2025 has started off with a bang for Chef Portia P.
In January, she and her boyfriend/bar manager Dionte Wilkins converted the upstairs lounge area of Yak and Yeti into a chillax space that holds a weekly event called “Golden Friday’s at Yak and Yeti”—a party that combines live music with some of Portia’s best dishes. In February, she won the “Villy Presents The Taste Of The City Cookoff.” And most recently, she’s started putting together some of the most delicious, and ample, boxes of food I’ve ever come across.
Oh yeah, she’s also running her own catering business while cooking full-time at the Yak and Yeti to boot.
Though I already had plans to request a meeting with Portia after trying her food at the aforementioned cookoff, when I learned of her budding culinary empire, my entire food writing plans were focused on speaking with this “chef of a hundred hats.”
(But, let’s be honest, I was also dying to have some more of her Peach Cobbler Poundcake …)
Her Culinary Journey—
When I asked Portia about her cooking career, I was somewhat surprised at her answer given the high level of food she creates. “My first cooking gig was about a year and a half ago. I got booked to cook for an event, and I had never done catering before.” She continued, “I wasn’t into the catering but I kind of got pushed into it when someone asked me to cook for them. And ever since that day, it’s been a go from there.”
When I mentioned the depth of flavor found in her dishes, she said that though she was inexperienced in the world of professional kitchens, the ability to cook for a large group of people had been there from day one. “I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid. I come from a family with a history of cooking; my whole family cooks on both sides. I grew up around the food, watching my grandma’s and uncles make homemade recipes, and roll dough from scratch.”
Since that first catering gig, Portia’s career in food has only blossomed. The most notable of these career-expanding endeavors includes the weekly party known as “Golden Fridays”—an excuse to have a few drinks and enjoy some of Portia’s best-selling options.
“We do the Golden Friday’s which is 25 and up. You can come in, catch a good vibe, enjoy some good music, and eat from the menu. The menu is pretty standard; we have wings, [cornmeal crusted] catfish, shrimp, and all of those come with fries and toast.”
I promise you that even if only the wings were available, that would be more than enough of a reason to show up.
The Food Of Portia P.—
Before I break down my top three favorite dishes of the tasting, I need to include a preface in order to kill off what I call the “plague of redundancy.” When I’m describing a flavor of some kind, please know that I mean it in the purest sense. In every dish, Portia had some of the cleanest, most recognizable flavors I’ve ever had. When I say something “tastes like peaches,” I mean in the freshest, most unadulterated way.
Yes, she’s that good.
In total, I was given two boxes. One was called “The Fyee Box” and included fried catfish (regular and dipped in homemade honey hot sauce), “Crack Spaghetti” (think a creamy/chicken tetrazzini with bacon and melted cheese), Honey Hot Wings, and Peach Cobbler.
The other was called “Mama’s Carne Asada Box” and included carne asada street tacos, P’s Cajun Rice, an elote cup, and cinnamon rolls.
When I commented on the sizes of these boxes, Portia set my mind at ease. “They’re meant for multiple people to share, so it’s not for one person. If you have someone that’s graduating or a birthday or an anniversary or anything like that, it would be a cool idea to present to them with different food ideas, instead of going out to eat.”
With the price range of the two boxes being $65 to $85, she isn’t wrong when she claimed that with the cost of four people eating out, “you’re going to spend more than that, anyway.“
Trust me, with the quality of my “Top Three” being “top notch,” I’d rather give my money to Portia.
Honey Hot Wings—
Never before have I found such truth in advertising. When you first bite into the wing, a pop of honey hits your tongue and sort of rolls out the red carpet to the chili heat. It’s a slow burn that you don’t recognize immediately, but once it arrives to the party, it’s going to stay for a minute. However, the heat never gets annoying or overpowering—you never get to the point of simply tasting pain. The flavor closes with a nice garlic edge. One thing of note is how crispy the skin stayed. After being sauced, the wings are thrown back on the grill for some char. If you have an upcoming Friday open on your calendar, I implore you to make it out and try these.
Carne Asada Tacos—
With tender meat being marinated for hours in a mixture of lime juice and herbs, the filling found in this delightful version of a street taco was bursting with flavor. And when you add fresh cilantro, onions, and a little more lime juice, you take this humble street food into the realm of the ethereal. No, this isn’t hyperbole … this is what any good taqueria strives for. Though I’m unsure if the work of a Brujo was involved in the creation of this dish, it’s entirely possible because of how devilishly delicious it is.
Peach Cobbler Poundcake—
There’s a reason this dish won the “Best Dessert” category at the cookoff. My God, it’s incredible. The peach topping, if it were put in a traditional cobbler, would easily be the best filling I’ve ever tasted. A perfect balance of sweet and tart, with a beautifully executed poundcake that had a density and chewiness that was beyond reproach. To put it another way: I’m someone who rarely, if ever, orders dessert—I really don’t like sweets. However, I ended up eating 80% of this cake over a 10-hour period by myself.
When I mentioned to Portia about my love for various parts of each box, she informed me that each box is customizable. So yes, it’s entirely possible to get a “Sawyer Special” containing my three favorite items; just sayin’.
Before I left the amazing feast, I had to know the best way to reach out to Portia and place an order for some of her tasty offerings. “I’m currently working on a website, but I think it’s easier for people to reach me on social media because I have the visuals of the food and current events. You can always reach out to me for catering, private chefing, anything that has to do with food, call me, I’m your girl.”
She did make it clear that if you do want to hire her, she needs at least a week’s heads-up. “I prefer a week in advance just because a lot of my bookings are booked out. It’s a week for the boxes, and if it’s a private event—or if you want me to show up and personally cook for you—I expect two weeks. This way I can get the food, speak to you; I don’t want it to be rushed and I want to know what your needs are.”
I don’t imagine it will be too long before Portia P.’s calendar is full, so hit up the links below and treat yourself to some of the best home-cooked dishes around.
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