I don’t know why, but in my opinion, the best food when I am traveling generally happens to be the cheapest, and often comes from hole-in-the-wall mom and pop operations. If you are traveling with someone from the area who can point you in the right direction, usually where a lot of locals are crowded together, you can all but guarantee your taste buds will be satisfied by delicious regional specialties. While some people prefer sit down more expensive sit down restaurants from websites like Trip Advisor, the adventurer in me often takes more of a Rick Steves approach to seeking out clean restaurants and stands that are off the beaten path and generally but not always a bit farther from central tourist spots.
After three hours of driving, cramped in middle of the back seat of a pickup truck, my friends and I stopped for almuerzo at a roadside stand. I stumbled out of the back seat, exhausted from the drive and a 6 a.m. wake up and a tad cranky from the lack of coffee when suddenly a strong aroma of mole wafted in my direction. I closed my eyes to take in the smell and my friend who had been driving told me that these were the smallest tamales in all of Mexico… I certainly hope not. The tamales were the size of not one but TWO of my heads.
I ordered a green tamal (whatever that meant I didn’t really know but the color green sounded appealing at the time) and a cup of coffee. When I slowly peeled open the hot banana leaves that held the tamal steam poured out and into my face… a free mini facial. The green turned out to be green chile salsa and chicken and the corn masa was mad out of a local variety of yellow corn. I have had a lot of tamales in my life but this very possibly was one of the best things I have ever eaten. It was moist, the perfect ratio of corn to goopy insides of corn and green salsa. The salsa burned but in the way that real Laoatian food can make you cry and beg for mercy but just enough so your lips turned a brighter shade of red and you could still taste the subtleness flavor of the different ingredients.
Ever since I got home I have begun a hunt for truly amazing, mouth-watering, dream worthy street food. Right now street food seems to be a pretty big trend in the USA, the only problem is it looks like I am going to have to go on a culinary adventure around the country to get a sampling of the best street food has to offer. After extensive browsing I compiled a list entitled…”If this truck were in my town I’d be first in line..”
1. Saucá in Washington DC
I wish they would drive to California sometime…the global cuisine sounds incredible!!
Customers have “10 different sâuçá wraps that alternate on the menu daily, two from each of five geographical-gastronomical regions; (N. America, Latin America, Europe, Mediterranean and Asia. Each day the menu will change to include one of the two globally inspired sâuçás, as well as the Mumbai Butter Chicken, the signature wrap that is offered every day, to make 11 total wraps. Add any one of the 22 different sauces to the wrap for a truly unique – and personalized meal!”- Sauca website
My problem is that looking at the menu I have no clue how I would ever decide what to order. Buffalo chicken, pork Bahn Mi, Mexicali fish taco…The solution? Eat a lot, eat often.
Unfortunately, no tamales but I would definitely be willing to settle for one of the gorgeous carne asada tacos or a baja style fish torta. Calexico gets RAVE reviews on every food site, foodie blog and newspaper clippings.
Korean food with a twist! Try classic curry over rice or sample innovative combinations like Korean BBQ short rib tacos or a hot dog topped with Kimchi.
This is one of the most well-known food trucks in the Bay…well I should say on the UC Berkeley campus at least (next to Cupkates) which means it must be good! My next mission…hunt down the truck and sample the assortment of falafels that LIBA has to offer. I can’t wait!
My favorite pub food classic…fish and chips of course! Im not talking about the frozen fish sticks that come in the shape of sea animals at the grocery store. Gross! That is wrong for so many reasons. If you have only ever tried frozen fillets think again! The traditional street food usually comes served up in newspaper and is best when lightly covered in vinegar and served with an icy cold beer. You can’t go wrong with the classics. At the Frying Scotsman the owner and chef is from Scotland knows what he’s doing. The fish is fresh, lightly fried and salted to perfection!
Plus SeriousEats.com ranks Portland the number 1 food truck city in America for its fresh ingredients and innovative menus. SO if fish and chips for some reason ain’t your thing you’ll have plenty of other options. Check out http://www.foodcartsportland.com/ for more ideas!!
