Traci Anello

The Power in Food

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Food insecurity and how we are helping

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and I’ve been invited to my sister Kim’s home in New Jersey.

I love visiting her because coffee is always served outside on her porch overlooking her beautiful gardens. We catch up on our families and then we plan our meals based on what is ready in her garden. The herbs are always plentiful and as we reach the end of the season, her root vegetables will play a big part in our menu. Kim loves to entertain and shares with me that she will be hosting a brunch before Thanksgiving. I love this! Cooking food for friends, especially new people is always a community experience.

After coffee I explore her refrigerator to work on a brunch menu. I see that she has a meal kit from Blue Apron. I take the box out and unload its contents to see what I’ll have to work with. This kit is wonderful! Everything you need to make a dinner is in there. This kit is a great way to teach someone how to cook basic sauces, proteins and vegetables. Immediately the menu comes together. We make mini quiche, garden fritattas, roasted potatoes with fresh herbs, roasted root vegetables with fresh thyme and crushed garlic, curried chickpea salad served with homemade crackers, homemade muffins bursting with Maine blueberries and a hint of lemon zest, fresh fruit with Kim’s garden mint and a host of fresh juices and coffees.

Pasta Kit

As I was preparing the dishes, I thought “Why can’t everyone have access to meal kits like this”. These kits are a great way to teach basic cooking skills. Since COVID19, it’s been almost impossible to arrange cooking classes so I thought maybe we can create meal kits like these for everyone to teach them in their homes. My main focus was people who are experiencing food insecurity. I have volunteered at food pantries and local farmers and grocery stores donate pounds of fresh produce. But watching people walk past the produce table was upsetting for me. The food they are given is great. Don’t get me wrong. But to walk past the produce table and lose the opportunity to add nutritional value to their meals was something I couldn’t ignore. Through no fault of their own, food insecurity is generally passed down. If you’re not taught how to cook basic meals, you can’t teach your children how to cook them either. The pantries do an amazing job of sourcing the staple pantry items. Volunteers work tirelessly to make sure everyone that is present gets as much as they can give. It’s a beautiful program. The teaching piece is missing. Not because they won’t offer it but because they have so much to do in a day to coordinate these bags of food. This where we come in.

We are The Community Gourmet. We are based out of Kennebunk, Maine.My name is Traci Anello and I’m the Founder. I went out and bought basic staple food pantry items and lined them on my counter. I made a menu based on what I had available and what I knew the pantries could offer. The first kit I made was the Pasta Kit. It contained two ponds of pasta, a 20oz can of tomato sauce, an 8oz container of parmesan cheese, a 10oz container of mayonnaise, three recipes, a handcrafted greeting card using the photos I’ve taken at farmers markets, a self stamped survey post card (a way for recipients to be heard) and eventually we started to add essential kitchen equipment like measuring cups, spoons, calendars, cutting boards, pot holders, ladels, etc.. It’s important that if we supply the recipes, we also provide the basic equipment to follow the recipes. Our three recipes show how to use a staple like pasta three different ways. For our pasta kit, our recipes are Pasta with Meatballs, Pasta Primavera and Pasta salad. It shows the versatility of pasta used both hot and cold and a great way to get those nutritious vegetables in there.

I talked with my co-worker Debbie Hall and we decided to give this a go. As a chef, I knew I could tap into my resources and get some of the foods from restaurants ordered and donated. Most of the food we bought through our fundraiser accepting donations from our homemade Raspberry linzer cookies. We packaged them by the dozen and asked for a suggested donation of $15.00. We had no idea how popular these would be. We go on to make over 100 dozen through the summer during various fundraisers. The local Chamber of Commerce (Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel) has been wonderful and very supportive. We have our cookie fundraisers there and could not be more thrilled at all of the people we get to meet who support our mission. Our mission which is: Teaching, Caring and Nourishing. Our kits are at no cost to the people who receive them. As a matter of fact, we concentrate on the people who don’t qualify for government assistance. The thought of asking for help and being told that they do not qualify breaks my heart. We have decided to have our kits available to everyone. There are no questions asked. If yo need help and reach out, we will direct you to where you can pick up a kit.

Our first pantry was The Little Pantry in Kennebunk at the Chamber of Commerce. t’s a 24/7 emergency pantry and they do a tremendous job working with the community to keep it stocked. Laura Dolce, the director, has such a big heart. She’s been very supportive along with her team at the Chamber. The Chamber is a valuable resource and we appreciate everything they do for the communities. Kennebunk is a giving community. The residents do not hesitate to step up and support their neighbors. Other places we supply kits to is the York County Shelter Pantry in Alfred, Maine. This is our largest pantry and covers many towns. They do over 300 people a week here. Mike Oulette is the pantry manager and along with Jim, his assistant, and their volunteers, they run a tight ship and supply many people with the necessary foods and even food for their pets! Saint Mary’s church in Wells, Maine is also a wonderful supporter of ours. Paul Goyette and his volunteers welcome our kits and pass them out to the people who come to their weekly food pantry. I love their set up. Paul is a wonderful resource of information for us as well. Our newest pantry is a self made pantry by a mom who wanted to help her community. Big Love One Community in North Berwick, Maine is so cute! Sara Dutch along with her husband built a pantry on a trailer. The inside looks like a grocery store. It’s painted with bright cheerful colors and it gives you the privacy to shop and maintain your dignity. She has a flower plant hanging outside and a big heart on the side of her building. I absolutely love what she does! We have additional pantries that we would like to supply but we are in need of a larger space. We have outgrown our current location and are in search for a larger space about 500 sqft. Once we accomplish that, we can accommodate more pantries.

Our focus right now is to have kits made available to senior citizens as well as the pantries. we are in the process of creating a kit that provides seniors with meals. Recently I was told that Meals on Wheels which is a wonderful program can not accommodate all of the seniors who request their meals. Again, the “do not qualify”. That’s the worst answer anyone can hear. we understand resources are tight. That’s why we would like to pick up that burden if we can. We would like to have these kits available at the agencies that seniors have to visit so they have something to walk out with that will provide meals for them for a period of time. These seniors have been a valuable resource for younger people not to mention the programs they have probably been a part of and the taxes that they have paid into all of these years. It’s time to give back.

