About me
I’m originally a New York City boy, born in ‘51 in Manhattan and raised in Jackson Heights, Queens. In the mid 60’s we moved out of the city to the country, Huntington, Long Island; and had lived there until 2001.
My wife and I departed Huntington, New York, by boat, on September 12, 2001, the day after: But, that’s a whole ‘nother story. We were headed for and lived in the Florida Keys for 4 years. Two of those years were spent living aboard our custom built 32 ft. Nordic Tugs tugboat, “Tuglet.”
Now there’s an adventure in cooking: Cooking while under weigh. I’d sailed the waters of the Northeast and New England for 40+ years. You can get mighty hungry at sea. It’s one thing to cook on a stationary surface, it’s another to be preparing a meal while you’re bobbing up and down in choppy seas or at 15+ degrees of heel. Both you and your entrée could wind up going “flambé” if you’re not on the ball.
While living in NYC, I was blessed by the fact that my grandmother, who taught me how to cook, lived in the apartment just upstairs. Nana started me off, at the ripe old age of four, by teaching me how to fry one simple egg. My love for cooking continued from there. By the time I was nine, with a little help from my grandmother, I put on my first Thanksgiving dinner… for twelve people.
Many people ask me why wasn’t my mother the one teaching me how to cook? It’s simple, mom was a good cook. Dad, however, was a New York City fireman. I think that he envisioned my starting a New York City version of the great Chicago fire. Ergo, our kitchen was off limits to me. That’s okay though, we had an old dilapidated Magic Chef, whereas Nana had a 1930’s Chambers with a griddle-top/broiler, four burners and two ovens. That thing rocked!
Cooking Influences
My greatest cooking influence was my grandmother. She was an excellent cook and would let me do pretty much anything I wanted in the kitchen. However, anyone who knows anything about traditional Irish fare will agree that it’s rather bland. I learned about garlic, flavorful foods and seasoning from the mothers and grandmothers of my Italian friends.
Other than that, I would have to say that while other kids were watching cartoons, I was watching Dione Lucas, Julia Childs, Graham Kerr, Joyce Chen and then later on in life Justin Wilson, Martin Yan and Jeff Smith.
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