Appetite for Innovation

Since The Kitchen Sink opened in 2021, it has garnered a plethora of 5-star reviews from happy diners. Now owner/chef ALICIA MITCHELL has added Sunday brunch to the restaurant’s offerings.

As with the restaurant’s signature lunch menu, The Kitchen Sink’s brunch is filled with unique, tasty dishes that reflect Mitchell’s skill in the kitchen and her commitment to her customers. “I have an intent with every dish I make,” Mitchell says. “I want everyone who walks in the door and eats at our restaurant to feel like they are coming to my house, and I offer them the best that I can offer.”

Coming up with the dishes for The Kitchen Sink’s Sunday brunch is a process that comes naturally to Michell, who learned to cook from her grandmother and parents. “They gave me a great place to learn different techniques and to figure out how to put a different twist on things,” Mitchell says. “I’d put together what I’d find in the kitchen and come up with something new that is special.”

However, Mitchell’s culinary repertoire has expanded far beyond the dishes she learned to make at home. Mitchell regularly uses her travels to inspire her, figuring out how to replicate dishes she liked in locales such as Puerto Rico, Guava, and Monte Cristo.

It all comes together in Mitchell’s kitchen, where she tries and tests new recipes. When a dish doesn’t come together as planned, she figures out where it went wrong and tries again. “Practice makes perfect,” Mitchell says. “After the first time, you have to adjust. You learn what works and what doesn’t work.”

With her mastery of the culinary arts and fearlessness in the kitchen, Mitchell has put together an eclectic menu to appeal to a variety of tastes. Just a few of the dishes include the poached egg flight, a poached egg foursome featuring traditional, everything bagel, caprese, and Mediterranean poached eggs; guava Monte Cristo, a deep-fried ham and Swiss sandwich topped with a dusting of powdered sugar; eggs in purgatory, poached eggs in a spicy marinara sauce; and B.A.D. bread pudding, lemon bread pudding that is deep-fried and stuffed with blueberry ricotta cheese.

Mitchell enjoys coming up with such creative dishes almost as much as her customers enjoy eating them. “I have fun offering dishes that are different and unique, something that’s not just two eggs and a side of sausage,” Mitchell says.

Sunday brunch is just one of The Kitchen Sink’s expanded services. Customers can also order a variety of platters and charcuterie boards for special events. Starting in late July, Mitchell will enter the realm of fine dining. The new service will include multi-course meals featuring a specific cuisine and optional wine pairings. Mitchell will also occasionally offer five-course meals that will be paired with alcoholic and non-alcoholic tea as well. “I love doing these types of meals because they allow me to stretch my abilities and offer higher-end food,” Mitchell says.

Mitchell’s foray into the restaurant business has been harder than she ever imagined, but Mitchell says it is worth it. “It’s what I am called to do,” Mitchell says. “I serve people through cooking food.”

To view more of photographer Michael Cline Spencer’s work, go to michaelclinephoto.com.

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