A Brief History

No one likes to eat alone. However, in my small, practically window-less Manhattan apartment I find that most of the time this is my reality. So in order to combat my singleness, I say "un'altro bicchiere per favore!" to my non-existent waiter who jumps at my every command. What would you like? Coffee? Wine? The ever-fashionable water? It doesn't matter. Now that you have a libation, sit and stay a while.

But before we begin, I must give you a clear history of my cooking experience via photographs. I've always loved food, but being good at preparing it is a whole other story. In Figure 1, left, it is quite clear that I have amazing focus - an essential quality for any young cook. As you can see I'm so engrossed in searching for whatever is in that cabinet that I have no idea that there is a fire soon to be engulfing the entire kitchen. That's determination. ("Photoshop" you say? Why would I ever try to trick you, dear reader? I've never been one for exaggeration.)

In Figure 2, right, I finally wised up, flew to Italy and took a cooking course. From the photograph, it's clear that I was the star of the class as you can see the girl in the red admiring my mad skillz of mixing chocolate. I was bound for success and she knew it.

However, it was all in vain. Our chocolate cake failed miserably (see below). Somehow I managed to earn an A in the class. I will chalk it up to the immense amounts of butter and chocolate-y goodness that abounded in said cake. Rest assured; we covered the cake in enough powdered sugar to hide all of the flaws - and making it even more delicious (and fattening) than before.

So now that I have wiped all trust, hope and faith from you in my cooking abilities, I ask you (I beg you) to take my self-deprecating introduction with a grain of salt (or pepper, cinnamon, Mrs. Dash for those of you on a low-salt diet) and join me on my exploration of gastronomy. As this journey continues, I hope to find some kind of relationship between my Texan roots, my Italian obsession, and my East Coast location that will weave together a unique pattern that is not just my dietary habits but also my passion.

Salute!