During his Dallas childhood, Stephen Rogers’s holidays were as all-American as they could be. “I remember visiting both sets of grandparents,” says the chef and co-owner of Dallas restaurants Gemma and Sachet. “We ate turkey and stuffing, and there might be a ham, and—oh!—always a sweet-potato casserole with marshmallows on top.” But Rogers left the foodways of his Texas upbringing behind when he moved to New York to study music. To make a living, he started working in restaurants; he liked the scene so much that he began teaching himself to cook at home. The old ways slipped even further behind when he and his wife, Allison Yoder, moved to California after several summers spent traveling in Europe. “We loved all the Mediterranean countries,” he says, “the casual way they eat there, with lots of meze and small plates; they do wonderful things with vegetables. It felt so easy and fun.” Back in Dallas to raise their family, they drew on their California experiences for Gemma and their Mediterranean days for Sachet. Rogers cooks, and Yoder handles wine and the front of the house. For this feast, based on his love of Mediterranean cooking, Rogers puts wild boar ribs front and center and gives special attention to vegetables, including sweet potatoes. He thinks that once you give it a try, you’ll never add marshmallows again.

Recipes for Mediterranean Medley

Muhammara With French Lentil and Piquillo Pepper Salad
Sweet and Tangy Wild Boar Ribs
Moroccan Slaw
Fall Vegetable Salad With Yogurt Dressing
Tahini Mousse With Rye Tuiles

This article originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of Texas Monthly. Subscribe today.