Truth be told, I just haven't found my writing groove since my dad's death a few months ago. Or any groove for that matter. I've kind of checked out.
Or maybe I'm using that as an excuse. I don't really know.
What I do know is that business has been good at The Kitchen Studio lately. And I have been working. A lot. It seems like I'm working every single day, which I am. And I don't mind a bit except that I'm getting even squishier in the middle and am exhausted at the end of each and every day.
That said, it's better to be busy, busy, busy than to not be busy and sit around. And I am happy for the work, and mostly, all of the super new students that have walked through our doors the past few months. Ed and Karen and Bruce and Travis and so, so many more that I can't even name. Really fun, cool people that cook and enjoy food. I'm grateful to have a job where I'm always meeting awesome new people.
So here's what I like to do every year: Make New Year's Resolutions, but only about food. Because of course I want to lose weight, and be nicer to my kids, and save more money, and treat more people better, and paint the house and so on and so forth, just like everyone else. But what's really interesting to me is food and the revolutions that constantly occur in our world regarding how to eat, what to cook, sustainability and the like.
Thus, My Food Year's Resolutions 2011:
- Learn how to use my new Sous Vide Supreme in a way that works for home cooks (not just chi chi poo poo fancy restaurants) and then teach said home cooks how to get the most bang for their buck from the equipment and technique.
- Bring more new students into The Kitchen Studio and help them learn, really learn new techniques that will help to make them better cooks and inspire them to try new things.
- Learn a few new techniques myself and further my own culinary education by taking a few advanced classes myself somewhere. Any ideas?
- Hire a few new instructors at TKS to beef up our offerings of super cooking classes (looks like we may have a wonderful new Italian instructor coming on soon - stay tuned!)
- Try cool new foods every month. (I just signed up for the Foodzie monthly tasting box, so we'll see how that shakes out)
- Sell my book. And get an agent. And make kid's cooking what it needs to be in this era of Michelle Obama, working parents, and The Food Network.
- Really work the Gotta Break Some Eggs site to get more kids cooking on their own.
- Eat out more in good restaurants throughout the region (Hoping to get in on a Table 21 cancellation at Volt some time during the year, because even though I'm more of a casual restaurant eater, it feels like something I need, and want, to do. I want someone to blow away my expectations and change my life with a meal. Table 21 may be my best shot, even though they're booked for the year. I've also got my sites set on Blue Hill at Stone Barns in NY, more on that later.)
- Write more. I'm going to start contributing to Want2Dish a hyper-local web site dedicated to all the awesomeness that is Frederick, MD. This is exciting stuff!
- Read more. I've pre-ordered what I'm certain will be an excellent book by Prune chef/owner Gabrielle Hamilton, Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef, which comes out March 1. Because she is bad ass and she has great style in food and writing.
4 comments:
I guess I have a few "food resolutions":
1. Cook! I have always enjoyed cooking but have not gotten involved as much as I would have liked. I'm blessed with a beautiful wife who loves to cook and is an excellent one..time for me to join in and have some fun.
2. Learn to cook and eat healthier again. I need to have food become an integral part in an overall healthy lifestyle (exercise!).
3. Stop eating out as much. While one of my true joys in life, eating out is expensive. It can also be hard to eat healthy when dining out. Since our boys have grown and left the "nest", it's now just Karen and I. It's way too easy to just say "Let's go out". Why not stay at home, cook together, enjoy each others company and have a gourmet meal?
Tough resolutions, but do-able!
In response to your #3 resolution, didn't you say if you went back to "school" it would be to learn how to butcher? Not sure if there is such a thing as "butcher school" or class...guess you'd have to apprentice? In your spare time, of course ! :)
I'm delighted that you found my blog Bruce! It was so terrific meeting you & Karen in class Thursday night. I'm thrilled to hear that she was chopping like a pro on her new cutting board this weekend. I'm very much looking forward to seeing you both again for our Valentine's class.
That said, I'm glad that you're hoping to do more cooking. I'm in the same boat. I LOVE to eat out, but it is pricey. I feel doubly guilty because I am a good cook, but it takes time that I often don't have. I'm working on it though.
I ordered a new book from Amazon tonight all about butchering. Not nearly as good as getting in up to my elbows, but a start nonetheless. I'd love to take a butchering class somewhere and really get my hands in there. Someday... :)
I think learning to butcher would be quite a challenge; so many cuts and parts to learn! Speaking of that, something I'll have to "pick your brain" about on the 12th; proper knife skills for cutting meat/beef !
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