A substance that flavors affecting the sense of taste and overall enjoyment.
I grew up outside of Chicago and I definitely took great food for granted. In my early twenties I moved out west to the mountains to bump around and explore, eventually making a small Colorado town my home. While the outdoor lifestyle there and surrounding landscape was absolutely fantastic, the food scene was not. Don’t get me wrong there were some great options. However the lack of fresh ingredients and diversity, not to mention a hefty price point, was very much disappointing.
I knew I had to adapt and come up with a plan. It turned out I needed to cook for myself.
Shit. I had literally only a handful of things I knew how to cook and no idea where to begin. The interwebs was definitely not what it is today so the only thing I could think of was to pick up a cookbook at the bookstore (yes an actual book at an actual bookstore) and start making things. Needless to say it was a slow process as my knowledge of cooking technique was what little I had seen working in restaurants and watching on the Food Network. As I cooked, some things came out decent and well, some caught fire or were just completely devoid of flavor.
Making it work
It turned out to be a long winding road of learning through a variety of outlets. Leaving no stone unturned I gobbled up information from everywhere I could. Developing my knowledge of cooking technique from chefs I worked with to those I watched on youtube. When I moved to a different town so did my interest in different food cultures and preparations. I spent countless hours searching for ingredients in Asian markets not ever really knowing what the hell “salted fermented shrimp” was, let alone how to read it in Korean.
As my consistency grew so did my confidence (and grasp of the market). I kept at it and wouldn’t you know it after much trial and error I slowly developed a repertoire and actually got better at it. I soon found my off days revolved around not only what I was cooking for dinner but who I was cooking dinner for. What was born out of necessity had turned into a full on obsession. I couldn’t stop. My friends were starting to ask for my advice because my cooking was starting to shine.
Spreading the love
Because of this I have realized that I have something to share and as a direct result this website was born. Here we will highlight cookbooks that inspire, recipes I have developed myself, and strategies that will elevate your game. Above all I have no idea everything it will encompass or which direction this will take us but I do know that we will enjoy delicious things along the way.
Crack open a beer and let’s add some flavor packets to your dishes and make them sing.