Live-fire cooking is more than just cooking to eat; it’s about being outdoors, hospitality, and spending time with friends and family. It’s not a chore; it’s an experience. It’s the sound of a crackling fire, distant chatter, and laughter.
For U.K.-based Annie Quinton Smith, live-fire hosting is her way of life and her career. With her partner Eddy, she started Fade Projects to bring the art of slowing down to their community. Together, they encourage people to truly experience the impact of fellowship and food, whether outdoors or in, by providing chef-made meals for special events or everyday occasions. A Fade Feast is a unique dining experience for up to 12 people with a personalized, seasonal menu and — if the vibe is right — a live song performed by Annie herself. But, only if necessary, of course.
Annie lives for the theatrics. Her background in professional acting seamlessly carries over into her hosting responsibilities at Fade Projects. Incorporated into each event’s inspired menu is a bit of flair you might otherwise miss when separated from the kitchen.
Fade Feasts are carefully choreographed with showy, but not braggadocious, moments. After all, they’re there to entertain and cooking is their method. Starting with king prawns as an appetizer, Annie and Eddy then use the heads to make a bisque. While cooking it, they let the flames shoot up with astonishing flair. Then, when the paella is ready, it’s presented with a bit of a show from Annie herself, served right at the table, family-style.
And for those who want to experience live-fire cooking themselves? Well, they can enroll in Fade School, an intimate cooking class teaching the ins and outs of the Big Green Egg. Annie and Eddy head to the students’ homes where they teach them the confidence and the skills needed to smoke, bake, roast, grill, and sear.
Did you notice we said bake? Baking on the Egg is one of Annie’s specialties. What she describes as a “real flex on fire” party trick is an unbelievable Apple Tarte Tatin. The rum and sugar bubble together on her Big Green Egg MiniMax, enveloping the thinly sliced, tender apples and wrapped in a flaky puff pastry. Theatrical, too, in the baking, the pastry becomes a big balloon in the boiling hot pan, which is then flipped upside down to reveal a “caramely apple deliciousness.”
While the Apple Tarte Tatin is her go-to sweet treat, for sad or happy days, Annie has a few savory recipes. She mentions that Hasselback potatoes and scallops are two dishes that are majorly improved with an elevated flavor when cooked on her Big Green Egg.
“In the oven, hasselback potatoes are great. Thinly sliced with lots of butter, lots of garlic, and lots of herbs. Of course it’s great! But, when you put them on the Egg, they get extra fluffy in the middle and crispy outside. The Big Green Egg turns a nice potato into an insane potato.”
She asserts that the flavor of meaty seafood, specifically scallops, is totally elevated when made on the Egg. Traditional scallops, made on the stove, have a nice, simple flavor, but on the Egg, you’ll get something richer with more depth and different flavors with a slightly charred edge. It’s perfect with crusty bread and olive oil on the side; extra credit when served with butter you cooked the scallops in.
Annie and Eddy will have plenty of opportunities to serve and savor seafood as they will soon move to the coastal town of Cornwall. They’re looking forward to cooking outside even more frequently, as they choose a quieter, nature-driven coastal home. Fade Projects will be hosting a beach cook for a unique trail run group in West Wales, a new experience for the two of them that should also create a lasting memory for the runners.
You can find Annie and Fade Projects on Instagram at @fade_projects, or you can book Annie and Eddy for your own one-of-a-kind dining experience at fadeprojects.co.uk.
Meet the Women of Fire
Annie is part of an extraordinary movement in the world of live-fire. Women all over the country are blazing their own trails in front of the flames — and we’re showcasing a few of the special ones. Meet the other inspirational grillers, pitmasters, and live-fire chefs of our Women of Fire series.
