Philosophy

I believe that seasonal cooking deeply intertwined with local cuisine. Seasonality is determined by more than the calendar. We have so many traditions and expectations that seasonal food has become a blurry concept to many.

• At its base seasonal food is based on the time of year and ingredients that are at their peak quality. Garden tomatoes in august, tender asparagus in the spring, and butternut squash in October for example.

• local ingredients are a necessity in seasonal cooking because production must be in line with the geographical season, and the short trip to the consumer allows for items to be harvested at the peak of freshness. Fruit grown on the other side of the globe must be picked and shipped before its peak.

• Tradition is intertwined with seasonal food, many traditions have their roots in times when all cooking was seasonal because methods of preservation were limited and difficult. Now those traditions continue to get people to eat seasonally by providing expectations and anticipation. Pumpkin pie and turkey on Thanksgiving are good examples of traditional/seasonality overlap.

• Weather plays a large role in the conceptualization of a comforting meal. A cold noodle dish in July or hot soup in a snowstorm are great examples of cooking for the season. Grilling outside in the summer keeps our homes cool, and eating stew on a rainy day warms our core. These are common habits that create associations in our minds and help enhance our appreciation of seasonal cuisine.

Cooking in line with the seasons is so important to creating meals that draws emotion, nostalgia and comfort from the diner. Seasonal consideration is also a vital part of bringing our diets into an environmentally sustainable place.

Cooking is best when it takes the people you are feeding into account. Technique can bring your food to award winning heights, but if the people eating it don't like it then it is still not great. This is a lesson I learned cooking for my Grandmother. A medium rare rib eye with onion jam, roasted heirloom potatoes in garlic butter and honey glazed butternut squash, a meal I served my grandma. I was proud of the perfect cook on the steak, the sublime texture of the potatoes and the very well balanced flavors. Her reaction was "well, it's different" then she put it in the microwave for 5 minutes.

This was a painful realization that perfection is a matter of opinion. People have preconceptions and expectations that matter more than the flavor, texture and aroma of the food. It's important that you don't forget what people want when you're cooking. Once you know what the expectations are, then you can use technique, balance of flavors, and knowledge to create a dish for your eater.

I find the most success personally by keeping it simple. Trying not to get carried away with creativity and taking away more ingredients than I add. Appealing to a broad audience is more difficult the more complex a dish gets. I strive to create complex flavor with simple ingredients and careful technique.