Culinarian | Volume 3 | Issue 1 | The Conversation Issue by Culinarian Magazine

The Conversation Issue

BYOB RESTAURANTS: A NEW DINING EXPERIENCE AN INSIDE LOOK AT COLUMBIA DINING WITH CHEF MIKE AND CHEF BAYO REVIEWS, RECIPES, AND MORE!

Culinarian is: Executive Board:

Hannah Berk, Mina Ching, Aimee Cicciello, Ailis Dooner, Shoshana Edelmen, Jessica Gruenstein, Dassi Karp, Jenny Kenny-Pessia, Celine Laruelle, Alexia Le, Sara Mael, Tessa Mellin, Jennifer Nugent, Alexandria Oviatt, Saskia Randle, Isabel Rivero, Caroline Strauss, Autumn Tian Qiu, Justin Whitehouse, Yuge Xiao, Tanya Zeif

Quincy DeYoung (BC’16) Editor-in-Chief Danielle Deiseroth (SEAS’18) Managing Editor Brandon Chin (CC’18) Photo Director Joanne Raptis (BC’16) Art Director Monica Chen (CC’18) Business Director and Treasurer Autumn Tian Qiu (BC’17), Roberta Samuel (BC’19) PR Directors Megan Wilcots (CC’18) Events Director

Staff Photographers: Brandon Chin Simon Broucke

Editors:

Staff Artists:

Zoe Baker-Peng (BC’16) Emma Guida (BC’16) Crystal Lua (CC’19) Andrew Miller (Arts’17) Maya Perry (CC’19) Malaya Sadler (CC’18) Katherine Stein (SEAS’18) Matthew Tsim (CC’16) Lizzy Wolozin (BC’16) Johanna Zwirner (CC’19)

Sofia Davis Anna Efanova Justine Hu Stephanie Hsu Joanne Raptis

Blog Contributors: Jess Aquino Jordan Brewington Jillian Cardona Danielle Deiseroth Benjamin Howe Farhana Jamal Tanya Zeif

Senior Designer: Danielle Deiseroth (SEAS’18)

Staff Designer: Staff Writers:

Sara Hirade

About Culinarian: Culinarian is a magazine by and for students at Columbia University that discusses the joys of eating and drinking. A semesterly publication, Culinarian aims to be a resource for recipes, restaurant reviews, and thoughtful commentary on the world of food and drink. Not only does Culinarian cover on-campus food life, but it also reaches beyond the borders of campus and into the food capital of New York. Culinarian was founded in September 2012 by Amanda Tien (CC’14) and Manon Cooper (BC’14) whilst they worked together in the Columbia Culinary Society. Culinarian was originally designed to be a publication of the society, but has since become a separate institution. Be sure to check out our brand new website culinarianmagazine.weebly.com, where you can find previous issues and more information. Keep an eye out on our website for our new blog that is coming soon! If you are interested in being a part of Culinarian, please visit our Get Involved page or email us at columbiaculinarymagazine@gmail.com. Don’t forget to like “Culinarian Magazine” on Facebook for updates on blog posts, special events, and more!

Letter from the Editor: After returning from six months abroad in South Africa, I was a little nervous (to say the least) to return to campus and become Culinarian’s new Editor in Chief. I worried about maintaining the quality of Culinarian, its community of almost 60 students, and had recurring nightmares of booking space and filing FTF forms. Luckily for me, the Culinarian community is something spectacular. While it takes months of dedication, creativity, and guesswork to publish a magazine, being involved with Culinarian has never felt arduous. The process involves a juggling act of commitments, filled with late nights of editing and writing papers and early morning internships, and yet, it never ceases to be a fun and immensely gratifying experience. The Conversation Issue covers a dining experience in flux. The way in which we interact with food is changing rapidly, as incoming writer Tanya Zeif covers in “Social Salient Bits”. Tanya both critiques and pays credit to social media as a platform for culinary discussion, as well as considers its future. Also check out Dassi Karp’s article, “Are We Really What We Eat?” which humorously narrates the relationship between food and mealtime entertainment, in addition to Hannah Berk’s considerations on the celebrity chef. Furthermore, don’t miss out on the effect of community tables on conversation, which can be found in Celine’s review of Birch Coffee and Ailis’s exploration of Nourish Kitchen! I hope you enjoy The Conversation Issue, and last but not least, a big thank you to everyone involved. Much love,

Quincy DeYoung, Editor in Chief 3

Table of Contents: Features

Reviews

5 Are We Really What We Eat?

27 The Question that No One Needs to Ask at Massawa

7 B.Y.O.B. Restaurants

29 Latte Art and the Art of Conversation at Birch Coffee

9 Interview with a Waitress 11

30 The Power of Community at Nourish Kitchen and Table

Social Salient Bits

13 Dining on Bended Knee 15 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All About You

Recipes

18 Food Talk with Professor Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson

32 My Family Recipe: A Meal to Share 37 The Perfect Birthday Cake

21 Lights, Camera, Chef 23 3 Tips for a Successful Dinner Date 25 Baking by Myself

Are we really what we eat? by Dassi Karp art by Stephanie Hsu

In a popular article for The Atlantic last July, Cody C. Delistray bemoans the tragedy of the modern American family that does not dine together. This article is one of many in favor of what is described in Alice P. Julier’s 2014 research-based book Eating Together, which describes the negative effects of eating, well, alone. Eating alone leads to obesity. Eating with others—or, interacting and responding to each other—is natural, even essential, in a society regulated by mealtimes. Julier’s work is sound and scientific. She’s right, probably. I should listen to her and spend my time in Hewitt talking to friends instead of frantically reading The Iliad. But that’s not going to happen. Mr. Delistray, building on Ms. Julier, is not addressing me, a member of that self-centered Generation Y. If not working, my mealtimes are spent doing better things than building friendships—partaking in entertainment.

show – munching on popcorn and milk duds rises and falls with the action. You could probably spend your time and money elsewhere. But like the food, the movie itself entices. The symbiotic relationship of food and entertainment is not confined to the movie theater. Microwave meals go well with television—both are just barely interesting, over-used, and slightly tasteless. Coffee tastes like listening to the car radio in the morning—caffeine and random news facts provide you with the perfect amount of pretentiousness.

eating, is another example “In essence, food Mindful of this relationship. The movement, which has its own brochures and takes on the quality advisory council, says to “use all your senses” and eat slowly and careful– yielding more enjoyment and of whatever lybetter nutritional decisions. This will help your body, soul, and the planet. you are doing while The context of eating affects the food experience and choices. A mindful you eat it.” eater will meditate on and taste every

I agree with the proposal presented. Eating while otherwise occupied is a powerful part of daily life. In essence, food takes on the quality of whatever you are doing while you eat it. Meals eaten with family are imbued with hominess and love because of the interactions that take place, but also because the food is often good and even nostalgic, so you can feel and taste all the warm togetherness.

undertone of spring or forest dirt or whatever in a raspberry. That raspberry has been eaten mindfully, using every sense. So as he sits there, raspberry in mouth, eyes crossed and ears straining to hear the juiciness, the raspberry probably also tastes like sadness and too much time on his hands. He should probably be reading The Iliad.

Take movie theaters. I am privileged not only to be able to overpay to see a movie, but to overpay to eat at one too. The most decadent part of it all is that I can complain about it. Licking the popcorn salt off my fingers as the previews start, I can turn to the person next to me and express my annoyance about the money I just wasted for a temporal pleasure. In this way, snacks are an integral part of the movie theater experience. Along with the movie itself, they provide short-lived rushes. In that darkened room the bag of M&Ms is forgivable, an escape. The snacks become part of the

This method, like the wisdom of home-cooked meals, probably works for people. But I’m going to stay cynical, because I like eating my movies and tasting my coffee the horrors of yesterday’s news in my coffee. I eat dinner while catching up on the TV shows I missed studying for midterms. As Delistray puts it, “it’s incredible what we’re willing to make time for if we’re motivated.”

