It would be hard to overstate Jonathon Sawyer's impact on the Cleveland dining scene. He's considered one of the founding fathers of the city's culinary renaissance. And he continues to bring national recognition to Cleveland with his Iron Chef battles and awards from Bon Appétit and Food and Wine magazines.
For local diners, Sawyer has brought not only new restaurants, but new dishes. Pizza with eggs and pancetta, frites with gravy, and a steam bun with peanut butter and bananas are just a few examples of the creations that have started a virtual food cult craze.
At home, Sawyer and his wife Amelia are bringing up two young children — Catcher, 6, and Louisiana, 4 — so they tend to keep meals simple. Which is why Sawyer chose a macaroni and cheese recipe to share.
Needless to say, this is no ordinary macaroni and cheese. The inception of the recipe lies in a cultural belief shared by Amelia and Jonathan, who puts it this way: "It is essential that this world is left a better place for our children than it was left for us." That means a commitment to eating healthy, eating local, and as much as possible, removing processed foods from the family diet. The children are encouraged to work in the garden and pick their favorite vegetables.
Sawyer's homemade macaroni and cheese is a family favorite, one of many healthy meals prepared from scratch. He and his wife are in the process of compiling that and other recipes for family meals they've created for a book that will be titled "Scratch and Bones."
The Sawyer family makes eating healthy at home an art form, and this cheesy creation will not disappoint.
