No Cream Here

I love heavy cream and in my culinary ventures I have found that it can NEVER negatively affect a dish.  From pasta to pastry cream to coffee...cream is always good.  Now, the bad side- it's like 40% fat.  I love it in all sauces, especially on pasta so I was enticed to see that Gourmet had a recipe for a pasta dish that was covered in a thick white sauce absent the cream.   For the base, they call for blanched almonds, garlic, and water pureed together into a paste.  yes, it sounds very unusual, but the recipe did not disappoint; it was great and there was no pungent almond flavor that could be odd.  I must say, that we did not have all of the fresh herbs it called for so I added some red pepper flakes and garlic pepper spice blend to kick it up, but when herbs are plentiful I'm loading it up.  

PASTA IN GARLIC-ALMOND SAUCE

SERVES6 (MAIN COURSE) OR 8 (SIDE DISH)

• ACTIVE TIME:20 MIN
 
• START TO FINISH:20 MIN

• 3/4 cup whole blanched almonds (4 oz)
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 lb cavatappi or other small tubular pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virigin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 (10-oz) package frozen peas
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus additional for serving
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup basil leaves (torn if large), divided
• 1/3 cup mint leaves (torn if large), divided
• 1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds (2 oz)

• Purée blanched almonds and garlic with water and 1/4 tsp salt in a blender until smooth.
• Cook cavatappi in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 Tbsp salt for 6 qt water) until almost al dente. Reserve 3 cups pasta-cooking water and drain pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably straight-sided) over medium heat until foam subsides. Add almond purée and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups reserved cooking water, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in remaining 2 Tbsp butter until melted. Add pasta and peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente (sauce will be thin), 2 to 3 minutes. Add cheese and lemon juice and stir until combined well. Remove from heat and stir in half of basil and mint and salt and pepper to taste. Serve pasta in bowls topped with chopped almonds, remaining herbs, and additional cheese.

This sad, sad food system

Food recalls have become an everyday occurrence as they slide across the bottom of CNN. In a study conducted by Rutgers University, only 60% of people search their home for recalled items though.

"Getting consumers to pay attention to news about recalls isn't the hard part. It's getting them to take the step of actually looking for recalled food products in their homes," said William Hallman, a professor of human ecology who led the study.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 76 million people become ill from food each year with 325,000 of them going to the hospital and 5,000 dying. These numbers are truly ridiculous and absolutely preventable. This country's food policy has got to be overhauled.



Know how I keep myself safe? I grow my own:

-spinach that is not poisoned by an exploited immigrant worker who did not wash their hands after taking a dump

-tomatoes that don't grow in dirt that is lathered with sewage sludge(yes, what you flush), which industrial farms call compost

-strawberries next to my house, not next to a CAFO(concentrated animal feeding operation) where huge vats of feces poison the water.

Come on America, let's do something about people dying from eating! It's just too damn enjoyable to be deadly...

Ohhhhhh honey, honey...

I love to make oatmeal for breakfast, specifically on Saturdays for some reason. Oatmeal, is of course a blank canvas for whatever I want it to be. Keeping seasonality and prices in mind, I do an apples and cinnamon, blueberries and vanilla, peaches and lemon mint. These ingredients as well as a sweetener.


Although I always just used plain table sugar, I have since transitioned to more nutritious alternatives. Honey, made by our disappearing friends, the honey bees, is an excellent option and my favorite. Although I put it in everything from PB & Js to cookie dough, it goes very well with the simplicity of oatmeal. Not to mention the different options- wildflower to clover to lavender, all of which cannot be written in stone (you try following a bee around and making sure it only goes to lavender flowers). Even more appealing, though is the fact that honey contains micro nutrients and minerals that aren't present in processed table sugar. As does turbinado sugar, which I learned about in bio; it too is not processed totally, giving it a brown color and all those awesome nutrients.

FYI: The Obamas even included some hives in their organic garden- the white house carpenter has to take care of them

Mutiny echoing in the halls of the "World's Premiere Culinary School"

I don't like to get political, but when people politicize the food world, I jump in ready to fight.

