It was going to be a big leap - until then I had only ever worked under someone as sous chef extraordinaire, dutifully following direction, maintaining the chef's vision and fielding questions from the rest of the cooks. And then, two years ago, I had the opportunity, thanks to the faith of Devon & Nathan Yanko, to lead my own kitchen. I am so happy I took that leap.
Read morecamp CHEFY
And then one day it became clear - pasta is the ultimate camp food. I was 18 and living in Florence for the summer while taking a film making program through NYU. At that moment however school was a distant thought as I struggled to fit in among the shaggy, bohemian young Italians camped riverside at a music festival outside of town. When they weren't smoking hash the cool kids were getting busy with huge pots of water, boiling and straining pasta. My American mind was reeling - pasta and camping? I was used to hot dogs, canned beans, maybe a quesadilla. That day the world shifted a little bit. Pasta stepped into the great outdoors.
Read moreain't no party like a taco party
There is a journey to my over-involved and somewhat obsessive thought process in the dinner menu planning department: what starts on the foggy coast of Brittany, travels over the Moroccan desert, and dives through every wormhole in my brain, invariably leads me to tacos. It is an undisputed fact that I have never encountered a human who did not like tacos. Therefore, as the host, I'm pretty much setting myself up for total success by throwing a big, fat taco party.
Read morepea party
I need not sing to you the praises of the pea. Even frozen and trapped in little white bags from the freezer section they are damn good. But fresh peas are magic. They are also rare, fleeting, and require a good deal of labor to get the goods out. It's best to start the shucking when there is at least one person sitting around your living room, reading a book, sipping a cocktail or picking their fingernails. Dump the pods out on the counter, moan a little, and see what they do. Nine out of ten jump in and rock it out with you. So buy a bag and get into it.
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