One day your here and then your gone.....

Life is extremely short and you never know when it's your time to depart. I really believe that each moment is a gift and you should cherish them before they pass. A really good friend and mentor of mine recently passed away at the young age of 50 years old. His memory will always be of high quality ingredients, a passion for your craft, and good scotch. He was a great friend and an amazing chef that made everything seem so much more interesting and beautiful when he was involved. I hope that when I'm gone people will say the same about me and remember that I loved my craft and family. Take a second to step away from the constant rush of the kitchen, buzzing ticket machines, and clanging of pots from the dishroom to realize what's most important in your life. Rest in peace Bob Zappatelli....

Petite Prime Rib

This dish was apart of wine dinner that I hosted recently. The prime rib was cooked in smoked rock salt for 4 hours at 250 degrees. With the beef having such an intense flavor, only a small portion was served and the components really completed the dish. The potato puree was infused with horseradish, the tomatoes were roasted 4 hours slowly in olive oil until the flavor was condensed into an explosion of flavor. The garlic chips were the best part besides the beef. With a sharp mandolin, the garlic cloves were sliced thinly (similar to the razor in goodfellas) and brought to a boil in milk to remove the bitterness. After rinsing off the milk, the slices were deep fried in oil until golden brown and sprinkled with sea salt. I was really proud of the simplicity and thought behind this dish. Each guest raved about how amazing it was to have classic prime rib course on a wine dinner.

Housewarming

My wife and I just purchased a home in Colorado Springs, CO and threw our first party for some our friends and family. I knew that everyone attending expected some great food since I am a chef. I decided to go above and beyond their expectations and bought a 40lb pig for the party. You can imagine the suprise on their faces when they walked in the kitchen. The pig started out in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and then it was turned down to 250 for the next 3 1/2 hours. The skin was perfectly crisp and the meat was so tender and succulent. I made a pineapple jalapeno bbq sauce to go with it that really put it over the top. Now I'm trying to figure out what else can I do with all this leftover pork. Any ideas????