At the JBH I met a lady who graduated CIA with Sara Moulton back in the 70's. She was talking about a rumor she heard that the CIA is really pissed about their President, Tim Ryan. Sure enough, it's true:
See the full story @ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/dining/07culinary.html

Last spring (2008) the faculty at the CIA voted "no confidence" in Tim Ryan as president and stated that he has mismanaged the school and cultivated "a prevailing climate of oppression at the Culinary Institute of America." Faculty were quoted as saying that they "live in fear of retaliation," if they disagree with Tim Ryan or his cabinet.
For months, some teachers have been expressing their frustrations to students, who had their own complaints about crowded housing, the quality of classes and food. Tuition, supplies and fees total about $25,840 a year, and some say they are not getting their money’s worth.

Faculty members said they wanted different performance evaluations and a greater degree of self-governance. They also said that students are being accepted who don’t have a reasonable chance to succeed in the culinary program. The minimum grade-point average for a student to move from sophomore to junior year has been lowered to a 2.0 from a 3.0.

Many of the students have also been speaking out starting Facebook groups and hanging "Fire Tim Ryan" signs in the dorms. And when the student paper tried to write about the complaints, the President would not allow it. He said the censorship was to keep the students safe from the conflict. The editor resigned in protest and the articles were later allowed to be published.

A lot of students had criticisms of the events. Patrick Dunlea(student gov't president), though, a kid I started with, but who graduated a block (3 weeks) behind me copped out just like how he was voted off the first episode of Top Chef on Bravo last season. Making it obvious he was not taking sides, he said, "It comes down to the fact that everyone is here for a passion, and the kitchen is a very intimate environment." PLEASE- Kids can get in the BA program (which he is in) with a 2.0???!!! Dude, that only makes your degree as reputable as a piece of toilet tissue.

I am on the side of Chef Turgeon (head of teacher's union and great chef) here. Something must be done, and it should start with President Ryan stepping down.

How 'bout them apples?

The other night I was talking to a lot of other students about what I want to do- explaining everything involved with this blog, sustainable agriculture, the slow food movement, organic, etc. One of the girls says (paraphrase), "my roommate is all into organic; everything has to be organic for her. She was so excited when I got organic apples." So of course I ask, oh you bought them recently? Yes, she says. WHAT! That defeats the whole purpose; apples aren't in season for more than 6 months! Does it matter if they're organic if the apples are from friggin' Chile????

I truly do not understand people like this. I guess organic does lack the chemicals though (even though regulations in other countries are as trustworthy as Bernie Madoff). But, I really don't see the point of being all organic without being all local and all seasonal. This trifecta is a puzzle- without one piece there is no meaningful picture. It's spring people--still time to scope out local apple orchards near you!!!!

I do love apples. At the moment, I have my eye on berries and stone fruits, but apple season is always worth looking forward to. Up at school we would go apple picking in Rhinebeck and it was awesome. They would give you one of those tools even and it was all up to you. Definitely some great and delicious times. We would have apples in our dorms for weeks.

Apples originated in Asia Minor, but spread to Europe during prehistoric times where they grew wild. There are an estimated 15,000 varieties (half American) and are generally divided into 3 categories- cider apples (cider), crab apples (gelling), and dessert apples (dessert). They grow pretty much everywhere and they are the most widely cultivated fruit trees in the world.

With such demand, comes an incredible sacrifice as discussed in Pollan's In Defense of Food: Because industrial agriculture has bred plants to produce Quantity, not Quality, apples have suffered greatly. Today, the average apple contains a third of the nutrients of an apple from the 1940's. In other words, you have what can certainly be considered nutritional inflation; so, now, thanks to savvy science we have to eat 3 apples to get the same nutritional intake as some 65 years ago.

So I guess, 3 apples a day keeps the doctor away?

See, I told you it was a real course of study.

At that pivotal moment in life when you have to decide what do facing the pressures of finances, relationships, and personal happiness, I just eat. But seriously, I have been googling every job title I would like to do or I wish existed. Wanting to eventually go back to school, I stumbled upon this silver lining amidst a bunch of dark grey clouds. The Washington Post, a major publication mind you, ran a story last August about the new rise of food within academia. That's right, I told you all gastronomy was a real thing to major in.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/19/AR2008081900599_pf.html

Some of the schools starting programs- UNH, Yale, UC Davis, and UC Santa Cruz. While NYU and Boston University have had programs for years.
A lot of other schools are offering classes incorporating food, an even brighter sign. Food - we all do it and most of us enjoy it, and we actually need it to survive- so shouldn't we learn about it?

um, that's MY bread

I went on a cruise a few weeks ago; quite the gastronomic experience. Anyway, on the boat, you have to go to dinner with other guests and it's set up to be formal. The food was surprisingly good, but I have to clear some etiquette up.

