Harvest Brainstorm

     Four days from today is the official first day of fall. To many,  it's the best season ever. To me: Ehhh.  It's a toss up between autumn breezes and sandy beaches.  There is almost nothing more inspiring than color schemes painted across a autumn sky or contrasting in the sunlight.  Man some days are filled with this beauty that life's warp speed sometimes makes it to difficult to see.  It doesn't mean that it's not there though.  I awoke today energetic, creative, and with so much  inspiration.  Then I went outside to a overcast Miami morning with a light drizzle.  Still holding on to my feelings and harvesting them with a goal of fruition, I began constructing this mash up of summer and fall, intertwining some type of seasonal intercourse in my mind with Ice Cubes, Today Was A Good Day. 

     So It started with  sweet potatoes cut into wedges, seasoned with sea salt and white pepper.  I wrapped them in bacon and roasted them to the point of a nasal orgasm. My sight still set on vibrance, I went with a fresh herb chimichurri to brush my canvas with. I decided to add more pork for no other reason than, well, why the hell not add thinly sliced, lightly glazed ham hitting every pocket of the flavor profile. 

     The layers of honesty and truth pulled from a thought and transformed into a visual can be a scary thing, especially because people know how "disturbed" chefs can be.  Right?  Everyone's a little lost traveling on this journey trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents and flip that same dollar into a dream.  I'm living mine and posting it. Every moment's a new season for me.  Stay up world!  Food is life food is love.  Thank you for the inspiring moments and support, stay tuned for new blogs and upcoming events.  #cutthroatculinaryfl 

Fishscale

On a good day I can still smell the salt in the air that I grew up with. It was a powerful time in my life to be exposed to the freshest of seafood. It stays instilled in me even after years removed from my home front. But distance can't kill my vibe. So I have gone back and forth in my head for a while to create this blend for  seafood to pay homage to what is true to my heart. It's like breathing to me, second nature for sure.

When I set out to create this, I wanted something universal to cater to all my favorite under the sea items. So like any mad scientist, I got in the lab and started to cook up some magic, recipe after recipe, till I felt as close to perfection as I could stomach. It's hard to use perfection in a sentence due to my Pops. He always says.... 'What happened to the last person that was perfect... they hung him from a cross." True story Pops. I prefer that original quote than comparisons to "The Natural", one of his favorite movies. 

I do things like this spice blend to share my passion about ingredients and what type of art I can create that's appealing to a palate, real talk.  So as I prepared to drop this product to the world, I sharpened the knife and reflected on vague memories of my days in Washington state, grilling fish with my father.  From rainbow trout to salmon, shrimp, snapper, lobster, Spanish mackerel and fucking mahi mahi.

Today I took a salmon fillet and seasoned it with our seafood spice blend and began my spinach risotto. With a light stock I cooked the risotto till it was almost complete, sauteed my spinach, than heated my pan for the salmon with a little drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. Fish went in skin down for that lovely, divine, crispy texture. Then turned it to finish and proceeded to the plate. The blend is a well balance with depths that will be sure to hit all the flavor pockets you have. I am proud of this product and it's development.

 You know, growing up, we've all had hard headed moments. It's sad that sometimes you don't realize what you have around you until it is gone but it will remain in my heart and alive as long as I create. This particular blend will be available for sale on our website in a two weeks.

Much love and respect world, stay up and stay tuned for our next project! It will melt faces! The future is now! food is life, food is love. Thank you keys kids for helping mold me into the beast I am, here's to you...  hats off and drinks up! 

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Shaolin Flavor

I am all about the elements, this balance of life can be brutal to maintain.  However today I woke with this soul in a being of zen on the highest level. This dish was in my dreams and it started with a candy my Pops has been addicted to. It's a chili mango piece.  It has great flavor for sure, naturally. It reminds me of my childhood nostalgically. I miss the keys everyday.

I began with the basis of my version of a Korean BBQ sauce, base fresh citrus lemon, limes, Teriyaki, some PBR, ketchup, and some diced chili mango candy.  I let it simmer in my sauce pot for a while. I began butterflying my chicken breasts, lightly seasoning with mixed peppercorns, sea salt,and extra virgin olive oil. I turned off the sauce, and fired up the grill on high heat, basted the chicken and began to grill. 

The bao's were traditionally steamed. For the condiments I went with some quick pickled red cabbage with rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar and ginger. I sliced the chicken after it rested for about 5 minutes and resauced it and began to layer the bao: pickled cabbage, sauteed greens, the chicken, a little sauce and some more pickled cabbage garnished with diced plums. Game over! The flavors were powerful, they worked over all 36 chambers.

This dish was meant to be banged with any album on blast in your headphones, out of the Wu Tang discography.  I mean, whats better in this world than some banging monk style beats and street food on a summer day, that's the balance God. The type i started my morning with and the journey proved to be true. Stay up. Try to maintain that level of chi and the world can't hurt you. 

The art always brings me back in when I get drifting into the abyss. The freedom to create reminds me that we are free from 93 till infinity, my sword will be sharp and I will continue to brandish the flyest dishes possible. From Baos filled with layers of flavor that hit you like addictive behavior, to the moon chilling in the craters Hennesy and a hot plate! Politicking the next move until then world, check mate, stay up, food is life, food is love!

