Pass The Spatula: The Entrepreneurship Issue

Which Path Will You Take?

EDITOR’S LETTER Greetings everyone! My name is Nylah White and I’m the editor in chief of Pass The Spatula Issue 4: Entrepreneurship! I’m currently a senior at the Food and Finance High School and a very active student in the Food Education Fund programs.

As a small business owner myself, and this being my second year working to create and edit Pass The Spatula, I’m responsible for all of the writing in this magazine. This is a big task, but being able to enjoy, learn, and read while working to give you, the reader, the same experience is very important to me. I’m most successful working with deadlines and guidance, so I lead the Pass The Spatula team the same way. Upon diving into all the materials, I was thoroughly impressed by how inquisitive and passionate our students at Food and Finance High School, High School of Hospitality Management and High School of Environmental Studies are to learn and experience new things in order to execute this year’s magazine. There was an overwhelming sense of teamwork and community between all of the students. Guiding and molding the minds of the students is a true pleasure that is very rewarding.

When I see our team produce such enlightening, thought-provoking, and interesting work, I feel great satisfaction and pride. Watching this magazine come together, from the first creative pieces submitted to the last editorials edited, has been a wonderful experience.

It is my honor to introduce this year’s issue of Pass The Spatula, which encapsulates historically excluded entrepreneurs and shows a unique perspective on the culinary industry through their eyes. From street vendors and mom-andpop shops to intersectional entrepreneurs like disabled, LGBTQ+, and Women of Color, these unique perspectives are showcased by detailed interviews and hot takes to creative short stories, breathtaking illustrations, and enjoyable entertainment. The impact that these business owners have on the communities and personal lives of so many is so great that even our students can recognize it. This fueled our passion and excitement about writing, designing, and then finally releasing this magazine to you, where there’s something for everyone to read and enjoy.

We hope you have just as much fun reading it as we did creating it.

NYLAH WHITE

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MASTHEAD SENIOR LEAD STUDENTS Nylah White Editor-In-Chief Jessica Ramirez Marketing Team Leader Lucky Ahmed Talent Interview Leader Ariel Nayotl Entertainment Team Leader

Yu Ying Yuen Creative Team Leader Evan Rodriguez Recipe Development Leader Jane Marie Hernandez Editorial Team Leader Annalysse Melendez Podcasting Team Leader

PA S S T H E S PAT U L A T E A M Abigail Anton Angel Fuentes Aylin Sanchez Chris Lucero Daniela Meyo Dominic Torres Ethan Pinales

Gaby Fernandez Jordan Perez Joy Ellington Khadijah Adula Mary Ajisafe Mia Avila Natalia Garcia Natalia Hernandez

Natalie Balaban Oswald “Ozzy” Willson Rafael Barrios Syndi Williams Syre Cole Traceena Lynch Zoila Zuniga

F O O D E D U C AT I O N F U N D Danielle Beam Executive Director Katherine Taveras Program Director Kittrell Breland Director of Post Secondary Success Winnie Arzu Program Manager Emily Schostack Career Development Manager Carson Yiu Career Development Manager

Gabrielle Lenart Pass the Spatula Lead & Communication Manager Gaby Perez Culinary Coordinator Kyle MacKinnon Program Coordinator Chef Vera Kaltinick Culinary Consultant Chandan Sharma Operations Consultant

M AGAZ I N E D E V E LO P M E N T Alex Vitela Designer Arnie Pelaez Website Assistant

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Miriam Rubin Copyeditor Debbie Holloway Copyeditor

Dear Students of the 2023 Pass The Spatula Team Wow! Can you believe that you’re actually holding a print copy of the magazine we created together? It feels like only yesterday that we had our first workshop and decided on the theme. Six months ago, we couldn’t even visualize how everything was going to come together, but look at how far your hard work has come. We couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of you. Throughout this process, we’ve witnessed your skill sets grow, watched you tackle challenges, and seen you push past your comfort zones to bring this magazine to life. It was truly a pleasure to work with you all. Some of our favorite moments include watching you develop and test your recipes (seriously, the food you guys made is so impressive and of course delicious!)

This magazine is a living example of how talented and determined each of you are.

As you continue to grow, we hope that you’ll always remember the hard work and dedication you put into Pass The Spatula Issue 4. Look Ma - We Made It!

You guys killed it Congrats on creatin this y ear! edition y et of PTSg the best ! <3 Y’all are so talented an d Holding this, and read intelligent. in me to tears. No words g it, brings will for how proud I am of do justice yo was hard work, and yo u! This u all did such an incredible job!

g! You You guys are amazin ne why real ly showed everyo yet! this is the best issue

We asked and of course you delivered, the greatest issue of PTS yet! Yeah I said it. As someone who has worked on all 4 PTS issues I am proud beyond words of this group and the collaboration behind making this happen. Always stay true to self and be you, everyone else is taken.

Witho ut ing yo u! e b r fo s Thank amazing e of this . yo u, no n n possible have bee ld u o w w o rk make sure yo u and k n a th So becau se urselves o y k n a to th ible! re incre d yo u all a

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see a ll e world to h t r fo d e it r I’m exc d passion fo n a k r o w rd of you r ha r. ia on pape d e m d n a food

Every page of this issue is incredible and I’m in awe of each and every one of you

Watching this PTS process evolve has been an honor. You all are incredibly talented and creative people destined for greatness! Keep challenging yourselves, I will be cheering for you, always!

SERVING WITH LOVE FOR 18+ YEARS @MGCEVENTS

MARYGIULIANI.COM

Pass The Spatula Students 2023

ANGEL

ABIGAI L

ANNALYSSE

DANIEL A AYLIN

CHRIS

JANE MARIE

EVAN GABY

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DOMINIC

JESSICA

ARIEL

KHADIJAH

JOY

JORDAN

LUCKY

MIA OZZY

NATALIE

NYL AH

NATALIA G.

SYRE

NATALIA H.

SYDNI

RAFAEL

ZOIL A

TRACEENA YU YING

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TABLE OF CONTENTS The Making of Pass The Spatula

pg. 12

Food For Thought pg. 16 Student Recipies pg. 20 Bringing Creative Ideas to the Table: Inspiring Stories with Fearless Food Entrepreneurs pg. 32 From Ice Cream Date to Business Partners pg. 34 From Warm Flavors to a Warm Welcome pg. 36 50/50 - Cooking and Baking with Sohla El-Waylly pg. 38 A Journey of Sharing Culture Through Bread pg. 40 Be a Rebel pg. 42 Mom’s Basement & Michelin-Starred Restaurants pg. 44 Learning the Basics pg. 46 A Pastry Chef with a Big Heart pg. 48 Redefining Mobile Dining pg. 50 Editorials A Sweet Collaboration Part 1- The Artist pg. 22 Part 2- The Baker pg. 64 Part 3- Faith for the Future pg. 85 The Life of a Street Vendor pg. 26 We Scream for Ice Cream pg. 28 What’s Street Meat and Why is it a Lifesaver pg. 30 for Many New Yorkers?

The Future of Eco-Friendly Eating pg. 55 Exploring Ghost Kitchens pg. 60 Somethin’ to Munch On pg. 68 Keep Up- Remaining Relevant pg. 76 Spilling the Tea with Yoko and Jan pg. 82 What’s it like Being a Student Entrepreneur? pg. 88 Juggling Startups, School, & Social Media pg. 89 The Rise of Non-Alcoholic Mixology pg. 90 Recipe Index pg. 94

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THANK YOU BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sasha Ahuja Wendy Chen Treasurer Giovanni Colavita Dana Cowin Erica D’Silva Secretary Sean Feeney Co-Chair Jehan Ilahi Krystle Mobayeni Rhonda Powell Debra Puchalla Questlove Alexis Rosenzweig Nan Shipley Co-Chair

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FOOD AND FINANCE HIGH SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL O F H O S P I TA L I T Y M A N AG E M E N T

HIGH SCHOOL OF E N V I R O N M E N TA L STUDIES

Erika Hurtado Principal Samuel Perry Assistant Principal Renel Piton Assistant Principal Christopher Burgos Chef Instructor William Doherty Chef Instructor Shamel Donigan Chef Instructor Sarina Rodriguez Chef Instructor Geoffrey Tulloch Chef Instructor

Yves Mompoint Principal Katia Drouillard Assistant Principal Mayra Valdes Chef Instructor

Heather DeFlorio Principal Bryan Bianchi Assistant Principal Juliet Crupi Assistant Principal Jennifer Rodriguez Assistant Principal Lynn Rosales Assistant Principal Shayuan Sealey Assistant Principal Yuka Bell Chef Instructor Andrew Margon Chef Instructor Erika Sun Chef Instructor

Special Thanks to the team at Meridian Printing

Food Donations

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THE MAKING Workshops OF PASS THE SPATULA Meet The Team!

Pass The Spatula, a student-led magazine featured in the New York Times, started in 2020 during COVID-19, when the students of the Food and Finance High School were not able to participate in person for their Junior Showcase.

Through the Food Media program at Food Education Fund, the magazine lives on and, now in its fourth year, Pass The Spatula has expanded from 12 students to over 30 students from three different schools: Food and Finance High School, High School of Hospitality Management, and High School of Environmental Studies.

Students involved in Pass The Spatula learn how to illustrate, develop recipes, copy edit, write copy, engage with social accounts, choose intentional content, and this year, for the first time ever, make a podcast! Once complete, students have a chance to apply for paid internships and receive free culinary supplies, as well as learn from and network with professionals in the food media world. Issue 1 focused on Chefs of Color, Issue 2 focused on Food Justice, and Issue 3 focused on Global Food and Mental Health Awareness. This year in Issue 4, our students are excited to dive deep into Entrepreneurship, including the intersection of identities, women in the kitchen, and mom-and-pop/ local businesses. The magazine features a diverse range of content that includes interviews with up-and-coming entrepreneurs, tips and tricks for starting a business, and a variety of mouth-watering recipes.

During this entire process, students are broken up into teams and have assignments to work through together.

The editorial team brainstorms topics and writes editorials, such as opinion pieces, informative pieces, and profiles. The creative team oversees the magazine design and provides illustrations. The recipe development team oversees recipe production, and the entertainment team provides valueadds to the magazine. The interview team takes care of selecting, writing questions, and interviewing high-profile entrepreneurs that fit within our theme. The marketing team learns about advertising outreach and creates and oversees social media. This year, we’re lucky enough to have an additional full podcasting team, on top of their regular team assignments, which will record at CityVox led by Kerry Diamond of Cherry Bombe.

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For our first workshop, the PTS team decided on the theme and dug into the question “What is Food Media?” (see Food Media Assignment pg. 16-17).

1 Magazine Development We have honored guest speaker Amber Mayfield of While Entertaining and To Be Hosted, who covered the topic of magazine development. Students brainstormed ways to keep readers entertained and engaged while reading PTS, with ideas ranging from crossword puzzles (as seen on pg. 89) and fun lists (as seen on pg. 53).

2 Food Entrepreneur Panel Our second guest speakers were a panel of up-and-coming entrepreneurs: Kyle-Cuffie Scott from Darnel’s Cakes, Chef Lay Alston from SoulandWheel (see her feature on pg.

50), and cousin duo B and Sam from Bite Mini Donuts. We chatted about what’s it like to start a business, the challenges they face, and key tips and tricks to keep in mind.

4 Recipe Development

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An important part of Pass The Spatula is the diversity of delicious recipes! We had guest speaker Gabriela Rodiles of Food Network and Gourmet Gab to discuss Recipe Development and how it translates to social media! Students were tasked with brainstorming ideas with a marketable “IT” factor—for example, recipes drawing from culture or heritage, or incorporating something they’d never seen before in another recipe.

Podcasting Next up was a topic that students were eager to dive into – Podcasting with Kerry Diamond of Cherry Bombe!

We learned about the ins and outs of podcasts and discussed the Pass The Spatula podcast.

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Recipe Prep Day For this workshop, students met virtually to plan and prepare for the intense next step: recipe day.

Food Photography From here, students learned about how the eyes eat first and dove deep into food photography with Mr. C. Students learned different ways to enhance their photos using color, light, arrangement, props, and angles.

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7 Recipe Day Recipe day was fun, crazy, and super successful! After preparing their mise en place the day before, students worked alongside Chef Kyle, Chef Kat, Chef Gaby, Carson, Winnie, and Gabrielle from the FEF team.

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11 Editing For our workshop with journalist Deanna Ting of Resy, students delved into the editing process and the steps to create a well-written story or recipe.

They received tips on how to edit and learned best practices for factchecking. Deanna then supported the editorial team in workshopping their stories for the magazine!

Social Media

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Social media is one of the more prevalent forms of marketing, and our students were lucky enough to learn from expert and Bon Appétit alum Emily Schultz of BentoBox. We discussed how to utilize different platforms based on your audience, and brainstormed ideas for the PTS social media based on editorials.

8 Food Writing Guest speaker Elazar Sontag of Bon Appétit, joined us to discuss what it’s like to be a food writer and how to approach different editorial styles. We talked about our editorial and food writing ideas for the magazine, and Elazar gave feedback.

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Careers in Food Media One For our first workshop on Careers in Food Media, we had food media expert and founder of Butter Be Ready, Quin Liburd, discussing blogging, photography, and digital entrepreneurship! Quin discussed all the basic of creating your own blog, and how to stay true to your authentic self.

Careers in Food Media Two

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For our second workshop on careers in food media we had author, food writer, and food culture and policy professional Alicia Kennedy share the journey of her newsletter and a full-time entrepreneur writing and speaking about what she loves.

Intentional Content Creation We wrapped up the guest speaker series with none other than Stephen Satterfield, food writer, publisher, and multimedia producer, most popularly known for Whetstone magazine, Netflix docu-series High on the Hog with Dr. Jessica B. Harris, and his new disruptive talent agency HONE. We discussed being your unapologetic self, sticking to your values, and how to produce and write content for multi-media platforms and international audiences.

