A couple Thursdays ago I had mouths to feed, but I was floundering way beyond a deadline and just in front of a flight out of town early the next morning. That happened to be the very week that Michael Ruhlman called bullshit on the claim that we—as a society—don’t have time to cook, so I was feeling a bit guilty about what was about to happen. But it had to happen.
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Bryson is a voice-over actor and an alum of the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (now a Le Cordon Bleu school). After graduating he bounced around for some time, both cooking and waiting tables at Speakeasy Supper Club, South Water Kitchen, the Atwood Cafe, the Gage, and Sweets & Savories. Like so many other cooks in this town, he had an idea for a food truck (sustainable fish tacos) but couldn’t figure out a way to make it work under the city’s municipal code.
About four months ago he started the Johnny Casserole delivery service. Give him 24 hours notice and he’ll drop off a fully prepared dish, made from scratch with as many local and organic ingredients as possible. After 45 minutes in the oven and 15 minutes out, you’ve got dinner for six to eight people. Among the options: the Atchafalaya, jambalaya with crawfish or shrimp and andouille and smoked ham; the Great Plainsman, shepherd’s pie with grass-fed beef and cremini mushrooms; and For Your Thighs Only, a four-cheese cavatappi mac ‘n’ cheese with optional meat and veggie add-ins. Bryson also offers a selection of breakfast and dessert casseroles—seasonal fruit cobbler, an eggy pizza strata, French toast.
