The thought of working extended periods of time out of town has
lost its appeal and the day to day reality of running restaurants,
hotels or theaters is not one I’m interested in any longer. Not
ready to retire, in order to utilize 4+ decades of culinary
knowledge I write about food, and cooks in particular.
Growing up in Chicago amongst the the Midwest’s overlooked and
unsexy ordinary Americans, like Studs Terkel I share a fascination
with everyday life but with an emphasis on food.
Food (like music) produces responses similar to sex i.e. sensual
pleasure. It provides basic human needs that can be shared
without impropriety or (in most cases) guilt. In fact, these days
the word “orgy” is associated with food as much as sex, at least
among my friends.
Food is a path to our identity and traditions, who we are and
where we came from. The last vestige of culture we shed and a
prism to view our humanity through. It brings us together and
makes us less afraid of our neighbors. You want to get to know
someone? Have a meal with them.
Food’s focus can be love, nutrition, even history— one we connect
with in powerful ways like status, survival, or pleasure.
Its not just sustenance but connection.
Recipes as family story or personal history express culture,
politics, class or religion. A way to say who you are and where
you came from. A moment in time. Add a background story of the
cook and you have Home Cookin’— The Stories Behind The Food,
a series of deep personal profiles on accomplished home cooks,
many immigrant, with treasured recipes included. As timely as
can be in today’s divisive world.
Most of my memorable meals have been in homes, not
restaurants so Home Cookin’ takes you into the lives of a Greek
grandma (aka cool Yiayia) who married a steelworker from Gary
Indiana thinking she’d live in a home like the White House and
that America would be just like Hollywood; or an older Brit
growing up in the rubble of World War 2 London that became an
inventor/engineer because he was handy and everything
everywhere was broken.
20 rich narratives containing important cultural messages, finding
the extraordinary in the ordinary, often revealing the
imperceptible. Everyone’s got a story, up to us to find it.
As Studs’ Division Street and Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of
French Cooking did generations ago, Home Cookin’ helps fill the
ever widening hole in Americas’s soul. Stories of grit,
determination, of people overcoming obstacles or changing
preconceived notions. That’s what’s on the pages.
Something relatable to our human condition as we are so much
more alike than not.
The object of this blog is to draw attention to, and hopefully find
the assistance that thus far has eluded me in publishing this
manuscript. It’s too early to measure if any of my new behaviors
have had any results and continue in good faith that eventually
they will.
Alan Lake a.k.a. “Jazzfood” a.k.a. “The Garlic Chef” has been a globetrotting professional chef for three decades and has won numerous awards, professional competitions and distinctions. He’s also the author of The Garlic Manifesto, a book about the history of garlic going back to 10,000-year-old Neolithic caves that contains facts, fiction, folklore, artwork, recipes, professional insights, quotes etc. – think Mark Kurlansky’s Salt or Cod, but a bit more personal. He’s been a musician since he was a child and coined the term “Jazzfood” to describe his cooking style as “solid technique based upon tasteful improvisational abilities.” He views his food as he does his music and writing and has been known to bust a pout if any of them are subpar in any way.
I have distinct memories of how a certain taste can be for certain dishes… I seek out the restaurants that I know can give that to me… Pelligrini’s in Melbourne for Minestrone soup.. Archie’s in Auckland for Lasagna.. but if you were to ask why these places and what makes the food I would just say “it is the memory of THAT taste”… does this make sense ??
Connection to a place in time, like a snapshot. Makes sense to me. Sometimes you can go home.