Sam Atkins, 20-years-old, hailing from Seattle, but currently living in London. I've been passionate about food since middle-school, and have been pursuing that passion ever since...
Cooking started as leisure activity: In 7th grade, I spent 2 weeks in New Orleans with about twenty other classmates. We were there rebuilding houses and planting wildlife destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. After finishing work on several houses, we planned for a day off. That morning, I gathered supplies and made one of my all-time-favorites for the whole group, Lemon Sugar Crepes. We sat together at a long wooden table and enjoyed the crepes along side some fried bacon. The dish, while incredibly easy, was one of the most satisfying meals I've ever prepared.
Senior year of high school, I decided to refine my novice skills in cookery. In the spring of 2014, I started an unpaid internship at Oddfellows, a small, french-influenced restaurant. After several months, I was offered a paid position working both prep and on the line for the summer.
Last year, I worked as a chef's assistant for a month at a small Italian cookery school in London, Cucina Caldesi.
This year, I'm working under Chef Jeremy Wands, an experienced chef in both Spanish and Italian cuisine, who has trained in Michelin Starred restaurants and some of the top Italian kitchens in London. We are spending five to six weeks working together creating dishes, reviewing classical techniques, working with other chefs doing pop-ups, and throwing our own dinner parties.
This is a weekly food blog of the dishes we create, and some the special dishes at inspiring restaurants that we venture to.
Food, both cooking and eating, is about more than just what comes on your plate. It's about the presentation, adventure, and most of all, experience. If you enjoy the company the food will always taste better. For me, the joy of being a chef radiates through the experience.