B.Y.O.B. RESTAURANTS A NEW RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE by Jennifer Michelle Nugent art courtesy of Rebecca Bradley

Ever dreamt of pairing your favorite craft beer with a restaurant-quality burger? You might just be able to, as restaurants seek out new and unusual ways to innovate the diner’s experience. BYOB, a term that college students are intimately familiar with, is now being used by restaurants to describe a new dining experience. At many restaurants that own a liquor license, patrons can now bring in their own drinks to enjoy with their meals. This prevents restaurants from paying exorbitant liquor fees, and allows the patrons to choose their own beverage, at whatever price range they choose. The restaurants tend to fall into one of two types: highend restaurants that charge a corkage fee upwards of $60, and trendy restaurants where patrons can drink with no additional charge by the restaurant.

ingly likely to implement BYOB policies, as they can take advantage of their strengths and provide a trendy, fun way for customers to enjoy their experience without supplying an extensive drinks menu. Moreover, corkage fees are a viable option for restaurateurs who want to assuage fears of losing income by not selling their own beer and wine. These are fees that a customer pays for bringing in their own drink. Many higher-end restaurants will charge an amount to supplement their lost income, and rates may run as high as $60-70. However, there is also an abundance of more casual restaurants with low or no corkage fees. On the other end of the spectrum, restaurants with BYOB policies may neglect their drinks selection. Another perspective from an interviewee who had been to a small Chinese BYOB restaurant was that the policy was advertised brightly in the window, but the experience left her feeling bitter about having to bring her own drink in order to have a quality choice. That said, one benefit for group dining is the option of bringing a few types of alcohol for everyone to sample, without having to pay per glass.

In either case, the option is changing industry conventions in terms of how a meal is conceived. While patrons can now bring in their favorite beer or wine, the restaurant loses control over the types of drinks served and the ability to create specific food pairings. Conversely, it can also allow restaurants to focus on the food instead of worrying about offering the right drinks for every option. More importantly, free corkage can entice customers who want to drink without paying restaurant prices. Restaurants whose business primarily rely on income from food sales are increas-

Be sure to check out some great BYOB restaurants, listed below!

Wondee Siam: A Thai Restaurant in Midtown with no corkage fees. Prices are relatively cheap, and the restaurant is small and warm. The food is flavorful, and you can customize the level of spice, which runs from mild to extremely hot! Portions are large and the menu offers a variety of options, so it’s a great spot for everyone to find something.

Wondee Siam is located at 792 9th Ave. For more information, call (212) 459-9057. Alachi Masala: A brightly-decorated Indian Restaurant in Morningside Heights, conveniently located on Amsterdam. The prices are fair and the food is great. They have a huge selection of dishes, and cater to special dietary needs by marking vegetarian dishes, for instance. Their BYOB policy is especially useful, as they only offer non-alcoholic beverages on their menu.

Alachi Masala is located at 488 Amsterdam Ave. For more information, call (212) 874-0737. Amy Ruth’s: This is a cash-only Southern restaurant in Harlem with lots of space and a homey (albeit slightly run-down) atmosphere. Their food is indulgent, the menu comprehensive, and the prices fair. They offer several beverages, including beer and wine but still have a BYOB policy that befits their informal service.

Amy Ruth’s is located at 113 W 116th St. For more information, (212) 280-8779.

INTERVIEW WITH A WAITRESS AN INSIDE LOOK BEHIND THE FRONT LINES OF DINING by Mina Ching

Just to get some background information: Where do you work? How long have you worked there? How much do you work? [At a country club.] Since August, 2014. In the summer, about a 40 hour work week.

always just wonderful to talk to. There are some people who are occasionally grumpy, but there’s also really great people. We have our favorites who we love to serve. Are your favorites the ones you talk to more? And how do you decide whether to talk to someone? It’s the people who are happy and will ask you questions- they’ll ask you how your day is going when you ask them.

When you first started working, what did you find unexpected about the job? I was surprised by how I never ever stopped moving. I feel like I never really thought about that when I was being waited on, as someone who hadn’t been a waitress before –

So if they initiate the conversation, then you know whether to talk to them. Yes, but as a waitress, you can’t just be standing there talking to your clientele, you do have work to be doing.

Someone on the other side? Yeah, someone on the other side. I didn’t realize how much of a full, absolute – if you’re at work, you’re at work. You don’t have time to pick up your phone. Some people do, but if you do, somebody’s order is getting screwed over. You don’t have time do that, it’s very much a nonstop job. It’s busy.

If you have a party that’s wrapped up in deep conversation, how do approach them to get orders or clear plates? That’s incredibly hard. To take orders, getting the table’s attention if they’re very wrapped up in conversation, that’s tough. You just have to stand at the end of the table, smile, and wait until you can ask them, “What can I get you to drink?” It’s awkward, it’s a waiting game. You have to do it. In terms of clearing plates, you can ask individual people, “Excuse me, can I take your plate?” If it’s obvious that they’re done, it’s easier, you can just take the plate.

As a person on the other side, we often judge the service, and that gets reflected in how much we tip. Do the wait staff judge the guests as well? Obviously, you’re not going to be tipping the guests, but…? Do we have a preference? Like, oh, we really love serving this person or don’t like this one? Absolutely. We have definite favorites. But that’s just because - Our favorites are the people who are

What types of groups are the easiest or hardest to deal with? Groups of adults who are the same age and very wrapped up in their conversation are hard to deal with, just because it’s hard to get their attention. But people who know you personally are super easy. There’s this group, they’re family friends, who I love having as a table because they’re super understanding, and I can be like, “I’m so sorry, that took so long,” and they’ll be like, “Oh no! It’s fine!” They’re awesome. I’m sure they’re like this to everyone because they’re great people, but it’s great to have that table that you know is going to be understanding. No matter what. I’ve screwed up their order, and I can joke, “I only screw up the orders of people I know, so you guys get one hundred percent of my screw ups, right?” and then I’m like, “I’m so sorry.” And they’ll like laugh, and they get it, and I can joke about it with them, and I can apologize and go get their food. But if it’s like one of the really important members, like one of the ex-presidents, or the current president – the current president’s real nice though – that’s a little bit more nerve-wracking. What’s your biggest pet peeve?. I think the worst part about taking orders is if you really can’t understand something. You’re like, “Sorry, what did you say?” Someone will order a strawberry daiquiri and they’re like, “Swaabeery daacuwee.” You have to just say, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t catch that.” [If it happens more than once] than you try to mimic what they said as close as you can to the bartender and hope the bartender understands you. There have been several times where I have to go up to the bar and say like, I’ve no idea what this is, but it sounded like … whatever-I-heard-them-say. And the bartender will look at me weird and say “Strawberry daiquiri.” And I’m like, “Yeah. That. Make me one of those.” How do you deal with disruptive groups? The really drunk loud people are usually there at night, and it’s usually quieter, so they’re fine. There’s like one

night that’s a big event that’s probably… you’re more likely to deal with that. I know my dad [who also works there] has broken up a few close fights that were a bit sketchy, but it doesn’t happen often. I don’t think it’s a common thing, it’s not like an angry bar. There are some crying kid. You usually just let parents deal with them. Like if their kid is screaming their head off, they’re embarrassed too, they don’t want to stay in there with a screaming kid. They will take their kid outside and…fix the situation. They’re embarrassed too. What’s the most embarrassing moment you’ve had? Ooh. I fell right on my butt in front of a whole bunch of people. During Wednesday Night Cookout. There’s like these wet mats, because kids get out of the pool and go to the snack stand. So there’s these plastic mats and sometimes they get slippery. And I fell right on my ass in front of a whole bunch of people. That’s what this is from. [shows scar on elbow] What qualities would you have to have to be a good waitress? To whom would you recommend this job? Would you recommend it at all? I think it’s a really great job. At least I have a great job. The people I work with are awesome, and for the vast majority of the people I serve, unless they have like a really bad day, they’re awesome people to serve. I feel like, to be a good waitress, you should be able to multitask really well. Remember [what you] need to do… It’s a terrible feeling to walk by a table and have them be like, “Can I get that ranch?” And then be like, “I’m so sorry,” and have to run back and get them ranch. It’s just tiny little things that you don’t have to think about remembering. Or things that you don’t think you’d have to think about remembering, but you really do. Just being able to realize that once the day’s over it’s over, and that little mistakes aren’t adding up against you or anything. It’s just like, it happened, people were probably really good humored about it, probably fine with it. It didn’t ruin their day, it didn’t ruin your day or your week.