We are still new to the game. Our first kits rolled out in March of this year. Ofcourse we sent out sample kits earlier but officially our first kits went to the Little Pantry in Kennebunk in March. Food insecurity is everywhere. We would like to be everywhere. Right now we are in York County Maine with a vision to supply every county in Maine eventually. From there, regional, national and so on. If we can teach people the basic cooking skills using pantry items and produce from our farmers, we on track to putiing a dent in food insecurity. “Give a man to fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime”.

💚

Visit our website: http://www.thecommunitygourmet.org


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The Day I Rediscovered Cooking with “Somebody Feed Phil”

It’s been two months since I was given the opportunity to start a completely different career. This is an opportunity I am forever grateful.

November 8, 2021 ended a long thirty-seven year career in foodservice. I traded my black coat, my red and black pinned striped apron and my not so shiny black clogs for a large office with split screens and a very comfy chair. I traded working every other weekend and holidays for every weekend off and every holiday too. I transferred to another department within the hospital. I went from cooking for our patients and staff to credentialing for our providers. I couldn’t be in a more different but exciting world.

The day I punched out on a time clock for the last time was more significant than just ending the day. I ended my career. That weekend I didn’t want to cook. I didn’t want to eat out. I just didn’t want to interact with food. Like a rush from a broken dam, the question began to flood my mind. Did I do the right thing? Is this how I want to end my career in the kitchen? I had so many accomplishments. I grew from a mouthy 17 year old to a prominent business owner and pastry instructor in a college program I created. Working kitchens was easy for me. Did I really want to give that up? Absolutely. I was ready for a change. I was very concerned with the direction foodservice was headed in. The lack of employees and covered shifts meant working longer hours. The lack of morals and responsibility that kitchens now faced only meant longer days. It was definitely time to move on.

About a year and half ago, my friend Gail asked if I could come over to her house and help with a catering job she had. I loved cooking with Gail so that was an easy “Yes”. When I got there she had another friend, Deb, over that I recognized but didn’t know. It was fun. We talked food, cooked food, ate some food and had some great laughs. I didn’t know it at the time but this woman would later on become the very person that would open up a whole new door to start a completely different career just two years later. You never know in life who you’re going to meet when it comes to food as the common denominator. As time went on, I became friends with this woman and we always enjoyed talking about food. I loved seeing her at the hospital because it was a few minutes to escape and have a conversation that I knew would be a good one every time.

So fast forward to this year late summer. As COVID19 continued to do its thing and disrupt anything in it’s path, the state of Maine put a mandatory vaccine into effect. Not everyone was compliant and that meant opening doors for people to move up in the company. One of the positions was in the department I now work. I talked to Deb about it and she thought I would be a good candidate. Being a food person, she compared what her office did to that of being a chef. Attention to detail, being able to handle a stressful situation, organization skills and working in a changed environment and being able to pick up where you left off were just a few. I decided to make the career change. It meant hanging up that black coat. In exchange I would experience opportunities I haven’t for years like weekends off, holidays off, a good salary and wearing real clothes. It wasn’t a hard decision.

I love what I do. I love what I did. Cooking for a hospital staff is an honor. You have the opportunity to create good food for the very people who every day are saving lives. They only have 10 maybe 15 minutes to eat something quickly and they give us that time to serve them something comforting. That’s an honor. I never took that lightly. Every day I put the same love into every dish I made hoping they would receive that. If you feed someone good food, it feeds their soul. And when you feed a soul, you know the comfort that delivers. That means that person can go back and make better decisions for themselves and the patient. And when you can make better decisions for the patient, the healing begins. Food is love and every meal you have that canvas to create the best. That’s what I miss the most. But in my new position I help with the providers and if I do my job correctly and with the same passion, the patients will benefit.

This is why I stopped cooking at home. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I just didn’t want to do it.One day my friend told me about a show she had watched called “Somebody Feed Phil”. She said it’s a very good show about a man that travels and eats great food. I didn’t want to cook let alone watch someone else do it. But she always had great recommendations about books and shows so I knew at some point I would try an episode. It’s New Years day in Maine. It’s cold and raining and I don’t have the energy to go out. So I sit on the couch with my two cats, Chaos and Bear on each side and put “Somebody Feed Phil” on. He’s in Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. This man loves food! I went from sitting on the couch to sitting on the edge of the couch. I’m watching this beautiful country and the people in it. I’m watching this man so excited about his food that he looks like a 5 year old with his first slice of pizza! It was awesome. He loved his food and he shared it! He won my heart. I was so excited. I decided at that moment I would recreate the black bean dish he was eating. This show sparked the very flame I blew out just two months prior. I made a grocery list and headed to the store. I bought the ingredients and headed home to make myself a lunch even Phil would be proud to share. I sautéed the onions and celery until they sizzled and the celery danced around the pan to the sweet symphony of the sizzle. I added the garlic and spices. My house smelled like a restaurant. I poured the black beans and their velvety goodness into the pan and stirred. I added some chopped kale and squeezed two beautiful limes. The limes turned out to be the stars of the dish.I finished it off with fresh cilantro. On the side I baked some crispy tofu and a sweet potato. One the show there’s some type of fruit that accompanies every dish. I’m not a fan of fruit or anything sweet but they’re on to something. I peeled a tangerine and placed it on the dish and then added some edamame to the sweet potato for color. I poured this beautiful black bean sauce over brown rice. Where’s Phil?? Where’s Richard? They should be here. they should be tasting this dish and Phil should be doing that sweet victory dance he does when he enjoys what he just experienced for the first time. Phil is such an inspiration with his show.

I decided to make one dish from each show. It’s my tribute to this incredible show. I’m especially excited because the second episode I watched was Phil in San Fransisco. His two guests chefs were my absolute favorites: Alice Waters and Thomas Keller. Can this show get any better! I’m not sure what I’m making from that show but it will something from our farmers market as a nod to Alice Waters. Thomas Keller is also a wonderful inspiration so I’ll have to choose wisely what I make from him.

Another thing I like about Phil’s show is his interaction with his wife and father. I loved the jokes. There’s a lot of love in the family and it shows.

