French Knives & Nine Lives

Light The Pilots

We were once bound by the pen and hand, and permanently etched into the lives of a few. But now our words are more eternal than the most abiding object, and unrestrained by the limits of accessibility. The amount of available material is matched doubly by scrutiny. There is no escaping criticism unto ourselves, nor offense unto others. But with passion and audacity we take a leap of faith, in hopes that a one miniscule thought might reverberate throughout the lives of many.

“What is it you do…..?”

I’ve come to despise that question recently. I wish I could avoid it, but it’s impossible. At 25-years-old (closing in on 26) I still don’t have an answer. I guess in this day-and-age it’s not uncommon to have that answer; however, in my own neurotic world I feel like I’m the only person on the planet that upholds that response. Quite honestly, I do numerous things, although the truth may be I don’t get paid to do anything of them. I was getting paid (well, entirely under compensated) by a law firm to assist banks in the processes of foreclosure. That lasted about a year until I realized that: (a) The creatively stifling environment would be the death of me; And, (b) I would never make enough money to negate the unbearably boring workplace. I know, I sound like a brat. The economy is still recovering from a recession, millions are searching for employment, and I’m here complaining about my job because it’s too mundane. Nevertheless, that is who I am. I guess I have my dad to blame for my nature.

My father, a rational, quiet, even-keeled scientist always said to me, “Do what makes you happy” (simple words from a reserved man). He doesn’t know it, but his words have stuck with me more than anything ever said by someone else. We only live one life, and we spend the majority of that life working, so why the hell should we do something that we despise? My predicament is that the entities conducive to my happiness are not exactly easy to obtain for a career. I’m a writer, a chef, and musician. I’m fairly good at all of these things, but not expert of none. I’ve reached the point in my life where I need to focus on one single endeavor. I need to put my my heart into it and push till I reach success.

Two years ago I went to Los Angeles to make a record with my band. We were good. We were really good. We even managed to raise half the money for our project through fundraisers and “investments”, which indicated to me that people believed in our music. Despite my knowledge of the music industry, as well as my own stand against naivety, I had a feeling that something great was eminent. I thought I was going to be a Rockstar.  But all good things must come to end, and this thing came crashing down like a bomb. My world was a bit shattered. Not exactly because it all had ended, but because I felt (and still unsurely feel) that I didn’t have the talent to do it myself. Even now, as I sit here and write, I still believe that I might have a place in music. However, it’s very difficult to believe in yourself when your peers are so naturally talented. With-that-said, there is a huge part of my life where natural talent exists, and that is in cooking.

I grew up in a restaurant. I started as a dishwasher when I was twelve-years-old and worked my way up to a server. In college I became interested in cooking, and during my summer breaks I would protégée under my Chef. When I graduated, I became a full-time cook. I did that for almost three years until I pursued music for a small period of time. I could write for days about all this, and I will in due time. The bottom line is I know food. I know how to prepare it, I know how to style it, I know how to criticize it, and I sure-as-hell know how to consume it. Furthermore, it is now my intention to break into the Food Industry with my writing. My hope is to appeal to a demographic that is neglected by the industry. I want to appeal to young people who love food, enjoy going out to eat, and find people like Rachel Ray and Guy Fietti utterly annoying. You don’t need to be yuppie with a beach-house on Cape Cod to enjoy the world of cuisine. This blog is hopefully a path to something bigger and better.

I apologize if you expected everything to be about food. I’ll try to keep the personal anecdotes to a minimum. I just don’t think we need to detach ourselves from everything we do. We are living, breathing, people. We have blood running through our veins. Without our own experiences there would be nothing to write about and nothing to read. So I’ll say to you what a quiet scientist once said to me, “Do what makes you happy.” Be bold and unforgiving. Stand out. Have fun, and submit yourself to every experience you have. You only get one chance at the big dance.