SOCIAL SALIENT BITS by Tanya Zeif cartoon courtesy of The New Yorker

Seemingly on the tip of every small-talker’s tongue, social media is spoken about nearly as often as it is utilized. Many are quick to derail this phenomenon that has altered our daily communications and the ways that we connect with each other, arguing that social media is in fact anything but social, erasing “true” human contact in the name of grammatically incorrect text messages, where ideas are boiled down to abbreviations, emotions to emojis. When it comes to food, social media inspires particularly heated comments; many wonder how one can enjoy a meal when taking pictures of everything on the table, how a conversation can be kept up at dinner when phones are out, texting and checking Facebook. While surely an imperfect platform, many Barnard and Columbia students utilize social media in an effort to reinvigorate the social nature of eating. Barnard sophomores Sophie Kovel and Tina Shan started an Instagram account, @_twospoons_ in October, where they document the meals that they make for busy mornings and feasts with friends alike. Kovel explains, “our Instagram has grown from a desire to document and see a collection of plates that we’ve created together, to have a visual mood board of our relationship and our relationship through food.” Shan also emphasizes the social intentions of the project, saying “having food together isn’t just eating; it can be about the conversation, it can be about playing music and introducing and sharing taste in a variety of art forms. I see gathering and eating together as something that acts as the fundamental action that brings people together, but it doesn’t stop at eating; it goes beyond into sharing other inspirations and thoughts.” This idea of connecting and building a relationship through food, and sharing that growth with others over Instagram, revitalizes the social nature of social media. Columbia Senior Jonah Reider—creator of the famed Pith restaurant run out of his Hogan Suite—is rather critical of social media. While critical of these platforms, Reider does utilize Instagram (@pithnyc) and shares Kovel and Shan’s belief in the importance of making eating a convivial experience. Reider explains,

“I think people are very sort of frenetic and just kind of stressed about trying to do a lot of things at once, and there’s this overwhelming culture of overextending oneself and doing multiple things at one time, which really comes at the expense of social interactions. One of the ways this manifests itself is eating shitty food, but more than that, we eat food in this very basic way where we get hungry and swipe into a dining hall and eat a bunch of garbage and go onto the next thing. It’s very rare that eating is a way to relax and enjoy yourself.” In light of Reider’s comments about the importance of eating together, one can begin to see how social media hinders social behavior. Laurie Pham, co-president of Columbia’s Culinary Society, says “the issue is when people do social media while they’re eating, when you take out your phone to Instagram your food. I always take it out right away, as soon as the food comes out, and put my phone away for the rest of the night.” Pham brings up the oft-experienced struggle of phones out at the dinner table, of a friend texting someone else when you are right there, of people seemingly more excited to take pictures of their food than to actually eat it. Abigail Porter, who manages the Culinary Society’s Instagram, reminds us of social media’s inherent purpose of connecting people with events, activities, and people that appeal to them. Porter explains, “I think that what’s really interesting about our Instagram is that our audience is Columbia. I posted something today about fall break and wanting to get off campus, and its so easy to speak to the Columbia community, to think up things that pertain to Columbia versus things that have to have this mass appeal like restaurant or food Instagrams generally have to.” At its heart, social media is all about connecting, about sending information to those who want it, about exposing people to new opportunities and expanding their worlds. But it is only as great as the way in which we use it; social media can mirror our own awkwardness and alienation, turning social gatherings into solitary moments spent checking facebook feeds, or it can satisfy our need to connect, bringing kindred spirits together through their love of food and for each other.

Dining on Bended Knee

RESTAURANT PROPOSALS FROM A COLLEGE PERSPECTIVE by Alexandria Oviatt art by Stephanie Hsu

Marriage proposals in fancy restaurants such as One if by Land, Two if by Sea or Central Park Boathouse are not uncommon. We can all picture the typical scene: there is a break between the dinner and dessert courses when the man makes his move. Kneeling, he pulls a ring box from his pocket and pops the question; when the woman accepts, waiters rush over to congratulate the happy couple and offer them champagne to celebrate. Though this is the classic version of boy meets girl, boy proposes, and boy and girl live happily-ever-after, it is interesting to examine why we feel the need to include food with such a grand gesture. “When people get together for a meal they are not just there to eat food in tandem, they are there to pay attention to each other. The point is the conversation and the food really becomes secondary,” says Alison Scorese (BC ’16). If this is true, and the food is indeed secondary, what happens when the food is less than satisfactory? According to another student, the proposal doesn’t require good food. “It isn’t necessarily how the food tastes, but how it looks and how expensive it is.” This individual says that the person being proposed to is less concerned with the flavor profile and more with the effort put in by the significant other. Each of the students interviewed for this piece were not thrilled with the idea of being proposed to in a restaurant setting. “Public proposals are super uncomfortable,” says Anya Josephs (CC ’16). Her peers agree, saying that restaurant proposals are cliché, or that they dislike the public display. Erica Mezias (BC ’16) suggested that if her significant other were so set on proposing in a restaurant, then it must be with nobody else there. “That just doesn’t seem like something that should be public – that’s PDA and I don’t like PDA!”

Other students think that the quintessential marriage proposal in a restaurant is too orchestrated and superficial. Why bother paying large sums of money for ‘fancy food’ when you could otherwise enjoy a meal from a place you already love? Jessamine Fazli (BC ’16) jokingly suggests that her future groom should propose in Five Guys. While not everyone would consider Five Guys the ideal spot, Fazli does mention a desire for a casual proposal. “That way our marriage [would be] open and we’d be completely comfortable with each other and could propose in Five Guys.” Her view seems to represent that of many college-aged people. Most aren’t really in the mind-set where they are considering marriage, but suppose that when and if that time comes it will be something more special and intimate than just a dinner and a ring. Whatever their ideas for marriage proposals may be, Scorese takes the cake for how she would break up with someone. “I would go to the exact restaurant where Elle Woods and Warner go in Legally Blonde and it would be exactly like in the musical. I would do it there, complete with sad violins and song.” Apparently, she would first like to lead the poor soul to think they would soon be engaged, only to crush their spirits soon after. One could only hope that she would buy them dinner first.

It’s All About You AN INSIDE LOOK AT COLUMBIA DINING WITH CHEF BAYO AND CHEF MIKE by Shoshana Edelman photos courtesy of Columbia Dining Chef Mike, head chef of John Jay Dining Hall, received his culinary degree from Johnson and Wales University for Culinary Arts, worked for International Hotel in New York and served as Executive of Fordham University Dining services for 18 years. Chef Bayo, manager of Ferris Booth Dining Hall, studied at NYC Technical College of Hotel and Hospitality Management and worked at NYU Dining for 14 years. Both are passionate chefs and dedicated leaders who devote their time and effort towards ensuring maximum success and satisfaction at Columbia Dining. For both chefs, family is the most significant factor fueling their passion for food. Chef Mike fondly remembers sitting down with his lively Italian extended family for delicious weekly meals. “We used to go to church, come home and grandpa was over the stove cooking the meatballs and he did the sauce and then we would sit around the table for nineteen hours.” For Chief Bayo, “Family time is around the table.” Meals are when his busy family takes time out of their hectic schedules to come together and talk and relax. Their view of food as a family unifier extends beyond just their personal lives. As Chef Mike says “Here on campus, it’s all about the students, we are one family. Here, I have 43,000 kids”. That is what makes Columbia Dining unique; the chefs see every student as a member of their extended family and seek to ensure the food they provide is an expression of their care.