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Magazine Design Throughout the magazine process, we’ve been lucky to work with a professional designer, Alex Vitela of Droga5 , who has guided our creative team in choosing colors, fonts, and cover design for Issue 4. For this workshop, Alex presented magazine layouts, potential covers and overall design ideas.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT Exploring Student Connections to Food Media We asked students to explore how food connects people across different media channels. They chose their favorite TV shows, art, video, or movie and reflected on how food plays a significant role in their everyday life to tell stories, create memories, and celebrate milestones.

K-Drama Business Proposal

by Daniela Meyo

The K-drama Business Proposal (2022) shows a heart-warming scene where the main protagonist (Shin-Ha-ri) and her love interest (Kang Taemoo) discuss Shin Ha-ri’s reason for working at the GOfood company.

In this scene, Shin Ha-ri mentions a snippet of their childhood, and how she felt comfortable and happy eating frozen foods. Shin Ha-ri works for a food company to better understand the food industry, so that she can create affordable food. She understands that not everyone can go to super high luxury restaurants or have enough fresh produce. This scene was engraved into my brain when I saw it. I could understand and relate to her desire to work in the food industry. In addition, Business Proposal has a fantastic selection of actors and actresses and did an excellent job in their product placements. Since most of the scenes are already set at a food company, it made sense whenever actors mentioned the food brand Bibigo. An example of this was when Kang Tae-Moo is overseas explaining the reasoning behind the packaging decision on Bibigo’s kimchi product and the importance of the traditional kimchi pot packaging. Although the advertisement for Bibigo was not very subtle, it made perfect sense why it was even a scene since it was still in the story’s plot.

The Princess and The Frog

by Abigail Anton

The Princess and The Frog was one of my favorite Disney movies as a kid; years later, it’s still one of my favorites. Ever since she was little, Tiana and her father dreamed of opening their own restaurant in their neighborhood in New Orleans. But before she can make this dream come true, he passes away. With him in her memory and her growing up to be a young woman, she decides to follow their dream and make it a reality. She works two timeconsuming jobs to save enough money to buy an old sugar mill, with plans to renovate, and turn it into her restaurant. In the scene where Tiana sings “Almost There,” she imagines what her restaurant might look like, and all the food she would make! All the food in this movie looks delicious, from Tiana’s beignets to her dad’s gumbo. This scene shows what you can accomplish when you set goals and how determination is crucial in getting somewhere in life. The scene is important to food media because it shows diversity in the Disney princess universe. It shows how being wealthy isn’t a determining factor in how successful you can be. This movie shows how a woman doesn’t need a man to rescue her to make something of herself. Tiana is a symbol of independence and ambition.

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Sonic the Hedgehog

by Nylah White

Sonic the Hedgehog first appeared in the 1990 video game Rad Mobile. This now well-known character has been in video games, comic books, TV shows, and even movies ever since, and each iteration has a different storyline, plot, and background. Even though the Sonic universes are very spread out, and sometimes confusing from a chronology or lore standpoint, they have some constants. Sonic is always fast, and his favorite food is chili dogs. The first reference to Sonic’s love of chili dogs that I came across in a game was in 2004, in Sonic Advance 3 on Gamebody Advance. In 2008’s Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood chili dogs are mentioned directly in the game’s diaogue, and in Sonic Unleashed we see him indulging in his signature favorite food. In the first issue of the Archie comics, Sonic even gives the reader his chili dog recipe. Especially since his first show Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1992), western media has embraced this character, and generations have grown up alongside him. Across the Sonic franchise, over 1.5 billion units have been either sold or downloaded throughout his 33 years of existence. The idea of Sonic still being that chili dog—loving, super speedy hedgehog is being kept alive by Sega and the franchise’s fans, like me.

Bubble Tea

by Jane Marie Hernandez

Boba (or bubble tea) first came to the United States in the 1990’s by way of Taiwanese immigrants, and has been growing in the cultural consciousness ever since. I first noticed its widespread popularity in 2018, when it was common to find influencers trying this trendy drink on social media sites like Instagram and YouTube. When I would scroll on Instagram, I’d always want to try whatever boba I saw someone post. I had no idea what boba tasted like and couldn’t picture it texturally.

I didn’t even know what boba was made of, and tapioca was known as Brazilian pudding. Because of social media, I was always curious about new foods from countries I never got to experience. Any new food that blew up was because it was either colorful or looked tasty. Back then, Asian food wasn’t sold in my neighborhood, and there weren’t many places I could buy boba. I remember when the school opened up again after COVID-19, and I went to get boba with friends. I got the classic brown sugar bubble tea, which was watered down and bland. I decided this couldn’t be the boba I had heard so much about, but I gave up and let that be my only boba experience for the time being. I was disappointed because the boba pearl was bland, and the tea needed to be better because it wasn’t steeped for long enough. I gave it another shot during my senior year, this time from Modern Tea Shop. Again, I ordered the classic brown sugar bubble tea and, from there, developed a mini-addiction to boba. I would get it at least twice a week for about two months! Eventually, I got this term I coined “boba aggression,” where you have so much boba that you feel a permanent sense of chewing!

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Haneefah Adam’s Food Art

by Aylin Sanchez

Nigerian artist Haneefah Adam specializes in using food as her medium. I chose Adams because she incorporates culture, femininity, and different cuisines into her art. Most importantly, all of her art is represented through food... she shows so much detail in her work by just using food, revealing how art has evolved. In one of her pieces, the flowers on top of the woman’s head are made out of fried plantains. In another piece, the hair and part of the glasses are made from shriveled eggplant. Adam created another art piece from spices, onion, and pepper to celebrate African women on International Women’s Day. This stuck out to me because she used specific items that most people have in the fridge, like onions and peppers, to make something completely different and send a message. It blows my mind how my concept of art has changed. We’ve always had the resources Adam uses, but so many humans have been so closed-minded, that we were stuck on pen and paper and ink and paint. I never saw any thinking outside the box, but now, I see that people like Adam are using food media to expand what’s possible, using spices and foods from our cultures to send a message. I hope this doesn’t stop with Adam and that she is only one of the many artists using food as a medium to expand the boundaries of art today and inspire other artists.

Art is more complex than just pen and paper.

Encanto

by Jessica Ramirez

In the movie Encanto, Mirabel feels left out because she’s the only Madrigal with no supernatural gift. Mirabel goes outside, needing a break after her cousin Antonio gets his gift, and sees that the house is falling apart. She runs to tell everyone about it, but no one believes her. There’s a scene where Mirabel’s mother, Julieta, makes Mirabel an arepa con queso after she cuts herself with a broken tile. Julieta has a magical ability to heal people with her food. I find this coincidental because cooking for someone and giving them food is nurturing people. You are healing them back to health and giving them energy and nutrients. It doesn’t always have to be complex to make someone happy. Julieta uses her gift to help the people in her community to make them happy and healthy again. Julieta talks to Mirabel about how Mirabel is just as special as the rest of the family (although Maribel shuts her down, pointing out that her mother was just able to heal her with an ordinary arepa con queso, which is way more special than anything Mirabel can do). Even so, this is a wholesome moment because it shows how much a mother cares for her daughter. Food media is important to me because I take inspiration from what I see online. When I see food in movies or on TV that looks delicious, it is comforting and exciting to me. When I scroll through social media, I see a lot of food reels and posts, and I’m amazed at what people can make. Food media makes food look easy to make; I see it and think, “If they can do it, then so can I.”

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RECIPES

Sprezzatura Panna Cotta by Natalie Balaban

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Indulge your taste buds with the student-developed recipes scattered throughout the magazine! We have a wide range of savory and sweet dishes to satisfy every palate like mouth-watering Ceviche Tostones, delicious Gorditas, and scrumptious Chocolate Wacky Cake. With easy-to-follow instructions and stunning photography, our recipes will impress novice and experienced cooks alike! Want to learn more about our process?

Check out The Making of Pass The Spatula on page 12.

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A Sweet Collaboration

by Traceena Lynch

Part 1: The Artist If I had known that it would’ve been this difficult to be a successful artist, I would’ve just gone to med school like my mother said when I told her about my aspiration to become one. As Lily, (who is my best friend) came up to me, my thoughts of med school were put on hold. I have no clue how she does it but she speaks as if she’s on her last breath.

“Ok, so how was it? I can’t believe I’m taking pictures of cake today! CAKE! I absolutely love cake! Did I tell you they’re letting me try it afterwards? Also, did it go well?” she says all at once.

“You should really learn how to breathe in between sentences… also it didn’t go well. Again,” I reply with frustration. “Oh, I’m sorry… there’s always next time,” she says as she sits down, giving me a comforting smile. From the beginning she’s always had such a positive attitude to everything, she’s always been my lifeline through the years. I’m grateful to have her in my life, but I’m also envious. I wish I could go as far as she has in her passion. Lily is a successful food photographer, not surprising since the three main things she lives for are: food, photography, and me.

Not sure about the exact order in which they fall, and I’m scared to know.

“You know, I should’ve stuck to med school, at least I would’ve had a steady income and salary,” I said, breaking the silence between us. She makes a disgusted face “But it has horrible schedules and it wouldn’t make you happy, Rosalina. I never understood how people can commit to a job for the rest of their lives that they absolutely hate.”

“Money would make me happy,” I reply jokingly. “If that was a joke then it was a horrible one, and if you think that MONEY of all things would make you happy, then you don’t understand the concept of true happiness,” she says with an unimpressed look on her face. I finally give a rebuttal after processing her words, “Unfortunately that’s how some people end up, Lily. It’s sad but it’s the hard truth about life. Plus, not everyone is as lucky as you.”

I wouldn’t say that Lily’s spoiled but she’s always had the support of others growing up.

Unfortunately, not everyone has that. I know for sure I didn’t. Hell, I only made it this far because of me, not because of others. My parents refused to pay for college because it wasn’t what they wanted, so I had to figure it out on my own. Lily had everything paid for, everything handled and handed to her. She’s always had a support system that helped her grow.

After my statement the back and forth stopped and good thing it did, for I was starting to get a headache. We’ve had these types of disputes every time my work fails and after every time my love for my passion slowly dies even more.

“I know just what will cheer you up!” she says.

“And what’s that?” I ask. “Come to my next job with me!” we say in unison, her voice sounding a lot more enthusiastic than mine.

“I’m only agreeing because I don’t feel like sulking back at our apartment,” I say, giving her the answer that will make her jump for joy.

She cheers because we’ll finally spend more time together. As she speaks about whoever this person is and what they do, I zoned out. I can’t help but think and get nervous about what my future is gonna look like, and if I made the wrong decision of leaving medicine for art.

To be continued...

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CEVICHE TOSTONES

by Evan Rodriguez

Directions Prepare the ceviche: 1. In a large saucepan, pour the coconut milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

2. Add the shrimp to the pot and cook for 3 minutes or until it turns a light pink.

This recipe was inspired by my mother. Ceviche and tostones are both common foods eaten in my culture.

The combination of the acidic ceviche, the soft avocado, and the crispy tostone is perfect. Out of all the recipes in this magazine, you should make this one because everyone should experience the delicacy of this food from my culture.

3. Strain the shrimp and add to a large bowl with 1 1/3 cups of the lime juice, the red onion, tomatoes, scallions, orange juice, cilantro, olive oil, Sazón vegetable seasoning packets, and Tabasco, to taste. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serves: 8

1. In a large bowl, combine the white wine vinegar, garlic, kosher salt, and the remaining 2/3 cup of lime juice. Set aside.

Estimated Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients 40.5 ounces coconut milk 1 pound small shrimp, peeled and cleaned 2 cups fresh lime juice (from about 15 limes), divided 1 red onion, diced 2 tomatoes, diced 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced 1 orange, juiced 1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems minced 1 cup olive oil 4 teaspoons (4 packets) Sazón vegetable seasoning Tabasco sauce, to taste 2 cups white wine vinegar 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for finishing 3 green plantains Vegetable oil, for frying 2 avocados, thinly sliced

Tostones:

2. Cut the ends off of each plantain. Using the tip of the knife cut a slit lengthwise through the skin of the plantain. Be careful only to cut through the skin, as you don’t want to slice into the fruit portion. Using your fingers, pry open and peel off the tough outer skin and discard.

3. Cut the plantains flesh into 1-inch pieces.

4. Fill a large, high-sided skillet about a third full with vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat for a few minutes until hot.

5. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add the plantain slices to the oil. The oil should be just warm enough that it begins to lightly bubble shortly after adding the plantains, but should not bubble vigorously.

Adjust heat as needed. Fry the plantains until softened and golden all over, about 4 minutes on each side. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.

6. Using the bottom of a glass, a plate, or a can, gently flatten each fried plantain piece to about ¼-inch thick. Be careful not to press them too thin or the tostones will break apart.

7. One at a time, dip the flattened plantains in the garlic-lime and vinegar mixture. Let sit for about 10 seconds, then remove from the water and gently pat dry with paper towel.

Repeat with remaining fried plantains.

8. Increase the heat under the oil to mediumhigh. In batches, add the flattened plantains back to the oil and briefly fry to golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Assembly: 1. Top each tostone with a few slices of avocado followed by about a ¼ cup of the ceviche and enjoy.

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The Life of a Street Vendor

by Aylin Sanchez New York City is a popular and diverse place filled with immigrants. While being in New York could mean that prices are high compared to suburban areas, it can also mean there are more opportunities for self-starters like fruit, tamale, street meat, and raspado vendors. The most common mode of transportation in New York City is public transit, but to pay $2.75 to take the subway or bus to Target to buy food is so much more tedious than walking down the block to pick up strawberries or latkes from food vendors! Street vendors are crucial to their communities and make our lives much easier, yet sometimes they are overlooked. When you think about street vendors, you might picture fancy food trucks or trendy dishes, but trendiness doesn’t factor into immigrant workers like paleteros, mango-sellers at the beach, ice sellers at the park, raspado vendors on the streets, or churro sellers on the train. Whether it’s tamales at 5:00 am or halal food at 10:00 pm, you can always count on food vendors to fulfill your needs. These unique entrepreneurs sacrifice a lot just to meet their needs and provide for their families.

