Eye candy

Hello? Are you still there?

I know I've said it before, but I truly mean it. I miss you when I'm not here! After nearly a month's hiatus from the blog, I'm back to chat with you about what's crossing my path day in and day out in the food world. When I first began this blog more than one year ago, I wanted to document my journey through culinary school and into the world of food writing. Now that school is finished, I'm finding more and more items that I want to share my thoughts with you on. Whether it's the most recent kitchen tool I've purchased, most interesting industry news that I've read, or just the simple pleasures of what's getting my attention in the culinary world these days, I'm happy to be back in front of my laptop with you again.

There always seems to be something that brings me back to life. One of the big things that draws me to the culinary world is the fancy schmancy stuff. Yes, I'm a sucker for the over-the-top, for the hoity toity, stylized plates, extensive lists of fine wines and evenings that require getting dressed up for. I will admit, I get tired of the casual, and find that even in my home city with its burgeoning culinary scene, there is still much more casual nightlife than I'd like. Give me glitz and glamour any day. I don't think we see it enough.

It seems fitting, then, that the latest thing to catch my eye and pull me back to my PC to share the news was something I came across catching up on food blogs via my iPhone last night in bed. You see, I couldn't sleep so I thought it afforded me the perfect opportunity to peak in on some of my favorite food bloggers and see what everyone's talking about.

My first stop was at Orangette. Oh Miss Molly. Her blog is one of the first I absolutely fell in love with when I started exploring the world of food bloggers. Her writing voice is just heavenly and her life has turned into a dream. After shifting gears in her life from graduate studies to working her way into the food writing world, Molly began food blogging in 2004. Just this year she was discovered by Bon Appétit magazine and now has a regularly featured column in the publication. In catching up on her latest post, she mentions she is now off to France for her first travel writing assignment for the pub. Now I am not a jealous person mainly because I think I'm living a fabulous life myself, but I must admit a bit of jealousy with this one. She has worked so hard and I couldn't be happier for her success. And yes, I know, someday I too will be leaving on a jet plane to write about the wonders of France...or Italy...or Greece...or, well, you get the point. Bon Voyage, Molly, and have fun with your new adventures. I can't wait to read all about them when you return.

My next stop was another favorite, Mr. Michael Ruhlman. I think I have a secret crush on Michael Ruhlman, which is slightly off topic, but I just thought I'd throw it in there and get it out in the open. Michael, if you're ever in Portland let's do lunch...or dinner...or simply make a private meal in my condo. Just us. I'm kidding, Donna! Much do respect to you and I absolutely love your photos! Speaking of photos, that is exactly what caught my eye with Michael's post. Ruhlman announced yesterday the upcoming Alinea, the cookbook.


Alinea is a highly anticipated, highly stylized cookbook from the famed Alinea restaurant in Chicago. The photos in the images Ruhlman provided look delicious. And please check out the link to the restaurant. The imagery and photography of its menu items is absolutely sick; in the most delectable way. Oh it's these kinds of plates and these types of photos that get me so excited about food. Fancify, I'll never get tired of dressed up crudites or glamourized hearts of palm. The fact that so much energy goes in to presentation is what makes it so exciting. Go on, check out the site and enjoy the eye candy.

Thank you Michael and Molly and all the other food bloggers out there with the endless supply of delectable adventures with food along with mouthwatering photography. I don't think I'll ever get enough of it.

Cheers,
~JF

A Tasty Read: The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones

For Maggie McElroy, life as she knew it was tasting the everyday cuisine of the American people and writing about it in her weekly food column for Table magazine. Maggie is a food writer who's been living a simple life on a houseboat since the untimely death of her husband, Matt. She's faced one day with a phone call that requires she travel to China for an unthinkable mission that will put closure to her late-husband's death.

Like any good editor looking for a different story, Maggie's gives her a food writing assignment for her journey. She is to interview one of China's great chefs, Sam Liang, as he plans to launch a new venue in Beijing. Maggie hesitantly accepts and is off to deal with news that could shatter her heart-while at the same time, hunt down a delicious story for the publication.

When she arrives, she learns Sam's restaurant will not be opening and he wants nothing to do with being the subject of any story. Personally, she finds herself mapping her way through a web of people and places to get to the bottom of a surprise Matt may have left behind.

As the story grows and Maggie's plot thickens, she edges her way into Chef Sam's world and convinces him to share his journey of preparing for China's Olympic culinary competition and to forget and let go of the failed restaurant opening. And for anyone in love with international cuisine, this is where the story captivates. As Maggie sits back and watches Sam work in the kitchen, she finds herself becoming increasingly interested in the Chinese-American culinary wonder, as well as discovering a world of food that she never imagined.