Chef Michael DeMartino 15

There are many factors that go into choosing the daily menu. Committed to serving healthy and environmentally friendly meals, the dining team chooses their ingredients very carefully. The chefs get a daily crop report and adjust their menus accordingly so as to ensure only the highest quality produce is served. “We got a report yesterday - strawberries are done, there was a big washout down in California and lower Texas, there are no strawberries. Alright let’s take strawberries off the menu,” said Chef Mike. “So every day we change according to our market value has and what is the best fruit or vegetables or beef ” he continued. Additionally, the dining team uses locally grown and raised food sources when possible. “We came to a big compromise over the summer, we want to go with organic beef, organic chicken, free range stuff. It’s worth the investment,” Chef Mike said on their new policy.

Additionally, the chefs use the fantastic city we live in as well as the vast range of online resources as an inspiration for their creations. They take walks through the city and explore local favorites, read newspapers and magazines, watch food network and keep their ears open to new trends in the search for inspiration. Whenever it’s slow, Chef Mike will turn to Chef Bayo and say, “Hey it’s slow this afternoon, let run downtown and see what’s going on,” or “let’s look on TV or see different executive chefs on the internet”. Located in the heart of New York City, students at Columbia are surrounded with some of the best and most diverse food options in the world. The chefs take advantage of that and explore the city to find out what students like and how they can replicate that in their kitchens. As Chef Mike says “my competition is New York City so where is the best meatloaf served? Where is the best sushi served? Where is the best seafood served? What do the kids like? We will visit that place, come up with things that we can do really, really well or, you know, duplicate what they are doing, steal their ideas and enhance it up with what the kids actually want, and that’s how we come up with our menus.”

“HERE ON CAMPUS, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE STUDENTS, WE ARE ONE FAMILY. HERE, I HAVE 43,000 KIDS”.

The chefs work together as a team to develop unique and exciting menus. Every member of the 200 person staff is encouraged to share what they love to cook and any new ideas they have. With employees from all over the world and many different cultural backgrounds, the team uses family recipes as a big source of ideas. They take what people cook for their families or grew up being served by their grandmother and go to great lengths to replicate it as much as possible. For Chef Mike, authenticity is key. “We want to be 100%. If that means we have to go buy different beans or go buy grains we are going to do that, or get the right fish or the right flour, whatever we need to produce that we will do it. Because that is most important. You don’t want cut any corners, it’s not right, it’s like a slap in the face to somebody. I would never do that”

Most importantly, the chefs cater to the students. Unlike in restaurants where chefs are confined to one particular style of food and a preset menu, on-campus chefs have the unique opportunity to engage face to face with students and the flexibility to adjust the menus based off the desire of the students. For Chef Mike, working at Columbia Dining gives him a chance to express his creativity in way that he wasn’t able to in his previous cooking positions. “I worked in hotels for about six seven years in Manhattan, off of Park Avenue, and then I went to corporate, which I didn’t really care for because it was very stuffy, you didn’t have the, you weren’t allowed to express yourself as much as I like.”

Chef Bayo loves campus dining because it gives him the opportunity to really engage with his customers and design menus that they will enjoy. Being there in real time, hearing what you like and what you don’t like. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything, just seeing your eyes light up when you look at a menu item.” He is constantly striving for the “wow factor” in his menus and striking the balance between creative new dishes and classic favorites. The biggest success this year has been the grilled cheese bar “The line never ends man it’s gotten to the point where demand was so high I put it on the menu for twice a week… we try to keep it evolving, keep it creative break the monotony but as I said they wanted it there more so i said we would start out with twice a week. So far they haven’t disappointed”. Dining service extends beyond just the food that is served. The dining team considers a variety of factors from the music to the arrangement of tables in order to ensure that students have the most comfortable and enjoyable experience. With students coming from all around the world, food serves as a way to unify and break down cultural barriers. It allows students to share something very personal. For Chief Bayo, food has a unique ability to build community. “Once you sit down at the table with someone, you are going to interact with them,” he said. “And even just asking what are you having, what do you like and just opening up the conversation, breaking bread together, that’s what family is, that’s what community is.”

Bayo Otiti

The dining hall serves a different role for everyone. For some, the dining hall is a great place to relax and de-stress over a warm plate of food, for others it’s a place for a quick pick-me-up before class or breakfast on the run, or to satisfy late night cravings. That is why Columbia dining has an array of options from John Jay to JJ’s place, Ferris, and Blue Java. As Chief Bayo says, “each place has it’s own energy, its own vibe, but it’s all circled around one goal and that is serving the guests and hospitality. So no matter where you go, how the vibe is, how it looks it should always make you feel comfortable to be there and comfort is different to different people.” The feel of each dining establishment is different but it all revolves around the guests’ expectations and convenience. Spicy, refreshing, hearty, sizzling, satisfying, aromatic, or invigorating; food is an expression of culture, identity, and heritage. It bonds families and builds communities, eases tension and starts conversations. Columbia dining recognizes and respects the complexity of the food experience and utilizes it to make dining a dynamic experience. The dining halls are your home and the chefs at Columbia dining do all they can to ensure that the food they serve and the environment they provide enables each student to feel nourished, both physically and emotionally.

Food Talk with Professor Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson by Tessa Mellin Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson is an emeritus professor of cultural sociology at Columbia University. In her latest book, Word of Mouth: What We Talk About When We Talk About Food, Ferguson discusses the centrality of food within the modern world, examining the complex social dynamics inherent in cooking and consumption. On November 4th 2015, I had the pleasure of discussing society’s ever-evolving relationship with food with Dr. Ferguson. Below are excerpts from our conversation.

In your book “Word of Mouth: What We Talk About When We Talk About Food”, you discuss how our relationship to and conception of food has changed in the modern world. From online cooking blogs, to Food Network, to the ubiquitous food Instagram, it seems that food has left the confines of the kitchen or restaurant and seeped into numerous other social realms. What sorts of factors, social or otherwise do you think have contributed to the development of the 21st century obsession with food?

day that said that food is a way of controlling your life locally. You can decide that you want this or that. You can be this kind of vegetarian or that kind of vegetarian. But those choices are meaningful for lives in a way that they weren’t fifty or certainly a hundred years ago when there weren’t that many choices, relatively speaking.

The 21st century food obsession works off the 19th century food obsession, [which is when] restaurants moved fine dining or haute cuisine into the public sphere. Now in the 21st century, it’s partly travel. People are traveling all over the place. For Americans that started post World War II. People in the 60s and 70s could go to Europe pretty easily and of course now around Asia as well. So it is travel on the part of the consumers, but also travel on the part of businesses as well, and it’s not just McDonald’s. It’s businesses all over the world! You get what I call internationalization, where people are selling local specialties internationally. You can buy foie gras on the Internet! Many people are making their pitch selling local items. I think also, interest in health is certainly a concern, and where our foods come from. The “locavore” is part of that. I was reading something the other the

So, in a place like New York City for example, where I can walk down the street and essentially find any sort of cuisine I am looking for, how does this plethora of choices influence our relationship with the food we eat? Well, we eat for all kinds of reasons. One of the reasons we have different kinds of meals is that we don’t eat breakfast in the same way as we eat dinner and you don’t eat dinner when you are going out with your parents the same way you eat dinner when you’re going out with your boyfriend. So there are all different reasons for why we eat and they change over an individual’s lifetime, over the day, over the season. Now, especially with the Internet, when we can order things from all over the place, there is an amazing amount of choice. It used to be that you had to be in a big city. But now, you can walk [go] on the Internet and order your kimchi taco.

