Small Bites, Big Impressions
The creative touch behind Roni Sider’s playful, elegant approach to food
Roni Sider is always crafting ways to bring special touches to the food she serves. She wants each of her culinary creations to bring joy. While her charcuterie offerings can cover a kitchen counter or several platters overflowing with countless meats, cheeses and other accompaniments, her signature is transforming traditional entree combinations into bite-sized treats paired with individual desserts. Noshes of biscuits and chicken are skewered together and piped with a splash of maple syrup. A cube of beef is pierced onto the prongs of a fork, with a baby potato garnished with caramelized onions and Boursin cheese.
“The little details matter,” Roni says proudly with a smile.
Roni grew up in Bridger, the youngest of five children. Being in the kitchen with their mother, Jeannie Scott, and grandmother, Nellie McPhee, nurtured the kids’ love of preparing food. “We all find joy in cooking and cooking for our families,” Roni says. “They encouraged us to be in the kitchen and to experiment.”
Meat and potatoes, along with casseroles, came to the table most nights when Roni was growing up. “When my siblings moved out, my mom experimented more. There was more time and more finances,” Roni says of her mother broadening her cooking repertoire.
Her father’s garden exposed her to fresh produce. Having homegrown slices of tomato on toast was normal during the summer. Freshly harvested rhubarb and strawberries went into baked pies, while raspberries made for delicious ice-box pies.
In addition to a love of cooking, Roni’s mother also gave her a love of art. While Jeannie painted watercolor landscapes and did calligraphy, Roni longed to teach art on the college level. After studying fine arts and literature at Rocky Mountain College, however, she learned something about herself. She never wanted to put a price tag on her work, explaining that if someone didn’t agree with its worth, “That would be crushing.” Today, you will find that artistic flair and attention to detail in Roni’s food presentation.
She uses every bit of it while entertaining, something she also learned from her parents.
“We had company all the time,” Roni says. There were continuous invitations to her father’s teaching colleagues or fellow church members to share a meal. “I remember one Thanksgiving. It snowed, and no one could go anywhere. My mom and dad were very generous and invited the neighbors to the house.”
While the recipes for Roni’s edible masterpieces are whipped up in her kitchen, she continues to reference the Fannie Farmer cookbook. “I know that on page 100, there is a barbecue sauce recipe,” she says with a smile, adding that she uses the recipe as a starting point. “I will make tweaks and modernize the recipe” with twists such as adding chipotle or citrus flavors. She also has a binder full of recipes handwritten by both her mother and grandmother that she cherishes.
Roni is unusual in that she loves to both cook and bake. “I have been blessed to straddle that line pretty well,” she admits. She enjoys the leeway that savory cooking offers, but she also embraces and practices the fact that “baking is a precise science.” She is, however, still trying to perfect her grandmother’s homemade bread recipe with its base ingredients of potato flakes and flour.
With baking, Roni fusses with the presentation, braiding strips of dough for the top of a fruit pie or varying the flavor of a buttercream frosting. She makes brown sugar cutout cookies for the Christmas holidays in the shape of a snowflake, striving to make each one identical.
“I didn’t realize until after I was away from my family that I had a wider skill set than most of my friends,” she says. While many hesitate at inviting people over for meals, Roni easily throws together a meal and adds her creative finishes.
They are finishes that are appreciated.
Years ago, Roni taught piano lessons in the basement of her home. While the children were downstairs, the parents upstairs mingled at the “cocoa bar with marshmallows, cookies and treats.” Roni shares with a smile, “One father said that he didn’t care if his kids learned any of the piano songs, but he was happy as long as he continued to be invited to the Christmas parties.”
Roni’s specialty is individual bites. She finds them easy to eat and yet, they can be elegant. She uses creative containers, including parfait cups with miniature spoons. She has used Chinese food takeout boxes to serve up noodles. She will often use small placards to label her appetizers. “This lets people know if the dish is gluten-free or vegan or indicates something special like balsamic pearls or something to be aware of, like cilantro,” she says.
It is the element of surprise she enjoys the most. “I love putting fun twists on things, such as a fried jalapeño potato salad,” she says. “I love putting together things that people wouldn’t think of doing. I want people to talk about it.”
Pam Pace, Roni’s cousin, tells of a woodland-themed bridal shower for her daughter that “people raved about.” Roni made little cheeseballs that looked like hedgehogs and cheese sticks that looked like mushrooms. There was a “pond” punch and s’mores cookies, Pam says. “Her presentation is out of this world, outstanding.”
