Finding Balance

     Not too long ago I swore off cooking professionally and started working at a pet boutique. I am not not making this up. (Check out georgesf.com, it rocks).  On one sleepy, sunny, San Francisco at the doggie shop day in walked punk-rock-powerhouse Chef Elizabeth Falkner of Food Network fame. She was in the neighborhood doing press for the new menu of her restaurant Citizen Cake, which has since closed its doors. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit star-struck when she walked through the door. I didn't let on to my chef credentials and asked about her two little doggies she had with her. One was a long haired dachshund named Hendrix, as in, like, her cute little doggie is named after Jimi Hendrix, and that is fucking cool.
     Now, as I struggle to find balance between working as a professional Chef once again for Wildwood Catering (check out wildwoodcaterers.com, IT rocks) and clawing up the walls as I transform from being a part-time bedroom-guitar-player to being a legitimate indie-Writer/Producer/Performing Musician (check out greenflash.bandcamp.com it fucking ROCKS) this anecdote strikes a certain chord. Music influences food. Food can influence music. Nothing exists in a vacuum. Sometimes time spent away from the work brings certain insights you wouldn't have had otherwise.

     Sometimes you have to remind yourself to Go Out, Rock & Roll, Have Fun, & Eat Well☆
      

Unlikely Inspiration

      So moving from San Francisco, California to South County, Rhode Island is a little like moving from a whorehouse into a nunnery. At least you can buy booze on Sunday now. Old memories are everywhere to gently haunt me. Somewhere, in passing, I caught the scent of someone's cucumber-melon perfumey spray and was immediately reminded of my high school girlfriend who used to burn through gallons of the stuff. Needless to say, the relationship didn't last, and the olfactory-induced memory incident did make me cringe a little bit. The combination of cucumber and melon however, stuck with me, as I gathered ingredients at the store I was thankful for the small lightning bolt of inspiration I had been given.
     The resulting salad is a melange of cucumber & cantaloupe, with feta, red onion, mint, and green olive. A little sesame oil seals the deal. It reminds me a little bit of a late-summer salad that I had at Tyler Florence's place, The Wayfare Tavern, in San Francisco. There, it was ripe peaches, shaved fennel, red onion, feta, and olive. Unassuming, but for me a stand-out dish.