Evelia Coyotzi, an immigrant vendor and owner of Evelia’s Tamales, a Mexican restaurant in Corona, Queens, is a prime example of this hard work and dedication. After the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001, she lost her job.

Evelia has always been a self-starter, and when it came to supporting herself and her family, instead of turning to the government for help, she did what she always does best: bet on herself and rely on her natural talents. From a young age, Coyotzi had to work hard as her mother was a single mom raising four kids while being a widow in San Sebastián, Mexico. Coyotzi’s father died when she was about one. As she grew, she had to step up and help her mother by learning to cook and clean. Eventually she had to leave her only son John with her mom in Mexico so she could come to New York and sell from a shopping cart on the street corner. Over the years, she’s been arrested more than 18 times, but never gave up. Read on to learn more about a day in her life.

Note: This interview was conducted in Spanish and

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translated to English.

When and how did you start?

It’s pretty crazy actually. When the twin towers fell, I was working at McDonald’s. Due to the attack, I was put out of a job, which is why I started selling food out of my cart.

Do you have to prepare the tamales?

Most of the tamales are prepared the night before. In the mornings, I really just walk out the door. I try to pack everything at night so I can get the most hours of sleep.

Do you wake up with the rest of your family?

Early on, it was just me and my husband, and we didn’t have to go through the hassle of getting kids ready in the morning. Although my husband had his own job at the time, because making tamales wasn’t really bringing in that much revenue. We needed another source of income to survive.

What time do you usually leave?

I usually leave around 4 am or 5 am in the morning,.

I had to be by my spot at 6 am. So I can get the early commuters.

When’s your rush hour?

From about 5 am to 9 am, I was the busiest. First, the construction workers and the people with early jobs arrive, then all the kids going to school arrive, and finally the parents arrive. It was pretty much like this almost every morning.

How much per customer do you make during rush hour?

To be honest, you can’t really tell because some people come around for four or five tamales, even 10. If it’s a construction worker, or somebody looking for a simple breakfast, they at least buy two or three, always more than one, with a drink like atole.

Is there cart rivalry?

There isn’t really any rivalry, but I always notice that other vendors saw I was selling a lot. They park the cart right next to me just to sell more. It does work sometimes, because many people are not patient, and their train is right there, so they didn’t have time to wait. It doesn’t bother me, but the next day they would come and tell me, “I tried the other ladies, but they weren’t as good as yours.” Most of the time, they’d stay with me because they know that I give them quality products, and they don’t really want to experiment that early in the morning.

Where do you store your car, and how much do you have to pay?

When I first started off, I had a shopping cart which I just stored in my house, but now that I have a bigger and more professional cart, I have to pay for a garage. The cost really depends on how big of a space you need. Prices vary from $150 to $450, depending on your cart.

What happens if you have to use the restroom on the cart?

Do you have employees with you?

You have to be very loving with your neighbors because if not for them, they’re wouldn’t be any restrooms. Back when it was just me, I would have to leave my cart out by itself and make a very quick bathroom run. Now I usually leave it with the employees.

What time do you start to pack up?

I usually stay out until 1 pm because I mostly serve

breakfast. Sometimes if all my product is gone before 1 pm, I leave around 12 pm.

Has it ever gotten violent on the streets?

Not that much at the start, but now for sure, there is way more violence on the streets. Before, it was really just cops arresting us, and that was it. Now I would say they’re pretty much preoccupied.

How did the cops find you?

I was always pretty much in the same spot at the same time. I wanted to move, but I couldn’t because I already had a set group of customers. I thought about moving many times, but the cops were the same everywhere in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Plus, if I moved somewhere different, I would have had to start from zero and find new customers. Which wasn’t something I was willing to do. I felt like I had a responsibility to my regular customers. If I wasn’t there, where would they would go?

Was it hard to keep your business when arrested?

No. When it was just me and my husband running the cart, every time they arrested me, it was around 8 a.m. The cops knew I wasn’t doing anything bad, so they would release me before 12 p.m. While I was in jail, my husband would prep all the ingredients for the tamales, and when I got home, I would just cook them, pack them up, and get ready to head out. What really helped me was, every time I got arrested, I saw it as a motivation instead of a setback.

How did the arrests affect your profit?

I always say that in the face of negativity, you have to find positivity. Many people would have given up after the first arrest, but I knew I was innocent and was doing no wrong, so I kept going. I was out of a job after the twin towers fell, and instead of asking for government money, I wanted to make my own income in a wholesome way. I don’t know if you have noticed, but since the pandemic, many people have been selling on the streets just trying to make a living.

How do you give back to the community and the people that are going through the same struggles you have been through?

I love being involved in my community, because when I am, it’s not only for me, it’s for everybody. My husband always tells me that I like to be in the middle of things like peaceful protests and public speaking, but it’s true. It’s because I’ve always been so involved that I’ve made it so far.

prices. For instance, before, tamales used to be $1. Now, they are $1.50 at the restaurant. I used to not charge any taxes, but since January, I’ve had to start charging them.

What prices and food does your menu consist of?

Most of the menu consists of dough. Tamales are made out of corn dough (masa), tortillas are made out of dough, and chilaquiles are made out of dough. Everything has some sort of dough in it, but in general, we have six major sections: tamales which range from $1.50 to $2.00, tacos which range from $4 to $5, quesadillas are about $10, tortas range from $10 to $12, platillos range from $14 to $15, and drinks which range from $1.50 to $7.50.

What is your most popular dish and how do you prepare it?

The most sold dish is chilaquiles, which is fried corn tortillas sautéed with green or red salsa, and topped with crema, cheese, and onions. You can also pair them with many different things like eggs and chicken. If you add extras, the price will go up.

What makes more money: the cart or the restaurant?

The cart makes way more because it’s been there for longer, and it’s way more known.

What’s the hardest part about your job?

Besides the cops, the hardest part [of running the cart myself] was working at night with no sleep.

What are some of your tips for upcoming entrepreneurs?

If you’re in the food industry, always try to sell good food that you made same day. You don’t want to make a lot of product and then end up using it the whole week, because it won’t be fresh. It’s better to make less and be sold out in one day than to reuse products over and over. The customers will know, no matter how hard you try and cover it. Always remember, quality over quantity.

For more information on how you can support street vendors, visit The Street Vendor Project at www.streetvendor.org

Was owning a restaurant always your end game?

No, I never thought I would make it this far. At that moment [when she started the tamale cart], I just wanted to work and go back to Mexico because my son was over there.

Do you open up the restaurant each day?

In March of 2022, I opened my restaurant. My employees open it up every day because I am preoccupied with both places, the cart and the restaurant, but yes, we are open all seven days of the week at both locations.

Where do you spend more time, at the restaurant or cart?

Since the restaurant just opened recently, I spend more time there. On the other hand, the cart has been open for 20 years. So I’m a little bit more lenient and trust it to survive without my constant assistance.

With inflation, food is getting expensive, where do you buy supplies?

I buy from my surrounding delis and supermarkets. I haven’t really found a cheaper alternative... what I have done is raise

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We Scream For Ice Cream The Journey of Ice Cream Cart Vendors

by Jane Marie Hernandez Everyone’s favorite summer treat, ice cream sold on the streets of New York, can be traced back to the 1800s. During this time, vendors were predominantly immigrants who came through Ellis Island and sold cold treats from wooden carts. It was common for families who could not afford ice cream machines or go to an ice cream parlor to turn to these carts for traditional sweet treats.

Nowadays, the process of becoming a street vendor in New York City is not an easy one, as it requires a license and and adherence to strict health and safety regulations. Back when ice cream carts first hit the streets, it was common for people to become sick from Staphylococcus aureus, scarlet fever, diphtheria, bovine tuberculosis, and other illnesses, which were able to spread in part due to unsanitary conditions and unsafe handling of dairy and tools.

“Penny licks” were an old favorite at ice cream trucks, where the customer would lick the ice cream off a plate and return it to the vendor, who would rinse it off and use it again for the next customer.

Before the 1890s, many dairy products were unpasteurized, which also caused people to get sick. Interestingly, many health officials overlooked possible dairy contamination and blamed it on flavorings, like vanilla. But once food handling sanitation improved, the popularity of ice cream was back like never before. During the prohibition era in the 1920s, when alcohol was banned and bars were closed, people still needed to satiate their cravings, so they turned to ice cream. This created a boost in popularity for ice cream sold on the street as ice cream trucks, ice cream carts, and ice cream parlors took the place of bars.

New York City is known for its diverse food culture, and with that includes ice cream carts that vend sweet treats like coquito (Italian icee or water ice),

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paleteros (paletas or popsicles), and raspado (shaved ice) vendors. These vendors provide sweet treats to tourists and locals alike in flavors like cherry, fresas con crema, grape, vanilla, lime, and rompope. Not only do these different ice cream vendors cater to various communities, but they are entrepreneurs who have undergone a rigorous process to obtain permits to operate their businesses. Because many vendors are immigrants, keeping their businesses can be difficult because even though if someone selling on the streets has documentation stating they are allowed to have a business, it might not stop police or government officials from attempting to take these beloved ice cream vendors off the city streets. This is what happened to an ice cream vendor in Los Angeles. Blanca Perez was within 500 feet of a school in Van Nuys and was unaware that vendors are not allowed within 500 feet of schools. She faced deportation because she openly admitted she was undocumented. Immigrants, regardless of immigration status, are at constant risk of being unjustly taken off the streets or deported.

Ice cream cart vendors are the backbones of our community and put smiles on our faces when the weather turns warm. They vend ice cream to provide for their families and make others happy.

When passing by communities with immigrant ice cream vendors, think about how vital they are, and continue to be, to our country’s history and culture. Despite the challenges and risks, these valiant vendors will always be on New York City streets on hot summer days to provide new generations of children with the same nostalgic flavors and feelings of home.

These vendors not only provide a tasty treat but also contribute to the vibrant and diverse culture of New York City. If you are in the city during warmer seasons, although you can easily find a truck from the popular Mister Softee franchise, why not support New York City’s local vendors instead?

PUERTO RICAN BEEF WITH WHITE RICE

by Dominic Torres This dish is inspired by my mom. She got the recipe from her mom and is now passing it on to me. This take on beef stew is different from others because it has the unique flavors of Puerto Rican food. It has a different taste than any other cuisine out there. People should make this stew to learn how to cook Puerto Rican food because --it can be tricky to perfect.

Serves: 6

Estimated Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 pounds beef top round, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes 2 yellow onions, medium dice 1 green bell pepper, medium dice ½ cup tomato sauce 4 cloves garlic, minced 6 cilantro leaves, chopped 2 tablespoon white vinegar

½ teaspoon dried oregano 2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon salt ½ pound carrots, peeled and sliced into ½-inch coins ½ pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 12 green olives 2 tablespoons butter 3 cups long-grain white rice

Directions Beef Stew:

White Rice:

1. In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over high heat. In batches, add the beef and sear until the pieces are browned on all sides, transferring the browned beef to a plate.

1. During the final hour of cooking the beef stew, prepare the rice. Rinse the rice in a strainer. In a medium pot, bring 4 cups water, the butter and salt to taste to a boil. Add the rice and check that the water covers the rice by about 1 inch.

Skim off or add more water if necessary.

Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce the heat, and add the onion, green bell pepper, tomato sauce, garlic, cilantro, vinegar, bay leaves, dried oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste, and enough water to cover (4 to 5 cups). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour.

3. After an hour, add the carrots, potatoes, and green olives to the pot.

Cook for 1 more hour, or until the meat is tender. As the stew cooks, check that there is enough water in the pot to prevent the sauce from drying out, adding more if needed. Season with salt to taste and remove from heat.

2. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the rice for 20-40 minutes. Steam until the rice is fluffy, then fluff with a fork. Serve stew in bowls over rice.

CROSSWORD

Across 3. In the movie Ratatouille, the name of the rat 5. Italians most typical way of cooking pasta Down 1. What food-based movie has a main character that’s a rat 4. “Pass the _________” 2. Italians’ most known dish Answer key on page 94

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What’s Street Meat and Why Is It A Lifesaver For Many New Yorkers?

by Angel Fuentes Let’s be honest...we are all wondering about street meat! Street meat carts and trucks are owned primarily by immigrants, many hailing from Egypt, Morocco, Afghanistan, and throughout Latin America.

Foods sold from these trucks include classic hot dogs, gyro, and kebabs, which are small pieces of meat such as lamb or beef with grilled vegetables on a skewer.

Food carts and trucks place a major role in New York City, since they are fast and affordable compared to most restaurants, attracting locals, tourists, students, busy professionals, folks trying to save money, singles, and families alike.

Food carts are one of the best ways to start as an entrepreneur because they cost less than opening a restaurant. Roughly a food truck will cost you between $70,000- $80,000, according to CNBC; comparatively, a restaurant might take you a median price of $150,000.

Some of the major benefits of owning a food truck are that you have low startup cost, you have the ability to be your own boss, you have the flexibility to work when you want, it’s less risky than opening a restaurant, and you can move around based on the demand in the area. If you see that business is not doing good in one area, you can move to another where the business might boom. Additionally, little restaurant experience is required - anyone with passion and determination can do it!

