker, and restaurateur who has spent the last decade perfecting her craft. It wasn’t until she entered her first baking contest that she realized her baking (and now culinary) talent would evolve into a successful and innovative culinary enterprise. Millie has a knack for creating unconventional tasting menus and experiential activations using well-known products not often considered cooking ingredients. With the ability to cook for many consumers, her talents lend themselves well to on-site activation demos, tastings, sampling, and branding opportunities. She has worked with some of the nation and world’s most widely recognized brands and celebrities, including MLB, Rolex, PepsiCo, Jay-Z & Beyonce, MTV, Delta Airlines, NY Mets, Alicia Keys, Dole, Band-aid and many more.
She was one of the facilitators of the Masterclass at the 2023 GTCO Food and Drink Fair in Lagos, Nigeria. Our team had a chat with her, please find below excerpt-
NW: How did you start this business?
CMP: I started my culinary career. It was shortly after my mom passed away. And it was more transitional to continue to create memories that my mom made with me and that I did with my little brothers and sisters. So from there, it just skyrocketed. And I feel like it’s a blessing to be able to do what you love. So I’m really excited that I can continue my journey through cooking.
NW: What made you actually choose soul food as your area of expertise and not any other type of cuisine?
CMP: Well, I chose the area of soul food because- number one, it is part of my culture, my heritage, and what I grew up eating. But most importantly, I wanted to continue to create those happy memories through food and pretty much in remembrance of my mom. So it just only felt natural. So I cook and serve the food that I know. And with that, I bring her in spirit every time I make one of her dishes.
NW: What was your most Creative challenge thus far?
CMP: The creative towels are one of my most creative challenges, or one of my hardest obstacles, per se, or I created an event for a rapper named Young Jeezy. And we were at the venue, and the stove didn’t work. So instantly, I had to use someone’s stove in an apartment. Luckily, it was in a building where people live. And you know, you have to work on instinct sometimes, when you’re hired to do a service, you know, you have to show up and get the job done. Like nobody really cares what doesn’t go on. They just know that they want their job done. That was one of those situations where I had to be the most instinctive and it worked out for the best.
NW: As a first-time visitor to Nigeria, what inspired you to try Nigerian okra in your recipe, as you showed us during the Masterclass?
CMP: Well, I grew up eating okra. So the first time I actually had fried okra was at a gas station in Beaufort, South Carolina, I was going to visit my aunt. And in the States, we have gas station favourites and street food. And in New York, our gas station favourites, I like hot dogs. And that was the first time I actually had it. But my mom made it all the time, she made a southern version of okra and tomatoes, which is more sautéed with just peppers and onions, and we ate it over rice. So it was only natural for me to take another recipe and recreate it into something that I wanted to again and remember it’s of the recipe so my mom made in my household growing up. I have not had the Nigerian okra Soup. However, I’m going to try it before I leave.
NW: What Nigerian delicacy have you tasted since you arrived that you have never tasted before?
CMP: Well, one of the things I had here so far that I’ve never had before I’ve had the snails, which was a delicacy like we call it and it was very good. And it had a good ocean taste to it. So you knew it was fresh like wherever the purveyor wasn’t they got these snails from it tastes like the seas I knew it was fresh. It was absolutely delicious. This is my first time in Nigeria on the continent is Africa as a whole my first time here.
