I’ve played with my food ever since I was a kid.
I remember some of my first experiences in the kitchen growing up: experimenting with food coloring and ingredients to recreate the visual and textural elements of dishes I saw watching Star Trek and other science fiction films on the big screen; focusing on a particular dish and researching various cookbooks at the library, then testing and retesting to come up with the definitive recipe; creating elaborate custom-themed cakes, first for family birthdays and later for sale to friends and acquaintances; and mastering the finer details behind the magic of culinary chemistry, whether I was baking with my mom or grilling with my dad.
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to work with — and learn from — some of the top names in food around the world. I learned how to make gumbo watching over the shoulder of Paul Prudhomme, experienced otherwise ordinary potatoes reimagined by Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez, and watched bread-baking legend Nancy Silverton make focaccia from scratch. I’ve helped Marcus Samuelsson bake biscuits and assisted Fergus Henderson over the stove as he deviled kidneys. I’ve learned how to make tamales from an immigrant who fled the Salvadoran civil war, making it out of the country just in time to save her infant daughter, who now carries on the family tradition each Christmas here in the United States. And I’ve been been fortunate enough to engage with and learn from home cooks around the country, exploring tastes and trends, appreciating how recipes translate from region to region, and engaging with fellow food lovers over family dishes and kitchen tips.
Oh, and yeah, I still like to play with food.