As I get older, it feels like each year goes by a little bit more quickly than the last. It can be easy to forget, without taking some time to reflect, just how much really does happen in 12 months. Recently my wife recited all the things we had done this past year all back to back, and hearing it all at once like that made me realize we had actually packed in a lot of living. I know yearly retrospectives are a dime a dozen around this time, but I wanted to actually sit down and put down some examples of all the nice food related experiences I’ve had this year if only to put it in perspective for myself.
Hopefully you will find it inspiring or at least interesting as well. What follows is one selection from each month of the year that I think encapsulates what that time of the year was about for me in terms of food, or just the most interesting or exciting food experience I had for that month. I hope you enjoy.
January
This month marked the beginning of my journey into teaching myself to make truly good viennoiseries. I’m in the midst of starting a tiny croissant bakery in my hometown, and this is the very start of that journey. No promises that this will be the last image of a croissant in this post.
February
My friend and I set up a new sugar bush this year that produced way more sap than we could handle, especially since the season began so incredibly early this year. We had already missed weeks of it by the middle of February.
March
In March, we took a trip to LA and the bay Area. This photo is from Maison Nico in San Francisco, one of the major influences for my forthcoming bakery (and hopefully, down the line, charcuterie) project.
April
In April, the ramps came up. This patch, about a 10-minute walk from my front door, got completely obliterated by an unknown assailant later this spring. It was a harsh reminder that even where they seem abundant, ramps are under constant threat of catastrophic overharvest.
May
In May, we finally got to visit a good friend’s restaurant in the next town over. Kind of amazing that he’s cooking here since we first became known to each other in the restaurant industry in Boston, and I had no idea he was from here originally. There’s a lot to be said for reforming the industry, but it does also afford the opportunity to create a pretty incredible and generous community.
June
Here we have some BBQ pork ribs that I made. These were from a whole pig that I broke down the winter before and froze. These ribs are special because they still have all the belly meat attached making for the most succulent and decadent pork rib I’ve ever had. I honestly don’t know why more people don't prepare ribs this way.
July
In July, I took over the bread production at the little bistro I work at in town because the chef had a baby. Got some pretty nice results despite less than ideal equipment and workflow.
August
Every year to celebrate my wife and my anniversary, I prepare some over the top multi-course meal. It's not always exactly on our anniversary date and this was the first time I did it in the summer; a real treat because summer produce here is among the best I’ve ever had. This course features preparations of some of my favorites including tomatoes, beets, eggplant, leeks, summer squash, and chilies.
September
Possibly the highlight of my whole summer was going camping with friends on a nearby lake. We went on a long bike ride and visited wineries, but for me the best part was probably cooking simple but satisfying meals over fire for my friends.
October
This month saw the soft launch of my little bakery (@flake.ny on Instagram if you’re curious). I haven’t started sales yet, but this is when I let the public know to be on the lookout in the near future; an exciting step!
November
In November, we took a family trip to our ancestral village in the Black Forest in Germany where I had possibly the best Black Forest Cake in the world at Cafe König in Baden-Baden.
December
The food highlight of this December was probably our New Year's Eve spread which included Imperial Osetra caviar, smoked sturgeon, Maine bluefin toro, 2015 Moët champaign and Vacherin Mont D’Or among other treats.
Hopefully this post inspired you to go out and make some unforgettable food memories of your own in the coming 12 months. And if so one of the best ways to do that is to up your game across the culinary spectrum by checking out our upcoming Essential Building Blocks class. Happy new year!