Everyone loves to get overwhelmed at the 8-12 pieces of silverware at their setting and usually it's a great ice breaker-"Oh my, I guess you just work your way in right?" or " I hope they have a dishwasher." Seriously though, you do work your way in. Generally speaking your appetizer/soup/salad utensils will also be smaller than the entree ones. And remember, after each course you let them go...this isn't Applebee's, you have plenty more. If you do not use the utensil (ie. you got a salad, so no soup spoon use) you do not have to put it on the plate at conclusion, but the server will take it away. The dessert and coffee/tea stuff should be on top of your plate-keep it there, they'll move it down when it's time.

Because the settings are overloaded with all kinds of glasses, utensils, and plates it can also be confusing determining what's yours. My mom being the biggest perpetrator, thankfully I was on her right so she only took my bread plate. It's difficult to remember which bread plate is whose and which glass is yours, so:

First of all, put your two hands out in front of you, or under table, and with hands open & palms facing each other, touch each index finger to the thumb of the same hand. The left hand forms a b and the right a d-fittingly because the bread plate is on the left and your drink on the right. Boom, now you are set for executive luncheons, weddings, and impressing that pompous member of your group of friends.

Now, class, time for definitions

this posting is dedicated to a request-

1. Gastronomy- the study of the relationship between culture and food. It is often thought erroneously that the term gastronomy refers exclusively to the art of cooking (see Culinary Arts), but this is only a small part of this discipline; it cannot always be said that a cook is also a gourmet. Gastronomy studies various cultural components with food as its central axis. Thus it is related to the Fine Arts and Social Sciences, and even to the Natural Sciences in terms of the digestive system of the human body.

2. Foodie- is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook. Typical foodie interests and activities include the food industry, wineries and wine tasting, food science, following restaurant openings and closings, food distribution, food fads, health and nutrition, and restaurant management.

3. Heirloom [plant] - a cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern large-scale agriculture. Many heirloom vegetables have kept their traits through open pollination, while fruit varieties such as apples have been propagated over the centuries through grafts and cuttings. The trend of growing heirloom plants in gardens has been growing in popularity in the United States and Europe over the last decade.

red, red wine you make me feel so fine

I took a wine course at CIA and haven't looked back. A lot of people my age think it's nasty and wonder why I can take it so seriously. I thoroughly enjoy wine though, and anyone who even took the least bit of interest in understanding the wine and food dynamic agrees.

A heavy red is my general preference. But, in the warm months I tend to stick to whites and lighter bodied reds if I'm doing up some grilled meat. I resent the simpletons that consider anyone who asks about wine a wine snob; if you're one of those people that discusses McShit the same way, are you a fast food snob??

I'm a huge fan of the Wine Spectator as a guide. Their daily picks under $15 has helped in finding some great wines on a stricter than usual college budget, hence the dog named Rhone as in- CHÂTEAU ST.-ROCH Côtes du Rhône 2005 (87 points, $12) Juicy, with a nice tangy streak of raspberry and spice flavors backed by a briary edge on the tasty finish. Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. Drink now. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 12,000 cases made. (Nov 10th)

And although I am pretty much skeptical about diet fads and nutrition discoveries researched by institutions funded by the same benefiting party, I believe red wine is a friggin' healthy elixir. In the words of the National Cancer Institute:

-Research on the antioxidants found in red wine has shown that they may help inhibit the development of certain cancers.
-Resveratrol has been shown to reduce tumor incidence in animals by affecting one or more stages of cancer development. It has been shown to inhibit growth of many types of cancer cells in culture.
-Recent evidence from animal studies suggests this anti-inflammatory compound may be an effective chemo preventive agent in three stages of the cancer process: initiation, promotion and progression.

I mean, the French paradox alone tells us we should drink more of the red, red wine.

Well, thank you Mr. Kapon.

One of the reasons for the dinner at the JBH was the generous donation by Professor Kapon(right) to FDU. He donated his wine library consisting of more than 2,000 wine books and magazines.

A SINCERE THANKS

Professor Kapon started the wine program at Fairleigh Dickinson's International School of Hospitality Management in 1997 and teaches the 15 week credit course at the Teaneck, New Jersey campus. In 2005 he became the instructor for the wine program at the new Hudson County Community College Culinary Arts center in downtown Jersey City which is affiliated with FDU.

