Meet Chef Pyet Despain

​Chef Pyet is an award-winning and global private chef. She is the first winner of Gordon Ramsay's new groundbreaking TV show, Next Level Chef, on Fox. In 2021, Pyet was named Top 25 best private chefs in Los Angeles by Entrepreneur Magazine.

Pyet is short for her inherited Native American name Pyetwetmokwe. She is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribe. Her life's work is dedicated to Indigenous Fusion Cuisine, where she combines the food of her heritage - both Native American and Mexican. Pyet's passion is to uplift indigenous culture and traditions via storytelling, traveling, and cooking.

Recently, Chef Pyet visited The Giving Grove to learn more about our mission and to participate as a keynote speaker at our annual Planting Promise luncheon. She has also graciously shared her recipe for Pecan Pesto with Smoked Oyster Mushrooms & Wild Rice using pecans that are grown in many Giving Grove orchards. (Want to learn more about the origin of modern-day pecan trees? Click here.)

Please enjoy the cooking demonstration below and give this native and Giving Grove-inspired recipe a try at home! Don’t forget to tag @GivingGrove in your photos.

Pecan Pesto with Smoked Oyster Mushrooms & Wild Rice

Ingredients- Pecan Pesto

3 cups fresh nettle leaves

2 cloves garlic or to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup of pecans

salt & pepper

Chef Pyet Pecan Pesto with Smoked Oyster Mushrooms & Wild Rice

Directions

  1. Boil the nettle leaves for 30 to 60 seconds to remove stickers.

  2. Remove the nettle leaves from the boiling water and drain, squeezing out the excess water with tongs.

  3. Place the nettles, garlic, olive oil, and pecans into your mortar & pestle (or food processor). Grind until you reach the desired consistency.

  4. Add salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.

Ingredients- Wild Rice with Corn & Poblano Peppers

1 large poblano

1/2 cup corn

1 cup wild rice

1/2 tablespoon sunflower oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

2 cloves garlic, smashed

2.5 cups vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. On an open gas top flame or a cast iron skillet, roast the peppers and corn, rotating every 2-3 minutes until all sides are nicely charred. Remove from heat. Place peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate to allow to steam and soften (approx. 5 minutes).

  2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, add sunflower oil, thyme, and garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

  3. Add wild rice and stir to coat well. Allow rice to toast slightly by stirring occasionally for one minute.

  4. Add vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a low boil. Reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for 20-35 minutes.

  5. While the rice cooks, prepare the peppers and corn. Dice the pepper, cutting off stems and scraping out seeds. Leave the skin on the pepper for more flavor. Remove corn from the cob by placing the flat side of the cob against a surface and running a knife down the side of the cob removing the kernels.

  6. Once the rice is fully cooked, fold in the peppers and corn.

Ingredients- Smoked Oyster Mushrooms

8 ounces oyster mushrooms

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

1/4 cup of sherry or white wine

Optional Tool: smoke gun

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons duck fat (optional)

Optional: liquid smoke (if not using smoke gun)

Directions

  1. Heat a cast iron skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat.

  2. Add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add mushrooms.

  3. Leave mushrooms undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Then rotate the mushrooms to get an even grilling. Continue until mushrooms are nicely browned on all sides.

  4. Add the wine, and using a spatula, deglaze the pan. Be certain to scrap all the brown bits from the pan.

  5. When most of the liquid has evaporated, lower the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, and duck fat.

  6. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.

  7. Remove from heat.

How to Smoke Oyster Mushrooms

  1. Once the mushrooms have completed cooking, place them in a bowl and seal tightly with plastic wrap or a plate.

  2. Using a smoke gun, pipe smoke into the sealed bowl for a few seconds. While the bowl is sealed, shake the bowl to allow smoke to cover all the mushrooms. Keep the bowl sealed until the mushrooms have absorbed all the smoke (about 2-3 minutes).

To plate:

Place a scoop of the wild rice mixture onto your plate and place 2-3 mushrooms on top of the rice. Top with a healthy dollop of pecan pesto. Finally, ENJOY!

Want to learn more about The Giving Grove?

Our Mission:

The Giving Grove’s mission is to provide healthy calories, strengthen community, and improve the urban environment through a nationwide network of sustainable little orchards.

Our Work:

The Giving Grove supports neighborhood volunteers in planting and caring for fruit trees, nut trees, and berry brambles that improve the urban environment, increase tree canopy and provide a sustainable source of free, organically-grown food for neighborhoods facing high rates of food insecurity.

Our Produce

We help neighborhood leaders choose fruit trees, nut trees, and berries brambles that are most suitable for their growing zone and communities. Varieties include: pecan and chestnut trees, apple and pear trees, bush cherries, pawpaw and jujube trees, blackberry and raspberry brambles. For a full list of suggest fruit varieties, click here.

Where to find us

The Giving Grove network has orchards from coast to coast, providing free, nutritious fruits, nuts, & berries in Atlanta, Auburn, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Louisville, Memphis, Omaha, South Bend, St. Louis & Seattle. Click here to meet our partners.