Alicia's Dishes

Since I can remember, I've been a mad scientist in the kitchen. As a kid, I would spend time concocting foods - some of which were edible, and some of which were not. Both my mother and father were fearless cooks each in their own way, so early on, I learned how to handle food, how to cook certain things, and definitely how to eat!

In the course of the years, my experimentations became more sophisticated (and more edible), and I started cooking for others. In the 80's I lived in a commune and did most of the shopping and cooking for 12 people - and loved it! It has always been an exciting challenge to make something delicious and fun out of very sparse ingredients. Since we were all students with no money, I got to practice that a lot.

Later, when I had my own place, I discovered my love for throwing dinner parties, for which I would invent new recipes (most of which were pretty good). I had a long love affair with baking breads, making jam, preserving seasonal fruits and vegetables - all of which is very time consuming. Though, I still enjoy making salsa, preserved lemons, chutney, pickles etc. - just on a smaller scale.

When I had a phase of doing event coordination, I was never happy with the food. So one time, for a big school-wide party at the art college, I got the coordination team together, created a menu, and we made food for about 300 people, which we sold by the plate. What fun - and a huge success!

I cooked for a community center that served homeless people once a week. I cooked for friends. I cooked hundreds of people, and for a few. Finding ways to make good ingredients into good food was always a source of fun and joy for me.

Eventually, my best friend at the time and I decided we should open a restaurant. We researched and tested, had friends over and made them eat things off of our potential menu. We handed out questionnaires to our guests to find out what worked and what didn't. We researched equipment, furniture, dishes. We designed interiors and discussed ambiance. We even took a bookkeeping course (which, by the way, is not my thing). But my life took a different turn, and I had to abandon the plan of opening my own restaurant. Ultimately it was a good thing, because there's nothing that pins you down quite as much as your own business.

 As time wore on, and I was making a living as a performer, an artist, an astrological consultant, a writer, and a few other things (devoted to diversity), I still always cooked, trying out new things, researching different cuisines, and becoming more and more invested in local, organic, sustainable, and seasonal foods.

And then came catering. I sort of fell into catering by  a series of fortunate events. Initially I helped serve at a private party where the caterers had not shown up. I made a lemon mayonnaise to go with baby artichokes and the hostess was very excited about it. Then I was asked to do a few more things. Over time, people got to know me and I started catering bigger and bigger events, with more and more elaborate menus. I researched recipes and foods until my eyes crossed, but I loved it!

 During the catering season - which is all the months except summer - I did no more than 3 events per month. I had a small (and excellent) staff, did all the shopping and most of the preparation by my self and at my house. The last bit of cooking and assembling would happen at the host house. Through practice and time I became more confident and adept. There is something about the rhythm and tempo of the kitchen that excites me: Creating delicious and beautiful foods, seeing the delight of the diners, wrapping everything up, and leaving the kitchen looking as if nothing ever happened. Every time it felt like a miracle.

 So now, after many years of cooking in different capacities, I have recently moved from Phoenix, AZ to Florida to be closer to my ailing mother. It's a new environment with new (and less) places to shop. Being here has required all sorts of adjustments. Fortunately, I had a few friends coming in, and have made more delightful friends since. I throw dinner parties as often as I can, and I run a local cooking and recipe meetup group, which is growing slowly but steadily.

 With my new herb garden I have embarked on a whole new leg of culinary adventures. And since I am in a completely new phase of my life, I figured I would start this handy food blog. I hope to update it frequently with some of my mad scientist experiments - most of which are aimed to please.

 Please come back regularly to see what's cooking!

 Deliciously,

Alicia