There was prosecco, a sauvignon blanc from Cali, an italian merlot, and a couple other whites. I, of course, didn't stray far from the prosecco and red.

Funny Story--

It's obviously a brownstone, so not ideal for entertaining with large amounts of people, but the bathroom is right in the main room just in the middle of the wall. So, after my usual 18 or so glasses of wine I went to use the bathroom. It's real small and when you walk in there is just mirrors in front of you and immediately to the right. Being in what I will call a necessary buzz, I thought I walked into a closet and did not even see the actual bathroom space to the left. I guess the angle of the light and the mirrors made the all white bathroom look like another mirror. I actually laughed at myself for 20 minutes. Me, at the James Beard House stuck in the mirrored closet, ha! If you don't laugh, that's ok bc when I told my sister she actually pissed herself.

4 words- JAMES BEARD HOUSE

Last night I had the opportunity of a lifetime to attend an event at the famed James Beard House.

Quick synopsis:

James Beard is the central figure in the story of the establishment of a "gourmet" American food identity. He was an eccentric personality who brought French cooking to the American middle and upper classes in the 1950s. Many consider him the father of American-style "gourmet" cooking. His legacy lives on in twenty books, numerous writings, his own foundation, and his foundation's annual Beard awards in various culinary genres.

He lived from 1903-1985 and was on par with Julia Child, his good friend. The House is actually his brownstone in Greenwich Village where he lived, which is now used for all kinds of events and such.

Anyway, the food-amazing. Hors d'oeuvres consisted of pastrami cured salmon, sushi of all kind, mini veal burgers with onion confit on sourdough rolls, mini crabcakes (like the size of a marble), and a table filled with all the cheeses, fruits, and crackers you could imagine. Entrees were in-house-made* pastas and steak served over a bagette (all cocktail dinner style).

Oh, and did I mention the free wines...

*CIA, menu development class, the prof: "If any of you put home-made anything I will fail you. This is a restaurant , NOT a home." A restaurant should refer to their food items made from scratch as this.

Dear Corporations,...they're watching

When organic milk started to become cheap, frozen tater tots were labeled organic, and Wal-Mart came out with an organic line, I figured something was up. So, I went to the information superhighway and found someone to translate it all @ http://www.cornucopia.org/

The Cornucopia Institute is a non profit that keeps BIG-Organic in check. Yes, the corporations with the unwavering support of the gov't will even hijack the purest of all things...organic food.

Their Mission:
"Seeking economic justice for the family-scale farming community. Through research, advocacy, and economic development our goal is to empower farmers - partnered with consumers - in support of ecologically produced local, organic and authentic food."

Anyway, you can find all the latest on new organic food guidelines, laws, and f***- ups by companies taking advantage of the premium paid for the word organic. For instance, their Organic Dairy Report & Scorecard is an awesome resource. ------check it out

java java java java

Arguably my favorite beverage, coffee for me is like a handle in a shower to an old obese person...I need it. A cnn.com article titled, 'Beware the Perils of Caffeine Withdrawal" warns of the dangers of the cutting back on the drug in coffee.

After telling the story of a mom who drinks 4 cups a day and a consultant who will drink up to 3 they went into the many side effects of withdrawal.

I find the idea of "drugs" in food very enticing, but usually do not buy into them. I've had an oyster-nothing, chocolate-nope, artichoke-they taste good but still no. Coffee, on the other hand, is a drug for me. Every morning-rainy, weekday, weekend, late, hot, snowy- I have to drink the stuff.

While this yuppie from FL was talking about cutting back on his "up to 3 cups a day" I can easily do a pot (12c I think). Well low and behold I had a couple serious dizzy spells fall of 2008 and when at the doctor's office, I was ordered to lower my blood pressure = no caffeine. Well I gave up the stuff cold turkey and paid dearly. I had a headache for 48 hours- continuously. That's right, I went to bed with a headache and woke up with a headache. It sucked.


I have since adopted coffee as my stimulant and I do not plan to leave it again. It motivates me and it's awesome with a cinnamon bun. Plus cool people, like Italians down the stuff right?

A bit of magic

I love beer. In fact, my grandpa was a chemist for Anheuser Busch in Newark all his life and bc of their stock options, he has been encouraging us grand kids to drink the stuff since we were 4.

