The Journey Begins

03/14/20

I believe every individual on this earth has that one person whom which they look up too. Whether it be a family member or a celebrity you wish you could trade lives with for a day. For many years I wanted to be a rock star, looking up to great guitarists such as Tom Morello, Jerry Cantrell & Jimmy Paige but as time progressed my rockstar dreams started dwindling and I began to chase what at the time seemed like a much more logical goal.

I remembered flipping through the channels on my T.V and always seeing this man who was in a different country with a beer in one hand and eating with the other. I must have passed over his show 100 times before I stopped and actually paid attention to it. In the particular episode I found he was in Syria eating a Tabbouleh with an elderly gentlemen laughing, they both seemed to be having a great time. Immediately I was sucked in. At that point in time, and our country was at war with damn near half of the Middle East and this American guy was sitting amidst the chaos, enjoying some food and a hookah acting like there wasn’t a war going on around him. That man was Anthony Bourdain.

It was his peacefulness and state of mind that gave me a much more positive outlook on my future and the roads ahead of me. I now had a goal, as obscure as it sounded at the time, I wanted to unite the people of the world using one thing and one thing only. Food. I didn’t know how I was going to do so but I was determined, and frankly I didn’t care. I now had my sights set and I wasn’t going to stop until I perfected the orgasm of flavor commonly known as “Umami”.

I had always been intrigued by the art of creating a dish that not only satisfied the customers stomach but all of their senses as well. I remember seeing beautiful dishes and plates on Food Network and while traveling with my family and thinking to myself “But does it taste good”?

It was my goal to achieve that particular sensation in every dish that I created paired with my inward desire to cook as wonderful as the women in my family had before me that drove me to pursue food in every aspect of my life. You can thank the late Mr. Bourdain for that one.

To be Continued…