The burgers sound juicy and scrumptious! Plus, you cant go wrong with a street food classic…friend of the hot dog, the burger is an American classic that always “hits the spot.” The truck’s powder puff/barbie pink gives it an old diner/ Hollywood feel (how appropriate ) and makes it hard to miss. Baby’s will be featured in Travel Channel’s Food Wars episode airing on March 16, tune in to see who is crowned with the title of best burger truck in LA county.
8. Sweet Misgivings in Chicago, IL
Sweet treats are amazing but this truck sounds particularly cool because if is a social enterprise bakery and jobs program. “100% of all profits go to help the formerly homeless and HIV/AIDS-affected men, women, and children of Chicago House.” So not only can you satisfy your sweet tooth/afternoon craving with a delicious muffin, cookie but you are also giving back to the Chicago AIDS community. So really that cookie is guilt-free…They also ship for those of us not fortunate to live close enough to the beloved truck/store front.
Maybe I just have grilled cheese on the mind after watching the first two episodes of America’s Next Great Restaurant but this place sounds incredible….Like grilled cheese heaven really.
I’m ready to eat my way around the US. Road trip anyone? Or next best choice hire Big City Chefs for your next street food inspired party. Classy and elegant but fun and hip and oh so delicious. The best part? You don’t have to choose which type of food you want…a Bahn mi, a grilled cheese, burger, fish and chips, sweets or a falafel…you can try it all! I’ll have 3 of each please. Yum.
If you have any thoughts on the food trucks mentioned above or any recommendations of great street food you’ve tried we’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions! We’re always looking for great new places to try.
Big City Chefs recently completed a nationwide private chef promotion with Fox Networks to celebrate the season premiere of its popular cooking show MasterChef, featuring celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. People around the country entered a sweepstakes to win a dinner party for eight guests, prepared especially for them by one of Big City Chefs’ expert network of personal chefs. Lucky winners received exquisitely cooked meals made for them in their own homes.
In Austin, lucky winner Tina received a delectable three-course dinner prepared by Dzintra Dzenis, a finalist on Food Network’s Next Food Network Star show. Among other delicacies, guests enjoyed delicious Lobster and Shrimp ‘Soup en Croute’ and a tasty White Chocolate and Basil Ice Cream ‘Martini’ to top it all off.
In Nashville, lucky winner Teresa received a specially prepared dinner cooked by personal chef JoAanna. Chef JoAnna recounts, “the food was so great, they were asking for seconds!” They topped off the dinner with delectable French crepes.
In Atlanta, lucky winner Katrina received an intricately prepared dinner by personal chef Christina, and in Philadelphia, lucky winner Val received a delicious meal prepared by personal chef Sunny.
Due to the overwhelming success of this sweepstakes promotion, Fox Television will be rolling it in additional markets around the country.
Visit Big City Chefs to book your personal chef for an event just like this!
Big City Chefs will be partnering with Fox Television Network to provide an in-home private chef dinner party experience for lucky winners of a nationwide contest promotion to coincide with the June 6, 2011 Season Two premiere of MasterChef, acompetitive cooking game show co-hosted and co-produced by Gordon Ramsay. Produced by Reveille Productions, it first debuted on July 27, 2010 on the Fox Television Network, following one of Ramsay’s other series, Hell’s Kitchen.
The MasterChef promotion will be offered in key television markets around the country, including Philadelphia, Boston, Austin, Nashville, and Atlanta. Winners will receive a multi-course dinner party prepared in their homes by a private chef from Big City Chefs, the private chef staffing agency featured in two seasons of Food Network’s reality show, “Private Chefs of Beverly Hills.”
People always ask us what goes on behind the scenes at Big City Chefs: For whom are we cooking? What are we making? How do we find and hire chefs? What kinds of fun parties are we doing at the moment? When we have a free minute (which isn’t that often these days!), we like to let you into our world for a little taste.
We’re planning a bunch of parties at the moment, and we have numerous happenings this weekend, but I really love what one of our Chicago clients is doing with Chef Austin, our Alinea-recruit. It’s always a big hit to add a live cooking demonstration to a dinner party, so that guests can interact with, and learn some professional tricks and techniques from a private chef.