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But don’t be fooled; it’s not an easy job...you need to work long shifts, haul the cart around, and consider how the weather might affect your business and the demographics of the specific place you’re going to open. You have to comply with many regulations and laws, and you also have to think about the competition near you, and how you can provide for the customer’s needs and demands. When considering where to place your food truck, to community centers or spots filled with tourists, like Central Park or other parks, beaches, busy commercial streets, subway stations, festivals, and events. When deciding what to cook, you should consider what food your customers can eat on the go, which foods have a great profit margin, how you will get your ingredients, and how many items to put on your menu. Last but not least, think about what foods you are good at making, and what you grew up with that connects to your culture.

In New York, some of the food trucks we see most frequently are the iconic halal carts. Halal food is simple yet delicious, and can feature a variety of meats like beef, lamb, goat, venison, bison, chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish. The most common meal from a halal cart is lamb or chicken made into a gyro, where the meat is wrapped in pita with lettuce and tomatoes, and covered with a tangy white sauce and/or a red harissa-based sauce...and, of course, rice on the side!

MY GRANDMA’S FAMOUS BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

by Sydni Williams A family recipe and family favorite, my grandma’s chocolate chip banana bread will always be one of my favorite treats to make and eat.

Makes: 1 Loaf

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Ingredients Nonstick spray 113 grams unsalted butter 240 grams all-purpose flour 11 grams baking soda 1.5 grams salt 2 grams ground cinnamon 1 grams ground nutmeg 161 grams packed brown sugar 112 grams whole eggs, beaten together 75 grams sour cream 600 grams bananas, peeled and mashed 5 grams vanilla bean paste 175 grams chocolate chips

Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

2. Melt the butter in a frying pan on medium-low heat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the butter becomes brown in color and smells nutty. Remove it from the heat.

3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

4. In another bowl, add sugar and the browned butter and whisk to blend. Then add your beaten eggs, sour cream, bananas, and vanilla into the butter/sugar mixture with whisk until combined.

5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.

Then add in chocolate chips and mix.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out completely clean. Let the banana bread fully cool on a wire rack before slicing.

7. Lastly… ENJOY!!!

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Bringing Cre to the Table

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eative Ideas Inspiring Stories e with Fearless Food Entrepreneurs

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FROM ICE CREAM DATE

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TO BUSINESS PARTNERS

Bad Habit Ice Cream Shop

by Rafael Barrios

What inspired you and your partner to begin your own ice cream business?

How did you guys come up with the name Bad Habit?

Honestly, it was quite an organic development for where we both were in our careers at the time, working fulltime at restaurants and having been in professional kitchens for several years.

So we, in early 2021, around JanuaryFebruary, had the idea to launch our own ice cream brand, thinking that it would be just, you know, very small and just for friends. And very quickly, it became sort of a full-fledged retail and wholesale business. So we took the next steps to turn it into a proper business and just opened our first brickand-mortar almost three months ago, a little less, and we came up with the name Bad Habit. Honestly, I don’t know which one of us said it. Basically, once we had the idea, within 30 minutes, we had a logo, a name, and list of flavors.

The concept is pretty much an organic concept development that just came from years of working professionally.

What challenges did you face when you were beginning Bad Habit? And how did you guys overcome them?

I think the biggest challenges for us are that we’re moving from a professional kitchen and learning how to manage a brand, raising money for such a big project, reaching out to wholesale stock, and being our own PR company, you know, our own press agents. Kind of learning how to do everything ourselves.

Even today, running an entire restaurant, separately a brick-and-mortar space, we pretty much still do everything ourselves. So it was just kind of learning how to fill in the gaps on everything.

Tell us how you came up with the flavors and ingredients that you guys use.

While my partner Javier is the chef, he was largely inspired by classic flavors but also finds inspiration from travels and growing up in Venezuela now living in New York; I think it’s kind of a mixture, as well as his background obviously in Michelin pastry programs.

Basically, once we had the idea, within 30 minutes, we had a logo, a name, and a list of flavors.

What role has social media played in “Bad Habits” success, and how you address and how you engage with customers on those platforms?

I think [it’s the] authenticity. I think [through our social media accounts,] customers are able to see very transparently how the product is made, and also what the brand is about. You know, because of how small our team is, and how hands-on we are as owners.

How do you guys plan to upscale “Bad Habits” while maintaining identity and qualities as you guys grow?

By growing very deliberately, by being very specific about who carries our product, and putting the product above everything else. You know?, focusing on maintaining quality and making sure that the flavors are still true to the brand more so than focusing on having it available absolutely everywhere.

How has Bad Habits given back to the community and what social or environmental causes does the company support?

We are participating in a bake sale for the Brigid Alliance, which focuses on health care and equal opportunity for abortion rights. As we grow, we will be able to continue focusing on giving back to the community. For now, we are focusing on making sure our staff is well taken care of and that we’re able to support the growth of the company.

What advice would you and Javier have to entrepreneurs looking to start their own food or beverage business?

I would say believe in it with your whole heart, know that you have a product that is unique, and if you believe in it and you see a trend of others believing in it, then go for it.

You can follow Bad Habit at @caletanyc & @badhabit.icecreams

In 2021, Jesse Merchant Zuñiga and Javier Zuñiga created Bad Habit, an ice cream brand, after their years of work experience in many New York restaurants. They sell several flavors, including Roasted Banana with Coffee Caramel, Blackberry & Tarragon, and Matcha Stracciatella. They later opened Caleta in the East Village, an ice cream shop by day and a wine bar at night. You can find Bad Habit ice cream there and in many stores throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and now New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Maine.

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From Warm Flavors to a Warm Welcome an interview with Jenneh Kaikai of Pelah Kitchen, the Bedstuy-Based Micro-Bakery Specializing in Cakes

by Jordan Perez Why did you decide to start your bakery?

[Baking] is something I’ve always loved, almost like a hobby. It’s something I’ve always been really passionate about.

My background is urban planning. I was working at City Hall at the time, and with the pandemic and being at home, I just needed a creative outlet. And when I got a lot of positive reception to my baking, that’s what led me to want to actually start to sell items and make it a business.

You didn’t go to business school? Tell us about that.

Yes, 100% I didn’t go to culinary school.

I didn’t go to business school. I literally learned from YouTube University.

Skillshare was another app, another website that I used a lot to learn technique. But really, a lot of it is trial and error, you know, and experience does tend to be the best teacher. If someone gave me a blank check to go to culinary school right now, I probably would [go] because I think there’s some things that are beneficial to learn. But, so far, it’s just me learning on my own…TikTok, and so many other things.

You’re originally from Massachusetts, but now you live and work in New York. Can you talk to us about that cultural shift, and what it’s like to be in a place like Brooklyn?

I’m from a town called Lowell, and it’s a really diverse town. After school in New York, you know how people get dollar slices? For us [in Lowell], we’re getting empanadas from the Colombian spot. We had Brazilian communities, we had a lot of Southeast Asian communities. Because of that exposure, it really opened my eyes to different flavors. I was always adventurous with trying new things.

I didn’t grow up with a lot of Caribbean people... now being in Brooklyn, I have [a better understanding of] the differences [between those cultures]. When I was growing up, I knew of Jamaican food, but I didn’t really know Trini food and culture, or Guyanese, or so on and so forth. I’m definitely inspired by Caribbean culture. I’ve done a collaboration with a

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friend of mine who has a pop up—she’s a chef—and we did a Caribbean and AfroCaribbean dinner and brunch together last year. That was really great. I’m just inspired by the people that I meet here who also love food.

How does your own heritage inspire your flavors?

I’m from Massachusetts, but my family’s African...from Sierra Leone. Granted, I’m making baked goods, so I wouldn’t say [all] the flavors are necessarily inspired by that part of my culture, but I think there’s certain flavors I’m drawn to because of that. I really love to work with warm spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, things like that.

I do love working with cardamom.

It’s so good. It’s so versatile. I just love it.

My signature cake is a cardamom-spiced carrot cake that people love. It’s really good.

Speaking of your bakery. It’s right here in New York, right?

Yeah, I live in Bed-Stuy. I have what they call a micro-bakery, which means I take orders online and I work out of a kitchen, depending on the size of the order. I was a finalist in a pitch competition with Hot Bread Kitchen. Through that program, I was awarded kitchen space at Nimbus Kitchen, so I have access to commercial space. But, I’m also friends with a lot of people in the industry. For example, I’m doing an event on Thursday, and I’m renting my friend’s studio for some hours to bake out of there and store things. I don’t have an actual storefront you can come to, but you can email me or you fill out an order on my website and then we coordinate pickup.

Do you plan to have a storefront?

I would love to, my dream is to have my own little (nothing crazy) place. I have a niece who’s seven and came to visit last weekend. We were walking around the neighborhood and I was like, “You know, it’d be so nice to just be able to go somewhere and get a fresh pastry, a piece of cake.” That’s my dream. My

friend that I rent from has a studio where she does her baking. Customers come and do orders. It’s a really cute space.

Sometimes she does classes and things there. I would want something just like that. I think the only difference is that I would want it to be where people are able to come in and purchase more in the cafe. I’ve always had a sweet tooth.

But I’m someone who will go out of their way for a piece of cake. You know what I mean? When I used to take the train to Massachusetts, I would make sure I would go to Magnolia [Bakery] and get a slightly bigger slice of cake.

Having a background in terms of urban planning and working with small businesses, did that help you manage your own business? Did that knowledge and experiences that you had from your prior jobs help you be successful in your company now?

Yeah, for sure. When I was at City Hall, I worked a lot in economic development, and I was working with small businesses with recovery in the pandemic. I think that definitely inspired me, because I saw just how resilient the food industry was. So I started my business in 2020, but I started my role at Hot Bread Kitchen this year in January. I already had been running my business for a but Hot Bread Kitchen is helping me so much in refining my business. What I’m doing, basically, is building a program to help other women entrepreneurs with their business planning. As I’m putting the curriculum together and thinking about tools and resources, I’m putting myself in the shoes of the entrepreneur and thinking about what could be helpful, what I’ve needed to navigate their challenges. And that’s been really, really great for me.

Because as I’m learning, I’m also taking those things back and implementing some of those tools in my own business.

Where do you see yourself in your business in five years?

Ah, asking me the hard questions! I definitely see myself working out of my own cake studio. I also want to refine my brand. One thing that I’ve been

going back and forth with is whether or not I should really focus my effort on wedding cakes. As a business opportunity, financially, it’s a little better. It’s a little more predictable. For example, people have reached out to me for wedding cakes for October already. I can plan out a lot further in advance. [In five years I hope to be] really refining whatever it is I’m working on. That’s it, but I think in a studio.

I definitely see myself having a spot in Brooklyn for sure.

I’ve always asked this question: how do you deal with customers that want a cake last minute?

That’s actually a wonderful question.

Literally as we speak, it’s something that I’m going through. Being a new business, a small business working from home, sometimes I think that you have the tendency to want to say yes to certain things. But a friend of mine gave me some great advice and I’ll give it to you, too. “As a budding entrepreneur,” she said, “make sure that you’re running your business and don’t let it run you.” A lot of other bakers I know, if you order a cake, anything less than seven days, it’s a rush cake. And there’s a fee or they have strict windows.

I’m starting to implement that because I think there was a time where I was just taking on more orders than I really could handle and not really having the time to really plan what I’m doing. It’s a process.

Like, how many weeks out [should people order]. People don’t really understand how online ordering works. Sometimes they think I’m a Magnolia Bakery and it’s like “come over.” If you tell me, “Okay, I want a carrot cake with pineapple filling,” I’m going to make that cake for you. It’s not something that I’m taking out of a freezer, you know? I want to get there…it’ll make my schedule a lot less crazy.

How was your experience in high school?

Yeah, oh gosh, high school. High school was very hard for me. I feel I didn’t really know what I wanted. I was very hard on myself about it. Like, I felt like I needed to have a plan. Looking back now, it’s like: how would you? I graduated high school at 17. I was very influenced by what I thought my family wanted or what other people were doing. So yeah, high school was a big challenge not being sure of myself, which is normal. You’re supposed to not be sure at 17.

The name of your company Pelah Kitchen.

Why did you decide to use that name?

I’m the kind of person that’s making brunch, I’m inviting people over, I’m cooking, so that’s where the business really came from. From that desire to bring people together. I love the idea. One thing that I really love about my cakes, and pastries, in general, I feel like they actually taste homemade.

Yeah, I get it. That’s what will make you feel like it’s homey. You don’t feel a taste of chemicals or stabilizers…

Exactly. That’s why I’m so particular. I don’t make any cakes that I don’t think are good.

Even the type of frosting; I hate super, super sweet frosting. There’s certain things that are trendy, but I want cake that tastes good.

So you grew up in a very diverse town.

What is the difference or similarities between living here in New York and where you grew up?

Well, I think it’s a mentality. Anyone who’s grown up in a smaller town, there are limitations around what you feel like you can do. But in New York, I really do think that it feels like anything is possible.

I really appreciate the creative spirit.

I’m not saying that my [hometown] is not creative, but here, you feel it. It’s a different energy for sure.

Also, about social media: You promote a lot of your business on Instagram, right?

Mostly. Instagram is honestly where I get a majority of my business!

Does looking at others’ content influence your cakes or your menu?

Oh, for sure. Instagram is one of my favorite teachers. I go to Instagram for so much inspiration because I follow some crazy talented people. There are people who are doing so many cool things on Instagram, and I get a lot of inspiration from them.

You can follow Jenneh Kaikai at @pelahkitchen

Jenneh Kaikai of Pelah Kitchen is a young entrepreneur in Brooklyn, New York, where she specializes in cakes in her own micro-bakery. “Pelah” means “home” in Mende, which fits in line with her desire to make every cake with love and care.

“Pelah” means “home” in my language [Mende.]

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Cooking and Baking with Sohla El-Waylly an interview with the Bengali-American chef and YouTube personality

by Lucky Ahmed

How did you find your passion for cooking?

I grew up in a home with a lot of food, a lot of really good food. Everyone in my family is a good cook. So I became a good eater at a young age. And then I just really enjoyed cooking because I liked doing something with my hands.

