ABOVE: Grilled Peaches and Cream Ice Box Cake is the dessert Gregory-Propst introduced to viewers on “Good Morning America” and is one of many dishes that can be found at her restaurant Se7en Bites. (Photo courtesy se7enbites.com)
A pastry chef and restaurant owner from Orlando appeared on national television to share a summer-inspired barbecue dessert.
Trina Gregory-Propst, chef and owner of Orlando bakeshop Se7en Bites, shared the recipe for her Grilled Peaches and Cream Ice Box Cake on the morning talk show “Good Morning America” May 27.
The dish is a layered cake that features alternations of peach-infused Chantilly frosting, crumbled shortbread cookies and grilled peaches.
Gregory-Propst created the dessert after receiving a call from a GMA producer who was looking for a grilled dessert to feature in a segment. The recipe was inspired by her personal love of peaches, as well as the seasonable nature of the fruit during this time of year.
“The first thing that came to mind was grilled peaches[,] which is a favorite of mine every summer and we are in the peak of peach season now,” Greogry-Propst said.
The immediacy of appearing on live television raised the stakes of the overall experience for Gregory-Propst.
“The pressure to basically get it right the first time was on,” she said.
However, this is not the first time that Gregory-Propst or Se7en Bites have appeared in the national spotlight. In 2017, the restaurant was featured on the Food Network program “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” for their Vanilla Bean Bourbon Bacon Moonpie, which host Guy Fieri praised as being “legit.” Gregory-Propst also appeared on the Food Network series’ “Take-out Edition” last week.
Se7en Bites also reopened last week following the easing of coronavirus-related restrictions by Orange County. Gregory-Propst views the inclusivity provided by her restaurant as allowing them to continue to connect with customers, even in the face of social distancing.
“We’ve always been a place for the community to gather and eat together and while we are in the thick of social distancing[,] we can still appreciate the feeling of belonging somewhere,” she said. “[A]nd since we welcome and support ALL here in these walls we just learn to give air hugs and learn to connect with our guests in a different way. [W]e can all still talk with each other and as friends and family we can still meet and gather and eat together if it feels right for you.”
Gregory-Propst runs Se7en Bites with her wife Va Propst. And while she is open about this “source of joy in [her] life,” she doesn’t necessarily view her status as an openly gay woman as being a contributing factor to her success as a business owner.
“I don’t believe they are synonymous[,] being a gay woman and a successful business owner,” she said. “My being a successful businesswoman is simply from applying myself and hard work and the will to succeed when nothing less than the best will do.”
As for the future of Se7en Bites, Gregory-Propst aims to keep her Southern roots at the forefront of the restaurant’s ambiance and culinary POV.
“Our ultimate goal…has been and will continue to be providing our guests with a true[,] [m]odern Southern food experience while using the highest quality and freshest of ingredients available to us with a smile and a touch of sass mixed with Southern charm,” she said.
For Gregory-Propst, incorporating her background as a Southern woman into the food at Se7en Bites is a natural decision because of the restaurant’s family-oriented core.
“Southern food is a lifestyle and as a Southern woman I don’t know that I can separate myself from it as it’s as part of me as my blue eyes are,” she said. “There really was and is no other choice as Se7enbites is built around family recipes and traditions so it is really just who we are.”
Se7en Bites is currently open for takeout and outdoor dine-in eating on Thursdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. For more details on how to make Grilled Peaches and Cream Ice Box Cake, find the recipe here, and you can watch Gregory-Propst’s GMA appearance here.
