a little about me

I'm 27 years old, hold an undergraduate degree in music and a master's degree in educational leadership/administration (both from Florida State University). I currently teach elementary music and aspire to enter the fiery cauldron we call public school administration.

I learned to cook at my parents' and grandmother's knees. My dad would smile and choke down whatever I served him for breakfast on Saturday mornings -- even the horrible egg concoction that I made with every spice in the house. It had to have been disgusting, but he ate it nonetheless.

I was also influenced by PBS's food television shows. My earliest memories are of watching Jeff Smith, Julia Child, Justin Wilson, and Martin Yan on Channel 2 in Fort Lauderdale. My love for cooking was cemented then.

When the Food Network premiered in the late 1990's, I immediately fell in love. I've spent countless hours watching Emeril, Bobby, Mario, Wolfgang, Rachel, and Alton attack food and cooking in unique and different ways. Alton's definitely my favorite, but I have to admit that Paula Deen and Ina Garten can make me stop in my tracks to take in what they are preparing.

Personally, I've been working at this craft for a while. During my undergraduate years, I cooked for a large group of friends once or twice a week. For three years, I made a pre-Thanksgiving dinner on the Sunday before Turkey Day for the guys in my fraternity. I won my wife over with my culinary skills (she admits to having none, so this wasn't particularly difficult). My family knows that when they get invited over for dinner, it's going to be good.

Recently, I have gotten into baking and have embraced the more scientific qualities associated with this aspect of cooking. Homemade breads, cakes, and pastries pop up at my house randomly but consistently. My wife and I gained 10 pounds each when I was experimenting with finding the "perfect" chocolate cake for her -- 5 cakes in 5 days will do that to you. Now, I've smartened up and give away my excess wares before I have the opportunity to indulge in them every time I pass by.

My journey through all of this has been thoroughly rewarding. If you're interested in keeping up with my newest adventures, keep checking back :-)

welcome to the zen kitchen

I don't know what this is yet -- or what it might become, but the name of the site kind of struck me one day as I was cooking. People do all sorts of things to relax, to become one with the world, to enter a state of zen-like meditation -- essentially to reach their personal form of enlightenment. For me, it is being in the kitchen.

The kitchen provides the perfect opportunity to use many facets of human potential -- creativity, experimentation, introspection, and love among others. The energy cultivated in the creation and communal consumption of a meal (or even just a loaf of bread) is distributed to both the cook and those he is feeding. So for me, practicing this art is one way that I give something back to humanity.

For someone who uses the kitchen as his refuge, the process and the product are of equal importance. Being "centered" while you cook is an essential ingredient in the final product. Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, showed in his studies how intentions, music, prayers, and words could affect the inherent crystalline structure of water. In the spirit of his work, I believe the same elemental change can occur with food.

So what does this mean for this blog? I'm still not quite sure. I'll write what my spirit moves me to write. I sincerely hope that I can give something back by this means. If you happen to read any entry and feel compelled to share something, feel free -- I welcome your comments.

My best,

- Dominic