Changing Our Narrative
By Cary Singleton
My interest in the culinary arts was inspired by my family, on both my mother’s and father’s side and my experiences in fine dining.
My mother enjoyed cooking. My father, not so much, but my father had brothers that enjoyed cooking and on holidays, everyone would bring a dish.
You see, I come from a large family on my father’s side. My father had nine siblings. I have 25 first cousins, so you can see why everyone needed to bring a dish during the holiday gatherings. There was a lot of trash-talking about whose food was good.
As a young adult, I enjoyed cooking, but I was not good at it. I remember when I was about 21 or 22 years of age, I called myself making a pot of gumbo. I didn’t ask anyone for any advice and my pot of gumbo was indicative of that. It was disastrous.
I had never heard of a “roux” before my gumbo endeavor. My mother would make gumbo twice a year and it was delicious. One would think that I would have asked for some advice, but I had too much pride and I was too brash.
My gumbo looked like clam chowder. Needless to say, I threw it out. Today I’m proud to say that I make a mean pot of gumbo.
When I prep and cook, I like to listen to music from my playlist. I find it therapeutic after a long work day or relaxing on a weekend. I’m particular about my ingredients. I only use the best and freshest ingredients because it makes a significant difference in the outcome of the food.
While the flavors of my food can be complex, I like to keep the process simple. I usually stick with a protein and a vegetable. Occasionally, I’ll introduce a starch. I’m a big fan of presentation. People, including myself, eat with their eyes first. A sloppy plate completely turns me off.
Some of my signature dishes are gumbo, spaghetti, barbeque, wagyu steak, seafood, Cioppino, chicken, homemade sauces, veal osso buco, braised short ribs and Moroccan tagine to name a few.
While you need to have passion and desire, I would encourage anyone to cook for themselves. Once you start and you and others are happy with the results it becomes addictive. I get many of my ideas from restaurants, formally trained chefs, cooking classes, YouTube, and experimenting. Bon Appetit!
Photography/Cary Singleton