There is also an emphasis on novelty and coming up with something new. People can be neophobes or neophiles. With food, we go back and forth. Sometimes you want comfort food. You’re a neophobe. You don’t want something fancy-schmancy. All of this makes for an incredibly vibrant food scene, but also an incredibly confusing one. It also makes having a dinner with a group of friends incredibly difficult to orchestrate. There is an attention now to what I call culinary individualism and the importance of identity. A dinner creates a social occasion. It brings people together. But, if you are all eating different things, doesn’t that undermine the notion of community that the dinner comes from? So in these situations, the food itself no longer functions as a unifying element? Right! Dinner or meals are utopian. There is the Christian meal where you commune with others and with God, and many other meals that create a community. Food is one element but not the only element. In my view, the more you emphasize the food, to the detriment of the others, the less you’re going to have on [take away from] that meal. The whole notion of creating a community is around [founded on] food and talk. In your book, you discuss the idea of “food talk”. Could you explain a bit about the purpose and importance of food talk in our modern food world? When you consume something, you cannot consume the same thing that someone else is consuming. You can have servings out of the same dish, but you are not consuming what your neighbor is consuming. So therefore, food talk, talking about food, is an important way of communicating your sensation and contributing to the community that I see as essential to a dinner. We have all had meals where the food is good, but somehow the meal fell flat for whatever reason. The dramas at Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is about a whole bunch of stuff, only some of which has to do with turkey.

In addition to helping to unify a meal, and contributing to creating a sense of community, in what other ways does conversation enhance consumption? It brings forth memories. Taste, like smell often does that. It’s on an unconscious level. When I came back here [Columbia University], I walked into Butler and it smelled like graduate school. It was the smell of the card catalog. It’s something that changes. You haven’t changed, you have changed. The food is always changing. One of the things that food talk does is make it permanent. Food disappears but food talk is forever. One of the problems that comes up with the blogosphere, is that everyone is a critic. There is so much food talk! Whom do you pay attention to? Who has authority? My view is that the traditional media keep their authority. We pay more attention to The New York Times perhaps now than ever before because there is so much competition. Do you think that the chefs and restaurant owners are responding more to the traditional forms of media and authority like The New York Times, or are they responding more to these food blogs and yelp and all the others? They are responding to all of those things, because photographs will get out there. You can convey food with photographs. You can’t convey tastes, but you can convey the structure of a dish. So they emphasize elaborate dishes that you can put on your website. In that case, who do you think has been the driving force behind this culinary revolution? It’s probably driven more by chefs who want to taste their way around the world and see new things. It’s also driven by particularly high-end consumers, who want new stuff. If you are going to create new stuff, you have to increase your range of possibilities. One of the questions this brings up is the issue of inequality. The top restaurants in New York are very expensive, because they have to be. A restaurant can’t just be a restaurant that serves food. It has to somehow distinguish itself. The restaurant industry is easy in but it is also easy out. It’s very hard to make a go of a restaurant especially in a place like New York where people are very fickle.

What effect does this inequality that arises have, with the top consumers driving the culinary revolution, on the social dynamics surrounding food?

Food is so important to our lives. We can say, “food is fuel” in which case we don’t pay much attention to it, but that doesn’t happen very often. We need to eat but we also want to eat. I think that is an important back and forth. One thing that’s really interesting about food is that it is always in the process of change. If you have fruit, it’s either becoming ripe or becoming rotten. Then, cooking transforms it. This is a more conscious transformation. And then there’s transforming food not only into waste, but also into words, which is where food talk comes in.

For a meal, the assumption is that people are equal. Now that’s a fiction. But the fiction is, that at that table, you are equal. The question is how do you get to that table. Nobody likes everything. Humans are omnivores, we can eat anything that is edible, but no one eats everything. There is always a line we draw. Those differences are largely cultural. So, yes, inequality conversation is a way of communicating about the food, but if you don’t have the same references the conversation would be totally [useless]. I think it is worrisome if you just have your own narrow group that is excluding an awful lot of people.

Do you have any predictions regarding how the relationship between food and society will continue to evolve? What do you think the future food world looks like? Do you foresee a different role for food talk in that future food world?

Has globalization enhanced those cultural differences? Have we become more set in our sense of a “national cuisine” or has this globalization served to break down the barriers between different cuisines around the world? Well, it’s both. As soon as food travels, it is breaking down boundaries. On the one hand there is globalization and breaking down of boundaries. But on the other hand, especially in this consumer society of ours, where tourism is an increasingly important factor for many countries, there are a lot of strategies of culinary nationalism. Chefs are traveling all over the world. The point is to move around a lot so you get [develop] different styles. Now, the question is, to what extent are those styles considered national. Sometimes the notion of what is national food doesn’t fit with the truly great cuisine of that place. For example, we think of German cooking as being really heavy stuff but in fact there are a lot of really great chefs in Germany. So it’s both. You have these creations like the kimchi taco and Cronut, which combines things, but you have to have a base. It’s like interdisciplinary intellectual life. To be interdisciplinary, you have to be disciplined. You use the movie Ratatouille as an example throughout your book. What role do you think movies like this one, in which the story centers on food, play in the changing dynamic between modern society and food? Why are we continually drawn back to such stories?

I think there will be a consciousness on the part of certain culinary traditions and probably more particular approaches. On the other hand, the continuing pressure to novelty may well be untenable. Can we go too far? There’s a limit because food after all does come back to the body. Ferran Adrià at El Bulli closed his restaurant. As he said, he doesn’t really care if people like the food. He’s interested in a new taste experience. He is interested in experimentation, but you can’t run a restaurant that way and most people don’t eat that way. So the restaurant world is going to be even more diverse. Even just in the past few years with food trucks and street food. The food trucks depend enormously on social media. That’s probably going to increase. I think you cannot get too far from the body. Things have to taste good, but our notions of what good tastes like will vary. It [food talk] will, I think, continue to amplify all of the trends, good, bad, and indifferent. You’ve got the proliferation of food and food ways and the proliferation of food talk. The question is, does it come together? Where do you think is the best place to talk about food? Well, since I am a teacher, I’d like to say in the classroom!

Lights, camera CHEF A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE CULT OF THE CELEBRITY CHEF by Hannah Berck art by Joanne Raptis Guy Fieri. Bobby Flay. Ina Garten. These names are now common in every American household. However, this was not always the case. The concept of the “celebrity chef ” can really be traced back to Julia Child. Her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, brought sophisticated French food to the layman’s kitchen table, and her subsequent show The French Chef kicked off the television cooking fad. This show allowed people to learn how to cook French food step by step, creating a celebrity out of Julia Child along the way. With fellow chef Jacques Pepin by Child’s side on the show Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, the duo kickstarted the trend of “fine dining at home” as we know it. The Food Network started with Child’s and Pepin’s shows and similar shows such as The Essence of Emeril, but has evolved quite a bit since its start in 1993. Then, shows such as Good Eats and Iron Chef reigned as the most popular. The Food Network’s simple original mission of providing instructional and entertainment-based programming for home chefs has evolved to feature--and create--major food celebrity personalities and household names such as Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri, Rachel Ray, and Ina Garten to name a few.

Notable celebrity chefs extend their fame from the television to the restaurant world as well, with chefs such as Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay capitalizing on their notoriety to create lucrative restaurants. Conversely, popular restaurant chefs expand their fame and gain exposure to a new audience through appearances on food programs. But unlike typical stars on television, who are viewed as inaccessible to their audience, celebrity chefs have the unique opportunity to allow the at-home chef to engage with them not just from the couch in their living rooms. One of the most famous chefs that often judges on Bravoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top Chef is Eric Ripert, the owner of the Midtown New York ultra-fine dining spot, Le Bernardin. Some claim that Le Bernardin is the greatest restaurant in New York City, and it remains one of few restaurants that hold a covetable four-star rating from The New York Times.

Walking in, one is greeted by an inviting dining room with high ceilings and modern decor. The menu is nothing short of spectacular: The signature tasting menu includes kingfish, scallops, crab, salmon, striped bass, coconut sorbet, and finally flourless hazelnut cake. While the meal was an incredible experience, it was not the best part of the night--it was seeing the chef himself come out of the kitchen and greet guests. Eric Ripert, with his white chef â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coat and his matching white hair, embodies the cult of celebrity in its truest form, captivating his off-screen audience with the same magnetic energy he brings on Top Chef. All that was missing were the screaming fana and paparazzi.