But, in my quest to find GOOD beer, (don't worry, they sold all of their stock after that crazy Belgian InBev bought em up) I tried some Magic Hat about a year ago. It is brewed in South Burlington, VT (sort of local for me)and the people are very passionate, as told by their website.

http://magichat.net/

And another reason I will be buying and enjoying this beer for the rest of my life: They include awesome sayings on their bottle caps and mine last night off a bottle of their delicious Circus Boy Hefeweizen-- "Make Love, not Processed Food" .... word

garden update

The broccoli and brussel sprouts are in as of a few days ago. I started the plants from seed about 2 months ago in the biodegradable pots. I also put in the sugar snap pea seeds and spinach, green leaf, flame lettuce, and arugula.

The rest of the plants - tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, and some different herbs are still inside as seen in pic below.

Garden 2009

This year I've gone all heirloom. That's right...Seed Saver's Exchange, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and Tomato Bob was where it's at.

I listen to You bet Your Garden on NPR and he had a bee expert on to talk about the bee problem. You know colony collapse disorder as it's been labeled. Well, he said one of the many problems is the new plants thanks to genetic engineering. Old varieties are much better to the health of the ecosystem.

Heirloom tomatoes have become popular on food TV and other shows, but there are so many more. From berries to beans to cucumbers these magazines were full of cool vegetables, fruits, and flowers.

Chives please

Alright! it's April 3 and I ate the 1st chives. They came form a plant down the shore and they are always a sure sign of spring, and more importantly food growing season!!

part puerto rican street dog, part squirrel thrasher, and part boxer

By the way here's Rhone...born circa July 17, 2008 somewhere in Puerto Rico. We adopted him from St. Hubert's in North branch (great people and process). He came home in November, like the weekend before Thanksgiving.

After a couple months of Rosetta Stone, he now knows English quite well and loves the garden as much as I do ( we're working on that). But he does miss the weather down there.

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man."
~ Mark Twain

Barbara--Will you marry me?

# 1 Book so far this year

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

This book was soooo amazing. Not just for a foodie, but for anyone looking for an inspiring story when the world around us is sucking hardcore. I've read her Bean Trees in high school and it was filed away into the "why do we have to read this book?" file. This one, however, is awesome. Her husband and 2 daughters take a year to grow ALL of their own food, buying all other stuff locally and the rest as little as possible.

She even addresses the political divides in the country after she was deemed 74th on a list of 100 People Who are Screwing Up America (her friends ask her how she could live out way out there ), animal husbandry, teaching her young daughter how to be a food entrepreneur, and how her older daughter deals with being a college student that eats crazy stuff like bean sprouts (not just pizza and beer).

http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/

FYI:

Anyone who googled anything that led you to this blog should certainly read:

The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, both by Michael Pollan and This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader by Joan Gussow

.....these are just a few I have read while balancing school reading, I am sure there are so many more

Another career dream shot down, maybe

If you haven't heard, the green stuff is all the rage lately. As America has 5 times the world's average number of prisoners, drug indictments have come under fire. For now, though it's all about the medicinal stuff.

NJ State Senate passed a bill last month legalizing medical marijuana which is now in the Assembly. Called the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act , good ole' Corzine has already said he would sign it if it came to his desk.

So, because my dream job of being a CEO out of college has gone bust and I love to garden, I figured I could become a weed farmer. .....HALT that's not how it works. The bill allows for state-registered smokers and their primary caregivers to have up to six marijuana plants and one ounce of marijuana. Those eligible would get ID cards issued by the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

BUT Marijuana could also be purchased at licensed centers...who's growing this stuff?? I'll try and find out.

Sorry, but white wine too

New study out says that white wine stains your teeth too.

The research done by Dr Mark Wolff, prof at the New York University College of Dentistry, and Cristina M Dobrescu, a third-year student showed that teeth (albeit cow teeth, which resemble humans' closely) soaked in white wine before being soaked in tea stained much darker than those soaked in water before tea.

The reason you ask:

“The acids in wine create rough spots and grooves that enable chemicals in other beverages that cause staining, such as coffee and tea, to penetrate deeper into the tooth,” says the prof.

I take this stuff seriously being that I can do a pot of coffee a day easily, and at least a glass of wine a day. Not to mention, the dentist said I had visible staining at my last check up.

I'm not giving up wine, though. He finishes by saying the best medicine is a toothpaste with a whitening agent....I don't think they even work, but whatever.

