Right at home

A new house isn't complete without a kitchen, and a kitchen isn't complete without a savory meal on the table.

Matt Gillaspy can serve up both.

A builder by trade, he's a cooking enthusiast by choice.

Gillaspy, owner of Primo Construction Inc., builds houses and commercial buildings and does remodeling as well. It's a trade he learned from his father, Robert Gillaspy.

"I've always had good mentors," Matt said of how he learned his building and business skills.

Gillaspy and his wife, Kelley, live in the Farmington area south of Seymour, along with their children, Brianna, 13, Emma, 6, and Burke, 14 months.
It's the same area where Gillaspy grew up, and where he was raised on good cooking.

"My mom (Becky) always cooked," he said. "She was a stay-at-home mom."

He was active in a variety of sports, and, "Mom would bring dinner between practices."

His grandmother, Patty Hall of Brownstown, was a big influence on his enjoyment of cooking, he said.

"Whenever I was down there, we cooked," he said, and he also took food projects in 4-H and entered them in the Jackson County Fair.

The titles of contractor and kitchen guru may not seem a likely pairing, but Gillaspy says it works well for him.

"Cooking is a release for me" after a day on the job, he said.

"When he's bored, he cooks," Kelley added.

Garden produce - pounds of tomatoes, dozens of ears of corn and snap green beans - are something else Gillaspy isn't afraid of tackling, and "the kids like to help," he said.

Hunting is another pursuit, and, "The girls help skin out deer."

He especially enjoys preparing Italian dishes.

"I love lasagna," Gillaspy said.

"It's one of my favorite foods" and also one of his favorite dishes to prepare.

Like many cooks, he fashions dishes after his own particular tastes.

"I don't ever go off a recipe," he said. "It's just a guide."

On special occasions, he's called on to bring a particular dish, and has been known to cook for 40 people at one sitting.

He and his wife say they also love to try different restaurants.

Cooking may be an adventure for Gillaspy, but he does draw one line.

"No onions," he said.

Even on a trip to Minnesota, Gillaspy's cooking skills were requested, so he took along his gas grill and soon was serving corn, strawberry preserves, steaks, ribs, chicken and hamburgers.

Gillaspy also likes playing golf and going to his daughters' sports events, which include Brianna's involvement with Indiana's Finest, a girls traveling basketball team. Both Matt and Kelley are graduates of Seymour High School. Matt went on to study business at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and Kelley received a degree in health care administration from IUPUI.

Seafood Pasta in Tomato Sauce

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves

2 pounds tomatoes

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 ounces shrimp

8 ounces scallops

2 tablespoons parsley

1 pound linguine pasta

 Heat olive oil and add garlic. When garlic sizzles, add tomatoes and pepper flakes. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. In large pot, boil pasta until soft, about 10 minutes. In fry pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to cook shrimp and scallops about 2 minutes or until shrimp is pink. Add sauce to seafood and cook 3 minutes. Serves about 4.

 Bloody Mary Shrimp Salsa

2 large tomatoes, diced

12 ounces shrimp

1 small onion, chopped

2 jalapenos, chopped

¼ cup fresh cilantro

½ cup bloody Mary mix

1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh

1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh

Salt, pepper to taste

Tortilla chips

Mix together.

Cornmeal Pie

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vinegar

¼ cup melted butter

2 beaten eggs

1 tablespoon cornmeal

½ cup brown sugar

 
Mix all ingredients together and pour into pie shell. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.