I can’t thank Deb enough for recommending this show. It’s exactly what I needed. Food is love. It’s so apparent in these episodes. Phil is so happy and giving. That’s what the celebration of food is all about. It’s about learning new cultures and how they enjoy food. It’s learning about their ingredients and what’s abundant to them and how they utilize that. It’s about community, sharing and the love of food. It’s hoping that someday we embrace each other and our cultures as a whole and bring peace to the world one plate at a time. It can be done. Just watch one episode of “Somebody Feed Phil” and tell me how motivated you are to share a meal. That is the power in food.


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Cooking in Healthcare, the Double Edge Sword

Being a cook in a healthcare setting is a double edge sword for most chefs. So many of us have traded the upscale hotels and restaurants to experience a real vacation and occasional weekends off. Not to mention the benefits package which in itself feels like an amazing bonus.

There are so many benefits to cooking in a hospital setting. I think the most important is knowing that the food you are cooking actually plays a big part in the healing process. This happens in a couple of ways. The one thing a patient has to look forward to is their meal. In most cases, they get to choose what they want from an “a la carte” menu. They may not be able to choose their medication or their length of stay but they can have control over what they order (based on the diet assigned by their physician). Second, if we prepare their food correctly and with absolute care, the food can aid in the healing process. I’m talking about cooking their vegetables and legumes perfectly. We also make sure they have the best crisp lettuce and vegetables on their salad. These are things we CAN control. You have to want to though. You have to cook every meal like you’re making it for your family. If you wouldn’t eat it, neither should they. It’s all about the patient. We have to do our best to fulfill their requests and make the best meals every time. When it comes to the patient, there’s no room for error.

When I think about how we do meals now, it’s very much like a restaurant. The patient has a menu they get to order from. So they call down to the “Diet office” where trained individuals take their order. Hopefully the system is set up so that it understands the patient’s diet. Most systems are set up this way so that if a patient tries to order something they can’t have, the system will not allow the operator in the diet office to add that option. So the operator is like a waitress in a sense. They take the order and it’s sent to the cooks and room service staff through a ticket very much like a restaurant kitchen uses. The printer prints out every detail to make sure they’re are no mistakes. The cook creates the meal and sends it to an expeditor to check over the ticket and place it on the appropriate cart or truck for the hostess to deliver. The hostess brings the meals to the floors as a waitress would do to a restaurant table. They ask the patient to identify themselves by giving their name and date of birth. It’s essential to deliver the correct tray with so many different diets. Once identified, the hostess places the tray in front of the patient and lifts the lids off of the main plate. If we have all done our jobs correctly up to that point, the patients should be pleasantly surprised and look forward to their meal just like in the restaurant. It’s imperative that the hostess smile and ask the patient if there is anything else they can get them. Ofcourse that has to go through the diet office if they want anything additional but the point here is establish a positive relationship with the patient so they realize we do care about them. Like a restaurant, there’s a waitress, a cook, an expeditor and a hostess. It’s all the same concept. There’s no room for error. The meal must be cooked to perfection and followed through with the same service when delivered.

The other part of cooking in the hospital is for the staff. This is an honor in itself just like the patients. These people work hard. They have to be on their feet most of their shift and time is rarely on their side. When they come into the cafe, they want their meals quick and it’s the least we could do. It’s so important to give them the very best as quickly as possible. A great meal can sustain someone for the remainder of their shift. It can also help in the decision process. These people have to be on their toes and make split decisions at any moment. If we can provide a delicious meal, it can only make someone feel so much better. When you feel better, you make better decisions. If we don’t deliver, then these workers could feel sluggish and incomplete. At my hospital, we have the best fresh produce and local seafood to work with. The hospital provides us with the canvas and the best supplies so it’s not rocket science to create healthy delicious meals for the staff. Now, not every meal is the healthiest but it is fulfilling. We do offer fresh vegetables every meal that are steamed or roasted. I’m very happy to be able to provide homemade desserts. I’m a pastry chef by trade so that fills my soul to make homemade strawberry shortcake and my favorite linzor cookies. Every time it’s like packaging a little hug. I feel it’s an honor each and every time I cook for the staff. They give you their precious time by giving us the opportunity to serve them. The least we can do is give them the absolute best, every time. We do also provide the same meals for visitors. It’s just as important to make sure friends and families of patients have a great tasting meal. They’re providing the support to the patients and like the staff, they need to be able to make decisions at any time or just feel good about the care the patient is getting. A good meal will always aid in an important decision or impression of patient care.

Cooking in the cafe and for the cafe also gives us the opportunity to meet our co-workers. I love these people. I may not know them all by name but I do know what they like to eat. I love our interactions. It’s a nice way to show them how much we care and value what they do everyday. The kitchen is separate from the rest of the hospital so we don’t see what these people are involved with and the trauma they have to deal with. That’s why it’s an honor to have their time. I wish more people saw it this way. It’s truly team work. I’m talking about everyone from the doctors and surgeons to the nurses, admin staff and environmental services. From the maintenance crew to the security staff to our own nutritional co-workers. Every one plays an important role in patient care. The food should always reflect that.

Being a chef in a hospital setting has its benefits. Like I said, It’s a double edge sword. You also have to abide by Human Resources and their protocols which is something most restaurants don’t have. But you do get health insurance, some weekends off which is unheard of in restaurants and also vacation time. The perks definitely out weigh the lack of. Hospitals have incentive programs that are pretty lucrative. The work is year round employment as opposed to seasonal in a tourist community. Hospitals make sure you have all of your up to date shots and immunizations where most restaurants are a tetanus trap. Restaurants give you the opportunity to be very creative and make spectacular entrees. It’s such a give and take. I have to say hospitals offer security, job security. Overall, I prefer working in the hospital. I’m fortunate to be woking with a chef manager that’s an amazing cook. I’ve learned from him and we work great together. That’s a real win. That doesn’t always happen. Most times you have to deal with an ego that is not productive. Do the best you can with that. It’s not easy. I’ve been there and the stress alone with send you back to a seasonal restaurant. This time I’m very fortunate.

If you are a chef or a line cook and you have the opportunity to try a healthcare setting, you owe it to yourself. There’s a lot of give and take but the rewards are worth it. You deserve a weekend off and a paid vacation. I will admit, I do miss working at hotels on the beaches and doing the weekly lobster bakes and catering weddings. That’s a feat in itself. To balance the best of both worlds, find a way to still participate in the catering and special events. We all know someone so the best balance is to live in both worlds. There’s plenty of support out there.

