THE ADVENTURES OF A WAYWARD CHEF

Ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes once masturbated in the Agora; when rebuked for doing so, he replied, “If only it was as easy to soothe my hunger by rubbing my belly.”
Fuck Martha Stewart Living and to hell with the recession! Forking Fantastic, by Zora O’Neill and Tamara Reynolds, is the new de rigueur guide to [...]

Hamburgers are one of those things that I could never cook for myself and enjoy. It is the food of kicking back and relaxing, it’s a craving happily satiated, it’s a night off – and if I’m going to have a hamburger, damn it, it had better be good.

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If I died tomorrow and went to Heaven, it would smell like the prep kitchen at Devi.

The air was fragrant with the intoxicating aroma of roasted spices – cardamom, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, asafetida and cinnamon; and the walk-in full of kuri leaves by the sack full, fresh ginger and [...]

29 days left in New York City and then I’m out of here… It’s off to the Caribbean or Florida although I’m not sure where exactly. We’ll see which way the wind blows…

I’ve given up my apartment and am leaving New York once and for all – not [...]

1st Annual Brooklyn “Beet” Off:
September 2006
Location: Kitchen Stadium Brooklyn

The Ingredient:Beets

The Rules:
Use of Goat Cheese is Strictly Forbidden,
Arugula and Candied Walnuts are Highly Discouraged.
Wine must be a Chilled Red.

Iron Chef Amuse-Bouche: Cristina
Iron Chef Entrée: Michelli
Iron Chef Main: Greg
Iron Chef Dessert: Ian

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Amouse~Bouche:
Pan Seared Garam Masala [...]

I had just begun working an internship at a restaurant in Paris. It was the first professional kitchen I had ever worked in and to say that I was a little naive to the inner workings of a restaurant kitchen could be the greatest misnomer of the 21st century. I walked into the kitchen timid [...]

Chilled Cucumber, Avocado and Watercress Soup
Whole Roasted Wild Black Bass with an Herb Pistou
Grilled Escarole with Lemon
Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Almonds, Cranberries, Mint and Raspberry Vinaigrette
Coconut-Espresso Panna Cotta with Chocolate Sauce and Toasted Coconut Shavings
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I cooked for a client yesterday at their lovely vacation hideaway on Fire Island. The kitchen had open, airy, floor [...]

It’s been over three months since I’ve set foot on a boat, and what an adventure land life is… I missed New York’s ethnic markets so much before I’d left on my Caribbean voyage; but to tromp through China Town in the dog days of summer, or to get in a taxi cab even, is [...]

This 4th of July comes at a time when our country struggles with a war that has divided its people, a political crisis in the White House and growing racial and religious intolerance. But it’s comforting to know that even through these troubled times; the people of our great nation can put aside their cultural, [...]

As I recoup back here in NYC and await my knee surgery, I have time to test out some new recipes – a little re-organizing of the kitchen and I can sit and do my prep.
My mind is wandering though lately, the sense of wanderlust and adventure creeping back in… I found myself in Union [...]