Weekend Dinner Party with Chef Austin in Chicago:
“Class With The Chef” Ice Cream Making:
Making The Perfect Sauce
Candying, Crusting, And Cooking With Nuts
Menu Development
Wine Pairing
Dinner Menu:
Fresh Bread & House Churned Butter Sea Salt, Honey, Toasted Black Pepper
Amuse Parmesan & Braised Cabbage
Fine Herb Salad, Olive Oil
First Course White Asparagus Soup
Pickled Ramps, Crispy Garlic
Second Course Celery Leaf & Green Apple Salad
Fresh Spinach, Candied Walnuts, Pecorino
Third Course
Beef Tenderloin
Caramelized Onion, Asparagus & Portabella Risotto, Bacon, Thyme, And Corn Hash, Red Wine Reduction
Love is in the air, fellas, but you don’t have to shack up to have the ride of your life
BY: Meaghan Clark | Tue Feb 1, 2011
Big City Chef getting ready to prepare a delicious meal
Los Angeles
For an unforgettable adventure, you’ll have to wow her the moment you pick her up and there’s no better way to take her breath away than with a helicopter ride to Catalina Island.
Hiking boots, sunscreen and bug repellent might not be the first thing than comes to mind when packing for a romantic getaway, but if you’ve got a lady that’s up for almost anything, you’ll enjoy working up an appetite together. Instead of hitting up one of the island favorites after your hike, have dinner come to you – from one of several superior private chefs based in Los Angeles:
• Big City Chefs: http://bigcitychefs.com/ (if you want the chefs from “Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, you might need to drop a bit more)
• Chef Stuart O’Keeffe (of the show “Private Chefs of Beverly Hills,” with a price tag all his own)
After a sunset ride back to where it all got started, ease into the evening with a night cap from some celebrated Los Angeles lounges:
• Bar One Beer & Wine Parlour http://www.bar1noho.com/blog/
• Library Bar at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/la/hollywood-roosevelt
• Tower Bar http://www.sunsettowerhotel.com/
Paris
For a romantic date that’ll really get her going, it’s got to include the element of surprise, so whipping her off on your private jet for a weekend in Paris features all the right tunes.
You’ve got to laugh on a great date, and finding the dark hidden secrets of a renowned amusement park is a great place to start. In Paris, that’s Jardin d’Acclimatation. Close off the afternoon with a view of the Eiffel Tower and one of the city’s most romantic, and truly Parisian, restaurants:
• L’Astrance
4 Rue Beethoven, Paris
• Taillevent
15 rue Lamennais, 8e, Paris
• Le Grand Vefour
17 rue de Beaujolais, 1er, Paris
New York
Avoid the cliché: few women are impressed these days by a box of chocolates or a dozen roses – whisk her off to New York City for the weekend, and there’s one thing she won’t have packed: a truly glamorous gown. That’s where you come in. Before the exquisite dinner, take your lady to Madison Avenue. Assuming you’ve got The Black Card on hand, the Big Apple offers classics including:
• Chanel
735 Madison Ave; 212-535-5505
• Bergdorf Goodman
5th Avenue at 58th Street; 800-558-1855
• Henri Bendel
712 5th Avenue; 800-HBENDEL
Aside from the shopping and clubbing, dining is this city’s main forte, so take her to one of the most mouth-watering, delectable eateries in the city:
• BLT Market, Ritz-Carlton, Central Park
1430 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10019 (212) 521-6125
• Marea
240 Central Park South, (212) 582-5100
• Upstairs at 21
21 West 52nd Street, (212) 582-7200
London
As the home to James Bond, quick romantic getaways made effortless are London’s specialty. A walk through the park isn’t cliché when you’ve got the queen next door – Garden at Buckingham Palace and St. James Parks are two bets to make a great first impression. But, it’s the London Eye that’ll get her high for you. Rent out a gondola for just two, and include a bottle of champagne in the afternoon fee.
