There were many afternoons after rolling out the pasta for that evening's service when I felt like the worst cook in the world. I couldn't get it. It was too dry, too wet, it ripped when I was in the final roll, you name it, I messed it up. I was so scarred that I didn't make a single attempt at fresh pasta for two years. Thankfully I discovered whole egg pasta dough and the world opened up again. The best part about doing whole egg pasta dough (as opposed to just using the yolks), is it is forgiving. Mixing, kneading, and rolling are all infinitely easier when compared to the finicky yolk/00 pasta dough David had me doing at Mill Valley Beerworks.
Read moreall about these nuts
My recent glut of free time (which is what happens when you leave a restaurant position) has left me with a lot of cooking fire and nowhere to put it. So I've turned all Susie Homemaker and started making everything from scratch at the house. Things I did at the restaurant - pasta, nut butter, jam - but never did at home because it was too daunting a task after a day of service. It it all fair game now; once you are used to prepping for 10 hours straight five days a week, a four hour project at home seems like fun. Which is when I figured out why being a home chef, while very relaxing and personal, can at times be harder than being a restaurant chef - you have to wash your own dishes! Man I took Pedro, Jorge and Ronnie for granted. No, I didn't. Those guys rock and have the most important job in the whole place.
Read morethe notorious A.S.G
We spent an inspiring long weekend in Yosemite, which left our necks sore from all the craning at the high granite walls and our minds re-inspired. The kind of inspiration where favorite rap songs jump into your head and you think, yeah, I could have my own empire just like Biggie. Or maybe just my own blog. So here goes.