Atmosphere

Overcast! Happens to be one of my favorite CDs by Atmosphere, which ironically happens to be the weather on this Monday morning. 

        I woke up in a cloud yet focused, an awkward combination. I stepped outside into grey and still witnessed some vibrance, though  I knew I needed some added warmth for the day.  I decided to check around for ingredients and realized a soup would fit the bill. I went right for the potatoes and watercress.  Something with body and flavor! I proceeded with my chicken broth while peeling and dicing  away on the spuds.  Sautéed some sweet onions with a little olive oil in a separate pan. While that was boiling till fork tender I added my watercress and let simmer for a few minutes.  I blended in batches with fresh garlic and cracked mixed pepper. Garnish with sour cream and I had the body and earthiness I was craving. I prefer high scale items but technique is where it's at; the basics, the bold flavors, the synergy, that monumental moment when the simplicity reigns supreme. 

   "Don't sweat the technique" plays through my speakers in time of writing this. Ets beautiful what two hands can create with the know how. I will never stop learning and moving along as a 1%er Cutthroatculinary status! Eat free live free my food friends. Stay tuned for more blogs, events, and most importantly FOOD! Big things on the horizon! Thank you all for the undying support ! Stay up chef life

Lamb is a great spring fling!

You know I woke up today craving spring, the air, smell, and the vibrance. The baseness of the first quarter of the year gets me going. I'm in the process of  many big things on the horizon this year! I decided to cook something up that filled the void of my lack of spring time substance. 
There is more to life than moving through an in and out maze of consciousness.  We spend days upon days trying to find the heartbeat of something real. You know, something you can hold, something you made with your two hands that could shake nature, art for the masses, every canvas touched with love and lust; that's the real shit there. I'm a chef and an artist with a hustler's spirit, a New School Old Soul. Fitted to the side keeping that sunny-side egg up from hell out the eye!  
Lamb is very spring-esque in my mind. I started there and built a dish around it with Mediterranean basics and my little twists.  I seasoned the lamb with garlic lemon juice and chives and let that marinate while I worked with roasting the leeks and cooking the couscous. I decided to add a fruit/spicy element to the dish with a Pear and plum chutney I started to toss the leeks with the couscous, fresh lemon juice and zest added some chives and began plating that down, topping it with the pan seared lamb and finishing the dish with the chutney. 
I'm Alive and well... Kicks tied tight, the future is now.  We "wild like rock stars who smash guitars." District Dine! If you wanna take part in the movement contact me for info. Remember food is life and love! Till next time friends much respect to the universe One.

HIP HOP N LOBSTER

I began my journey with food in the Florida Keys, and as everyone who reads my blog knows, I hold it dear to my heart. I tend to add a flare to all my cuisine with that Floridian essence. On a side note I was listening to some hip hop form circa 98 and I was thinking they don't make 'em like that no more! Growing up on that music style instilled a passion in me. Life seemed so simple and obstacle free at that time: music on blast, brew in the cup, gutting blunts, riding with my boys... Back to the food! I was always around great quality ingredients, learning from my pops and the "locals" about all the options available. Seafood is something I know better than anything else in this world.

I woke up this morning tired and homesick, so naturally I turned Outkast up loud on Pandora and went in on some seafood. I started by making a seafood stock with a lobster base and set that aside to simmer. While that was going, I cooked some lentils, summer squash, zucchini and roasted shallots to add to my stock. I sautéed some minced lobster meat with garlic as the final touch to my soup. Topping it with wine and butter sautéed clams with fresh arugula. To finish I hit it with fresh lemon zest to add a mild citrus accent.

There's a lot of things they don't make the same anymore. I'm all about the evolution of this art but sometimes you gotta take it back on 'em. Cause a ruckus and whatnot! So I'm gonna try and stay "cooler than a polar bear's toenails." Until the next time, my food friends and hip hop heads, say it with me: If you love fish and grits and all that pimp shit, everyone let me here you say Oh Yeah!! Food is love, stay up! Thank you to all the keys kids and keys in general for making me a monster!

Who doesn't love a well balanced brunch dish! I decided to take mine up a notch with a modern flare, so to speak. I love the idea of brunch because it's not limited to just eggs, bacon and a ladle of hollandaise.  It helps that I don't care for breakfast foods on that championship level of Wheaties.  When you crack open one too many brews before noon and you want something to absorb that hops goodness. Your hoping to hit levels of saltiness, mildly sweet and savory for that overall feeling of angels panties dropping, golden gate shattering, the world singing on key full of flavor. I started with braising ribs in a chipotle honey barbecue sauce.  I proceeded to start sautéing mushrooms with shallots, while cooking my stone grits mixing it with a 50/50 blend of Parm And Cheddar as well as the mushrooms and shallots . i topped that with a fried egg, then the braised ribs with a drizzle of a coffee glaze and sautéed arugula. The combination of flavors wasn't over powering, it was very complimentary. The Brunch Bowl is complete all you need is some hip hop, Or Miles Davis and a Bloody Mary and you've built a classic!

Each one teach one

eat free live free

Stay tuned for more blogs, more events, more footage! 2013 District Dine!

01.22.2012