I’m very happy where I am. I love cooking for the patients and the staff. I’ve learned to balance the double edge sword. You can too and I’m happy to help. Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or critiques.


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Whoopie Pies, Love, Mom

All I can smell is the dark chocolate cakes coming out of the oven. It’s that really rich strong smell of what will soon be a whoopee pie. It’s the only memory I have of my mother and it’s a very faint one.

My mother passed away when I was 4 years old. I always heard about her baking and how much of a positive impact it had on people. Any time I asked about her, baking was always the first thing people would say. Mom made the best whoopie pies. She also made these incredible doll cakes with their large ball gown the size of a mixing bowl. Then she would put a doll into the center of the cake up to her waist where mom would seal with a beautiful buttercream waist band. She would pipe what seemed like a million stars to cover the gown. With three daughters, I can only imagine she made these cakes often.

It wasn’t until I owned my own bakery in Wells, Maine that I decided to make them for everyone. I spent a lifetime searching for her recipe. In the meantime, I just made the best whoopie pie I could think of. Mine were made with strong brewed coffee in the cake. Once they were cooled, I filled them with a sweetened buttercream. They never hung around very long in the bakery. It still wasn’t my mom’s recipe but it worked for the time. I sold somewhere in the neighborhood of four dozen a day during the week and up to eight dozen on the weekends. I’ve even made a wedding cake out of whoopie pies. Everyone that walked into the bakery would comment on the scent of dark chocolate cake coming from the ovens. It’s those comments that would bring me back to the only memory of mom. It kept it alive for me. If I could offer people a lifetime of great memories associated with the scent of chocolate cake just like I had experienced, it was a major win for me. That’s what food is all about.

I always make them by hand mixing them in a bowl. The real trick to the whoopie pie cake is getting the consistency right. If the batter is too loose, the cakes will spread. If the batter is too thick, the cake will be hard and not like a soft chocolate pillow. It takes experience but once you figure out the feel, you’ll never forget it. I prefer to hand mix most of my recipes just for that reason. It’s so important to have the feel. That’ll keep you from over mixing recipes which can cause problems. Generally over mixed batters can’t relax resulting in a tougher cake. Once mixed, I then line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper so my cakes won’t stick. I line them up like soldiers in a four by six pattern using a yellow handled ice cream scoop. This keeps them all the same size. I bake them and then pull them out of the oven to cool where they can be seen and smelled. While the cakes are cooling, I whip up a sweetened buttercream using real local butter softened so it whips up nice and fluffy. I sift powdered sugar into the butter and add real vanilla. I finish it with a pinch of salt and bring it all together in my KitchenAid mixer with the whip attachment. Once the cakes are cooled, I flip half of them over and use red handled ice cream scoop to add the filling. Pop the top on and you have a classic New England Whoopie pie. You can get creative with the fillings and add peanut butter or peppermint. You can even color the filling to match a school or college colors. There’s so much room to be creative with these. You can make mini ones and even make a birthday cake out of one.

When I was in my early 50’s, I finally asked my cousin Lori if she had her mother’s recipe. I figured if I’m never going to find my mom’s, I know her mom made really good ones and that’ll be a little closer to me. When I asked her she told me that it was the same recipe my mom used to use!! She said both of our moms used the same recipe! She sent me a picture of the original hand written recipe. I was so thrilled. I looked at the recipe and of course she used Crisco. How oringinal! I’m not a fan of Crisco and I don’t use it but the rest of her recipe was very similar to mine. Her filling used canned milk. I thought that was interesting. That certainly would have kept it sweet! I spent a lifetime searching for her recipe and I had access to it all along. This is definitely the time to say “Better late than never”.

I love to make these desserts for anyone. Every time I do I feel like a piece of my mom is still working through me. I feel the same love I imagined she put into each and every one. It’s a tradition I wanted to keep sharing. It’s her legacy to make great tasting baked goods from her heart. It’s all I have of her. Every time I make them and someone says thank you I just want to tell them to thank my mom.


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A favorite pie and a slice of cheesecake are all part of the power in food

This Thanksgiving plans were all set. I was going to New Jersey to have dinner with my sister Kim, her family and some dear friends. We talk about the menu months prior and everything started to line up. I love cooking in her kitchen. It’s beautiful. The set up is perfect and the balcony filled with fresh herbs is right outside the door. I always head out there with my coffee and a pair of scissors. There’s fresh thyme, chives, sage, basil, rosemary and mint. It’s how I picture Alice Waters everyday gathering her fresh herbs for her salad or for her roasted vegetables.

Well, sometimes plans change and it can happen very quickly. For us, it happened in the blink of an eye. I got a phone call four days before Thanksgiving that my dad had fallen and was in the hospital. He cracked 9 ribs and was in a lot of pain. Thankfully he was stabilized and was resting. On the way to the hospital, my step mother got in a car accident. The second phone call I got about her accident was hard to hear. Thankfully she was unhurt, as was the other driver but her car was totaled. Immediately it was clear that the game plan for Thanksgiving was about to change. After talking with my sister, it was decided that I would stay back and drive to Massachusetts instead for the holiday meal. It was a no brainer actually. My dad needed to stay rested once he got home. So I made the call to my step mother and told her I would be down on Thursday to cook the meal. I was more than happy to do this. It meant they didn’t have to leave the house and they were going to get one hell of a dinner. This is where a quick change of plans can be a good thing. You never know in a given day how things are going to change. If you go with it and adapt to the current situation, it can become less stressful for everyone. Love is a wonderful driving force and it can create some beautiful moments out of an unfortunate set of circumstances.

