Why I like food the way that I do

I am a lover of food - although I would not define myself as a foodie, because I am not a lover of ALL food. I am a picky eater at times and a creature of habit when I find something I like.

Don't misunderstand me. I appreciate food. I really do, but I am well aware that I have some wacky habits about food too.

I blame working in foodservice for both (the appreciation and the wacky habits).

As a teenager, I loved art. Painting, drawing, sculpting...you name, it I did it. I wasn't so bad at it either because I earned a few scholarships for college courses in Philadelphia while still in high school. Every Saturday morning, I would happily schlep down 95 to take my college courses during both my junior and senior years. I thought I would work with art when I grew up, but that was not my reality. My first job in world of playing adult was in food service. I started in the back of the house at 15 years old...washing dishes. When the restaurant was slow, it allowed me to venture out from behind the steamy wash station and watch how the chefs and porters transformed items, that were pretty basic to me, into these wonderful works of art for the senses. Not only could you see the beauty in what they created, the smell and tastes transformed me whenever I had an opportunity to indulge.

I was young, but I was an eager learner and worked my way into the position of prep cook (AKA: porter - someone without traditional training), then Garde Manger (preparing cold dishes and desserts), line cook (learning all posts: grill, sauté, etc.), and eventually learning each part of the back of the house. I became a rounds-person. I was able to work any position in the kitchen and at 18, I became a sous chef. I enjoyed what I was doing with food, but, I fell in love with baking.

I used baking as the creative outlet that creating art used to give me. Food service was my life and I couldn't see myself doing anything else, so I decided to go to culinary school and earned my pastry arts degree at 22.

Life doesn't always go as you think it will, and as you grow older you move in directions that you may have never thought of for yourself. That's me and I am no longer working in food service. I haven't for over 20 years now, but I still love food. I still appreciate what it takes to create the things that I eat. I also remember food at its basic form and what goes into producing the food that I eat...that's where my wacky habits come from. I no longer eat certain things because I have worked in food service or I only eat certain foods a certain way, again because I have worked in food service. Most of my issues don't bother other people so I just keep them to myself and really take the time to enjoy the foods that I do like.

With this blog I will:
• recreate celebrity recipes – I want to see what they bring to the table
• share recipes – and sometimes I will eliminate or add items to make it my own
• share shortcuts to certain food items – can’t be Martha all of the time
• my experiences dining out – my favorite hangouts and meals that get me excited

I believe that loving food is universal – it’s emotional, it comforts and it heals – sharing food is happiness and I am excited to be a part of that again.

Thank you