Introduction

I was raised in Alabama by a mother who—to put it lightly—is an avid “restaurant attendee.” She keeps a full size file cabinet where she files away all her restaurant articles in order by state. Then when she and my father take road trips, she pulls out all the files for the states they will be traveling through and the itinerary is determined based on what restaurants are along the way. My mother’s way of reminding me of childhood family trips is saying, “Oh, you know, the trip when you were 10 years old and we stopped at that cute little restaurant in Biloxi where you had the trout almandine, your father had the gumbo—which I didn’t think had enough seafood, and I ordered the jumbo shrimp that were as big as my fist?”

Having grown up in this environment, I developed a great appreciation for food. However, only in my adult years have I begun to actually try cooking myself. I moved to New York City out of college, and as many of you may know, the kitchens here leave much to be desired. Later I spent a year's hiatus in London where for the first time I had a real kitchen to work with. It was here that I began experimenting. Upon my return to New York, I became obsessed with cooking shows, and I must say that this obsession has taught me a lot about cooking!

For me this blog is a venue to share what I have learned along the way. It is also a venue for me to learn more as I explore the food world and share this exploration with you.

Enjoy!