Arthur Simms was in the restaurant business for many years before he opened the first Mimi’s Cafe with his son, Tom, in Anaheim, California in 1978. Back in the Golden Age of Hollywood Arthur was the guy running things in the MGM Studios commissary where, on any given day, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable and Judy Garland might stop in for a grazing. Arthur named his New Orleans-influenced, bistro-style restaurant after a woman he met and fell in love with in Paris during the war. Today it’s Tom who runs the show at this growing 93-unit chain where regulars return for the staple favorites.
MAKES 2 QUARTS (EIGHT I-CUP SERVINGS)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large celery stalks, chopped (about ½ cups)
- ½ cup diced white onion
- 4 cups water
- 1 russet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 15-ounce can cream-style corn (with liquid)
- 1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn (with liquid)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half
GARNISH
- Minced fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Sauté celery and onion in the butter for 5 minutes in a large saucepan or stock pot. Don’t brown.
- Add 4 cups of water, chopped potato, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add creamed corn (with liquid), canned whole corn (with liquid), sugar, salt, and white pepper and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Combine flour with half-and-half and stir until smooth. Add this mixture to the soup and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until thick.
- Serve by spooning a 1-cup portion into a small bowl and sprinkle a little minced fresh parsley on top.