Roni’s husband, Kevin Sider, chief marketing and information officer at St. John’s United lauds his wife’s talents. He tells a story of how he and his son, Harrison, cherish every morsel of food Roni creates. “My son was asked at school what his favorite food from home was and he said, ‘scraps.’” This answer gave the teacher pause and a need to investigate further. Kevin continues with a laugh, “We would have bags of scraps from the s’mores cookies she baked for her desserts. We can’t let anything go to waste.”
These days, “Instagram provides the inspiration through all the beautiful photos,” Roni says. She follows Spoon Fork Bacon for the easy and flavorful recipes and Domestic Rebel for “making baking fun and accessible.”
While it has taken years for Roni to hone her craft, she credits her success to a bit of preplanning and organization. If holiday parties are in your future, Roni suggests making a countdown list, getting all the shopping done well before and taking note if any specialty ingredients need to be ordered. Then, of course, giving yourself time to order and receive them.
“It is stressful for people if they do it all in one day. Have a prep list of what can be done ahead. The prep work should be done the day before the party. The dessert should be 100% done. On the day of the party, you can grill the meat or fry the chicken,” she says. “You should be able to have a glass of wine while waiting for the guests to arrive. The music should be on. You should have the time to freshen up.”
And, once freshened up, you can rest assured that Roni will be ready to serve her small bites that deliver big impressions to both friends and family.
Unexpected Company? No problem!
Roni’s expert advice of things to have on hand
Puff pastry
Puff pastry can be filled with jam or cream cheese with cutouts easily baked in a muffin tin.
Phyllo cups
“These are great entertaining shortcuts. Warm the cups in the oven and then fill with sweet or savory ingredients,” Roni says. Ideas include adding goat cheese, tomato and basil.
Lettuce
“The idea is finding a vessel to hold flavors and tastings. A lettuce cup can be that vessel.”
Fresh Herbs and Lemon
“Adding fresh herbs and grated lemon zest can fancy up store-bought spinach dip.” Just a sprinkle of the fresh ingredients adds life, color and flavor to an ordinary dish.
Pantry Items
“Olives, good honey and jam to add to a nice charcuterie. Worcestershire, Dijon, olive oil and balsamic vinegar can be used for a pan sauce or vinaigrette. Balsamic reduction as a topper continues to make everything fancy.”
Brown Sugar Cut-Out Cookies, makes 3 dozen
~Recipe by Nellie McPhee & Jeannie Scott
1 c. unsalted butter
2 c. brown sugar
3 beaten eggs
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. vanilla
1 t. almond extract
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, salt, baking soda, flour, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Roll the dough and cut out. Chill cut-out cookies on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 30 minutes to maintain shape. Bake at 350° F for 8-10 minutes. Cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Frost and decorate.
Almond Icing for Cut-Outs, makes about 2½ cups
½ c. unsalted butter
¼ c. canned evaporated milk
2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
½ t. almond extract or other flavoring
Melt butter. Mix with either a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Combine butter with milk and powdered sugar. Add vanilla and almond extract. Add more powdered sugar or more evaporated milk to achieve the desired consistency (thicker for outline, thinner for flood consistency) Color icing and decorate cooled cookies with either a knife (as my grandma & mom would do) or a piping bag.
Roni’s Steak and Potato Bites, makes 2 dozen
15 baby potatoes (Yukon gold or baby red)
1 large sweet onion
1 T. unsalted butter
1 T. neutral oil
1 box Boursin cheese, any flavor
¼ c. heavy cream
2 New York strip steaks or cut of choice
Small bottle of balsamic reduction
Small bundle of fresh chives for garnish
Boil potatoes until fork-tender. Drain and cool. Slice potatoes in half and scoop out most of the flesh. (You can save and use the scooped potato for either mashed potatoes or fried potatoes. This can be done up to 3 days in advance, simply refrigerate in a container with a lid.) Set scooped potato skins on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and season shells with salt. Place in a 350° F oven until slightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Thinly slice sweet onion. Add butter and oil to a medium skillet on medium heat. Once butter begins to melt, add sliced onions and stir to coat. Once onions begin to color, turn heat down to medium-low and slowly caramelize onions, stirring occasionally, around 30 minutes. Set aside. (This can be done up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate cooled onions in a small container with a lid and warm in the microwave before assembly.) Whip Boursin and whipping cream in a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or hand mixer) until smooth. Place in piping bag & keep at room temperature until assembly.
Pat steaks dry, season liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (or your preferred seasoning mix). Grill, sear, or broil steaks to the temperature of your choice. Rest and slice steak into thin strips. Roll into bite-sized pieces.
To assemble the bites, place browned potato skins on a serving platter. A deviled egg platter works great. Pipe whipped Boursin into each potato skin and top with caramelized onion. Place steak on top of onions and top with a drizzle of balsamic reduction. Finish with fresh chive on top of each bite. Great served warm or even room temperature.
