Greek chicken skewers and Italian shrimp scampi, alongside simply prepared, kid-friendly main dishes

Souvlaki is street food before it is anything else, and the traditional version is just chicken, lemon, oregano and fire. I kept this dish close to that: cubes marinated overnight, threaded tight so the edges char while the centre stays juicy, then pulled off the skewer for packing. The tomato salsa rides in its own tub because in Greece the tomato comes alongside, never cooked into the meat.

Corn is the reason half this menu looks the way it does. It is peak season for it around Houston right now, so it turns up three ways: paprika baked on the cob, cut raw into the farro salad with arugula and tomatoes, and seared plain for the kids. The apricots came off the same market run. When produce is this good I would rather repeat it across dishes than buy something dull to avoid repeating myself.

The kids get the same drumsticks, shrimp and salmon as everyone else, minus the mustard and the salsa, plus blanched asparagus and zucchini sliced thin enough to cook through without browning. The everything bagel salmon and the shrimp scampi want 10 minutes at 325°F covered, while the apricot chicken and the corn want 12 minutes at 400°F uncovered so the panko crisps back up.