3 TIPS FOR PLANNING A SUCCESSFUL DINNER DATE

SET YOUR ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP UP FOR SUCCESS BY IMPLEMENTING THESE LESSONS FROM PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH by Autumn Tian Qiu art by Justine Hu

Every moment throughout your dinner, both you and your date are taking in information from your surroundings. These bits of information help you form an understanding of each other through your subconscious mind. A dining environment that makes you both comfortable can drastically increase your chances of building a successful relationship at the dinner table. Below, We have outlined several key findings from the field of environmental psychology: Read on to see how you can apply them to your dining experience.

Tip #1: Avoid Restaurants With A Bright, Saturated Color Setting Research on diners’ reactions to colors shows that bold colors not only can affect perceptions and attitudes but can actually provoke a biological response. Bold colors (saturated red, orange, gold) can be overwhelming, and in combination with other stimulations from the dining and conversation experience (anxiety, loud noises, wandering thoughts, etc.), can lead to sensory overload. Your date’s comfort can suffer, and you’ll feel that anxious “It’s time to go” energy - but it won’t even be your fault! Avoid this risk by skipping restaurants that overwhelm your eyes with bold colors. Fast food restaurants, for example, use vibrant yellows, reds and purples to attract attention while reinforcing fast patron turnover.

Tip #2: Avoid Loud and Fast Background Music Fast, loud music also encourages short restaurant stays. High-end restaurants like The Square in London (rated with two Michelin stars) have no music. A prevalent philosophy in nicer restaurants says that atmosphere comes from guests, their happy conversations, and the clinking of glasses. Most restaurants still play music, so it’s crucial to choose a restaurant that plays slower, gentler songs. That fast and loud stuff exhausts your energy! Slow music with moderate volume is ideal.

Tip #3: Let Your Date Take The Anchored Seat It’s tempting to “anchor” yourself with the seat against a wall, column, or even beside a plant in order to feel in control. You’ll put your date at ease if you let them take the seat, though! Just remember, if you’re the one choosing a seat, you’ve already got some control - you can survive without the reassurance of the “better” seat. Anchored seats provide a sense of a “perch” and create a barrier against the stimulation (sights, sounds, etc.) reaching them,enhancing their comfort and relaxation.

Remember: perception is continuous. These elements, which you might otherwise take for granted, can strongly influence your date’s impression of the time you spend together. First impressions count, and it’s not just about who you are: it’s also about how you make them feel. For your next important night out, keep these lessons in mind. 24

BAKING BY MYSELF I’M JUST BAKIN’ ON MY OWN by Sara Mael art by Sophia Davis It’s a crisp fall morning; the leaves are changing colors, my breath hangs in the cold morning air, and it’s finally sweater weather. It’s also, after several months of sweltering heat when I could not justify turning on the oven, pie weather. On this chilly November morning, I want to peel apples, roll out a flaky crust, and invite my friends over to enjoy apple pie fresh out of the oven. Word spreads quickly through my house as I assemble ingredients, lining up flour, salt, and butter on the countertop. Pretty soon my sisters have appeared by my side, demanding to help with the baking process. I awkwardly try to push them away, gently suggesting that they sit nearby and talk to me while I bake, but they take offense and leave. It’s not that I don’t want their company; I just don’t want their help. Why is it so hard to explain that I don’t want them side-by-side in the kitchen with me? All I really want is to feed them the final product. Baking is a one-woman job for me. I love to put on music, dance around the kitchen, and sneak tastes of the batter. When someone else joins, the whole process becomes complicated. I have to share kitchen space and measuring cups, dividing up the work so they can feel like they’ve helped. But I don’t want the help. I want this other person to sit back and keep me company, and maybe play DJ while I’m measuring flour and sugar. Part of my dilemma is that I simply don’t want to share the glory. I love being able to present a tray of doughnuts or a stack of cookies and proudly proclaim that they are a result of my hard work, and mine alone. It’s a boast

that I mastered this recipe, conquered the cookbook, and sacrificed my time and energy to produce something delicious. Baking also gives me the opportunity to disconnect from the outside world, and connect with the process of making food. I get to rely on my instincts to decide when the flour is just mixed in, how much is a pinch of salt, if the cookies are golden brown yet. Baking is a game of trust, between me and the ingredients, and there just isn’t space for someone else to play. There’s more room for error when there are too many cooks in the kitchen. I can recall times when a friend joined me to make cookies, and added too much flour to the dough. The resulting cookies were tough and lumpy instead of chewy. Another time, a well-meaning acquaintance over-mixed a batch of batter, yielding some flat, strange muffins. While I don’t claim that I am an expert baker, and my culinary skills leave much to be desired, I pride myself on being able to produce delicious, usually beautiful baked goods. Sharing the kitchen means relinquishing control, and therefore the ability to make the best product possible. So to all my friends, family, and kind strangers who wander through the kitchen: thank you for offering to help, I recognize the good intentions! But sit back and relax, maybe read a magazine or gossip with me. I don’t want your help; I just want your company. If you stick around, you can lick the bowl of batter, and I promise you can be the first to taste the final product. But stay out of my way in the kitchen.

THE QUESTION THAT NO ONE NEEDS TO ASK AT MASSAWA:

“Can I try a bite of your food?” review by Saskia Randle photos by Simon Broucke

Do you always want to take a bite off your friend’s plate, or can you never decide what to order? If so, Massawa is where all of your curious tendencies can be satiated. Massawa, one of three Eritrean and Ethiopian restaurants in walking distance from Columbia, offers a traditional Ethiopian dining experience where everyone eats off of a communal plate. Instead of using utensils, it is customary to eat with one’s hands and pick up food with injera, a thin, spongy, slightly tangy bread over which the food is served. This method of communal eating is sure to start conversation, and be sure to wash your hands beforehand. But remember, curious gourmands; this dining experience is not a race - portions are plentiful and should be savored. The décor consists of a few Ethiopian paintings and the music contains string instruments and percussions ideal for dancing. The environment seems well suited for many types of eaters and accommodates vegetarians and meat-eaters alike Each dish is placed in its own space on the communal platter so that different dishes do not touch. Recommended plates are red lentils with ground herbs, pureed chickpeas with ginger and spices, tender collard greens flavored with garlic, and chicken with cabbage. The combinations of sweet, tangy, and spicy leave one’s palate content, but don’t forget to finish the meal with an Ethiopian coffee!

Massawa is located on 1239 Amsterdam Avenue. For more information, please call (212) 663-0505 or visits massawanyc.com.

EXPLORATION and CONVERSATION VENTURE OFF CAMPUS TO NOURISH KITCHEN AND TABLE AND BIRCH COFFEE, AND MAYBE MAKE A FRIEND OR TWO ALONG THE WAY

LATTE ART AND THE ART OF CONVERSATION at BIRCH COFFEE by Celine Laruelle “The Ignition Initiative: grab a sign, a table and meet someone new” boasts the banner above the cards, coffee lids and napkins on the countertop in Birch Coffee. The coffee shop’s founders, Jeremy Lyman and Paul Schlader, have always aimed to promote good conversation to go with good coffee, but they took this goal to the next level by introducing conversation cards. Customers can place the cards on their tables to spark a discussion with someone new, and with prompts such as “tell me about the one life-changing book I should read” and “tell me about your day if you woke up tomorrow and were invisible”, the cards are guaranteed to generate an interesting chat. Placing a card on the table and waiting for someone to bite can be daunting, but there are no expectations, no rules, and little chance of seeing one’s conversation partner again- all reasons to go and make your NSOP Orientation Leader proud!