Though at times a bit predictable beginning as mystery, turned exploration, leading to love and culinary adventure, The Last Chinese Chef is a quick, enjoyable read for anyone who chooses to sit down at Mones' table.

Mones is also the author of the books Lost in Translation and A Cup of Tea, and is a frequent contributor to Gourmet magazine.

Cheers,
~JF

A Year to the Day

It was a year to the day today when I posted an evening entry on my blog as I was preparing to begin my program at WCI on July 2, 2007. I had all six pieces of my chef's uniform accounted for and looking as crispy white as they could, pressed perfectly and hanging neatly on one of my barstools. Sometimes we spend our days wondering when they'll ever end. Some seem to drag on forever and there are some we would just rather forget. And then there are other times when it seems that with the blink of an eye, an entire year passes us by. But seriously? It's seriously been exactly one year since I dared to take eight months away from the working world to put on chef's whites, black and white checkered pants and black, steel-toed shoes to feel the heat in the kitchens of culinary school? Yeah, look at that. I guess it has been.

So what's the latest? Am I a world famous food writer with book publishers knocking down my door wanting me to write the next great food story so they can turn it into a movie? Well, not exactly, but I'm not complaining. So many of you have been so supportive in following me along the way that I've felt a bit guilty lately realizing that I've left out a few of good things that have happened for me on the writing side.

Back in December I received an email from someone who contacted me via this blog. Her name was Emily and she was an editor for New York publisher, Barnes & Noble. She sent me the sweetest little note that's title read, "Interested in Writing"? Hm. Is this spam, I was thinking to myself? But I opened it and decided to give a few moments of attention to the remaining contents...

Hi Jennifer, I just came across your website and thought you might be perfect for a project I am working on. I'm an editor for a division of Barnes & Noble publishing and we're doing a series of lifestyle guides for adults. These guides aren't books, but what we are calling charts... We are going to be doing a series of ethnic food charts and I am looking for a writer who would be interested in writing the first guide in this series, either French or Italian cooking. The guide would cover the following subject areas:

* History (basic)* Ingredients* Tools * Methods/Preparations?* Recipes

Is this something you might be interested in? If you are interested I can give you more details. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks so much! Emily

My jaw literally dropped and at the same time my heart jumped. Was this a joke? Come on. An editor at Barnes & Noble found me through the myriad of food blogs out there and was now approaching me to begin their new series in international cuisine? Was I interested in writing? YEAH!

I did respond to Emily the next day and after a few email exchanges and a phone call we had made a deal. I turned in a proposal for the basics of French Cooking in early January and got to work on the piece. I thought it would be simple for me to put the chart together as I had just finished a French culinary program, but I was mistaken. The hardest part for me was just sifting through the abundance of information that is out there on French cuisine and narrowing it down to cover all of the basics within an 8 1/2 x 11 in. six-page, fold-out laminated guide. It's been a great learning experience being involved in writing an outlined project as opposed to an article in terms of the process and the back and forth between writer and editor. We're still finalizing some details, actually, but I was recently given the green light to move forward with the next cuisine in line, Italian. I'm so eager to get the French chart printed, though. The part I'm looking most forward to is that a line on the bottom of the back page will read "Writer: Jennifer Fields".

While I was in school I was approached by a local food writer who, at the time, I was taking a Pilates Reformer classes with. Her name was Susan Hauser and she's a very well known food and travel writer who writes for national publications, but resides in Portland. She's one of those who has the dream career many of us are looking for. Each and every time I speak with her she's jetting off to Hawaii to do a story on hoola lessons, or Florida to write about the cuisine in Miami. How does she do that? Ok, I'll get there, I'll get there. Anyway, Susan, who is the President of the Portland Culinary Alliance, was excited to learn that I was attending culinary school and asked me to join the board of the organization as the group's student liaison to help bring awareness of the program to culinary schools and to get students more involved. A month or two of being part of the board, I also took on a new role as the new Newsletter Editor. Yay, now I can call myself an editor!

A little over a month ago a friend told me I just had to get myself on Twitter. Have you heard of Twitter? Twitter is a social networking site that allows people to "follow" other people and stay in touch via mini updates on what they're doing. When I first joined and logged on it looked to me like it was a slew of instant message conversations happening all on one page. And I thought it was the dumbest thing on the earth. But I've hung in there and now I've learned Twitter today is what blogs were just a few years ago; the new it thing in online networking. If you play Twitter right it can work for you. I'm now connected with foodies, food bloggers, and chefs from all around the world. An editor from Marthat Stewart Everyday Food magazine even started following me! Most recently, well-known Australian celebrity chef Benjamin Christie and I got connected on Twitter. After a couple of converstations back and forth regarding his need for some food bloggers to contribute to his site, he asked me to come on board as a guest blogger! I'm very excited at the opportunity. And a really cool thing is I get to have a picture and a bio on his site, and on the same page as Michael Ruhlman! OMG!