And when I was younger, I did other things like painting and sculpture. But the thing about food that I find the most exciting is if you make something and then it’s like, you enjoy it in the moment, and it’s gone.

Do you prefer cooking or baking?

Depends on the mood. They’re totally different vibes.

Cooking is great when I want to be more spontaneous, or I just find something I’m inspired by. Baking requires a little bit more planning, and it’s great when I’m in the mood to measure and be precise and cut things with a ruler. But I like both equally. Which is why in my new cookbook, it’s 50/50, half pastry, half savory, it all gets loved.

You’ve worked in many different restaurants. Is it hard to adjust to being in a new space?

You know, I think the beginning of every job is totally different. My thing is, I try to step back and observe for the first three months on any restaurant or job or whatever. To get the flow. I know a lot of people go into a new job with a lot of opinions and preconceived notions because “Oh, we did it like this at this last place.” I feel like it’s better to just sit back in the beginning; you can learn a lot because there are so many ways to do something… there are multiple places where I’ve made bread. I would just hang back and see how they make the bread. And now I know so many ways to make bread.

You’re originally from Los Angeles. What made you decide to come to New York?

I tried working in L.A. for a while. And I worked in New York during my culinary school internship…New York, it’s so intense. And everyone is especially dedicated because you do have to work ridiculous hours to just make a living here. There’s more like a hustle culture, which I’m into. It’s not for everyone.

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When you first opened Hail Mary, what challenges did you face?

There were so many. I think right off the bat we struggled to get an investor to back us for a concept that wasn’t tied to our heritage. It was a different time. I know it wasn’t that long ago, but things have changed pretty rapidly. And at that time, people really wanted to see you make food that looks like your face. As a Bangladeshi person, they just want me to make Bangladeshi food. My husband, he’s Egyptian and Bolivian. But he looks more Egyptian, so they just wanted that kind of food. We really were inspired by all kinds of cuisines, which is why we wanted to do a diner concept because it gives you the flexibility to be more global—it’s New York, you know? [There are] so many influences around you. So the first challenge was getting investors; we were very low in funding. The second challenge was figuring out how to do everything with a really tight budget. Which meant we did almost everything ourselves. I saw YouTube videos on how to install a toilet, or how to change the light fixture and rent equipment to do the floors ourselves. Everything was very homemade. And then we ended up spending so much time

New York, It’s so intense.

And everyone is especially dedicated because you do have to work ridiculous hours to just make a living here.

There’s more like a hustle culture, which I’m into.

I’ve worked on, it’s very organized—and there’s someone for every job. I have the easiest job there, because I just show up when they ask me to show up, and I eat some food, and I leave. That feels incredibly chill. But for the History Channel, I’m a producer for that show. So I’m involved with preproduction, post-production, the prep, picking up props, and setting up the set. And it’s a very small crew, but it’s super fun, because all of us have our hands on everything. And it gets incredibly stressful. It’s like 14-hour days. But they’re both really fun in totally different ways. It can really vary how hectic it gets.

What’s the biggest challenge you face with your shows?

just doing all that stuff, that we didn’t have time to really test the dishes before opening. A lot of it was happening…by the seat of our pants. Everything was a challenge.

I’m always thinking about what the audience is gonna think.

Especially when I’m a producer, and I want to make sure everyone feels represented—and that we’re doing our due diligence, doing the best research we can. It’s especially challenging with a show about history, because there are so many different opinions about the same thing, depending on whose perspective you’re coming from. We try our best to come up with something that hopefully the majority of people will be happy with.

What did you enjoy the most about it?

What do you enjoy the most about hosting or producing?

It’s one of those things where what’s fun is how hard it is.

That’s also what’s terrible. We felt a lot of accomplishment with what we were able to do with that space, completely on our own, without designers and without a crew. Most places both my husband and I have opened….you have a huge crew with people who are specialized in all these things. And we really were figuring it all out on our own. We designed the menu, so we feel very proud of all of it. And it was a very nice cut because we didn’t have investors; we could create exactly what we wanted. So that was the most enjoyable part, the freedom.

My least favorite parts are the parts on camera. I actually think the best part is the before and after, pre- and postproduction where you get to be very creative and work collaboratively with a lot of people. And you get to do research—I think that’s very fun. On camera, it’s fun, but that part’s pretty easy—you’re just talking. A lot of times, I’m just reading off the screen. I think the part before where you’re getting creative is very fun.

How do you define success?

I think that’s changed for me over the years. When I first started out, it was really that I wanted creative freedom.

When you are a line cook, you make someone else’s food. So, all I could think about was being able to create something that came from my point of view. Now that I’m older, I just want stability. I really enjoy having health insurance. Those boring things feel a lot more important. And now when I look back at 15 years ago, I think it’s crazy the way we were living.

I really appreciate having health insurance and being able to afford groceries and things like that.

What got you into the show biz?

You know, it was never something I was interested in doing. I was always interested in being a restaurant owner. When the restaurant closed, I was very, directionless, and I kind of went with the flow. I think that flow was a good thing, because all of these opportunities found me. I was really lucky. The History Channel reached out to me. The Big Brunch [on HBO], reached out to me. I just tried lots of different things and I did my best with everything. And it all kind of worked out. I guess I had a really specific plan of what I wanted to do in this industry [when I was younger]. And when I let it go, it actually got a little better.

Do you prefer home cooking or eating out?

Totally depends on my mood and the dish. Here in New York, I don’t really make pizza at home – I’d rather go and have it out because any place I go is gonna make it better than me. And then there are certain foods I grew up eating, like parathas, I’d rather have the one I make. So it varies depending on mood and dish, but all of it’s great. It’s 50/50, just like baking and cooking.

You can follow Sohla El-Waylly at @sohla

Sohla El-Waylly was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended the University of California, Irvine, where she studied Economics and worked at the Cheesecake Factory on the side. She went on to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York in 2008. Since then, Chef Sohla has worked in many New York City restaurants and eventually worked for Bon Appétit, where she regularly appeared on the magazine’s YouTube Channel.

With her husband, Hisham El-Waylly, she opened a restaurant in Brooklyn called Hail Mary which closed in 2017.

How hectic would you say it gets when you’re shooting new episodes?

They’re all different. Because all the productions I get to work on are quite different. The Big Brunch has the biggest crew

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A Journey of Sharing Culture Through Bread An Interview with Pedro Calixto and Elvia Del Rosario of Panaderia Carmelita

by Lucky Ahmed

Why did you decide to open a bakery?

I grew up working in a bakery because my parents also owned a bakery back in Mexico. I brought my baking knowledge here to the U.S. and opened a bakery as part of tradition.

That’s awesome! Would you say your inspiration for this bakery is your parents bakery back home?

Yes, I have grown attached to making bread and my customers enjoy it too. It really warms my heart to see my customers satisfied with the bread I bake.

How is your bakery here different from your parents’ bakery in Mexico?

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My parents would only make bread that was known in the small community I lived in. They didn’t really have a variety of bread like I do today. In my bakery, I sell a huge variety of bread from different regions of Mexico.

Did you always know you wanted to continue the family tradition and open a bakery of your own? Or did you have other career paths in mind?

business is slow because not everyone is able to buy all the time. I just need to keep pushing myself and keep taking care of my business.

where there are lots of people from Mexico like me. My purpose is to help my people not forget their tradition and where they come from.

How does your business look different now compared to when you started?

How do you define success?

I can say that we have found ways to be able to store our bread and ingredients in a safer and more sustainable manner compared to when we first started.

When I first came to the US, I never had a vision of opening a bakery. I wanted to do something different from my parents.

When I started working my first job in a restaurant, I thought I would open one of my own someday. However, I later came to open this bakery instead. When I talked to my mother about it, she told me it was because I had the blood of a baker and I should pursue baking just like they did.

Would you say meeting demand is one of your biggest challenges of running a business?

It’s amazing that you kept this career going ever since you were young. What kept your interest in the bakery business strong for so long?

What is one thing you will never compromise about your business?

I like the variety of bread that exists and experimenting with different types.

However, what I love the most is how one bread can be turned into many different kinds of bread.

What kinds of bread do you enjoy making the most?

I enjoy making the more complicated types that require more steps.

Is there anything you wish you did differently when you started this business?

I wish I had opened this bakery in a bigger place, but unfortunately I couldn’t find any other place to open.

When you opened your bakery, were there any doubts you had at the start?

I had many doubts when I started. I would always question myself on whether or not I would get any business. Would people like my bread? What would other people think? There were even a few times where business was slow, there were not many customers present nor many sales happening, and then I would start doubting my business at closing time.

I did eventually come to the realization that there will always be times when

Not necessarily. A bigger challenge I face is the lack of space in this kitchen. I would love to be able to bake and put out a lot more variety of bread but since I’m confined to this small space, I am limited on what I can and cannot do.

One thing I would never compromise is the product I sell. I will never sell any bread that I have no knowledge of making. I wish to sell authentic, traditional Mexican bread.

How does the day start for your bakery?

I start my day with taking inventory. I see what baked goods are there less of and [what is] missing, and then I get right to work on making them. So for example, if there is a lack of donuts, I get right to making more.

What is one accomplishment you’re proud of with this business?

I’m proud that my customers can come in and get some freshly made bread every day.

To me, success is doing something one day and being able to improve on that something over time.

How do you work toward that kind of success in your business?

I always try to make sure I can sell the best bread. I make sure to improve on my skills as a baker each and every day, especially when it doesn’t come out right. To give you an example, I made a certain bread today and it didn’t come out the way I wanted. I retraced and analyzed my steps so I can remake it the next day, but better.

What advice do you have for people who are looking to start their own businesses?

Know what you want to do, and know that you want to do it. Don’t just think about making money, because you should also enjoy what you’re doing. If you don’t achieve that, you won’t be successful with your business. I’ve had experience with people that opened restaurants but ended up closing them down before. They either didn’t know how to run their business or they simply didn’t enjoy it.

Thank you, that is some amazing advice.

So now, for our closing question, do you prefer savory or sweet?

Sweet.

You can follow Panaderia Calixto at @panaderiacarmelita01

What is a long term or short term goal you have for this business?

One goal I have is to put our bread on the map. I want my community to know our breads from their authentic tastes and variety.

Where do you see your business five to ten years from now?

I hope to expand a bit. Right now, however, I’m more focused on today and how business is sailing and not so much on the future.

If you were to open up a business anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

Pedro Calixto owns a small bakery in Jackson Heights, Queens, called Panaderia Carmelita. He was born and raised in the city of Tlapa de Comonfort in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Calixto migrated to the United States for the first time in 1998 and, then again in 2002. Drawing from his culinary background, he opened Panaderia Carmelita to put his culture’s bread on the map and remind his community of where they come from.

Having an opportunity like that would be amazing! However, I don’t really have a specific location in mind. I guess I would open in a place with lots of tourism and

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BE A REBEL An interview with Chef Pilar Valdes about her experience becoming an entrepreneur

by Gaby Fernandez

How did you know you wanted to be part of the culinary industry?

That’s a really good question… I don’t think I actually ever quite knew. I was always a really good eater, ever since I was small. I love food and it brings me so much joy. But I don’t think I had really, truly considered cooking as a profession until much later in my life. I actually worked for 10 years, in a nonprofit, working with young people doing political education, collective media making… pre cell phones. I started cooking for my friends…as dinners for six people morphed into barbecues for 40. And I was doing it so much that I couldn’t afford to keep doing it. My friend was like, “Yo, you need to stop feeding us for free. Have you considered doing something in culinary?” At that point, I was probably 28 or 29. I felt a little too old to go back to school.

I think culinary school offers a lot of really great things. But it’s also really expensive. I didn’t feel comfortable at that point in my life paying that much to go to school. And I was like, I’m not sure which way to go. I love food but, l didn’t feel valid. Cooking for years for friends and studying and trying to learn how to cook on my own, I was always second guessing it. However, a friend of mine reached out to me, and he was like, “hey, you know, a friend is having a baby shower, would you cater it?“ he was like, “Dude, it’s totally fine. It’s only 25 people. You have more people in your house on a regular basis, don’t sweat it, it’s going to be great.” So I gave in and did the catering for the event. People were coming up to me …asking me for my business card. I was like, “I don’t have a business card.” And they were like, “You don’t do culinary?” And I was like, “No, not really. I just do it on the side.” And they’re like, “Maybe you should consider it.” From that day I went home, I called one of my good friends that was also working in nonprofits who I knew wanted to of make the shift out of that field, and then said, “Hey, would you think about trying to start a company

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together? Would you cook with me? She was very much like me: we were always cooking, researching, eating, testing recipes, and doing all these things. We started very, very much in earnest. I started cooking out of my home; we did a lunch delivery service.

We ran it like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) where you partner with farmers and buy a share for their future season to ensure that they have customers, and then you get access to great vegetables. We used that model to do a lunch delivery service and customers would sign up, and they would pre pay us, let’s say for 15 lunches, and we would make farmers market meals, and deliver them twice a week. This was also before Uber Eats and Seamless and all that stuff. She and I would literally be on the subway, carrying bags and criss-crossing like crazy ladies in the city. Our conversations were like “how many clients can we take on and how many boxes can we carry?”. I do not recommend it. But you know, we were just learning and playing with the idea. And then we got into an incubator program at this place called Hot Bread Kitchen. They supported predominantly women and immigrant-owned small food businesses. That

was a game changer for us, because all of a sudden, we were cooking in a commercial kitchen. We had access to industrialsized stoves and ovens, and we got our food handlers license.

The Department of Health would come for surpise visits. All of a sudden, we went from a very casual thing in our houses to something that was very formal, and started me on my more formal path. I ran that company basically as a catering company… for seven or eight years. Then I made the switch to becoming a private chef. Now, I’m in this interesting mix, because I do a little bit of private cheffing, I do recipe development, and then I’m the senior culinary contributor on The Drew Barrymore Show. But if you asked me 10 years ago, if I ever saw myself doing that stuff…

It’s been a sort of very interesting, different ride. [It’s] completely unexpected.