I came up with a menu and the very next day went to our local butcher and asked about an eight pound turkey breast. They were sold out which was to be expected so it was off to the supermarket in town which I always try to avoid because I prefer to support local businesses. Fate had a different path for me. I went into the store and couldn’t find what I needed. An associate from the meat department approached me and asked if I needed help. I was a bit surprised because customer service in a corporate setting is a thing of the past. But this man was very happy to help and I was very happy to let him. I told him I was looking for a turkey breast about 8 pounds.   He said he was almost certain they were about to put an order in for some that would arrive the following morning and he checked. Sure enough, I was in the right place at the right time. I was able to order one with the understanding that I needed to be at the store early to assure it would be there. The associate was looking every where for a pen while I was thanking him several times. I wanted this meal to be the best for my family and it meant everything had to line up two days prior to Thanksgiving. He played a big part in making this happen. Where there’s a will there’s a way. So I took my favorite pen out of my checkbook and handed it to him. He wrote down my information and went to hand the pen back when I told him to put it in his pocket and hang on to it. I don’t know who was more appreciative. Was it me for getting this order in or him for getting a nice pen? It was a wonderful quick moment that ended in us both wishing each other a nice holiday. These are the important little victories in life and this was just the beginning.

The next morning, I was supposed to be at a local bakery to help the owner make her yearly mega pie order. By now it’s a tradition to do this with her and her amazing staff every year. But first I had to pick up my turkey breast and sure enough, it was ready. I was thrilled. I brought it home and placed it in my refrigerator and then off to Kennebunk to make what would be 145 pies that days. I was thinking of dessert for our meal on my way to the bakery. I decided I would make my dad’s favorite pumpkin cheesecake and his wife’s favorite mincemeat pie. That would make them both very happy and given the circumstances we were in, it was the exact thing to do. I love food and I especially love he power in food. So while I was in the middle of this pie marathon, I was trying to figure out when am I going to have the time to pull these desserts off the day before the big meal. Out of the kindness of this bakery owners heart, she said for me to just make the pie while I was there. Thank you!! So I did which meant it was a real time saver for me and I also got to roll out a beautiful homemade pie crust. Out of the 145 pies I made that day (146 including this one), the mincemeat was my favorite. The meaning behind this pie was of pure love. When you know what someone’s favorite dessert is and you make it, there’s a lot more than ingredients going into that pie. Love in Love out. The cheesecake I put together that night. I thought of my grandmother, Marietta Straguzzi, and the love she used to put into my dad’s meals. Maybe I was channeling her love and techniques. I like to think so because I never measured the ingredients. It was a little of this and a little of that just like she used to do.

Thursday morning I packed up my car and headed to Massachusetts. It was a perfect trip down and I stopped and grabbed a couple of coffees from my dad  and Ginna’s favorite coffee shop. I got to the house and hauled all of the good things I brought down with me. I took the pies out of the bag and showed Ginna her mincemeat pie. She was really happy. When my dad saw his cheesecake he was willing to dine on that first and eat turkey later. He’s  funny guy my dad. He loves to eat and loves his desserts.  It was nice to see him getting around. He was very sore but he stayed in the kitchen and we talked while I prepared the meal. I knew once he started to smell everything cooking, it would stimulate the healing process. That’s what food does. When it smells good, it looks good. When it looks good, you associate it tasting great before you even stick your fork in it. The healing starts. You’re happy and excited in anticipation of a great meal shared with family. We had turkey breast, two types of stuffing (I’m plantbased so no animal products on mine), roasted squash and carrots (all produce was organic too), mashed potatoes, roasted head of cauliflower, green beans, gravy, fresh rolls and the cranberry sauce. My dad, his wife, my brother Tony and I all sat around the table and laughed and ate a lot of food. It was the best time. It was very special to me and them.

This was a meal that wasn’t planned and would not have taken place at this holiday if not for the unfortunate events that took place with my dad. This was a total reset moment for me. This meal was so special and meant so much to each of us. There were a lot of hugs and love in that room. How can that not be healing?? It’s an important lesson that when an event happens that’s devastating and hard to embrace, you have to go with what’s important for everyone. You have to create a new set of circumstances that will bring a good feeling for each person including yourself. We did it in less than a day. It was the right thing to do. It created some very good memories. It brought back some important traditions. These would have all been lost that day if my dad hadn’t fallen. I’m not saying they wouldn’t have had a nice day otherwise because they most certainly could have. What I’m saying is, this situation created an opportunity for four people to reconnect and enjoy a nice meal together. The conversation was fun. The food was good. Love was abundant. It was a beautiful day that came to a close with a favorite pie and a slice of cheesecake.

I’m very thankful for my family. I’m also very thankful for the power in food.


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The Day I Didn’t Hate Chocolate

You read that right. Today is the day I realized I didn’t hate chocolate. Hard words to read coming from a pastry chef who loves to work with it.

For years I have spent creating decadent cakes, traditional cookies, rich pies and a host of other desserts using chocolate from all over the world. It was my every day thing to do. What did people like? How could I recreate this dessert or that pastry using a variety of chocolates? It was my life. It consumed my every menu. I went to bed thinking of how I can make something completely off the cuff to waking up and finishing what I started thinking about before bedtime.

