eatZi's Star Spotlight: Meet Virgie!

I recently sat down with Virgie, one of our customers' most beloved employees, to hear what she had to say about her job and the people she serves each day at eatZi's. Read all about one of our "stars" below:


Where did you grow up?
I’m from Lubbock, Texas.


What’s your favorite thing to do or place to go when you’re not at work?
My favorite thing to do is go to happy hour with my friends. Some of my customers join us for happy hour every once in awhile. We all plan when and where we want to go when they come in to eatZi’s to meet up; we have a blast.

If you could go any place in the world, where would it be and why?
Jamaica – I’ve never been and would love to visit. They have the most beautiful waterfalls and clear water, and I absolutely love being close to the ocean.

If you could invite 3 people, living or dead, to a dinner party, who would you invite and why?
That’s a tough one. I think I would invite my grandmother, Mamie, my husband, Tarik, and my daughter, Alexis. They are the three most important people in my life and are always there to encourage me when I’m feeling sad or have a bad day. They’ve always stood beside me and made me happy or cheered me up when I was feeling down. I’m constantly smiling when we’re together.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Texas?
It’s a tie between all the pretty flowers and a big ol’ glass of iced tea. (One thing that’s not my favorite is the heat!)

How long have you worked at eatZi’s?
Five-and-a-half fun-filled years!

What’s your favorite thing about working at eatZi’s?
My favorite thing about working here has to be the wonderful people who come in. I know all of my customers by name and their orders; they’re truly are some of my best friends. One thing I want to add is that I have the best bosses in the world. I wouldn’t even call them my bosses because they are more like my friends, my family. They are always there to listen and make an effort to help us solve problems. Barry and Chef Jay are two of my very best friends. My bosses really care about us and the customers. I’m lucky to have them.

What’s your favorite food at eatZi’s?
It’s hard to pick just one, but if I had to, it would be our Red Velvet cake.

What’s the funniest thing that’s happened while on the job?
The funniest thing that ever happened at work was when I won Super Bowl tickets last year. I heard about a contest on the radio for two free tickets to the Super Bowl, so I entered. Then one day at work I got a phone call from the station saying I won! It was so much fun winning at work; all of my customers were so excited for me. I was screaming and jumping up and down. I was so excited!


We hope you'll stop by the Oak Lawn market to see Virgie soon!

Come See Chef Jay at Taste of Dallas!

If you haven't been to Taste of Dallas, this is the year to go! I recently sat down with the great folks at Al Día to talk about my participation in the 25th annual celebration. I'm thrilled to be a part of the event, which features some of the best chefs (yours truly), restaurants, kid-friendly activities and music North Texas has to offer. Through Sunday, June 10, you can sink your teeth into all the foodie fun starting at 11:00 am each day at Fair Park.

Tomorrow at 1:30 pm, I'll take the stage inside Culinary Hall (off First Avenue) to cook up a Texas-style twist on a traditional dish: Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf and Tomatillo Salsa. For tickets and more details, visit www.tasteofdallas.org. See you there!





Want to try my recipe at home? Here's how:

Pan Southwest Turkey (Turkey Meatloaf)

2 ounces diced yellow onion
2 ounces celery (celery), diced
1 ounce of corn tortillas
4 ounces poblano chile
2 fluid ounces tomatillo salsa
1 / 2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 / 2 tablespoon olive oil
1 / 2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 / 2 egg
1 / 2 bunch of cilantro
2 ounces Jack cheese
1 / 2 minced jalapeno
1.25 pounds ground turkey

Preparation: Cut the tortillas into thin strips (julienne). Remove the seeds from the poblanos and jalapenos and chop into small pieces. Saute onion, celery, poblanos, jalapenos and garlic until translucent. Add the tortillas. Combine all ingredients with turkey, mixing well, and form a loaf. Place loaf on a flat baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1:15. Serve with tomatillo sauce.

Tomatillo Salsa
2 pounds fresh tomatillos
2.5 ounces of diced yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 / 6 tsp ground white pepper
1 / 3 teaspoon kosher salt
1 / 2 ounce chopped jalapeño
4 teaspoons minced cilantro
1 / 4 teaspoon canola oil or canola
1 / 4 cup fresh spinach

Preparation: Sweat the peppers, garlic and onion in oil until soft. Wash and peel the tomatillos. Add the tomatillos, salt and pepper to the mix. Simmer for 15 minutes. Pass the mixture through a grinder. Cool the sauce by placing in a container and then in an ice bath. Add the cilantro when cold.