Who is the Reluctant Gourmet
That’s me, the Reluctant Gourmet. I was reluctant when I put the hat on for the photo since I’m not a real chef but an amateur home enthusiast. I looked up the word gourmet in my Food Lover’s Companion, a great dictionary of over 3,000 culinary terms, and it said, “a connoisseur of fine food and wine”. Well, I may love food and wine, and enjoy cooking, but I would be reluctant to call myself a connoisseur. Hence, The Reluctant Gourmet!!!!
My Cooking Philosophy
Cooking is great fun and not that difficult if you learn some basics cooking techniques. Cookbooks and cooking magazines are great sources for learning how to cook, but at the same time can early dissuade you from getting started and trying to be an accomplished home cook. One of the reasons I started this web site was because I found many of the food articles written in cooking publications by professional chefs hard to follow and difficult to understand. They assumed you knew a lot more than I did at the time. So I started learning as much as could by reading and asking a lot of questions and applying what I learned to their recipes.
There are two basic reasons to learn how to cook. One, you have to eat. Unless you can afford to dine out every night or hire your own personal chef, there will be times when you will need to cook. So why not learn how to do it well and save that Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for the kids. (Not that I don't love the stuff, but I ate a life times worth while in college)
The other reason, it's a great hobby. Many of you may look at cooking everyday as a tiresome task, something that has to be done whether you want to or not. Hey, we all have days when we don't feel like preparing a fancy meal and guess what....on those days you can order a pizza or some other take-out food or make a simple bowl of pasta. But there are plenty of simple basic recipes that don't take a lot of time and I would be happy to serve to guests. My web site is full of quick and easy recipes that you can make at the last minute.
Once you learn some simple basics and how easy it is to cook, it may change the way you look at the daunting task of preparing daily meals.
So, Who is the Reluctant Gourmet?
By day, I used to work on Wall Street as a typical bond broker out there to make the almighty buck, but at night and on weekends, I escaped that arena, donned my chef’s hat and became a Reluctant Gourmet. I love being in the kitchen. It’s more than just cooking, there are the different foods and wines, the tools and gadgets, the creating and experimenting....It’s like taking the tool bench out of the basement. I found it a great way to escape from my stressed out Wall Street occupation. I’m a nonprofessional, untrained food enthusiast who taught myself to cook by watching girlfriends, reading cookbooks and exploring in the kitchen. I can help you do the same.
Sure, there are plenty of great cookbooks and food magazines available, some more user- friendly than others, but have you ever tried to cook anything from them? Assuming you can pronounce all the ingredients (velouté sauce), own a ton of kitchen equipment, and can figure out all the technical jargon, you are faced with the challenge of interpreting some pretty interesting directions.
Another Big Move For The Reluctant Gourmet
After six great years and one Winter Olympics in Park City, Utah, my wife and I decided to move back to the east coast to Philadelphia to be closer to our family and friends as well as the Jersey shore. We had a great time in Park City and loved the mountains especially in the summer time. I know we will be back for visits often.
Philadelphia is very much like New York City but on a small scale. They have great theater, sports, music and most important.... great food. You don't have as many choices as in New York, but with two small children, we find it much more accessible.
While in Utah, besides being a stay at home dad, the Reluctant Gourmet, web designer, and a Internet consultant, I trained as a personal and small business coach. The question for me was what area of coaching should I work in? After coaching some great clients, I figured out I have the most to offer in Internet marketing and web page optimization.
What does that mean in English? If you have a Internet based business and it's not performing the way you would like it to, not meeting and succeeding your goals, I can help you make it work. If you have a site that is under performing and would like a few "recipes" to give it a jump start, send me an email here and we can arrange to talk about it.
How The Reluctant Gourmet Can Help
If you are an amateur, like myself, I can help you cook like a pro. It’s simple. Cooking is easier than building a model airplane when you were a kid, you needed some basic tools and had to follow some simple procedures. Remember when you first started building models, you followed the directions to the letter. Then after a while, you never even looked at the instructions. Cooking’s the same. Armed with some basic techniques, the right tools, and the best products available anyone can turn out a delicious gourmet meal. I am constantly on the lookout for shortcuts, techniques, products, tips, any thing that will make cooking truly what it’s supposed to be, FUN. I’m not saying you’ll be able to quit your job and start chefing at some fancy chic restaurant, but I will show you some basics that will make you comfortable in your own kitchen.
Cooking As A Hobby
I became interested in cooking many years ago when a girlfriend showed me some of her basic techniques in her kitchen. Although I was relegated to many of the paltry tasks, I watched, learned and soon became fairly proficient. We had a great time cooking together in her tiny studio galley kitchen and turned out some phenomenal meals. I was hooked! Cooking became my hobby. It also became a great way to start romances, but more on that another time. I bought my first good knife, a couple of basic cookbooks, and was fortunate to hook up with some great friends who loved to eat.
The Reluctant Gourmet web site is still dedicated to us novices out there, especially those who want to see how easy it is to create great meals with little experience. I will be on the lookout for new ideas, recipes, and products along my journey that will help you cook like a pro. The format may change from time to time, but it will always be geared to demonstrate how easy it is to find enjoyment from cooking.