Years ago I was a pastry instructor for a college level program. Up to that point I had been entering the chocolate show held in Portland, Maine for myself as well as some restaurants I worked at. I was very successful at this event. My first award was a three layer ganache cake that I had made while on a movie location in Georgia in August. Do you want to really test your strength in baking?? Do it in 100* weather with 100% humidity.  I had to create something that would hold up to that southern heat and everything that came with it and at the same time have incredible rich flavor. This cake was it. It was the perfect first entry and I won Best Cake. That was pretty cool. I went to win the next year and a stretch of 5+ years after that and before long, I had 12 total awards to my credit. So back to the program. While I was teaching, I decided this event would be the perfect event for my students to experience competition. After getting the approval of the director of culinary arts, I broke the news to the students. They were thrilled. There were several categories we could choose from so we picked a few. I also told them their presentation would be judged as well. We decided to enter the “Best Alternative Dessert” category. This was any dessert out of the ordinary like vegan or gluten free. Someone actually tried to cook a sole dish with chocolate. It was an epic fail too. The place smelled like the Charles River in Boston in the corner they were cooking this dish.  There are just some things that chocolate doesn’t marry. In this case, it was fish. We decided to make a vase of fruit flowers dipped in dark chocolate. The students carved beautiful patterns on the pears. We chose exotic fruits like the start fruit that would resemble a flower. We dipped them half in chocolate and using skewers (also dipped), they creatively displayed them in the pear vase. The students won that category. It was such a satisfying victory for them and the program. For me it was a nice feeling to upgrade the program to an award winning one as well. We were the first culinary school to enter and I’m happy to say the following year, another culinary school participated. That was very good competition for the students. Not to mention all of the amazing local businesses that entered. Portland is a very competitive market in the pastry field so this was a very healthy challenge. The following years we made biscotti, a cholate raspberry torte and a few other desserts. The program did well. I was approached by a team member of the event and was asked if I’d like to be a judge the following year. I was honored actually and agreed. Then I thought about how I wasn’t a fan of chocolate. I’d have to taste each and every entry. I was having second thoughts. It was the sweetness I didn’t like. Anything very sweet like candy or rich desserts just wasn’t my thing to eat. I loved making them but thankfully I wasn’t  obsessed with chocolate. I don’t curl up and watch marathons on Netflix with a quart of chocolate ice cream or Oreos. Now a loaf of fresh crusty bread and (at the time) a nice hunk of cheese and there’s my comfort zone. I think that comes with being Italian. I always hoped there was a bread competition but it just never happened. I would have loved critiquing that.  Anyway, I did agree to judge the following year and sure enough, I got the candy category. Can’t get an sweeter than that. There were 10 entries, all different from each other. At each table was a local celebrity, a culinary expert and some other invited guests. I actually loved this part because I’m a teacher at heart. As everyone tasted the entry, they all had some very interesting opinions and questions. My real role was judging the technical field. You can love or hate a piece of candy but if it comes down to three really good tasting candies, only one can be the winner and  the technical merit plays the deciding factor. That was my expertise. The competition was really tight for the candy category. These businesses that really go for the right to be named the best are giving it their all. These contests are not cheap to enter. You have to have a minimum of something like 600 pieces per entry. You enter a couple of desserts and that’s a lot of sweat, money and chocolate not to mention the labor that goes into preparing for one of the shows. There’s a lot on the line so when it comes down to those three great tasting candies, you better have your mind on the job. After entering this show so many times, I knew what each entrant put into it or at least had a very good idea. I’m a firm believer you should only judge events you’ve entered previously. You have to understand the effort that goes into it. This was  great event and I enjoyed every year I participated whether a judge or entry.

Chocolate is a funny thing to work with. There’s really great chocolates from India as well as Belgium. There are awful chocolates that have very little actual chocolate in them. It’s a wide open field. Once you find what you like, generally that’s what you stick with. It really depends on taste, texture and the ability to work with it. The temperature of the product has to be right and the atmosphere has to support it as well. Recipes are very specific about how to melt chocolate and cool it down. There a whole world of techniques out there and wonderful pastry chefs that have shared their wealth of knowledge on it. If I had to pick an expert to recommend, it would be Jacques Torres. He’s an absolute wealth of everything chocolate. He’s an artist for sure. His pieces are show stoppers and his ability to teach is beautiful. If you’re interested in learning, look him up and I’m sure you’ll agree he is a true master. He’s pretty funny too. I love watching his videos.

So why is today the day I stopped hating chocolate?? Well, I was headed out to do some laundry. The place I go is right next to a health food store. So I put my laundry in the machine and walked over to get something to drink. There’s this beautiful chocolate on the market called HU. It was started by a brother and sister. I’m a big supporter of family started businesses. I love the packaging and the fact it’s organic and vegan. I bought some recently and sent it to my daughter to try. She’s my best critic when it comes to any food. She honest and to the point. She loves this brand. Today as I was cashing out my drink, I saw a bar that had almond butter and quinoa in it. Who thinks of that??? Almond butter and quinoa together?? Is this another case of “You put your almond butter in my quinoa?” or “You put your quinoa in my chocolate?” Or did two people really just think this one through and decide to be gutsy? Either way, it got my attention. I bought the bar. I felt great supporting HU Kitchen (out of NYC) and I was about to eat a chocolate bar for the hell of it. It’s got puffed quinoa in it so how can it be bad for you?? I took the first square and let me tell you this. When I put it in my mouth, it was the best piece of chocolate I’ve ever had. The combination of an excellent dark chocolate with almond butter and puffed quinoa snapped me out of years of deprivation of chocolate. Who are these people?? Who are these creative chocolatiers?? And why weren’t they ever entered in the chocolate show years ago when I had to judge that category?? This was such an epiphany. I realized at that very moment that I didn’t hate chocolate anymore.  Thank you to HU Kitchen for creating such a masterful bar of pure love. This, my friends, is the power in food.


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Holiday meal for one…Go all out!

So here we go again. It’s November first and that means time to think about the holiday meals. Spicy pumpkin dishes, savory sides, homemade crusty rolls and dessert are just the menu items you’ve waited all year for.

Here’s the thing. It’s just you. Is it worth it to do all of that cooking just for one person? Absolutely it is! There are so many reasons why too. Let’s start with the fact that you deserve this amazing meal. You’ve waited all year. You’ve worked hard. You’ve spent many nights eating a quick dish after you’ve gotten home late or if you’re a chef like me, you grab what you can when you can on the run. I’m pretty sure nurses live like this too. The advantage to creating your own dishes is that you get to make it exactly the way you like it. Do you like spicy food? Then turn up the heat! Are you living a plantbased lifestyle like me? Then off to the farmers market for all of your favorite vegetables and don’t forget the local honey. It’s all about you. Now here’s the thing, you can also make a plate for a friend you know is also alone. Maybe an elderly neighbor or the person working at the convenient store so every one else can enjoy the day with family. So what if you make a lot of food! You make individual meals and freeze them for the next month. Every day is a holiday when you pull one out of the freezer.

Just because you live alone doesn’t mean you have to pass up on the things you love, especially food. Think about your grandmother’s pie she made every year. Relive those memories. Bring her back to the table with you. Put every bit of love into what you make for yourself because food is powerful. Reach into the heart vault and remember how you felt when that piece of pie was served to you as a kid. Bring that feeling back for yourself. You earned it. You shopped, prepped, prepared and cleaned up after yourself. You finally used those good chef knives you bought. You sautéed, cooked, baked and served yourself. How did that feel?? Great, didn’t it?? Living alone does not mean being alone or feeling alone. It means making a meal and enjoying every bite. Cook that whole turkey. Make that spicy tofu with roasted vegetables and quinoa. Sauté that beautiful kale and mash those comforting potatoes. Today is your day.

