Food Fighter MICHAEL SANDLER ’92
Adapted from loveandoliveoil.com 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature 3 ⁄4
cup granulated sugar cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1⁄ 2 cup Nutella 1 egg 1⁄ 4
1⁄ 2
teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1⁄ 2 cups flour 1 1⁄ 2 teaspoons baking soda 1⁄ 4
teaspoon salt cup chocolate chips 1⁄ 4 cup chopped hazelnuts 1⁄ 4
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy (about three minutes). With the mixer on low, add the egg and vanilla. Add Nutella and mix well. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and mix just until the dough is smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts.
OT EVERY college student studying abroad feels compelled to get a job at the local mom-’n’-pop restaurant. But the eatery was in Siena, and Michael Sandler ’92 couldn’t resist. Next thing he knew, he was washing dishes, prepping food, and training at the Italian chef ’s side. It’s no wonder that Italian dishes are his favorite to prepare, though his culinary odyssey doesn’t have a particularly Italian flavor. For three years, Sandler ran a personal chef business called Dinner Sanctum. He delivered dinners to Boston-area people who didn’t care to cook, preparing dishes like pork-and-vegetable stew, turkey meatloaf, and frittatas. But the business was challenging, and Sandler wasn’t sure he wanted to invest in its growth. “It got to one of those points where I had to sink a bunch of money into it and get a commercial kitchen,” he said. “The question was, did I want to make a big jump into going into debt and basically entrusting people to do a lot of cooking and delivering. It was such a
Jordan Beard ’11
Michael Sandler’s Nutella Cookies
personal service and I really knew my clients. I didn’t trust it enough.” Now Sandler teaches psychology at Arlington (MA) High School. But he still cooks when he can, and he competes in local matches called “takedowns,” loosely based on the Bobby Flay throwdowns from the Food Network. On one recent Sunday, Sandler was standing at the Great Scott bar in Allston, Massachusetts, alongside hundreds of cookies he had baked in the wee hours of the morning. He and his wife, Sara Langelier ’92, have a six-month-old, Zachary, and a three-year-old, Mia, so cooking happens when he ekes out the time. Sandler was vying for cookie stardom with a recipe featuring Nutella. He already had competed in a lamb takedown (with twenty pounds of ground lamb in an Indian-style shepherd’s pie) and a macaroni-and-cheese takedown (where he learned a harsh lesson about keeping food warm). The takedowns provide an outlet for the cooking skills he once hoped to turn into a career. “It’s competitive,” he said. “People take it very seriously and dedicate the whole weekend to making a lot of food.” Patrons pay an entry fee to taste the contestants’ recipes, then vote on the winners. The Nutella cookies, it turned out, were not a crowd favorite. A chocolate chip-Fluffernutter cookie took the day. “Baking really isn’t my forte,” Sandler admitted. But wait till the next savory takedown—featuring bacon—at the Somerville (MA) Armory on June 19. As long as the baby sleeps through the night, Sandler is ready.
Using a teaspoon, form the dough into balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake eight to nine minutes. Cool on a rack.
C O N C O R D A C A D E M Y M A G A Z I N E S P R I N G 2 0 11
Stu-Fac Fun Fact Each week, CA students eat
250 rice cakes Stu-Fac Fun Facts courtesy of Shawna Penders of Sodexo Michael Sandler ‘92 waged culinary war over cookies. His weapon? A recipe laced with Nutella.
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