The sight-seeing doesn’t end in London proper as the locals use everyplace from the Thames River to the parks to stare off into each others’ eyes:
• Waterloo Bridge
• Atop Primrose Hill
• Regent’s Park canal
Conclude the evening with the best of the best, a gourmet dining sans Gordon Ramsay:
• Fitzrovia of Crazy Bear Group, 26-28 Whitfield Street, London W1T 2RG 0207 6310088
• Le Pont Del La Tour – Butlers Wharf, 36d Shad Thames, London SE1 2YE
• Edmunds Andrew 46 Lexinton St, London
Tuscany
When in the heart of Italy, there is no better time to indulge in the area’s greatest passion and livelihood – the grape vine. Sip in style with a wine tour from any of the favorite traditional wineries:
• Tua rita
• Tenuta Dell’ Ornellaia
• Valdicava
Pleasing the palate with signature grapes from the famous hillsides is a start to this romantic getaway, after which a balloon ride from local favorite Chianti Ballooning is an essential escape. Come down from the height with a meal that defines simple and refined Tuscan living:
• Arezzo’s Le Chiavi d’Oro
• Florence’s: Cantinetta Antinori
• Lucca’s Ristorante La Mora
At Big City Chefs, we obviously love food, and we love to pamper our clients. It’s why we’re in this crazy private chef business. But what we love more than anything is a client who trusts our chefs to invent a menu that is utterly inspired and combines the chef’s talents, creativity, skill, and vision with the client’s personal tastes. Giving free creative reign to a chef is like handing a blank canvas and a paintbrush to Picasso.
Recently, Chef Brian York, one of our Southern California private chefs who serves our clients in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and beyond, created a dinner party menu that may become the standard for one of — dare I say this? — the most memorable and perfect menus of all time. Yes, I may sound a bit dramatic (because I am), and maybe I’m just personally partial to these particular combinations of flavors, textures, and ingredients. Because let me tell ya, this is SO my kind of menu. I cannot leave this Earth until I’ve tasted all of these dishes (do you hear me, Chef Brian?) Getting all excited about what our chefs do is one of the most rewarding aspects of running Big City Chefs, and sometimes, I get so giddy that I want to tell everyone about it. Still, in this case, I don’t think it’s just me. Based on the client’s raves, every person at that table was completely blown away too:
“We recently hired Chef Brian for a diner party I hosted in Palm Springs for my wife’s 40th birthday. To say that Chef Brian exceeded our expectations is a complete understatement. His attention to detail, relaxed and engaging personality, and culinary excellence all contributed to a very memorable evening. And FOOD….yes the FOOD…….amazing, or as Brian refers, “pretty straight forward.” It was anything but straight forward. I knew we were in for a treat when Brian showed up at 11am to prepare for a 7pm dinner. Thank you for a incredible evening.” – Calvin C.
So what was this amazing five-star-restaurant-worthy menu? Here ya go!
A PALM SPRINGS WEEKEND DINNER PARTY MENU
by Chef Brian York of Big City Chefs
-Foie Gras Parfait with Sage Butter and Savory Chocolate Toast
-Summer Truffle Risotto with Rosemary and White Balsamic Reduction
-Chilled and Charred Corn Bisque with Poached Pear and Goat Cheese Cream
-Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Spanish Olive Oil Poached Parsnips,
and Caramelized Cippolini Onions
-Seared Halibut with Roasted Garlic Turnip Puree and Micro Greens,
Dressed with Pomegranate Beurre Blance
-Pavlova with Soft Frozen Egg Yolk Center, Goat Cheese, and Blackberry Cream Reduction
And for those of you who, like us, are sensitive to working foie gras, please remember that we’re only human and occasionally must indulge.
Many thanks to Chef Brian York, who in my opinion is the perfect private chef for your next Southern California dinner party!
My mother is not a professional chef, but she mastered several Chinese specialties at a young age and continues to wow at family get-togethers and potlucks. And while it saddens her that I’m not as adept as she is in the kitchen, I appease her (and perhaps my own guilty conscience) by saying it is because of her that I love food and writing about food. Family, and mothers in particular, have inspired many a generation to continue culinary family traditions, and some of our private chefs at Big City Chefs are no exception. Three of our Los Angeles area private chefs and co-stars of Food Network’s hit reality series about Big City Chefs, Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, share how their mothers not only ignited their passion for food, but inspired many a successful chef’s career as well!
Chef Stuart
Chef Stuart O’Keeffe reminisces about life as a young boy in Irleand, when he helped his mom and aunt cook in the kitchen.
