I used to work in a kitchen supply store in Honolulu where all the employees received a 45% discount. Unheard of! I applied for the job immediately after overhearing an Executive Chef employee discussing his perks over coffee with a party far less interested in what he was saying than I was. I hung on every word. That was Mark Rosa. He ended up as my co-worker and became a good friend to Fabio and me.
Executive Chef was my first job as Mrs. Cuseo. Those were the days, my friend. Fabio and I had an airy and affordable 2 bedroom apartment with a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. We could see Diamond Head and Waikiki. Oh! Those were the days. I thought they'd never end. Fabio was doing well, making pots of money while busied myself making pots of pots. We still had thousands in savings from our wedding. Our unborn children were not in need of braces just yet.
I never really brought home a paycheck. Occasionally, Fabio would ask me to treat my gainful employment with more of an eye toward bringing home actual money and less like a bartering post in the wild wild west. Look Fabio! I worked 35 hours this week and only see how it translates!. We have a a brand new pizzelle maker! Not only that,take a look at this pot rack and 10 inch frittata pan! Fabio knew that I couldn't help myself. He also knew that we may as well grab what we could - while the grabbing was good. He knew all about my agenda. I wasn't exactly covert. Everyone knew what I was up to.
My kitchen, due to my dogged efforts, continues to function like a babied hot-rod. I won't say 'souped-up' because that would be too precious. Okay, I will give Fabio credit for the stellar remodel- he did that without any assistance from me, but I STOCKED our showroom. In my defense, I arrived at my marriage with a tidy little purse and zero (you heard me-zero!)debt.
The funny thing is, at that point in my life- I enjoyed cooking but I was hardly practiced. I only started cooking in earnest 3 years prior to my wedding when I took a job as a live- in nanny for the Liu Family in Honolulu. The parents, Rosemary, Robin and I had a blast cooking. We took turns. We collaborated. We ate! We ate well. If we weren't eating, we were plotting our next meal. We did not lack focus.
The Lius subscribed to Food and Wine, Gourmet and Bon Appetit.
Every month, all three of us would read them cover to cover,and make a plan and then get to work. We were really into it. We had all kinds of lists. Our cupboards were jammed but we always needed something. It was always something that I had never heard of. All these new ingredients that I was introduced at this time have since become staples in my kitchen to this day. All three of us would grocery shop. We were like little Italian housewives, making our way to daily market. Fresh, fresh, fresh.
Robin worked next door to Chinatown- so that was his department. We could always count on him to show up with a bouquet of wild cilantro or a stump of ginger when we could really use them.
That left Foodland, Safeway, Times, Dai'ai, and the two health food stores, Down To Earth and Ko'kua Market. We made frequent stops at everyone of these stores. We bought only the best. Their dime. It wasn't cheap. We all learned a lot.
Quite a few of my very favorite recipes come from those meals. There is an eggplant /red pepper/ chickenpea stew that I serve over rice, I have an oft used recipe for mustard chicken that calls for panko. I was well versed in panko WAY before panko was cool.
We slaved over flat out failures too.
I came to the conclusion early on that the secret to impressive results is to,first, read a recipe from start to finish to determine if it is worth the effort. If so, the next step is to gather every single ingredient that is called for into a central location. Absolutely take attendance. The biggest secret of all is to follow the instructions.I am talking about cooking times, oven temperatures and ratios. You should definitely mess around with ingredients and flavors. Occasionally, I will run into completely unnecessary and sometimes disorganized steps- but usually- especially in baking- you will fail miserably if you try to put a personal spin on time tested classics.
When I met the man of my dreams, I moved out of the generously equipped Liu kitchen. That kitchen was stocked with time saving appliances that were in continual heavy rotation. The ingredients that I became accustom to working with had spoiled me for ill suited substitutes (they left a bad taste in my mouth). I moved into my bachelor boyfriend's house. It was handsomely furnished. The living room,dining room and bedrooms were fully appointed. Art on the walls. Books on the shelves. The whole place looked lovely. Now let's see the kitchen.
That kitchen was such a cliche. Fabio swore that the slow cooker saw some action, but I bet him that his drawer full of take out menus saw even more. Fabio had one cast iron skillet(and I found THAT with his camping gear- far, far away from the kitchen). He did put one short cord appliance to daily use, good old 8 cup Mr. Coffee. What a man. His refridgerator was stocked with the obligatory imported beer, cold cuts and bread.
The way I saw it, I really had no choice, as a brand new bride, but to sell my services in exchange for shiny things like a KitchenAid Stand Mixer and a complete set of Henckel's knives. Please understand and admit that you would do the same. This was a 45% discount. This could not be denied. I had applied for the job with a fully disclosed (at least to my husband) agenda. I was doing this for our family! I worked at Executive Chef until 2 months before I gave birth to my first son. Our kitchen was applianced and gadgetized to the gills by the time that I bowed out of the work force to bring up baby.
A cruel life lesson was learned due to my all encompassing need to take fast and full advantage of what had all the outward appearences of being the deal of a life time. This little bounty of mine had the hallmarks of being too good to be true. It was. It was too good to be true. We didn't stay in Hawaii. We moved to Providence, Rhode Island. Whoa. The price of Paradise! I'd say the average cost of major kitchen appliances,pot racks, and hell! even dish towels- on the mainland is about 35% to 50%less than you would pay in Hawaii. Please don't talk to me about the cost of shipping. We were robbed!
But , honestly, I would certainly not enjoy cooking and baking nearly as much as I do right now had I shown restraint. I never would have purchased half of these well worn gizmos that I have come to look upon as outright neccessities. Everything that I "just had to have" has afforded and continues to afford affords me luxurious shortcuts without sacrificing quality. I was an excellent salesclerk, by the way.
I loved my job. Sometimes I didn't do my job. Sweet old ladies would come in looking for that colorfully packaged garlic odor removing piece of stainless steel. It was $7.99 before tax. This was in 1998! I would pull them aside and explain in hushed tones that a stainless steel spoon, or even a faucet, was just as effective in eliminating the smell. I didn't tell everyone. I would let the rude, the arrogant and show offs with obvious means plunk down the dough on the useless gadget. Oh! The power! (Be wicked,wicked nice to your sales clerk every single time, because you never know.)
We sit down as a family every night and we eat dinner at the table. We eat well thought out, well balanced meals. We do this because I charged ahead in a mad panic and mistakenly and repeatly went over budget outfitting the heart of my home. All Clad for every hook! Knock -Off's need not apply! I made all these purchases over 10 years ago. I swear, my heart still skips a beat everytime I enter my kitchen. I know that I can create. I know where my tools are.
I paid close attention to detail. I cannot use my weird gadgets enough. I look for ways to re-invent the zester. It would have been a shame if I had purchased all of these items (at seemingly rock bottom prices) only to take advantage of a "deal". If saving money had been my only motivating factor than this whole debaucle would be a bust. Sure, I would have stacks of helpful tools at the ready and on display but what for?
I love that my kitchen starts everyday with clean counters and fresh pans and I love that at some point during each day my kitchen looks completely overwrought. I love my working kitchen. There is nothing in my kitchen that isn't used on a regular basis save the turkey baster. I have read every instruction manual I own. I have studied them. I also study my library of cookbooks daily. I look at mealtime as a chance to make something interesting and tasty. It is part thrills and spills.
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