Absolutely. Thank you for sharing that experience with me.

What was it like publishing The Rebel Homemaker with Drew Barrymore?

It was an incredible experience, because Drew is someone I grew up watching on television. To be looped into that universe and have the opportunity to work iwth this book has been really tremendous. It’s undeniable that [Drew] has a certain star power and certain things that she’s able to harness in the world; it really is phenomenal to watch. But at the same time, she really wanted to keep the book very personal and very intimate. It’s a really sweet book.

Totally. I have recently seen the recipe book and I truly love it.

It’s so very comforting and warming, just an incredible book. Are there any other cookbooks that inspired its development?

Drew and I poured over lots of cookbooks together for research: Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music; Solo by Anita Lo; Senegal by Pierre Thiam and Jennifer Sit; L.A. Son by Tien Nguyen, Natasha Phan, and Roy Choi; My Mexico City Kitchen by Gabriela Cámara and Malena Watrous; The Flavor Bible by Karen A. Page, Andrew Dornenburg, and lots of books by Jamie Oliver and Ina Garten.

So what is the most difficult part of your job as an entrepreneur?

That’s a good one. You never feel like you have enough time. I am essentially like a freelance chef. I work on the show, I am a private chef here and there, I do a little catering, so there’s a lot of hats that I end up having to wear. Everyone always asks me “Do you still cook on your days off?” Absolutely, and it’s really something that gives me joy. That being said, you’re always feeling like you’re being pulled in so many different directions, and I think sometimes you start harping on yourself, you start beating up on yourself. Try and be more gentle on yourself; it is definitely a challenge to be more understanding. To say, “Yes, there are all these priorities, you know, and just because you didn’t tick off every single thing on that list, that doesn’t make you a failure.” You just need to be realistic, because there’s so many things that you have to juggle when you’re an entrepreneur.

How do you cope with the stress?

I take a couple of deep breaths. I like to write things out. I have a little notebook and write down the task. Re-center. Sometimes I just need to stop everything I’m doing and take a walk with my husband, even if it’s five minutes just to reset and re-ground.

Definitely. That is all very good advice. Has becoming an entrepreneur changed who you were before your journey or after your journey?

That’s a good question. I wasn’t out there to be an entrepreneur, you know? I hadn’t planned it that way. For me, it was really about considering opportunities as they came up, and then doing a

gut check. Before I started down this entrepreneurial path, I was safe, more cautious. [ I wanted] regularity and stability. And being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean I’m reckless in any way, but, it’s more about finding the spaces to say yes. Take a little bit of risk and know that being nervous about something or being scared about something is completely part of the process. Embrace that fully. “Where’s the opportunity? How can I say yes?” It’s also completely okay to fail at something and I think we don’t talk about that enough. I feel like the kitchen is a microcosm for life at large. You come up with an idea. You try and test it out. And a lot of times that recipe failed and then it’s how you respond to that failure. What’s my sense of curiosity? Why did that not work?

How can I tweak it? Then have a little bit of tenacity to keep trying and working it. I feel like we, as a society, sometimes don’t really talk about the failure aspect when you see someone succeeding How is your catering business going?

It was going really great. And then the pandemic hit. And I really put that on pause … mostly because there weren’t any events going on in New York for at least the first year and a half… I put my blood, sweat, and tears into starting that company and doing all these crazy events all around New York City, and then the pandemic happens. It was a really nerve wracking time because … that’s my livelihood, right? I need to earn money somehow… I remembered being very nervous, very afraid, very unsure about how to move forward. And then, you know, realizing that working one-on-one with certain clients I was filling in [the gaps], and then I was able to be on the show for Drew Barrymore. That opened a whole different set of opportunities... So the catering right now is on hold. I’m still trying to figure out how to kind of start it up again.

So what is your go-to fast food restaurant?

Jollibee, because I’m Filipino. I grew up eating that stuff. It’s it’s so, so good. They have fried chicken that I love. They also have Filipino party-style spaghetti, I think it has hot dogs in it, with a very sweet sauce. Those are the flavors of my childhood.

Yeah, it’s great that you can find a fast food place where you could find comfort. Is there anything else you want to touch on?

Leaning in on your community is so important. I think sometimes when we think of the word “entrepreneur”, it feels so individualized. At least, that hasn’t been my experience.

Really, lean on your community and find people that will be in your corner, because ultimately your success is never your own.

There’s always people involved somehow and to embrace that…I think it’s so much healthier. It’s so much stronger. And I feel like itis so much more successful that way.

You can follow Chef Pilar at @chefpilarvaldes @kickshawcookery

Pilar Valdes is a private celebrity chef (including for the Drew Barrymore Show) and owner of Kickshaw Cookery, a New York City-based catering company.

She is from tropical Manila, Philippines. Valdes graduated with a BA from Sarah Lawrence College.

Instead of attending culinary school, she pushed through and learned from the culinary industry through restaurants and influencers. Chef Pilar and Drew Barrymore co-wrote a cookbook called Rebel Homemaker, which was published in 2021.

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Mom’s Basement & Michelin-Starred Restaurants On Chef’s Sakari’s Journey with Noble Promise

by Chris Lucero Why did you decide to start your business?

I wanted to leave an impact, and I want to leave a legacy for future generations.

Are you the first one in your family to do this type of work?

My dad had a restaurant back in the day, but it failed and his partner ended up running away with all the money.

So growing up, I was always nervous to do partnerships and stuff like that. But, as time went on, I started to have a thing for cooking. It became the thing that I was really good at and that led me to launch my provisions company.

I focused on products that are scalable, that can leave an impact, that are healthy for you, and nourish the soul. And with that, there’s a lot of partnerships involved. I guess, my family did have some type of entrepreneurship in that respect.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?

I think if you’re going to start your own business, you have to be prepared to fail. And you can’t be scared to fail. Once you get in love with the idea of failing, you realize that you’re just learning and you’re getting closer to the end goal…fall in love with failure…[and] remember your reason why you’re doing it. For me, it’s my father, who passed away two years ago. He was my best friend and he inspired me a lot. Since he died from complications from health, I realized...what you put in your body actually affects your health. Once I realized that, I started going down this path.

I want to create delicious food that nourishes your body and soul, and doesn’t make you feel bad. That’s my reason why, and once you find your own, hold on to that, keep it close.

How would you say you deal with fear while starting your food business?

I embrace it. If you feel fear, that means you’re on the track to something special. If you’re uncomfortable, you’re actually doing something really good because you’re not used to it … If I’m ever scared of something, I try to tackle it head on. Because I know that on the other side of it is something really good.

Nice. What about when you dealt with doubt?

There’s always some type of self-doubt but I think you just have to have confidence in yourself … Go back to the reason why. Forget the doubt, forget the naysayers, forget he said-she said, and just really attack it. Just remember your reason why.

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Was there ever a time where you thought you were not going to succeed?

Yes and no. I’ve thought about failing or worried about working, but I think you have the most control over your outcome. So, as long as it’s up to you, and you believe in yourself, there is no way to fail. The only way you could fail is if you give up. That’s why pivoting, changing courses and directions, and stuff like that is so important.

Where do you see your business in five to ten years?

The sky’s the limit! We’re looking to open up a studio in Brooklyn. Along with the restaurant, we’re looking to have our provisions and products all over the country speading the brand. A brand takes 10 years to build.

So this, to me, is my Nike swoosh. People purchase Nike because of the brand they’ve built. Once you build the brand and make it mean something to the people, well then, you have something that can live on forever. And that’s the goal.

How would you say your business looks different now from when you started?

When I started, it was literally just an idea and … pop-ups… We were taking apartments that weren’t being utilized, and we were introducing our restaurant experience “Noble Promise.” That’s how it started, right? We started off in my mom’s basement doing research and development on recipes. I turned the entire basement into an R&D kitchen and turned my

childhood room into my office. From there, it’s pivoted multiple times. We launched a media company, because we felt that telling stories is very important. If you can tell a story, then you can create sales. Once that wasn’t creating enough sales, per se, via ads or brand partnerships and things like that, we pivoted to a provisions company. That’s our way of being able to have something scalable and something that we can sell to people. So it’s constantly changed, but we never veered off too much… from the end goal. We just want to introduce good food and good experiences to people, right? People that look like us. People that are less fortunate, people that might not be knowledgeable in food. The goal is still the same. It’s just the ”how” sometimes changes.

literally just banged on so many doors, working for free in some of the best places in the world for some of the best people.

Whether that’s Gary Vaynerchuk, whether that’s Eleven Madison Park. I went overseas to the Netherlands, and I lived with six other roommates, I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day, you know, barely even had a sink to brush my teeth. I would say you really gotta want it … once you’ve built the base [and] the knowledge, then you can do whatever you want. Now you have more leverage. I think the best thing is to become an expert. Once you’re an expert, people are going to want to hear what you have to say. People are going to want to do partnerships with you, people want to give you money. But you have to learn first.

How did your decide on what to name your business?

What do you look for when hiring new people?

My mom gave me this name. Sakari means “noble promise.”

Growing up, I always felt like I was destined for greatness. I used to get picked on for my name, but then when my mom instilled in me that my name means something, saying “It means you have a promising future. Make sure to keep to your word.” I thought this is the perfect name for our brand, because I wanted it to instill the same level of confidence, the same level of love and passion into other people.

Somebody that’s personable, somebody who can listen, someone who is a team player. I don’t really care about skillset.

I believe anyone can be trained. You just have to be a nice, good person. I think everything else can be taught to you as long as you have a good work ethic.

How would you say your business is different from other businesses?

We’re really, really interested in technology and the blockchain.

For people that don’t know, the blockchain is basically a digital ledger. It’s a way to store and have receipts of who owns what, basically..I think [the blockchain] is going to change the world for the next 15 years. We’re looking at ways to incorporate that into what we do. I think technology is a huge one, you know, looking at web3, we’re looking at AI (artificial intelligence), we’re looking at the blockchain, the whole infrastructure. And then besides that, I think, also just what makes you different is you.

There’s only one you in the world. So what makes it different ist me, and the culture and the values that I bring to the table. And I think that’s something that a lot of people learn from.

What’s the biggest learning experience you’ve had building your business?

To pivot. There’s this book out by the guy that made Waze [GPS App] … he said “fall in love with the problem, not the solution.”

So what that means is like, ”what are you trying to fix?” The solution is your company, right? Anytime you start a business, you’re always trying to fix a problem, right? I would say don’t get overly attached to your initial thought. Fall in love with moreso the problem you’re trying to fix. And understand that it’s OK to change course.

How do you define success?

I think success is happiness. For me, I feel like I was put on this earth for a purpose, a real reason, and I want to be able to achieve that purpose. I achieved that reason, and that’s what makes me happy, along with taking care of my family, leaving a legacy. That to me, is success.

Can you describe a time when you had to overcome a significant challenge or setback in your culinary career?

Anytime something doesn’t work out the way you want it to, it’s leading to something else better. I remember one time I was cooking for a really high clientele person, one of the best basketball stars in the NBA right now. I was proud of myself. And I hated it. I didn’t like it. It didn’t have the freedom that I wanted.

I was making the most money I’ve ever made. But I didn’t like it. So we ended up parting ways and that that could [be seen as] a failure.. But I took that as leading me to the next thing.

Sometimes things need to go into a new direction and you just gotta have faith.

What is something you would never compromise on with your business?

My morals. I’ll never take money for things that are unreliable.

The reason why is that all you have is your word. If you compromise that, you’re done. People are never going to trust your word. It’s over. I’ve never changed my morals for anyone.

Follow can follow Chef Sakari at @Sakarismithwick

Sakari Smithwick started his culinary career by learning from some of the best chefs in New York, working at Eleven Madison Park, Marea, and Restaurant Tribeca. During his time with Ukiyo, the restaurant earned a Michelin star.

Chef Sakari has been featured on cooking competition shows like Chopped and Hell’s Kitchen. Sakari Smithwick is now developing his brand, Noble Promise, with the goal of making food that nourishes your body and soul.

What advice would you give to young chefs just starting out?

How can they be successful and fulfilled?

I would say, don’t look up for 10 years. Put your head down and work for 10 years. People don’t want to hear that. But I think that’s really the truth. … For me, what’s helped is that I was able to put my head down and work. And while working, learn from some of the best in the world. Choose someone that you want to be like. Work for them for free, figure out how to get in there. I

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Learning the Basics Culinary professional Chef Donigan gives advice on being an entrepreneur in the food industry.

by Chris Lucero What are some of the most important skills and traits that successful entrepreneurs should have? How should they develop or improve them?

For entrepreneurs, you need to be good at something. You have to have a specific skill that you’ve mastered and can utilize to build upon and teach to others. The profit comes after that.

Once you’ve mastered that niche, make it a teachable moment for others who don’t know [it] and share that experience amongst kids or your colleagues, and the profit will come with that.

What skills do you think are important for someone who wants to work in the food industry?

The food industry is very, very tricky. You have restaurants and you have food service, like cafeterias and school lunches. To answer the question directly, just know the basics. Know it and then show... how to utilize a knife, how to hold it, how to sharpen it, how to hone the edge, how to cut. Once you master the basic techniques, everything is cream of the crop. Your life becomes so much easier because you’ve mastered all the basics and any chef can put their trust in you.

What are some of the ways that kids and teens can gain experience and learn more about the food industry?

An open mind. A lot of kids, even today, hear the word food and guess what they expect: they only want to come in and sit down, shove it down their throats, and they don’t want to do anything else. Don’t want to understand or learn the history, don’t want to practice it. Don’t want to do anything. So that’s

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why I say be open-minded. Professional kitchens are very, very hard. For any child out there that wants to get into culinary arts, have an open mind because you’re going to see, hear, smell, and eat things that you’ve never experienced before. But give your palate and give your mind the opportunity to grow, learn and expand.

