On Eating, Living, and Writing

I have this theory. Food makes people happy. It is a well tested theory with both thorough analysis and collected data. I've grown up around food my entire life, grown up cooking next to my father, grown up eating food from places around the world. The bites I've taken have shown me flavors and cultures, so that by the time I got into elementary school, I was that kid who brought falafel instead of a PB&J (which could be the reason no one wanted to sit next to me at lunch). My appreciation for food stemmed from sitting on the counter, stirring spaghetti sauce and reading Julia Child's cookbook. My addiction for food came with growing up and tasting new dishes. My admiration of food came from working in kitchens, came from being in a business that produces passionate people. I can tell you I've made awful mistakes in the kitchen. I can tell you I've had victories and dinner parties and fryer oil fires. I can tell you about how living on a college budget changed how and what I cook. I can tell you about how Michael Pollan opened my eyes to both local and organic eating. I can. And I will. This is where you'll learn it all. My magic moments, my shameful experiments, my restaurant kitchen stories (yes, surprisingly I've worked at quite a few), my favorite places to eat, my favorite cookbooks and memoirs and music for your kitchen, my opinions on stocked pantry and what every college kid needs to get started in the kitchen. It begins with love. It maintains with love. I write. I cook. I live. I love.