So needless to say I feel like I'm getting there. I'm in the right circles and I'm getting my name out there. It's funny, though, I seem to be having the toughest time in my hometown getting editors in Portland to jump at food article ideas I've been pitching. I now know what people mean when they say don't quit your day job, or marry rich if you want to be a food writer. It really does take time to break into the scene and get published, and of the above activities I have going on, only one is paid, and still not enough to cover my mortgage!

All around everything is going well and I know the big break (or the one that will pay the mortgage) is just around the corner; I can feel it.

Thanks for your continued support. Now back to fun and exciting musings on exploring the culinary world!

Cheers,

~JF

Pok Pok continues to bring the most authentic Thai flavors to Portland

Pok Pok owner Andy Ricker just won't slow down when it comes to delivering the most authentic flavors of Thailand to his faithful eaters in Portland. The latest inclusion to his menu are Kuaytio Reua noodles, also known as Boat Noodles. See below for the message from the chef himself on a bit of history about the noodles. And get over there and enjoy.

From chef Andy:
I am happy to announce that as of Tuesday, June 10th we will have Kuaytio Reua (otherwise known as Boat Noodles) on the lunch menu. Here is a brief description: Rice noodles in a dark rich broth with spices, herbs, stewed beef, poached flank, house made meat balls, water spinach, dry chilies and bean sprouts.

Traditionally sold from boats along the canals (khlongs) of Thailand. These noodles were the majority of the reason I recently spent a month in Thailand; they are one of the most popular noodle dishes in Thailand. They are sometimes made with pork, but the original one is beef. You can find both versions at restaurants parked on canals, and also at street stalls with small wooden boats parked outside, often with the vendor sitiing inside the boat preparing the noodles. They supposedly originated in Ayuthaya and the most famous versions come from there and from Rangsit in Bangkok. I love them, hope you will like them too. Ok, Best, Andy.

Cheers,
~JF

To the Market

On a day when the forecast over Portland called for dark clouds and sliding rain, I was determined to attend the day's Farmers Market down at Portland State University. Yes, there are myriad famers markets around the Rose City, but today's PSU market had a little something extra that I was looking for: chef demos. Hosted by local food writer Michael Zusman, the chef demos at the farmers market offer an up close and personal hour with a well-known Portland chef.

I headed out of the condo and into the cloudy, but surprisingly warm outdoors. The clouds were breaking in some areas, but I grabbed my jacket and stuck it in the back seat, nevertheless, and was off. Being a fan of taking Max into the city as opposed to driving in and searching endlessly for parking at a decent price, I drove north the the Sunset Transit station to park the Jetta. By this time the clouds seemed to disappear so the coat was left to lay low in the backseat while I hopped on the Blue Line toward the city.

Arriving into downtown, I was pleasantly greeted by blue skies, warm weather and a city that seemed to welcome all of it's patrons out to play in the day's unexpectedly great weather. I made the trek five blocks south and was in the middle of dowtown heaven. Between the trees that surrounded the park blocks were rays of sunlight shining down on what seemed to be all of Portland out and about, talking with local food vendors, tasting the freshest Oregon strawberries and eating lunch from the row of food carts serving up dishes of delicious eats.

I saw the chef stage crew setting up for the next act. I missed the first two, but was in time for the demo with chef Tommy Habetz, formerly of Meriwether's on NW Vaughn. Realizing that I had a few minutes I decided I was hungry enough to grab a falafal sandwich at Basha's Middle Eastern cart at the south end of the market. The line was enormous, but well worth the wait. Fresh falafal, tahini sauce, fresh tomatoes and lettuce wrapped in pita bread can be such a perfect treat.

And, I was just in time to snag a spot on a little step adjacent to the stage as the show began. Picture a live Food Network cooking show with commentary and banter back and forth between the chef and the emcee and you've got the day's famers market chef demo. Chef Habetz prepared before us onlookers everything cooked on the grill, including: steak, asparagas and lettuce. He then chopped them all up and put them in a dish to serve the audience. I was able to give a quick hello to Michael and which point he actually gave me a pint of his Oregon strawberries. Lucky girl, I am! Then I was off to my second mission of the day: buying starts for the patio garden!

Chef Tommy Habetz removing romaine lettuce from the grill

Conveniently located directly behind the stage was a beautiful array of fresh herbs and tomatoes from West Wind Farms. The task was, at first, overwhelming, but I quickly focused on a few staples. I was excited to walk away fresh French Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram and Roma Tomatoes; the official start to the patio garden!

The first patio garden babies!

Be sure to get down to the Portland Farmers Market - or any famers market in your area - for a fun day out amongst the fresh, local produce and smiling faces!

Cheers,
~JF