Supper club Maria embraces a relaxed charm within a home on a cul-de-sac in Kennesaw, 25 miles northwest of Atlanta. While a soundtrack of classic rock plays in the background, two communal tables set the scene, helping foster connections over food, with conversations between a small gathering of strangers leading to shared memories and laughter. The most striking aspect of this pop-up restaurant, however, might be its chef. At 20 years old, Trevor Shankman moves with a rhythmic elegance in the kitchen far beyond his years. He may be running one of metro Atlanta’s most exclusive supper clubs, where those in attendance are not only dining on thought-provoking food, but witnessing the beginning of a chef’s career.
Shankman’s passion for cooking began at a young age, rooted in a natural artistic inclination spotted in preschool by his teachers. But it wasn’t until Shankman was 13 that he fully embraced his culinary curiosity. With his father Kyle’s professional cooking background, Shankman’s interest in food found fertile ground. The convergence of conventional art and cooking prompted him to experiment in the kitchen.
Shankman says school was difficult for him, made worse because of a learning disability. Cooking became an escape, as it was what he knew growing up with a chef for a father and what brought him joy in eating his grandmother’s food. Shankman named the pop-up for his grandmother, Aya. She came to the United States in the 1960s after fleeing Cuba with her family when she was just four years old. Her emigration story, Cuban heritage, and Shankman’s childhood memories of his abuela and her cooking serve as the foundation for Maria. His father’s influence as a chef informed his style. Maria is a tribute to familial bonds.
Shankman found beauty in the intersection of cooking and art and says he became obsessed with creating meals through the lens of molecular…
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