When Dante Gonzalez enters a new space, his gaze sweeps the room. With a sparkle in his eyes he will answer, "I'm just wondering how many people I could fry chicken in here for."

Yes, you heard him right: chicken. Gonzalez, a seasoned video editor, years ago abandoned the daily grind to pursue his true passion -- the art of the 'cook-up.' Inspired by his grandmother Jean's family gatherings over soul food every Sunday after church, he has taken the legacy of his family recipes to new dimensions. Jean's original 5 top secret ingredients in her Sock-It-To-Me Fried Chicken recipe have now swollen to 27 items.

Dante started his own tradition of guerilla dinner parties in NYC called KFC R.I.P. A former 'veg-head' himself, there are always vegetarian equivalents for each entree. Other twists on classics include his Pumpkin Grits, Gumbo Mafango Tamales, Drunken 'Wino' Rice, Tomatillo Collard Greens, Ginger and Corn Okra, and at least 14 show-stopping renditions of Mac 'n' Cheese.

Gonzalez recently completed the inaugural season of the "Dante Fried Chicken Show." He champions guest artists of all genres (think Bunny Rabbit, Betty Black, Yo Majesty, and Brooklyn electro icons Newcleus) who are invited to prepare family recipes in this subterranean variety format, with an epic wrap party featuring live performances by the talent. The live footage is then incorporated into the episode, resulting in a multimedia speakeasy cabaret happening.

His client list: Adidas, Russell Simmons, Modular Records, Diesel and Bacardi will all vouch for him. Spreading the good word of the cook-up now has him circling the globe and leaving legions of converts in his wake. But at the end of the day, it's all about the food, so who better than to shed light on home cooking for holiday entertaining?

We've seen you cook for parties of 2 through 80... and therefore thought you might be able to give us some tips for people stressing over entertaining during the holiday season. What's your secret weapon for preparing a feast for large groups?
Friends! Utilize all your friends-- the ones who can cook or are at least very interested, clean as you go, you can have a dedicated person to do that. Cleaning as you go makes your preparing more organized process, and speeds the process up. Oh and less dishes at the end of the night, which can suck!

For the holidays, do you ever cook turkey or are you strictly about chicken?
I cook both... as well as sticky coconut ham, ginger pot roast, gumbo tamales, cajun deep-fried turkey, and of course most of these things have a veggie alternative!

Got any fave KFC RIP dishes for this season? A special Mac-n-Cheese perhaps?
Are you talking about the Rosemary Coconut Mac-n-Cheese? That seems to be the favorite of many, including Santogold!

What do you do when people show up early and you're still in the kitchen?
Well what I noticed is that it doesn't matter if people show up early because eventually everyone ends up in the kitchen with me and the food. It gets to the point where I have to kindly ask people to leave and mingle in the common area.

If people are late, how do you keep stuff warm?
Either with conventional stove-top methods or chaffing dishes. You can purchase disposable ones as they can be expensive.

Any music recommendations to set the mood?
Wow, this really depends on your mood, while I'm in the kitchen it can be anything from Led Zeppelin to DJ Blaqstarr, but definitely a lot of old school jams that my parents listen to. As for the mood for the party, I will most likely play something downtempo.

What's the most polite way to let people know that you've run out of food?
Haha, well, I just have to man up and let them know the deal. I hate when that happens -- I want to feed everyone.

Your client roster is mind-boggling. What's the craziest request you've gotten yet?
I catered this private party where all the servers were naked.

Who's your dream guest?
Wow, dream guest is a very hard question, I’ve cooked with so many amazing people already, but here are a few: Grace Jones, Ms. Peachez, Obama, Assata Shakur, Prince, Jacque Fresco, TV on the Radio, Amy Winehouse.

You recently took the DFC show on the road throughout Europe (with B'more star on the rise Rye Rye). How receptive were, for example, Berliners to soul food? Come to think of it, wiener schnitzel has a sort of fried chicken crisp to it...
Yes, wiener schnitzel is very much a founder of the fried breaded meats! The EU has been extremely receptive to the food lifestyle culture movement, in fact I would personally say they are more conducive to it, meaning venues are made for DFC-style parties. It also helps that they are not just open to mainstream ideas, so a show like mine doesn’t have to hit them over the head -- they just get it.

What was it like to hit the road with Rye Rye?
Hard core girl, that's exactly what she is, I loved Rye even before we embarked on the EU trip together, she is one of the dopest, strongest, witty, intelligent, young Transatlantic African (black) women I am blessed of knowing and cooking with. She manages to have this air of vulnerability and diffidence to her, but don’t get that twisted -- she knows precisely who she is and the path she is going as an artist and person.

What's next for the Dante Fried Chicken show in 2009?
As for 2009 and DFC we will be doing a full launch of the online webisodes & new website. I will be doing a West Coast and Canada winter tour, talking with a few networks, and possibly working on a separate cooking show with a major network. 2009 is poised to be the next level for us!

~Abbey Braden


Fifth and sixth photos by Mel Cole
Seventh photo by That Kid Texas

Enjoy this special recipe by Gonzalez for your holiday entertaining:

Coconut Banana Grits
Ingredients:
11/2 cup coconut milk
11/2 cup pineapple juice
4 ripe bananas
dried coconut (sweeten or un-sweetened)
2ibs. grits (not quick cook) (polenta or yellow grits optional)
butter or olive oil
ginger root (optional)
sugar, maple syrup, honey, or alternative sweetener
2 whole fresh coconut for homemade milk (optional)
please note, if you make your own go to Coconut Connections

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Toast dried coconut in oven to golden brown or cajun reserve for later
3. Dice 2 bananas finely and a lil' ginger
4. Puree coconut milk, pineapple juice and 2 whole bananas
5. Bring mixture to a boil in a large pan, before turning the heat down to low
6. Keep stirring the grits or polenta with a wooden spoon to keep it smooth, add sugar or alternative sweetener to taste butter optional
7. Continue to simmer gently for 10-15 minutes (polenta 25 minutes), stirring often
8. in frying pan sauté diced banana's and ginger (optional) with butter or olive oil, till soft then add brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup. simmer stir with spatula
9. Pour grits into baking dish, then top sparsely with sauteed bananas and top generously with baked coconut.
SERVE IT UP!