Chef Emily Vanlandingham, owner of Locally Preserved, grew up in a small farming community in southern Maryland, where she spent countless enjoyable days with her grandmother, picking and preserving seasonal fruits and vegetables.
The early exposure to the rhythms of harvesting and processing seasonal produce nurtured a lifelong love of creating fresh and delicious food. Emily attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and after graduating, eventually found herself in New Orleans working in the kitchen of Stella!, a former French Quarter fine-dining restaurant.
Emily later opened her own local catering business, Feed Me Eat Pretty, which gave her the opportunity to resume her childhood custom of making small-batch seasonal jams, jellies, and syrups to add extra flavor to her menu offerings. With a growing legion of clients asking to buy her syrups and preserves, Emily knew it was time to restructure her business. In 2013, she rebranded her products under the Locally Preserved name and offered them for sale around New Orleans.
Today, Emily takes great pride in supporting local farmers with her Locally Preserved products and develops close relationships with those who grow the fruits and vegetables the company uses. Each of the syrups, jams, jellies, and preserves made by Locally Preserved are offered seasonally. When they’re out of a product, they’re out until the following growing season.
We think you’ll love this glazed chicken
recipe that highlights Emily’s Creole Basil
Tomato Jelly. If you love the taste, the Creole
Basil Tomato Syrup is just as good and makes a
wonderfully refreshing cocktail. Where else but
Louisiana could you find Creole tomato jelly?
These flavors taste like home.
- 4 skinless chicken leg quarters*
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 (8.5-ounce) jar Locally Preserved Creole Basil Tomato Jelly
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- Garnish: tomato slices, fresh basil
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil, and spray with cooking spray.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 chicken leg quarters; cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Place on prepared pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and repeat with remaining chicken. In a small bowl, whisk together jelly and hot sauce.
- Bake, occasionally turning and basting with jelly mixture, until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Place on a serving platter. Garnish with sliced tomato and fresh basil, if desired.
A substitute for Locally Preserved's Creole Basil Tomato Jelly can be found here.
