My First Link in the Chain
As I mentioned previously, I grew up in the kitchen; the smell of freshly baked cookies or the loud whir of the blender are officially nostalgic. I loved to eat and help my mom out when I could, and growing up with 5 younger siblings I can assure you that help was needed. As I grew older and I learned more and more I kept putting it back into this art form that was such a central part of who I am, cooking. Little by little I experimented, shared with others, and inevitably messed up a lot of dishes. I had many mentors and lots of inspiration as I went but I think that my love for the kitchen ultimately stems from my mom always making space for me, even as I kept on growing. There are many reasons to cook, we all like to eat, and most people know their way around a kitchen, but for me it boils down to one main thing: I connect with people when I cook for them and spend time around the table.
I think most of us can relate when we look back to moments in the past where we decorated gingerbread houses with too much candy or our dad having us “taste test” something hot from the grill, they are core memories. I have been lucky enough to have a ton of these small experiences and it has created this desire inside of me to connect to people through food.
I think most of us can relate when we look back to moments in the past where we decorated gingerbread houses with too much candy or our dad having us “taste test” something hot from the grill, they are core memories. I have been lucky enough to have a ton of these small experiences and it has created this desire inside of me to connect to people through food.
“Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people get together to eat.”
-Guy Fieri
Don’t get me wrong, there are many ways we connect with each other but for me this has always been it. Traditions, flavors, techniques, you name it, it gets me excited, and as an awesome side benefit I get to eat, and it shows.
As a kid I was always trying to figure out how I could maximize this excitement that I felt towards food, it was intoxicating. One of my first attempts to chase this rush was exactly what you’re seeing here, a blog. My mom helped me set up a little website and taught me the basics and let me go from there. I had absolutely zero idea of what I was doing but it was amazing. To this day I am proud of what I put out there, doing so allowed me to start a habit of sharing my passion with others around me. My claim to fame if you will was always y “Hot Chocolate Cake”, something that a friend and I literally threw together and by some miracle it worked out. If you want to check it out and get a glimpse of where Food ChainZ started you can find it here, https://dcooksalot.blogspot.com/.
My next notable attempt at opening the gates of my mind came only a few years later when my dad and I decided to start a youtube channel. Now most people my age at one point or another started a youtube channel with their friends or with their siblings, it was the thing to do. Now I on the other hand was obsessed. All in all I had about 5 or 6 different accounts, but the only one that you readers need to know about is my pride and joy, Vance Variety. I learned most of my culinary skills from Youtube and spent the first few hours everyday watching the newest videos from my favorite creators, it was quite a time to be alive.
In all my endeavors to make a good video, never did I try harder than in my crown jewel video, How to Make Oreo Chicken. Oreos. Chicken. One dish. It was destined to be a failure and yet I didn’t care. It stemmed from one of my favorite Mexican dishes, Mole, a smoky, chile and dark chocolate sauce, and grew and twisted into some scary Mexican-American fusion that probably shouldn’t exist. Long story short it was chicken tenders breaded and fried in Oreo crumbs as opposed to flour and it was amazing (in my young mind at least). Food is meant to be fun and the time I spent making that video with my dad and the friends we dared to come over and try my creation lead to many laughs and fond memories.
I’ve always been an on and off reader but there is one piece of literature that really drove the nail home for me when in came to cooking. “So You Want to be a chef”, I frequently asked this to myself, so as a kid, I was naturally inclined to choose this book from the shelves of my local library. Once I read it I became officially obsessed with the idea and even though I now realize that working in restaurants isn't all sunshine and rainbows like the book suggests I have yet to change my mind. I specifically remember reading about a Chef who worked in the White House and cooked for the president and his family. He said that he never repeated a dessert in his entire time working there and to my 10 year-old mind this was so awesome. From this time on I would tell people that my goals were to go to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) and to cook for the president. Now, my goals have since changed but this level of excitement has yet to dwindle, in fact I’d say its gotten more intense.
It’s all about connection. Humans are social beings and we have so many different ways of connecting with one another. Exploring the concept of a social “food chain” is something that has gotten more and more interesting to me as time has gone on. My goal isn’t to become the one-stop-shop for your recipes but rather help foster a deeper relationship with what you eat and connect the world through their plates.
Whether or not you feel comfortable inviting your friends over for a dinner party or barely manage to microwave your ramen there is space for you in this crazy web of flavors, textures, and aromas. The reason we are all so fascinated with a new or intricate dish is because (nutritional needs aside), we strengthen the unspoken connection of the food chain every time we participate in it. Everyday I look for opportunities to do my part in building connections through food; at work I share my experiences and when I go out to eat with friends I talk their ears off about the dishes we’re eating and the cultures that they come from. The more that I learn and grow, and especially cook, I realize that it isn’t so much about what is on the table in front of us but rather who’s sitting across from us.
So I invite you, next time you sit down to eat, to participate in the food chain; look for someone to invite to your table or thank your server, but most importantly share your story.
