OF KITCHENS AND HEROES
Years ago, I met a lovely woman who had exchanged her McMansion in the Midwest for a railroad apartment in Manhattan. Which also meant that she had spurned her glorious and spacious kitchen, one that she had filled with juicers and mixers and all the latest must-have appliances and gadgetry. These days, she told me, she could barely turn around in her kitchen, and had room only for the basics— a sharp knife, a corkscrew, a small food processor.
The irony was that she found herself cooking far more often in Manhattan than she ever had in her spacious Midwestern home.
Her cooking epiphany had occurred in the kitchen of the James Beard House. She had signed up as a volunteer, working as needed during Beard Foundation dinners, which are showcases for emerging and established chefs. Beard’s brownstone, on 12th Street in Greenwich Village, was preserved following his death in 1985. Chefs who cook at the Beard House often express awe to be cooking in the same space as the great cookbook author and food personality. This is where Beard used to cook for his friends, and where he taught cooking classes. These are Beard’s copper pots on the wall.
The transplant from the Midwest had been awed as well. If Beard could accomplish so much in such a small space, so could she. Who needs a perfect kitchen?
And yet.
I too covet a perfect kitchen, filled with gleaming gadgets, wondrous tools. And I wonder what might happen if that James Beard volunteer returned to her McMansion life. Would her spacious kitchen now become a formidable cooking space? Would she be bewitching the neighborhood with her skills? I like to think so.
I also like to think of this issue as our dreams come true issue. We found a way for a regular cook to own a luxury kitchen. Honest. Renovation Angel, page 24, specializes in what I’m calling extreme recycling; this company offers showpiece luxury kitchens at reasonable prices. For charity.
In keeping with our recycling and design theme, we asked restaurateurs, who often are clever inventors because they have to be, for some design tips. See page 28.
Also in this issue, we feature an exclusive interview with Jersey girl and culinary expert Katie Parla, who has spent the past 16 years in Italy. Her latest cookbook, Food of the Italian South, is released this month. See page 32.
I’ve saved the biggest announcement for last. In this issue, we share the winners of our annual Local Heroes contest, six winners who inspire and sustain our culinary community. These winners were chosen by our readers; their stories begin on page 37.
I know what you’re thinking. Dream Kitchens. Heroes. It’s like we live in a fairy-tale over here. We like to think so as well.
