"It all began in 1989 with

a young woman, a dream,

and a great mom!"

-

Here at Hot city catering and Hot City smoke shack  are very proud of our roots!

 

Chef  April Duram was raised on a Michigan farm getting early training from her mother the late Dawn Fay Russell. From raising their own pork, beef, chicken, LOTS of vegetables and wild game. Spending many hours in the kitchen helping mom cook, can, processing meet, baking, BBQ smoking, pig roasting, and unwittingly gaining a passion for what she would do for the rest of her life very happily.

 

After graduation from The American Culinary Federation with two degree's a CEC ( Certified Executive Chef ) and a CCE ( certified Culinary Educator)  Chef Duram honed her skills in many fine restaurants, never forgetting her roots, she says in an interview " ya I love many styles of food, fine dining is great but, I love the down home honest country stuff too, as a matter of fact my mom will never know  every time I cook like back home I say it’s from Mom Russell on the menu, she will never know how many people think I have a Mom Russell in the back cooking"

 

After that Chef Duram spent 8 years traveling the world on private super yachts as there executive chef on such yachts as the M/Y Octopus that was at that time the world's largest privately owned Mega Yacht.

 

After cooking in New Orleans Chef Duram Moved To South California and put together this diverse catering company. Now lives in the Treasure Valley area of Idaho.`

 

" I love that I can do the most elegant fine dining and ice carvings, or go out with the BBQ smoke shack and just get to my roots, have fun, and watch people smile" -Chef April Duram