“They are the two who influenced me to start cooking,” he says. “I have always had a love for good food, and I got this from my mom.” Chef Stuart’s insistence on quality can also be attributed to his mother, who, regardless of how little or how much money she
had, always bought the best quality ingredients. “Mom believed that putting good quality food in your body would keep you fit and healthy,” Chef Stuart says. “I followed in her footsteps today by cooking whole foods and by buying foods in their most raw form.” Learn more about Chef Stuart’s culinary passions at his personal blog. He is also available for bookings by contacting us.
Chef Jesse
“I love you Ma!” shouts Private Chef Jesse Brune, another of our expert private chefs in the Los Angeles area and co-star of Private Chefs of Beverly Hills. A fiercely “independent woman,” mom Tina Brune inspired him to become a chef.
“It’s a no brainer,” says Chef Jesse. “My mom was a southern gal who made the meanest fried chicken in the world.”Herlove for cooking and preparation of
“countless family meals (which often included a hungry childhood friend or two),” inspired Jesse to “leap into culinary school” and continue the tradition of cooking for family and friends.
Chef Manouschka
For Chef Manouschka, a Haitian grandmother and mother made a powerful pair, inspiring her to cook and learn the basics. It was also these two women’s limitless hospitality and generosity that inspired Manouschka to take her love for food one step further and pursue a culinary career. No matter what time of the day or who you were, whether you were the mail carrier, a family member or a long lost friend, Grandma Olga, despite her limited English, always knew how to ask, “Do you want something to eat?” and according to Chef Manouschka, that was all it took for people to fall in love with her. “When anyone stepped into her home,” Chef Manouschka recalls, “it was like magic: within minutes, you would have something fantastic to eat.” Realizing she was spoiled, she now laughs that at the time, “Ithought this was normal!”
Mom Jacqueline did the same, and it was only natural for Chef Manouschka to continue the tradition, even after moving from Miami to LA. “My friends were blown away!” Anytime someone came over, Chef Manouschka would remember her grandmother’s words and provide a delicious meal. Carrying her mother’s and grandmother’s torch of hospitality made her transition to Los Angeles an easy one.
Her new friends joked that Manouschka should become a chef but she laughed it off. To make ends meet however, she began a “tiny” catering business but still refused to call herself a ‘chef.’ “Cooking was my therapy,” Manouschka says, “and like my grandmother and mother, I stubbornly called myself a ‘cook.’” It seems, however, that Chef Manouschka’s grandmother had a secret that she carried to the grave. This month will mark the three-year anniversary of Grandma Olga’s passing, but at her funeral, it was revealed that she had, in fact, attended a prestigious French culinary school in her hometown, making her a bona fide accredited chef! Learning this, Chef Manouschka could only accept her very delicious fate: “My foray into becoming a chef was the legacy she left me, and I am now proud to call myself a chef,” says Manouschka, “but I’m even more proud that my grandmother’s legacy can continue! With that, I’d like to thank Tom and Big City Chefs for believing in me!”
Thanks to our Big City Chefs for sharing their wonderful stories with us! Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Big City Chefs!
I can easily churn out the names of authors and books I read growing up, from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, all of which nurtured the aspiring writer in me. You don’t wake up one morning and shout “I’m going to be a writer/designer/chef!” without having seen what it is these people do and create. The path to becoming anything begins with opening your eyes and enjoying the works of those already established in their fields. For me, it was reading the books of my favorite authors and then taking the first step to write in my journal the thoughts their works inspired in me. For many chefs, it might very well have been the dishes their mothers or grandmother’s prepared – and that’s a post for another day. For some of Big City Chefs’ private chefs, however, family had little to do with in terms of culinary inspiration. More specifically, in Chef Sasha’s case, it was the dishes that her parents weren’t preparing:
“My cooking career began purely as a survival instinct,” says Private Chef Sasha Perl-Raver of Big City Chefs and co-star of that agency’s Food Network’s series, Private Chefs of Beverly Hills. “It’s not that my parents aren’t good cooks, it’s just that they’re not really cooks, period.”
