Paul prepares plates for appetizers while Pam prepares pastry. (Brandi Stafford photos) | ZOOM |

        On this Monday, Sharon and Dave Peters were planning to sit down to a simple meal at their home in Mason — probably a little pasta with grilled teriyaki chicken leftover from the weekend.

        That was before we called Ms. Peters at 4 p.m. to ask if we could bring chefs Paul and Pam Sturkey over to fix dinner. Ms. Peters had almost forgotten she mailed in an application back in the spring for our “Chef's Dinner Club.” But she was glad she did.

        About an hour after they arrived to prepare this impromptu dinner for two, the husband and wife chefs (she does pastries, he cooks everything else), who own Sturkey's in Wyoming and Encore Cafe in West Chester Township, whipped out an incredible three-course meal featuring a cheese and ham-stuffed quesadilla appetizer with spicy celery-radish slaw, seared lobster tail perched on rich mashed potatoes and a stunning dessert of feathery profiteroles filled with chocolate-almond ganache, topped with blackberry compote and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Dave and Sharon Peters enjoy their dinner | ZOOM |

        Except for a quart of heavy cream we allowed them to bring along, the Sturkeys cooked everything from scratch. But then that wasn't too difficult, considering the Petersons' pantry and refrigerators (they have, count 'em, four refrigerators) were filled with quality ingredients — Boursin cheese, ham, sesame oil, capers and frozen lobster tails.

        “I guess the toughest challenge was getting everything cooked in an hour,” Mr. Sturkey said .

        Of course, the chefs' menu was a little more ambitious than pasta and leftover chicken.

HOW TO JOIN THE CLUB
How the Chef's Dinner Club works: We choose a member from our roster and call them late on an afternoon to invite the chef over. If they agree, we bring the chef to fix dinner that night. The chef can use only ingredients in the house.		You can apply for the club by sending a letter with your name, neighborhood and phone number. Tell us why you'd like to have a chef over for dinner and send the letter to: Chef's Dinner Club, Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202.

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