Some people like to go out for a meal and that’s okay too. I know single friends that spend a couple of days at the food kitchen and what better way to feel the love than through the community.   There are so many ways to spend the holidays and enjoy every bit of it. Call your local church or food pantry and ask if they would like your company helping to prepare and serve the meal. I will guarantee you that if you do this and you start to talk to the people there, you will leave with a beautiful feel good story. Everyone has a story and nothing is better than sharing a meal with someone and listening to their story.

As you know by now if you’ve been reading my blogs, I have two cats that I refer to as ‘The Boys”. Every holiday includes them so there’s never really a time I dine alone. Ofcourse I make every meal a big deal by describing what they’re having and when dinner is ready. Include your fur babies or birds or whatever friends you have. Tell them how important they are to you especially if it’s just you and them. They want to hear it too. That unconditional love they give you every day, pay it back. They deserve it.

My point is, you’re not alone. You’re just cooking for one. That’s okay. Make it the best meal. Play some music. Buy that special bottle of wine. Call a loved one while you’re cooking. Enjoy the day. Every day can be a holiday meal when you live by yourself. The best part about making that wish before you pull the wishbone is you’re pretty much guaranteed it’s going to come true. How can it not? You have both sides. How cool is that?? That my friends is the power in food.

 


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The Holiday Prep List

Today is October 31st. For me, it’s the official start to holiday season. This is the time I come up with new holiday recipes and I also pull my best out of the archive. I know what my family likes and I do my best to meet their expectations every year. It’s not hard to do because it’s really what you put into what you’re doing aside from ingredients that makes these offerings special. It’s the thought first and foremost.

My family is pretty simple. My dad loves spicy pumpkin cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. He also loves any cookie with anisette. His parents were from Sicily so food is important to this guy. He’s 89 this year so I believe between his DNA and his ability to seek good food have done him more good than a walk around the block. So the  first item on the prep list is pumpkin. Got it. Next is my daughter, Ronni. She has just moved out West for a wonderful new job. I’m very happy for her and at the same time I miss her every day. We have spent every holiday baking or cooking together. This is the first year we will be doing it 2000 miles apart. Fear not, it will get done. This is the part where I say it’s not the ingredients that make the end results, it’s the love you put into them. This is the year I’ll be sending baked goods and ingredients to her home. Ronni and I are both plantbased so it’s pretty easy to create new gifts for her. I’ve managed to take her favorites and transform them into plantbased approved with the same great flavor. It doesn’t matter how many miles separate you and your loved ones. It’s the passion to create for them that will make it all feel like home. If you have family you want to bake for, just plan on doing it a little earlier than normal so you can allow for the shipping time. I always send my packages early because it’s that element of surprise that I love to give people. Expect it when you least expect it from me.

My sister Kim’s family loves cookies. We have a chocolate chip cookie recipe we have been sharing for years. So much that now her 11 years old daughter, Alice, is making them. That’s really the best part of the story for me. My niece is carrying on the tradition. Last year we began a new one of making homemade cinnamon buns. Alice is ready to start making desserts that are more advanced now. She loves baking and I love helping her. THAT’S what the holidays are about. My sister always invites new friends over. I love Thanksgiving at her house. She embraces the true meaning of being thankful. We always have a lot of good food, music and conversation. Her prep list is the grand turkey and an abundance of vegetable dishes that are colorful, nutritious and something new for everyone. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to introduce plantbased dishes. That’s our secret. No one knows.  Also on that list are fresh herbs (most from her outdoor garden), beautiful flowers from the farmers market and the perfect wine to compliment the entire meal.

As I’m writing this, the leaves are falling from the trees and the cats (Bear and Chaos) are convinced they’re going to catch them. They sit in the window crouched down and ready. Speaking of the boys, they have their own little prep list. Every year they get turkey and gravy on Thanksgiving and beef and liver on Christmas. The holidays are stimulating with all of the decorations. It takes a lot of energy to knock the bulbs off the Christmas tree so a good meal is essential for them. Insert eye rolling emoji here. I love these two and they are just as much of the celebrating as anyone.

As you begin to think of what you want to make this year, here are a few ideas that will make holiday baking much easier and fun. Every year I use the same shortbread dough to make a variety of different cookies and bars. It’s an easy 4 ingredient recipe: Organic flour, butter (I use vegan), confectionery sugar and salt. This recipe takes flavors and other ingredients like chocolate and nuts like it owns them. For cookies  I make chocolate and raspberry linzors, stained glass cookies, holiday shapes and almond hearts with the shortbreads. other cookies I do are Mexican wedding cakes, my dad’s favorite anisette cookies, our famous family chocolate chip and my very own plantbased compost cookie. For bars using the shortbread I make chocolate walnut bars, Southern bourbon pecan squares , Citrus lemon bars and Maine blueberry bars. My next blog will have some of these recipes and any others just request them and I’ll send them over your way with one condition: You share it with someone else and you find a child to make them with. That’s all. Let’s keep this cool holiday baking thing moving forward.

Whatever you decide to make whether it’s for family, your local police station, the school, your co-workers or even yourself, remember the first ingredient is love. You use that one and everything else will come out just fine. This is the power in food.

 


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Portland Farmers Market

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Fridays excite me. Why? Because it means one more day until the Portland Farmers Market at Deering Oaks Park in Portland, Maine. This is my favorite Maine market on Saturday morning. I want to note that this also runs on Wednesday’s at Monument Square.  Maine has many and I haven’t been to all of them yet. My goal is to visit each and every one of them. If you have a favorite, please list it. If you have a favorite farm, please add it in the comment section.

What I enjoy the most about this market is the farmers. They proudly display their hard work with arrangements fit for any magazine. The colors are vibrant. The produce is healthy, unblemished and anxiously waiting to be a part of your creativity. The flowers, the herbs and the canned goods are a rainbow of colors that stretch from one end of the market to the next. The freshly baked sourdough breads, the muffins bursting with their own carrots and zucchini and the honey are impossible to walk passed with trying.

My first stop is always the Good Shepherd for his sourdough bread. By Thursday I’m usually out. Thursday is a sad day. I wait all week for another fresh loaf.  He has many to choose from including his sourdough, carmelized onion, carrot and even chaga (a type of mushroom). The reason I visit his table first is because his daughter has her own little entrepreneurial set up selling her zucchini muffins. She’s pleasant and efficient. She always says thank you and keeps her table neat and in order. She looks to be about 8 years old and on her way to becoming a successful future farmer. This is what the market is all about to me.