Chef Sasha admits that while her mother has “one great dish,” a “bangin’ roast chicken and vegetables” which she served every Friday for Shabbat dinner, her mother’s patience for the culinary arts ended there. Her father, on the other hand, “tries his mighty best when it comes to matters of the kitchen, but everything he makes involves either pickle juice or Dijon mustard- usually both.” I cringe when I hear her father’s creative concoctions: “Eggs with pickle juice and mustard; salad dressing with pickle juice and mustard; oatmeal with pickle juice and mustard…Okay, maybe not oatmeal, but just about anything else.” No wonder a young Chef Sasha took charge. “From a young age, I saw that somebody had to save mealtime from pickle juice tyranny and I was that person.”
A tall order for a small child, but Chef Sasha met the challenge with gusto! She had a “bizarre preoccupation with food” from a young age, and even now she’s not entirely sure whether the fixation developed out of necessity or was a gift. “I recently found a writing assignment from the first grade,” says Chef Sasha, recalling a fill-in-the-blank exercise that began: Bring me…
And what did Chef Sasha fill in the blank with? “FOOD!” of course!
As far back as she can remember, Chef Sasha “read cookbooks the way other little kids read comic books.” She grew up on a steady diet of Julia Child and Martin Yan, learning from these master cooks with the same ferocity as other kids watched Jem and She-Ra. At seven she was making pizza from scratch, “from dough to sauce,” and by sixteen she declared to anyone who would listen that “cheffing” was her profession. Here, Chef Sasha pauses and reflects, acknowledging that while many factors influenced her to become a chef, the greatest inspiration of all was the food.
“Food has been my inspiration from the time I could eat,” she says, “and when I realized it was possible to make money from my obsession, I dove in headfirst.” Now, Chef Sasha is a successful Big City Chefs Private Chef who has cooked for clients from Beverly Hills to Malibu to Los Angeles.
While her parents find it ironic that their culinary shortcomings led to a professional chef in the family, Chef Sasha thanks them. “I have to admit though,” she says, “after a decade and a half as a chef, one thing I’ve realized is my dad was onto something: pickle juice, when used in the right ways, can be a stellar secret weapon!
Recently, a friend ask me to list my favorite foods and I rattled off, without thinking, a list of breakfast foods: waffles, pancakes, French toast, steel-cut slow-cooked oatmeal. She raised her eyebrows and concluded, “So breakfast is your favorite meal of the day.” I thought about this and then corrected her, “No, brunch is.”
Breakfast for me, occurs before ten A.M.; anything later classifies as “brunch,” and this is when my need for something savory kicks in. On a normal weekday, I wake up around eight, and have, by nine A.M., breakfasted on a steaming bowl of oatmeal cooked with banana and topped with chopped nuts. This is breakfast. No need for something salty, just slightly sweetened hearty oatmeal and a nice cup of coffee. It is wonderful, necessary, and routine – but in no way does it compare to the riches of a decadent weekend brunch. Brunch normally occurs after nine A.M. and is best eaten in the company of good friends. It is a different affair entirely. I normally still opt for a sweet grain-based dish but am compelled to finagle a friend into ordering something savory.
“We’ll share,” I’ll say, pointing out which omelet sounds good. “That way, we can have both salty and sweet.”
It’s not so much an obsession with balance as it is the very human obsession of wanting it all. And I know I’m not the only one, which explains the popularity of and my personal fixation with the penultimate sweet and salty brunch combination: Chicken and Waffles. Much like Food Network’s popular program, “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” this is my personal food fixation.
I was in high school when I first ate Chicken and Waffles at Roscoe’s in Long Beach, the branch supposedly frequented by Snoop Dogg. I had just gotten my driver’s license and with my friends, all budding foodies, decided to drive down to Long Beach to see what all the fuss was about. It was like love at first sight, followed by love at first bite, and right then and there a life long hunt for chicken and waffles began. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to eat the two together: I love fried chicken (as does my father – this sort of taste is inherited, I believe, though my mother despises the stuff) and I love waffles, but food innovation is not my specialty, which is why I’m sitting here writing about food rather than inventing recipes with staying power. And Chicken and Waffles does have staying power. If, like me, you’re wondering about the history of chicken and waffles, let me direct you to this informative article. The article does not clear up the origin of this heavenly combo as much as it provides hypotheses proving that some great culinary ideas are a combination of histories: attempting to pin them to one single source would be missing the point. This is, I think, the essence of chicken and waffles: to enjoy the savory-sweet dish in front of you without thinking about its roots.
