I like steak, though I rarely order them while dining out. I have no secret animus with bovine flesh. Nor do I have salacious kitchen insider stories of why to avoid eating beef in restaurants. Steaks are boring. A good steak doesn’t need a creative hand to make it excellent; […]
Of course, we need a pair of docks for all the fishing boats. Of course I went for the cheap pun. Unfortunately, there really is a seafood paradox in Cape May.
I have spent most of my adult life living and working in resort towns, primarily in two locales: the ski areas of Colorado and beach towns up and down the Jersey shore. Many resort areas have great restaurants, and some like Cape May are great restaurant towns that entice foodies […]
Holidays are a fabricated construct, much like time, money, and politics. Traditions are the bedrock of societal and community development and provide comfort. They are what we turn to during chaotic and uncertain times. Or are traditions an anchor that make us feel safely grounded but keep us from moving […]
America loves barbecue even if most people really aren’t sure what barbecue really means. The terms grilling, barbecue, and cookout are used interchangeably when they really mean very different things. A cookout is a meal or event where the cooking is done outside. Grilling is food cooked on a grill […]
“Shy is the oyster, fervent is the clam, peaceful is the ocean floor rocked by the sands of time.” —Bradley Chicho For creatures that spend nearly the entirety of their lives mired in the muck of river and ocean bottoms, clams and oysters have inspired many poets, writers, and artists… […]
The story is the cornerstone of entertainment and of civilization. The story can convey and explain our origins, dreams, and fears. The food we eat has a story to tell that nourishes our mind and soul as well as our physical bodies. Finding those stories connects us to our ancestral […]
“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” Federico Fellini The journey of grains of wheat to a bowl of pasta is one of the great mysteries of this world. In the modern culinary universe, an abundance of unique and exotic ingredients is easily accessible and promotes creativity for the […]
Food is unique in that it is both a necessity and a luxury. To the privileged a fresh juicy red apple is pedestrian. To the homeless person, it’s a sumptuous feast. To some, the apple is the source of humanity’s original sin. To the chef, it is a building block […]
The most important person in any professional kitchen is the dishwasher—without them chaos and disaster reign. The dishes pile up, prep doesn’t get done on time, and the dining room can’t get reset to feed more hungry guests. This is the downfall of most home cooks, as they don’t have […]
The first bite … There are many old kitchen maxims that have been foisted upon countless generations of cooks and chefs, preached with a reverence usually reserved for holy scripture or the latest Taylor Swift album. There is one saying that has aged for me like fine … milk: “The […]
For a place in close proximity to and nearly completely surrounded by water, there is a paucity of marine diversity on local menus. Scallops, oysters, crab, shrimp, and salmon get enough representation on local tables, but there really are plenty more fish in the sea. What I enjoy about trying […]
“Food tells stories, and sometimes the history makes you appreciate a certain cuisine a little more.” Millie Peartree I’m a chef who also happens to write. The two crafts are not as disparate as they may seem at first. What I really am is a storyteller; sometimes I tell the […]
Some delectable dishes featuring greens for you to make at home.
Photographs and Styling by MICHELLE GIORLA It all started as a tragic misunderstanding. I thought working in close proximity would be better for our relationship, so I became a chef. I’ve always loved food; my search for new dishes and flavors rivaled Galahad’s quest for the Holy Grail. What could […]
The best part of street food is there are no rules or boundaries as to what it can be.
Photographs and styling by MICHELLE GIORLA After ending my self-imposed 20-year exile/odyssey in the Rocky Mountains the first place I needed to go was the ocean. The shore entices and seduces, attacking and attaching itself one sense at a time. Before the ocean enters your vision the scent of marsh […]
Who needs over-processed faux meats and cheeses when you’ve got real vegetables?
This summer as your tribes come to your homes and gather around your grills and kitchen tables, try these recipes that were created or inspired by The Driveway.