Photo courtesy of Birch Coffee

The conversation cards aren’t necessary to have a chat with a stranger, however. The baristas are eager to recommend one of their featured blends of the week and have a conversation while they brew it. They even have two different tip jars representing two possible answers to the day’s trivia question with discussion-starters in all the details. Their to-go cups also serve this purpose, reading “Hello, my name is” where the barista writes the customer’s name. And if that isn’t enough, tasting the bold, dark tanginess of their signature espresso is sure to inspire dialogue.

Birch Coffee is located on 750 Columbus Ave. For more information, please call 212-686-1444 or visit http://www.birchcoffee.com

THE POWER OF COMMUNITY at NOURISH KITCHEN AND TABLE by Ailis Dooner

Photo courtesy of Nourish Kitchen and Table It is a drizzly November afternoon in Greenwich Village. According to its Instagram page, Nourish Kitchen and Table (NKT) on Greenwich Avenue is not just a café, but a “lifestyle boutique.” Scrolling through Instagram photos of colorful vegetables and half-munched avocado toast, each with well over 100 “likes” and several comments, one may wonder: does the positive digital dialogue centered around NKT’s “seasonal fresh food” and healthy eats translate to an in-person sense of community in the restaurant? At NKT, one shouldn’t expect to find blissful strangers swapping stories, bonding over kombucha-filled mason jars, and sharing food (after all, this is New York, not Portlandia). Nonetheless, the sense of community is tangible, albeit subtle- and perhaps more organic (no pun intended). NKT is a small space, and its decor is bright and refreshingly minimalist, with seating at small tables and at a counter directly overlooking the food preparation area.

There are neighborhood moms having a catch-up session, businesspeople on lunch breaks, ‘regulars,’ and tourists. Regardless of why and with whom a customer comes, once they arrive, they enter a community- of which fellow guests are a part- in which healthy food is a topic for conversation. The server interacts with guests in an educational- not transactional- way, and she explains NKT’s philosophy to newcomers, as if welcoming them to the family. As the server behind the counter introduces NKT to a recently arrived party, she notes that NKT is “all about balance.” The menu- which features locally sourced and seasonal items- rotates weekly, and all available items are spread on the counter in the display case. Each menu item is a collection ingredients deliberately selected to maximize nutritional value, such as the Autumn Grain Bowl, which features a poached egg from Maple Meadow Farm in Salisbury, Vermont, celeriac puree, and puy lentils. When a guest asks about a menu item, the server makes sure to note these small details; NKT expects that these are the details which inform their guests’ choice of food.

Photo: Brandon Chin As guests survey their lunch options in the display case, they see the food, not just words on a menu. Strategic or not, this visual element brings food and nutrition to the forefront of customers’ banter, with each other, and with the server. A guest is more likely to see the food, itself, before even glimpsing the listings on the menu, which is located on the side wall and not immediately obvious; there’s an inversion of the typical order. Choosing one’s meal is a communal process; everyone looks at the food together, and everyone has the opportunity to ask questions, and to engage, as they decide what to eat. NKT offers artful, nutritious eats in an unpretentious milieu, where the food is just as satisfying as the conversation it sparks- both online, and in the cozy Greenwich Village cafe.

Nourish Kitchen and Table can be found at 95 Greenwich Avenue. For more information, please call (212) 242-6115 or visit www.nourishkitchentable.com

My Family Recipe: A Meal to Share recipes by Mina Ching and Isabel Rivero art by Justine Hu

The best meals to share with others are those made with others. Recipes can be time-consuming, even complicated, but are always rewarding at completion when made with family and friends. Why else would countless people go that extra mile for a multi layered birthday cake or a Thanksgiving Turkey? In keeping with this festive spirit, here are two recipes designed for making with loved ones. Take turns stirring the risotto, have the â&#x20AC;&#x153;chefsâ&#x20AC;? put their favorite fillings into their hallacas, and, though weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re sure it goes without saying, be sure to forge lasting memories along the way.

Curry Chicken By Mina Ching

Method:

Serves 3 - 4 people

In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, vermouth, ginger, and sugar. Place chicken pieces in mixture, making sure that all pieces are evenly coated. Let chicken marinate in the refrigerator for several hours. The chicken can marinate overnight if desired.

This is a recipe that my father created as a little something that we could eat together as a family. Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon vermouth 1 quarter-sized slice of ginger, pounded 1 teaspoon sugar 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces 3 cups chicken broth 1 can (12 ounces) coconut milk 1-2 tablespoons curry powder 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 5 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 1 onion, cut into wedges Cornstarch 1/8 tablespoon sesame oil

Heat a pan over high heat. Place chicken on pan and fry until sides are browned. The chicken should not cook all the way through. Remove from heat and set aside. In a pot, combine chicken broth, coconut milk, curry powder, soy sauce, brown sugar, and potatoes. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in carrots and onion and continue to simmer until vegetables soften. Stir in chicken and continue to simmer until chicken is no longer pink when sliced open. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water to form thickening mixture. Stir thickening mixture into pot until the curry reaches desired consistency. Drizzle sesame oil over curry. Serve and enjoy!

Purple Risotto with Mushrooms and Onions

By Isabel Rivero

Method:

Serves 4-6 people

Set a medium-sized pot up with the water, vegetable bouillon, garlic, and parmesan rinds. Heat on high until the broth reaches a boil,then lower to a medium to low heat for a steady simmer.

This is a recipe that my father created as a little something that we could eat together as a family. Ingredients: 2 cubes vegetable bouillon 6 cups water 1 clove garlic Parmesan rinds 1 onion A handful/~2 cups portobello or porcini mushrooms Olive oil 3 cups arborio rice Pinot Noir 2 cups grated parmesan

Meanwhile, dice the onion, and wash and slice the mushrooms. SautĂŠ both mushrooms and onions in olive oil in a large pot. On medium high heat, add arborio rice to vegetables. Wait 30 seconds, and then add a splash of pinot noir to the rice and vegetables until all the rice is purple. When the rice appears to have soaked in most of the wine, ladle a cup of the simmering broth into the risotto rice and stir consistently. Do not add garlic chunks or parmesan rinds from the broth into the rice. Continue to ladle more broth into the rice after the rice has soaked up the initial cup. Continue to stir until rice looks fully cooked. Turn off the heat. Add in the grated parmesan, and stir vigorously. Serve hot. Refrigerate leftovers for up to a week.

Venezuelan Hallacas By Isabel Rivero Adapted from ¡Buen Provecho!, 2003

parsley, minced ½ cup masa 1 cup sweet wine

Makes 40

Extras:

A savory holiday dish, and a traditional Venezuelan staple. Enlist a small army to help speed up this lengthy cooking process.

40 olives 1 cup golden raisins ½ cup almonds

Ingredients:

Method:

80 square banana leaves 40 oblong banana leaves Twine

Day 1:

Masa: 4 pounds hulled corn or 25 cups Harina Pan 4 quarts (with hulled corn) or 6 quarts (with Harina Pan) water Salt 1 pint chicken stock 1 ½ pounds lard 1 tablespoon paprika 3 tablespoons papelón (or substitute brown sugar) Filling: 1 ½ pounds beef 1 ½ pounds pork 1 chicken 1 pound diced salt pork 4 pounds sliced onions 4 pounds tomatoes 4 chopped peppers 2 minced leeks ¼ pound papelón 2 cups approx. vinegar Salt Pepper 2 heads garlic, minced 10 hot peppers, minced ¼ pound capers

Masa (If using hulled corn): Wash hulled corn in water until water is clear after being run through. Pour into large pot, and add 3 quarts cold water. Bring to boil with cover on, then let simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand in water overnight. Leaves: Wash and dry banana leaves. Break apart and remove veins. Cut into squares (14 x 14 inches) and rectangles (8 x 15 inches). If using Harina Pan, leaves can be prepared on the same day as masa and filling. Day 2: Masa (If using hulled corn): Drain corn and grind until fine. Knead with 4 tablespoons salt dissolved in 1 quart water until soft. If using Harina Pan: Pour Harina Pan and salted water into bowl and knead until soft. Add more water as needed to reach a doughy, but not watery, consistency. Combine chicken stock, salt, paprika, and papelón. Add to masa dough and knead until masa is spreadable with a knife. Separate masa into 40 balls the size of lacrosse balls.