My next stop is Two Farmers Farm. I first had their Siberian Kale back in the Spring and I have to tell you, it was the most tender kale I have ever eaten. It was so good I was eating it on my way home. If you’ve ever had other kales, they’re course generally and need to be massaged before putting in a salad. I love their assortment of greens and they’re customer service.

I was first introduced to Cornerstone farms at a fundraiser I did a couple of years ago. I donated two of my photos to help raise money for SNAP which allows EBT cardholders the opportunity to purchase produce at half price. I won a silent auction gift card from Cornerstone. They were very generous with their offer and it was easy to see when I met them. They’re wonderful people who enjoy talking and educating the public on their produce. They always take the time to explain the new wonderful vegetables they have. They turned me onto Kolrabi which to me tastes a lot like the stem of broccoli. I shred it and put it in cole slaw or a stir fry.  In the Spring, I purchase my seedlings from them. This year I enjoyed golden grape tomatoes and green peppers all summer.

Maine Cap n Stem has the most interesting mushrooms. They’re table is always photogenic. Their displays are very well done. These people know mushrooms. I first tried lions mane and king oysters corals from them. They have a mixed quart you can purchase and try many of the different varieties. Ask them about how to prepare them and you will be amazed at the things you never knew you could do with mushrooms.

Snell Family Farm has a display of flowers and bride would be sold on. Last week I purchased a vase of flowers that looked as though they were antique in color. They sat in a beautiful olive green vase. I couldn’t walk passed them. After I took a few pictures, I asked the woman proudly selling them to hold them for a picture. I handed them to my daughter and we both fell in love with them. I usually buy my flowers from Frinklepod Farms in Arundel but I just couldn’t pass these up.

South Paw from Freedom had the perfect poblanos. The dark green healthy amazing peppers were going to be perfect for my next dish. I also was drawn to their perfect carrots. I make a curried tofu salad and I only use carrots from the market in it. There’s something pretty special about taking a bunch of carrots with full green tops. It doesn’t get any fresher than this.

There are many famers there and my blog could go on forever. They’re all wonderful. I’ll leave the website for a full list of them so you can see for yourself. You will not be disappointed. There’s a lot of everything here. There’s arts and crafts in their own nook. There are musicians playing the perfect music and even a woman on stilts dressed like Alice from Alice and Wonderland. You’ll see happy dogs thrilled to be meeting new dogs. It’s kind of like their little meeting place. There are many many children learning the way to self sustainability. There are children with their own bags doing their own shopping. Nothing makes me happier than to see young ones trying something new, handing over their dollar for an apple half the size of their head or just piggy backing and taking it all in. There’s just so much going on. There are a lot of choices. It’s a celebration of food. It’s a classroom, a meeting place and a canvas for photography.

I follow a whole food plant based lifestyle. I’m certified in plantbased nutrition. I’m also a food photographer. The Portland Farmers Market offers me all of this. I can do my shopping, learn about new produce and take some of the most spectacular photos. It’s the whole package. If you’ve not made it to Deering Oaks yet, treat yourself. Talk to the farmers. Meet the people. Learn something new. Enjoy the community. Try a vegetable you’ve never seen before. Take it all in. You’ll fall in love with famers markets.

For a full list of farmers and to view their online store, visit:  http://www.portlandmainefarmersmarket.org and http://www.mofga.org

The Portland market is in Deering Oaks every Saturday and Monument Square every Wednesday until December. Their hours are 7am to 1pm. I’ll post about the winter market as we get closer.

 

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Union Bagel Co.

Every weekend, I think of a city or town I want to visit to see what gem of a food establishment I’m going to discover. Sometimes I’ll visit a place by word of mouth but most of the time it’s simply a visit to explore. Portland, Maine is a great city for such an adventure.

One particular Saturday, I made plans to visit the Portland Farmers Market at Deering Oaks. As I was leaving the market, I was headed to the Portland Co Op. I went a different way which took me to some side roads. At a stop sign I chose to take a right thinking it was the right way later to find out it was the best right turn I’ve taken in a very long time. My eye caught this store front with a sign that read: Union Bagel Co.. I had heard about them and wanted to try them and there they were. I spend a lot of time in New York City and this is exactly the type of bagel place I would expect to see in The Village.

As I went inside, immediately I felt it was a warm inviting place with the smells of toasted bagels and brewed coffee.The customer service was immediate and friendly. Everyone was working non stop and as they were making breakfast bagels and layering cream cheese on the beautiful homemade bagels, they greeted me with a pleasant hello and asked if I had any questions. I was overwhelmed with happiness when I saw they made a tofu spread for their bagels, their warm, toasted bagels made with organic flour. Where have I been ?? I ordered a toasted everything bagel with their tofu spread, spinach and avocado.

While I waited, I asked if I could take some pictures of their bagels. They were just beautiful. Each bagels with their own homemade look sitting on their baskets waiting their turn to be slathered with the many spreads Union Bagels offers. There’s a small counter top out front so I set up my little area ready for a picture of my order next to their napkin dispenser that had their logo ready to go for my shot. My name was called and my breakfast was ready. It smelled incredible. As I unwrapped my toasted gem, the aroma told me I made a great choice. I set my bagel up by their logo and took some quick shots angling it just right to showcase the beautiful spinach and avocado layered within their homemade tofu spread. The spread reminded me a lot of hummus but just different enough to be intriguing. I wanted more of it to bring home. The entire experience lasted about 10 minutes because it was so good that I couldn’t get enough. You can taste the love and dedication in everything they make.

I knew immediately this would become a Saturday tradition along with the farmers market. Finding an incredible bagel that offers plantbased spreads and customer service that’s very friendly was a complete package. These people know what they’re doing and they do it right.

I highly recommend Union Bagel Co.. They’re conveniently located at 147 Cumberland Av., Portland, Maine with an additional store opening soon. You can take bagels with you so you can share this experience. I suggest bringing a friend or four. They’ll love you for it. Nothing is better than turning friends onto good eats.

Visit their website for more information at: http://www.unionbagel.com