This weekend, I took my hunt to 900 Grayson, a small brunch place in Berkeley, CA that serves a fantastic Chicken and Waffles dish with a fantastic appellation: “Demon Lover.” This dish contains Spicy Buttermilk Fried Fulton Valley Chicken Paillard, a Buttermilk Waffle and Old-Fashioned Cream Gravy or Vermont Maple Syrup. And truly, who can resist?
The sweet Demon Lover (with syrup):
The salty Demon Lover (with gravy):
The Demon Lover Up Close:
900 Grayson Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
P: (510) 704-9900
Having just returned from the organic market the other day, I was struggling to fit all my purchases into my already full cupboards when my cousin walked in.
“You’re turning into your parents,” she said, warily eyeing the crowded rows. I looked up, my hands still inside the bottom shelf, which was much deeper than I thought. Jars of pasta sauce competed with bags of rice and other grains. Asian stir-fry sauces crowded around boxes of baking mix (when did I buy that bag of scone mix?) and a bag of yams, which I was glad to rediscover before they spoiled. Some things were on the verge of expiration, others long expired, some were unopened and still good, but would probably be there a year later because I have no idea why I bought them in the first place (I don’t even drink soymilk and yet there they were, five cartons in a row, sad soldiers who had lost to milk). My cousin was right – I was turning into my parents, who believe that starvation is imminent if their cupboard doors can fully close. They buy things in bulk only to come home and discover they still have a bulk of what they just purchased. I shuddered. This was definitely not the cupboards of an organized food-lover, as I envision myself to be.
Like a woman who wastes precious time deciding what to wear each morning because her closet is in disarray, a cook can lose valuable prep time if her pantry is chaotic. And while I don’t know anyone who takes Spring Cleaning seriously (if you do, introduce them to me), I love the idea of giving one’s pantry an organizational makeover. What better way to start the season of rebirth than to toss out old, expired items and begin anew with a freshly stocked pantry?
There are a variety of ways to go about this from simple changes to a drastic overhaul. Brian York, one of our Southern California private chefs who depends on both a well-organized kitchen pantry and a portable pantry to pull off gourmet dinner parties for clients, offers some excellent suggestions. “Regardless of your pantry size and the amount of time and money you plan on investing, the very first step is to get rid of old items,” he says. It’ll be hard at first, but compost and recycle what you can – they just take up valuable space! Everyone’s pantry has different essentials depending on your favorite cuisines and dietary habits, but realsimple.com has an excellent Pantry Organizing Checklist that should be a good general starting point. Next, invest in some space organizers and containers, choosing the right materials for different food items. Big City Chefs CEO Tom Stieber suggests checking out Amazon.com, Walmart, Target or The Container Store for deals on clear plastic and glass containers, all essential for accessibility and convenience. For inspiration from other organized foodies, check out our own private chefs’ favorite storage soultions, A Prudent Homemaker for an exhaustive list of pantry essentials (though refrain from going out to buy them all!), Tanna Clark’s article in Complete Organizing Solutions for those looking to take their pantries to the next aesthetic level.
The fun part is stocking your pantry to your own tastes. I always have whole rolled oats, brown rice, organic raisins, canned black, kidney, and garbanzo beans, lentils, split peas, and sardines in my pantry, but it’s always interesting to see what other people can’t live without. Now that I’ve cleared out unnecessary items, there’s plenty of empty space, which I feel compelled to fill. But I won’t – not for a while at least. A well-stocked, organized pantry does not mean an overstuffed pantry – so I’m going to enjoy being able to find everything as soon as I need it for as long as it lasts. Maybe I’ll be hosting a dinner party of my own soon. Happy Spring Pantry Cleaning!
) and makes it hard to miss. Baby’s will be featured in Travel Channel’s Food Wars episode airing on March 16, tune in to see who is crowned with the title of best burger truck in LA county.