Filling: Boil the beef, pork, and chicken with salt, garlic, and onions for 2 hours, or until very soft. Debone chicken and shred all meat. Save stock. Heat lard until melted. Peel and seed tomatoes. Dice and add to lard. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add meat and 3 cups stock. Add all other ingredients except masa and sweet wine. Cook at medium heat for 40 minutes, making sure meat does not disintegrate. Add masa and wine. Cook for another 15 minutes. Use square leaf and spread half of masa ball into thin circle, like a pancake. Leave at least an inch on all sides without any masa. Place 2 tablespoons of filling in center and add extras as desired. Spread other half

of masa ball onto another square leaf. Place onto first leaf with filling, so dough is touching. Fold in edges on two sides, and do the same for the other two sides. Take rectangle leaf and wrap hallaca again. Tie tightly shut with twine, wrapping around the ends both vertically and horizontally. Repeat this for all 40 masa balls. Boil hallacas in salted water for at least an hour. Let cool on a tilted board to drain excess water. Hallacas taste best one day after preparation. Serve hot by boiling for a short period of time. Keep hallacas wrapped in banana leaves. Freeze, or refrigerate for up to two weeks.

]RECIPES_FOR] [THE_PERFECT] [BIRTHDAY_CAKE] recipes by Aimee Cicciello art by Sofia Davis

]MARSHMALLOW] ]FONDANT] Covers three 8â&#x20AC;? or 9â&#x20AC;? cakes Unlike commercially produced fondant, this homemade marshmallow confection both tastes great and gives birthday cakes a professional finish Ingredients: Shortening, for greasing 1 (10 0unce) package marshmallows 2 tablespoons water 1 (1 pound) bag powdered sugar Gel food coloring (optional) Colored candy melts (optional) Method: Grease a microwave safe bowl, countertop, utensils, and hands with a generous layer of shortening. Place marshmallows into greased bowl and add water. Stir until evenly coated. Microwave marshmallows for one minute on high, then stir with a greased spoon or spatula. Continue to microwave for thirty second intervals until completely melted.

While marshmallows are in the microwave, sift half of the powdered sugar onto the greased countertop and create a wide, shallow well. If desired, add gel food coloring or melted candy melts to melted marshmallows until desired color is achieved. Stir until color is evenly distributed. Once the marshmallows are completely melted, pour into well of powdered sugar. Start incorporating sugar with a greased spatula until the mixture is cool enough to handle. Grease hands and wrists very well. Begin to knead the marshmallow mixture and incorporate more of the powdered sugar. Knead for 10-15 minutes, continuing to the rest of the powdered sugar, until a very firm dough is formed. Grease plastic wrap with shortening and wrap the ball of fondant tightly. Let rest for at least six hours or overnight in the refrigerator. To color once fondant is made, place two drops of gel food coloring into fondant and knead until color is evenly distributed. Continue until desired color is achieved. Fondant can be made one week in advance and kept chilled. If frozen, can be kept for one month wrapped in plastic wrap and sealed in a Ziplock bag. To thaw, leave in refrigerator overnight.

]CLASSIC_VANILLA_CAKE] Makes two 8” rounds

Method:

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 8” round cake pans with parchment. Grease and flour pans. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add eggs two at a time until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding dry ingredients alternatively with milk in four parts, starting and ending with flour mixture.

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 4 cups granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 8 eggs, room temperature 2 cups whole milk 5 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder

Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely before removing from the pans. Cake can be made two days in advance and kept chilled or frozen one month in advance. Let thaw before use.

]CHOCOLATE_GANACHE] Makes 3 cups

Method:

The simplest way to make the best chocolate frosting that’s rich, yet subtly sweet.

Heat cream on stovetop or microwave just until it starts to boil. Pour over chopped chocolate, cover, and let sit for five minutes. Stir mixture until well combined and chocolate is completely melted. Let sit at room temperature until it reaches a spreadable, frosting-like consistency, approximately 30 mintues. For a fluffier frosting, whip until light and fluffy.

Ingredients: 14 ounces good quality chocolate, (milk, semisweet, or dark) chopped 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Ganache can be made three days in advance and kept refrigerated. Let sit at room temp for 30 minutes before use.

]ITALIAN_MERINGUE] [BUTTERCREAM] Makes 6 cups

Method:

This versatile, smooth frosting perfectly covers cakes in a sweet layer of creaminess

Bring water and sugar to boil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. When sugar mixture reaches 230 degrees F, begin to whip egg whites into stiff peaks. Once sugar mixture reaches 240 degrees F, remove from heat and pour into egg whites with the mixer running. Pour sugar in a thin stream on the side of the bowl, being careful not to splatter sugar into the moving beaters.

Ingredients: 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup water 8 large egg whites, room temperature 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Flavorings (optional): instant coffee, fruit puree, maple syrup, or extracts Food coloring (optional)

Continue to whip until the mixture is room temperature, approximately 10 minutes. Add butter two tablespoons at a time until fully incorporated. Beat until smooth. If buttercream curdles, place bowl in an ice bath and continue to beat until frosting becomes smooth. Add vanilla, desired flavorings, and desired colors. Mix until combined. Frosting can be made one week in advance and kept chilled. Can be frozen for one month and thawed to room temperature before use.

]SIMPLE_SYRUP] Besides keeping cakes moist, simple syrup is also the base for many mixed drinks Ingredients: 1 part sugar 1 part water 1 vanilla pod (optional)

Method: Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves. Remove vanilla pod and let cool completely before using. Can be made one week in advance and kept refrigerated.

]ASSEMBLY_AND] [DECORATING] Ingredients: 2 (8”) round cakes 1/2 simple syrup 1 quantity chocolate ganache Assorted small fruit or candy (optional) 1 quantity Italian meringue buttercream 1 quantity fondant Special Tools: Lazy Susan (optional but highly recommended) Method: Take chilled cakes out of their pans and remove parchment paper. Using a sharp, serrated knife, level the cakes so they are the same height. Cut the cakes in half horizontally and soak each layer with 2-3 tablespoons of simple syrup. Smear a small amount of buttercream on the lazy Susan to hold the cake in place. Put the bottom layer of cake on the lazy Susan, and using an offset spatula, generously frost the bottom layer with a 1/4” layer of ganache. If desired, pipe a thick border of ganache around the circumference of the cake and fill the center with an assortment of small candy or fruit. The ganache border creates a “fence” to hold in all the goodies, which can range from raspberries to M&Ms to popcorn to pomegranate seeds. Place another layer of cake on top and repeat until all layers are filled and frosted. Frost a thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake, using a long spatula and the lazy Susan to create a smooth finish. This layer of frosting is known as the crumb coat, and it serves to glue and crumbs to the surface of the cake so the second layer of frosting will go on flawlessly. Make sure to press the frosting into the cake to seal in the crumbs. Chill cake for 30 minutes. Frost the cake with a slightly thicker layer of buttercream and chill for 15 minutes. Make sure the surface of the buttercream is as smooth as possible, or the fondant will look lumpy. Dust workspace with powdered sugar and roll out fondant to 1/8” thickness. Drape fondant over the rolling pin and carefully place fondant onto cake. Start to smooth the fondant and direct air out of the fondant, lightly smoothing over everything with the palm. When fondant bunches and creases, lift and pull the fold apart before smoothing. Repeat until fondant is smooth all the way around the cake. Cut away excess fondant. To make three-dimensional or upright decorations, roll out fondant, cut or sculpt into desired shape and let dry at room temperature for 48-72 hours until rigid. To adhere, place a small amount of water and press decoration on. Decorated cakes can be made one day in advance and kept chilled. *Note: This cake can be frosted entirely in buttercream, entirely in ganache, or using a combination of both.

See You Next Time, Culinarians! 42