Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry Schmidt
I miss mom's cooking as well. Like most mom's from the 50s, she cooked with old school recipes passed down for generations. She had a restaurant when I was in college and I had the honor of learning what she had to teach in her kitchen.
One of my proudest days was when she suggested I create the new menu. I didn't have time to do it (racing & college kept me pretty busy) but her faith in my skill set was something that keeps me cooking still today.
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Henry, my family was in food related businesses. My paternal grandfather was a food purveyor, and I have vivid memories of going to the South Water Market in Chicago with my dad to buy produce. We bought meat from meat markets. I have memories of the sawdust on the floor in these shops. I thought that was outlawed nationally so I was surprised to see sawdust on the floor in meats shops in the Italian area in south Philly. I have family in restaurants and owned grocery stores. My dad never, ever wanted me to be a restaurant owner.
Recipes were handed down. There are dishes my grandmother and my mom cooked that I will never duplicate. I tried but they don't taste the same. Similarly, there are dishes I won't order at restaurants for the same reason. They longer time passes, the more iconic they have become.
There is a saying, you got to steal like an artist. I have basic recipes for dishes that I have put my own spin on. I'm no chef but what I cook, the intent is to cook well.