What have been some of your biggest learning experiences since starting your career?

Teaching was never really something that I saw myself doing.

I always loved cooking. The biggest learning experience was transitioning from culinary to pastry. Prior to going to school to expand my mind and my knowledge, I already knew some techniques in culinary arts. I worked in a restaurant for four years, working as a line cook, then the head cook, and then became assistant manager. So I have a culinary background.

I didn’t have anything in regards to pastry. I told myself, “You know what? Let me be different,” and took the baking and pastry role. And look what I’ve become. I’m quite proud of that.

Shamel R. Donigan is an award-winning culinary professional with over 10 years of experience in establishments that include a world-class hotel and several upscale restaurants and bakeries.

Chef Donigan is from South Jamaica, Queens, and graduated with high honors from Monroe College.

He is currently a chef instructor at Food and Finance High School. His classes implore a unique blend of creative flair, passion for food, strong business sense, and engaging interpersonal skills.

FLAN

by Mia Avila Love the taste of sweetness melting in your mouth with a hint of caramel. Then flan is just right for you.

Serves: 12

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients 240 grams granulated sugar 10 egg yolks 354 grams evaporated milk 396 grams condensed milk 1 tablespoon of lemon juice 2 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch of salt Directions Caramel: 1. In a small pot, cook the sugar until it melts and turns a golden brown syrup.

Pour the caramel into a 9-inch cake pan and set aside to cool.

Custard: 1. In a medium bowl slowly mix the egg yolks until smooth.

2. Add the evaporated milk, condensed milk, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt, mixing slowly after each addition.

3. Pour the mixture through a strainer set over a large bowl to remove any lumps. Repeat this process 3 more times, transferring the custard back and forth between the two bowls.

4. By this point, the caramel in the pan should be fully hardened. Strain the milk mixture one final time over the hardened caramel.

5. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and make three small holes in the foil with a knife.

6. Fill a pot large enough to hold the pan halfway with water and set a steamer inside. Set the cake pan on top of the steamer and cover the pot tightly with a lid. Steam the flan over high heat for one hour, adding additional time if needed.

It is ready when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Chill the flan in the refrigerator overnight.

8. To serve, loosen the flan by running a knife around the edge of the cake pan.

Place a large plate on top of the pan and, working quickly, flip the pan and plate together. The flan will release from the pan and fall onto the plate.

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A Pastry Chef with a Big Heart Paola Velez, Co-Founder of Bakers Against Racism, shared inspiration behind the organization’s efforts toward Racial Justice

by Natalia Garcia “I saw that you did a month-long pop-up for undocumented immigrants, and I was wondering if you wanted to do one more to set up relief for bail funds?” “I [asked] her, “Is that enough? Is this worth doing?

Is anything gonna change if we do this one thing?” I told her, “Give me some time to think about it, and if I can participate, I will.” Throughout that time I was ranting to my husband, “How could the world be like this? Don’t go outside. I can’t believe that people would choose to hate each other during a pandemic...when does it end?”

Finally I thought, “I wish there were more people like me who would do these bake sales,” and I realized, if Willa and I team up together, then we double our efforts, and if I do a call to action, we could quadruple, we could [multiply] it by a hundred.

Tell us a little about your background.

I’m from the Bronx. I was born and raised there. My mom is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. I currently live in D.C., but I went to culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu, worked many years in New York, and my family owned restaurants in Manhattan called Mary Ann’s in the 80s, the 90s, and the early 2000s. Other than that, I’ve won many awards for being a pastry chef, although I’m not classically trained as a pastry chef. I went to culinary school for savory and only took two courses in pastry. So when you put your mind to it, sky’s the limit.

It sounds really cool. What inspired you to start Bakers Against Racism?

The organization was founded in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. It was built out of a lot of frustration, anger, and helplessness within myself. My husband and I are Afro-Latinos; knowing that we live below the Mason–Dixon line, it scared me when I saw that happening to George Floyd.

Chef Willa [Pelini] reached out and said,

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So I charted out everything that I’d learned throughout my pop-up...I created all these documents and forms to help people understand how to do what I did, [and do it] themselves: how to partner with chefs, how to accept payment when you’re a home cook, what laws you should be looking out for. I reached out to Rob Rubba, and I was like “Hey, you know how to do scrappy design, and I want to get some graphics from you,” and he was like “Yes!” I said, “Not only do I want graphics, I want you to stand with me as a co-founder of Bakers Against Racism. And he was like, “This is totally rad, I love it, yes.”

I gathered everything, and I sent it over to Willa. “I know you wanted to do just one thing, but what if we did this instead? Are you willing to participate and do you want to be a co-founder?” And she was like “Yes, absolutely.” And then she (as a white woman) went [out] and started giving resources to people who were not people of color. Because I can speak through my experience, you know? I don’t know how to relate [to white people] like that. She was able to spearhead podcasts, make documents about how to be an ally, how to be kind, how to be introspective.

We launched on a Thursday and went completely viral. Probably one of the biggest viral movements in the baking community. We grew exponentially overnight, and by the time that we launched the actual bake sales, we had raised over $1.9 million. In the spirit of

transparency, I don’t want people to just look at the amount raised, but look at the impact. At small business owners who were able to use these [resources] to open up their own shop. People who were able to utilize their businesses to donate and give back to the community.

Organizations like Auyda D.C. who were able to go national, as opposed to the localized platform they’ve had for years.

I consider Bakers Against Racism a lighthouse organization where we vet and point people that want to do good, to organizations that are boots on the ground.

I really admire that. As someone whose parents were also undocumented immigrants, it’s good to see that there are people out there willing to give others a chance.

Of course. If we’re being frank, the restaurant industry wouldn’t be what it is without the undocumented workforce. If we don’t take care of the undocumented workforce, and not only help them have a better quality of life, but have pathways to citizenship, the industry won’t be around for much longer. That’s a very big, uphill battle that a lot of chefs, especially Latino chefs, are fighting right now.

What obstacles did you encounter when starting out? As a woman of color, I know it had to be difficult.

Very difficult. I was told when I was starting culinary school that I’m too shy, too nervous, too small to make a dent in the industry. I was told [by some] that I would be a good housewife with the skills I was learning. It was, from the jump, very difficult to exist in the culinary industry. There were moments of sexual assault, things I wish I would have never encountered. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to insulate and protect myself, but one of the biggest challenges was protecting my mental health. I would say the biggest hurdles have been believing in myself, taking a chance on myself, learning how to tune out the rejection, to keep moving.

Totally hear you. I go to a high school focused on cooking, so it’s hard to stand out when everyone’s always trying to do something. But we have to try.

If it’s any consolation, there’s a lot of my peers that ask “Why you?” and the fact is that I have absolute resolution within myself. I’m confident in myself and my ability. I’m not confident with my persona or with how I present it to the world, but what I can do with food and with butter, flour, and sugar: I can’t deny that. I can’t ever let anybody take that away from me...I’m able to kind of shield myself through my food.

I love that. What advice would you give to Women of Color who are just starting out?

Be kind to yourself. Society teaches us that we have to have very thick skin because the world is cruel to Women of Color. Society teaches us to be strong and to be powerful and to endure, but I wish I was told early on to be kind to myself.

To let myself understand that in that moment, I might feel sadness or I might feel grief because I am not participating in the world the way that my friends are, who have a traditional nine-to-five lifestyle. I It’s tough. What has been your biggest learning experience?

You can be small and be mighty at the same time.

I like that! Where do you see your business in a few years? Where do you see yourself going?

Honestly, I don’t have markers anymore.

I had very pointed career paths up until eight years ago. I was almost 100% content with being a sous chef, with being second to somebody’s vision, because I thought that’s what society would afford me as a Woman of Color. Then I started being daring and I didn’t chart out my life anymore. I was more open to different possibilities within the industry. While I still cook all the time in restaurants, I think that there are a lot more opportunities within the industry than what we know of and what we can understand. I stopped focusing on the endgame and, all of a sudden, awards started coming. I started growing my platform. I’m on TV now. I’m very grateful for all of the opportunities and the visibility that this gives to Women of Color, especially people that grew up in the New York City, in the public school system, with parents that might have been single parents or that came here from a different country. I’m still on that journey of learning what it means to be American...

If I ask my mom, she’s like, “What? I’m not American, I’m Dominican!” I’m hoping that through my journey, especially my cookbook that I’m writing now, people can use me as a marker for what it can look like to be on a journey of learning through

Americana and pop culture.

You’re planning to write a book?

Yeah. Tentatively, the title is called “Life is a Bodega”. I’m really hopeful that people understand that this book is an ode to first-generation, immigrant children and immigrant households in New York City.

I love the title, I think it really does represent New York City.

Hopefully it sticks. But, we’ll see what happens.

What’s something you would never compromise on?

Integrity. Folks rely on me to be honest with them and cut through all the nonsense. A lot of people don’t operate like that because they want to be successful by any means possible. I’d rather be in a batita [robe], minding my business with cafecito [coffee], than to propel myself forward at the cost of others’ trust in me.

I really admire that, especially in the cooking industry. A lot of times people will step on you to get up the ladder.

Yeah, I haven’t needed to do that yet. I hope people can see my trajectory and see that you can be kind and still be successful. But, a lot of people don’t want to wait that long. It’s been 16 years in the making. Slow and steady.

You’re making it. You’re big, you’ve won all the awards, too.

I wouldn’t consider myself big, but I am grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had, even down to this year [when] Food Network named me on their Hot List. Every time people are like “You should be used to this by now,” I’m like...first of all, I am from the Bronx, sometimes skipping meals because my mom and I couldn’t afford it. I grew up in the inner city where I saw all of my art programs and all afterschool funding get cut while I was in it. I still have to stop and be like, “That’s a long way to come from.” I’m grateful.

Where did your username “Small Orchids” come from?

My name is Paola Orquidea. Paula means “small” and Orquidea is “orchid.” My maiden name was De La Cruz, so all together that’s “small orchid of the cross.”

All of our parents’ names were something religious. My last name now, Velez, is “victory” or something like that. My mom was the reason my platform is called “Small Orchids.”

Do you take a lot of inspiration from your mom?

Yeah, my mom was a single mom when she came to the U.S. She’s my inspiration, and my grandmother, all the women in my family. Mainly, my recipes are based off of my mom and my grandma. And now that I’m married, I base a lot of my recipes off of my mother-in-law and my husband’s grandmother who just passed [at] 101.

How do you define and find success?

I work hard. I’m working on a book, pitching TV shows, recipe development, and working with brands. So for me, finding success is putting different eggs in different baskets and letting them hatch on their own. And then maintaining. When I know that I no longer have the bandwidth for something, I stop doing it. But for me, the beginning of my success came from dedication. I chose to be at work all the time, I chose to stage at different places in New York City so that I could learn. I sacrificed back then [by doing a lot of unpaid work]. I chose different pathways, and then I chose to stick with it even when I wanted to stop. Was it easy? No. I don’t advise that you do what I did. I don’t know if I regret it. But, I also have a lot of fruits of my labor. So, I don’t know. There’s no right answer. But I think choosing what you think is best for you is what’s really important.

Thank you, you’re a really big inspiration to me, and to a lot of other people.

Take it from me, you can be whoever you want to be in this world. As long as you have drive and motivation. You don’t have to hurt other people, you just have to be yourself.

You can follow Paola at Instagram: @smallorchids & @bakersagainstracism TikTok: @chefpaolavelez Twitter: @smallorchids

Paola Velez is a DominicanAmerican Pastry Chef born and raised in the Bronx. In 2020 she co-founded Bakers Against Racism, an organization that raises money for racial justice through baking. To date, Bakers Against Racism has gained more than 3,000 participants across the U.S. and raised over $2 million for organizations that fight against racial injustice. Paola has won multiple awards and appeared on TV shows, including Chopped, Selena + Chef, and The Today Show.

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Redefining Mobile Dining The journey of Chef Lay Alston, Queens-born creator of the Soul&Wheel mobile restaurant concept

by Lucky Ahmed How did you find your passion for cooking?

I come from a long line of people who... were cooking for large groups of people.

I feel I’ve always been around that. When I was in elementary school we had to write a letter about who we wanted to be. My letter was [about] me wanting to be a chef. I don’t know why, but I always found them [chefs] very interesting. I was always watching Food Network for hours at a time—I chose that over cartoons. I would also love to watch my grandma cook for hours, and we had the best moments in our family when we gathered around the dinner table. People gathering around food has become embedded in who I am, how I grew up.

Do you think if you hadn’t been exposed to food in that way in your youth, you might be pursuing a different career now?

My passion for food, my passion for feeding people, has really helped me through a lot of challenges. There are kitchens where I can go and enrich myself in cooking, and in the food, the ingredients, the learning experience. I feel like there’s nothing else that I was ready to do other than this. So, I think I would be doing this either way.

I read on your website that you loved to do 30 minute recipes when you were young. What about the cooking did you enjoy?

I think the adrenaline that you get. I like challenges, like getting things done in a short amount of time. Organizing what you’re going to make, as well as moving at an urgent pace to execute something is really enticing to me. I just love that. Also,

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what I love is the idea of feeding people.

Being able to bring people joy and love for food.

Did you see yourself opening a restaurant someday, or did you simply want to work in one?

I’ve always had the personality to want to do things my own way. I would always be the odd one out in class. Like, if something wasn’t done my way, I didn’t really want to do it. I was always interested in things, and challenging my teachers. I’ve never really seen myself working in a restaurant—I’ve always seen myself doing more than that...I know I want to create something that’s unique and different, and I want to be able to take the creative [path].

You said you love to challenge yourself.

Do you think any challenge is possible, or are some impossible?