In the words of my sister--just get tanner and your teeth will look a lot whiter. duh

tomatoes love eggs

Now's the time to stop throwing your egg shells in the compost and keep them separate to plant with your tomatoes.

When you are going to plant the tomatoes, just throw some egg shells in the hole--- They help protect from blossom end rot. The calcium in the shells help the plant regulate water needs, so uneven watering, over watering, etc. will not kill them.

BUT more importantly b/c I love tomatoes:

The flavor of tomatoes comes mostly from volatile aromatic oils that actually appeal to our sense of smell NOT taste. And tomatoes NEED calcium to produce these oils.

I added them last year for the first time and it really worked. I strongly recommend using the eggs, so I just use an old coffee can to throw the eggs in and crush them as they pile up.

Bailin' Out Bacon???

Another Bailout flying under the radar:

USDA bails out the National Pork Producer Council. The lobbying group asked Tom Vilsack, head of the USDA, to buy some more pork because the market has softened considerably as people cut back on meat and feed costs increase.

President of NPPC Don Butler: “We are extremely pleased with Secretary Vilsack’s decision to purchase more pork. It will help our industry bring supply and demand closer into balance and allow producers to continue to provide consumers with economical, nutritious pork.”

This just a few days after the airing of "Death on a Factory Farm" on HBO. This docementary, by an undercover animal rights investigator who goes by Pete, shed light on the actual events of a hog farm in Ohio. I am not going to get into details, but check it out if you are interested.

The meat purchased for federal programs is not even good stuff. It is usually the lowest quality and the NPPC even suggested what the gov't buy: cooked sausage patties, pork crumbles, trimmings, picnics (shoulders) and boneless picnic meat. pork crumbles---wtf?????

hhmmmm does anyone remember the huge meat recall bankrupting the biggest beef producer in the US last year?? Well the meat was sent to schools and institutions throught the same gov't channels and lead to deaths and illness.

Plus eating less meat = less pigs die/suffer = lessser carbon footprint by factory farms = healthier America. We have got to stop supporting factory farms as an American industry; bring back family farms!

This pisses me off more than AIG bonuses...

Small Victory!

The White House goes local. Michael Pollan called for it in his letter to the President in NYT magazine last fall and the Obamas deliver.

A couple weeks ago Michelle Obama broke ground on the first vegetable garden since Eleanor Roosevelt too many years ago. As an avid food grower myself I got very excited and its ORGANIC. Some of the vegetables:

cilantro, tomatillos and hot peppers. Lettuces: red romaine, green oak leaf, butterhead, red leaf and galactic. There will be spinach, chard, collards and black kale. A patch of berries. And herbs : anise hyssop and Thai basil plus more.

And to top it all off they also have two hives for honey!!

I am so excited...but seriously the whole lawn of the White House should be organic...can you imagine how much fertilizer is used on that thing??

My Resume

My writing professor said to always gain credibility so here I go...

I grew up in central, NJ (Garden State- just a little outdated), but we have kick asss soil and you seriously cannot beat the jersey tomato, any tomato grown in NJ that is.

During high school I took a gourmet cooking class at a Vo-tech and loved it.

Went to the CIA in Hyde Park, NY(http://ciachef.edu/) where I did my required externship at M&M Mars in Hackettstown, NJ. I did research and development because I didn't really want to spend my summer unpaid in a hot kitchen. I loved the paycheck and got to see a different side of the food industry-where high fructose corn syrup is a good thing

While at school I worked at Breezy Hill Orchards under Elizabeth Ryan (http://www.hudsonvalleycider.com/) and was a member of the Gourmet Society, Gardening Club, and Chefs Sustaining Agriculture (CSA).

Graduated from CIA with Ass. in Culinary Arts. Transferred to FDU because I didn't get into Cornell (#1 Hospitality program) and bc you have to get a B.A. to live ( so I was told). Currently go there and will be graduating in 6 weeks or so into one of the worst economy since WWII...woop woop

I have also worked at Wegman's in the wine store. I love this store. Its strictly in the NE/Mid-Atlantic US, but the store is awesome.

March 2007 was a guest chef at NJ Flower and Garden Show...fun experience and man did I wing it. All the old people loved me though!!

I want to study Gastronomy, but the only schools with a program are NYU and BU--difficult to get into and I already owe my life to Sallie Mae, so maybe in the future....