I have dedicated the last 4 decades of my life to studying the culinary arts. Every major decision I make has been based on a relentless pursuit to perfect my skills. Every opportunity to travel or work someplace new has been a fresh chance to open more doors to knowledge and to further develop my cuisine.
Deciding to embrace a vegan lifestyle could not have come at a more opportune time. This year’s pandemic has inspired many people to re-evaluate their lives and make positive changes in order to cope with the “new normal”. Learning to cook completely plant-based meals has not only been gratifying as a chef, but has also led to an improvement in the way I feel.
For more than half of my professional career I was an executive chef in fine dining restaurants, hotels and catering companies. I lived in New York City, the Virgin Islands, San Francisco, the Bahamas, Samoa and Miami. My menus were always influenced by my interest in world cuisines, particularly foods from the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
Unfortunately, being an executive chef involves so much more than just making beautiful plates. When I was given the opportunity to cook my own style food for private villas and yachts, I saw the potential to focus on the part I loved… nurturing people by making extraordinary food and creating lasting memories for them by way of these culinary experiences.
My last job was my favorite. For seven years, I was the private chef for a prominent European family. The house was constantly full of interesting people from all over the world. On a daily basis I was preparing Moroccan, Turkish, Lebanese, Greek, Egyptian, Asian and regional French cuisines. It was my blank canvas to create the foods I have studied and loved from world travels and my itinerate life in the kitchen. My audience was from the places whose food I was interpreting, and I was getting rave reviews. I felt like I was truly living my dream.
Farinata
It was a shock when my boss told me that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Everything had to change in the way she could eat. She was more than just my boss; I had become part of the family. I was committed to helping her get well.
Just about all animal proteins were eliminated from what was previously a very rich red meat diet. I had to literally dissect each favorite recipe in order to find the cleanest, healthiest version of the dish while not sacrificing character or flavor. A new consciousness impacted my repertoire.
Saag Paneer
In addition to my new approach to cooking, many of the guests had now also turned to a vegan diet. I embraced the challenge of preparing vegan cuisine by utilizing all of my previous culinary training and experience. I drew heavily from my travels, ethnic cooking roots and my long interest in vegetarian cuisine.
Since I have personally been eating a 90% plant based diet, my energy levels are soaring. I am satisfied after a meal without feeling “stuffed” and lethargic. I used to feel a let down every afternoon around 3PM, which is usually an hour after I’ve finished lunch. Now after my afternoon meal I have the energy to start a new project that can consume me for the rest of the day and into the evening.
Mushroom, Lentil & Barley Sliders
Vegetable Shawarma with Tahini Sauce
I have recently developed Clean Cuisine (Cuisine.Clean) with to-go menus for delivery in my plague-riddled city of Miami. The food is mostly vegan, but I’m not so doctrinaire that I eliminate all dairy and eggs. However here I share recipes that can be completely plant based, as that is the focus of this issue of the Cook’s Gazette.
I hope you try my recipes and enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed creating them.