Personally, I think all challenges are possible. I think challenges are made to be overcome. I don’t think there’s anything that can be put in your way that you won’t be able to maneuver around… especially with the support of [those] around us.

Since you’re an alumni from Food and Finance High School, how would you say your time at FFHS helped you prosper in this career?

In my time there, I [knew] two people who played a pivotal role, my chef instructor and my assistant principal. They were two

people that took interest and took a liking to me and kind of helped me through my career. Through my journey at FFHS..they really molded me into the person I need to be to get to the next level.

What advice do you have for current students seeking to open their own business?

Good question! My advice is, do the research. Once you do the research, start reaching out to your community and ask for support from people who want to help. Also reach out to those who are doing something similar to you. You can ask for direct guidance and information, whether it be a mentorship or a new collaboration. Reach out to the people in your lane, and do something that you want to do.

Why did you decide on opening a mobile restaurant rather than a brick-andmortar?

I’ve always been a person who enjoys traveling. I enjoy the idea of being flexible with where I live, so the idea of a brickand-mortar never really sat well with me.

I don’t see myself being in one state or city for five, 10 years. But [I decided on] the idea of doing a food truck because you can travel with it, you can go state to state and see different cities. I’ve always liked the idea of a dine-in restaurant experience, something elegant, intimate, and bring’s a grandma’s grandma’s house type of vibe. Combine fine dining and

Sunday dinners at grandma’s, but in a way where I can travel throughout the country... But then after I got injured in 2020...I really needed to figure out what to do. I felt this entrepreneurial urge that I wanted to pursue. After my injury, I realized a food truck wouldn’t really work for me because it isn’t accessible. So I decided to research accessibility options and...I came up with the idea to renovate a bus, because the MTA buses we ride [in NYC] already have a ramp built into them.

I thought, “Why not take that? I’d take out all the chairs and we’d renovate it into a nice, intimate dining experience. That was my idea, and I feel like it hasn’t been done before. It’s really unique, and the industry could use something different that is valuable to people with different disabilities and mobility issues. I’d be able to cater to different areas of the country, and hopefully the world.

What’s your biggest inspiration?

Really taking your life circumstances and challenges, and turning them into positives, to not only uplift your own life, but to uplift and impact others. I think the biggest inspiration is to go through the trials and tribulations that altered your career [and set me on] a different trajectory. Since I suffer from a spinal cord injury, I feel like there’s not much space for me in the industry anymore. It always was a challenge for me to feel that I’m needed in the industry, to give them a Black woman who kinda doesn’t want to fit in the norms of what a chef looks like. I’ve always felt like an outcast, and now with my injury making me even more of one, it’s important for me to create a community and a space where I can be successful regardless of how mobile I am, or the way I’m speaking, or what color my skin is. All these things that matter to me, make me who I am.

What kind of message do you hope to communicate to people?

No goals are unattainable. Never let any circumstances dictate your life and the trajectory of your life and career. If something happens to you, or the path that you thought you wanted to go down isn’t the same, it’s not all over. Where I am now is where I chose to be, and where I’m dreaming of going is obtainable.

What would your younger self say about you if she were to meet you right now?

She would say that she’s happy I didn’t let my life circumstances make me a bad person, happy I’m still pursuing my dream to be a chef, happy that I didn’t change too much.

Going back to your business, what made you decide on selling African, Asian and Caribbean cuisine?

obstacle that comes my way. I don’t really feel it’s how much I have, or how much money I have.

I would say my food is inspired by AfroAsian and Caribbean cuisine. I’m African American and the African diaspora is what I’ve grown to know, to love, and to eat. My grandma is from North Carolina, so we grew up on Southern food, Southern cooking, and Southern hospitality. That’s important to me to showcase and it’s an intricate part of who I am as a person. I also grew up in Queens, which is a melting pot of all different cultures, foods, and cuisines.

Asian cultures are very, very prominent in Queens… I feel like if there was one part of the world I had to eat from for the rest of my life, I would choose Asian cuisines. My first professional restaurant job was at Morimoto, a Japanese fine dining restaurant, which taught me a lot about the force of ingredients, and how to great them in a meticulous way. It’s also in my soul for me to be able to pull from Asian cuisine, my mom is Chinese. I also realized that Caribbean food is from the African diaspora as well, so I pull from Africa and the Caribbean as far as the spices. I cook a lot of fish and vegetables, and I think Caribbean, Asian, and African cultures really work together.

Where do you see your business five years from now?

Would you say it was ever hard for you to adjust to different restaurants and make different kinds of cuisine?

Well, it was different in [terms] of ingredients, but not so much in how to care for the food... Restaurants in general are different from home — different energy… different environment. I can honestly find my way in any environment.

I can get used to the way things are. I told you before, I’ve always been a thinker and someone who wants to know why things are being done a certain way. A lot of times the restaurants just don’t have time to explain every detail to you… or… they have their tone, demeanor, or their delivery doesn’t work for me. That’s really the adjustment for me in restaurants— being able to swallow my pride, like about the way people are talking to me, or people yelling for things. As far as the culture of restaurants, it’s something I was used to, since I went to a culinary high school. It wasn’t too much of a culture shock.

How do you define success?

For me, career success means not giving up. When something isn’t working, maybe you go a different route, but you don’t lose sight of the idea. I feel like I’m successful when I push through any

In five years, I hope to have at least two mobile restaurants, because I would like to be bicoastal... I really enjoy being in California, but [as someone] born and raised in Queens, New York is also very important to me. I want to be able to see people in multiple cities, for my business to be growing in multiple establishments...

[I want to] create communities to be able to connect and grow, to feed off each other and help each other... In five years, I hope to have a cookbook, or my memoir, or some book that’s [a combination of the two]. In five years, I hope to have touched and changed and inspired many people.

Do you think you’d ever go international with this business?

I would love to go international. I would definitely want to go to Japan and Africa and learn more about the cultures, and the cuisines and ingredients they use.

I also want to have some sort of Bed and Breakfast resort (not based in the U.S.) that highlights and emphasizes the importance of accessibility, and the importance of farm-to-table food. Of course, I would like to have another one here in the U.S. too, but it just seems like I would want to do that somewhere more tropical, somewhere the weather is often beautiful.

What Queens neighborhood is your go-to for good food?

Astoria/Long Island City, in that area.

There’s a lot of street food and Greek food that I enjoy. There are also some Asian spots that I enjoy too.

You can follow Chef Lay Alston at @soulandwheel Lay Alston is a celebrated chef born and raised in Queens, New York.

She aspired to be a chef since the age of 8. Alston attended Food and Finance High School and Monroe College, where she joined the Culinary Competition Team. She worked in many restaurants in New York, such as Morimoto NYC and Cafe Boulud, before joining the Institute of Culinary Education as a chef instructor. Chef Lay is now developing her mobile restaurant concept, Soul&Wheel.

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BAGEL BEEF SANDWICH

by Joy Ellington

Directions

During my childhood, a full afterschool meal for an unsupervised 8-year-old would make any mother flip out. But then she would try that meal, and just like that, she understood immediately. This recipe is like when you don’t have hot dog bread for your hot dog or when you have ham for a sandwich but no cheese. Since I am an “extra” person, I made this “struggle meal” special -A juicy patty with a fulfilling bagel: the sweetest, savory, affordable home meal. You’ll feel like a 5-star chef making this, and it’s so simple and delicious you can use this as many times as you want.

1. In a medium bowl combine the beef, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, egg, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and half of the diced onion. Divide the meat mixture into 12 even sized balls.

Serves: 12

4. Return the skillet to the head and add more olive oil. Working in batches, add a ball to griddle and immediately flatten with a spatula to a 1/2-3/4 inch patty. Repeat until you cannot fit any more patties in the pan.

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 2 pound ground beef ½ cup panko bread crumbs 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 1 large egg 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil, plus more for cooking 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 white onion, finely diced, divided 12 slices cheese, preferably cheddar, or colby jack unsalted butter, for cooking 12 sesame seed bagels, halved horizontally 1 Celebrity tomato, sliced ¼ inch thick mayonnaise, for serving (optional) ½ pound iceberg lettuce, sliced 1-inch thick 1 tablespoon brown sugar

2. Heat a large stainless steel skillet over high heat with enough olive oil to coat the pan.

3. Add the remaining half of the diced onion and cook until starting to brown. Remove onions from the skillet and set aside.

5. Cook until the patties are golden brown on the first side before flipping and topping each with a slice of cheese. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until the cheese is melted.

Transfer the patties to a plate and continue with the remaining meat mixture until all of the patties are cooked. Set aside.

6. Set the onions and patties to the side and, to the same skillet, add enough butter to coat the pan. Toast the bagels cut side down, adding more butter as needed. Set aside.

7. Add the sliced tomatoes to the same skillet, to briefly warm through, about one minute Assembly: 1. If using, spread a thin layer of mayo over each bagel half. To the bottom half of each bagel, add a patty, followed by some of the caramelized onions, a slice of tomato and lettuce. Top with the other half of the bagel.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the tops of the bagels.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the bagels sugared side down and toast until sugar is dissolved, about one minute.

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21

Ways to Prepare Shrimp

1. Barbeque Shrimp

11. Shrimp Kabobs

2. Boiled Shrimp

12. Pineapple Shrimp

3. Broiled Shrimp

13. Lemon Shrimp

As Seen in Forrest Gump (1994), Mykelti Williamson as “Bubba Blue”

4. Baked Shrimp

14. Coconut Shrimp

5. Sauteed Shrimp

15. Pepper Shrimp

by Ozzy Willson

6. Pan Fried Shrimp

16. Shrimp Soup

Bubba talks about his desire to get into the shrimping business - to catch and sell shrimp.

This list of preparations is a template for people to use to cook their shrimp in a variety of ways (and to show Bubba’s love of shrimp!)

7. Stir Fried Shrimp

17. Shrimp Stew

8. Deep Fried Shrimp

18. Shrimp Salad

9. Shrimp Creole

19. Shrimp and Potatoes

10. Shrimp Gumbo

20. Shrimp Burger 21. Shrimp Sandwich

SAULT M

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S ault Me dia is honore d to have c ollab orate d with the students of Pass The S patula on designing such a wonderful magazine.

S au lt is a c reative m e d i a a g e n cy base d in N YC of ferin g d e s i g n a n d d ig ital m arketin g ser v i c e s fo r t h e fo o d an d b everag e in d u st r y.

Fin d u s at w w w.sa u lt m e d i a .c o m

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HOT CHOC-NOGG

by Nylah White I have always been a fan of aesthetically pleasing seasons, and my family always goes all out for Christmas. After my brother found his new favorite holiday drink, eggnog chai tea, I experimented and made Hot Choc-nogg. With all the other flavored eggnogs available, this recipe has the perfect blend of chocolate and spices for a very aromatic holiday experience any time of the year.

Serves: 5

Estimated Cook Time: 1hr 45 min

Ingredients 3 egg yolks 50 grams granulated sugar 227 grams whole milk 113 grams heavy whipping cream 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 pinch ground nutmeg 1 pinch salt ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 227 grams heavy whipping cream 20 grams powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract Hot Chocolate: 454 grams whole milk 42 grams unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoon granulated sugar 42 grams semisweet chocolate chips ¼ tablespoon vanilla extract 3 Hershey’s kisses

Directions Eggnog:

Whipped Cream:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together yolks and sugar until light and creamy.

1. Pour whipping cream into the stand mixer, and add powdered sugar and vanilla extract.

2. In a medium saucepan, mix the whole milk, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt on low heat with a rubber spatula until hot.

2. Beat on high for 1-2 minutes or until you have stiff peaks, Keep a keen eye, DO NOT over mix.

3. Add 1 tablespoon of your hot milk to the bowl with the yolks and sugar, whisk vigorously.

Repeat, adding one tablespoon at a time until all of the milk mixture is incorporated into the eggs.

3. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the fresh whipped cream and refrigerate until assembly.

Hot Chocolate: 1. Add milk, cocoa powder & sugar into a small saucepan.

4. Return the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat.

2. Whisk together over medium heat until warm and combined and steaming.

5. Cook, whisking constantly for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture slightly thickens and registers 160ºF.

3. Add chocolate chips and whisk constantly until fully melted and combined.

6. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla extract.

4. Whisk in vanilla extract, then transfer into a separate pitcher.

Assembly:

7. Pour the eggnog through a mesh strainer into a pitcher and cover with plastic wrap.

1. Add 1 cup each of chilled eggnog and freshly-made hot chocolate in a 17 ounce mug.

8. Store in the refrigerator until chilled, about an 1 1/2 hours.

2. Stir together well and pipe a generous amount of whipped cream on top of each.

3. Grate Hershey’s Kisses directly over whipped cream to garnish.

Serve.

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THE FUTURE OF ECOFRIENDLY EATING

by Abigail Anton Sustainable cooking and eating are great places to start if you want to incorporate a minimal-waste lifestyle into your daily routine. Sustainable cooking is defined as reducing the use of nonrenewable resources, like gas, to cook or make food. Additionally, sustainable food focuses on choosing nutritious, affordable foods, using healthy cooking methods, minimizing food waste, and conserving energy. Becoming more ecofriendly is essential for the environment and a better way to preserve it.

Many restaurants are now introducing more and more steps toward minimizing food waste and creating a more ecologically-friendly environment. McDonald’s and Starbucks have both taken measures over the years to reduce single-serve plastics and packaging like how you need to now ask for straws. Restaurants worldwide are beginning to hop on the wastereduction train, from decor, to utensils, to the food itself. Silo London, a restaurant in England, claims to be “The world’s first zero waste restaurant,” where among other things, recycled plates are made from packaging waste, decor is made from crushed wine bottles, dried seaweed, and mycelium, and all of their trash is composted. They even initiated nose to tail menu planning, milling their own flour, churn their own butter, have their food delivered in re-usable containers, alongside a robust composting program.

FREA, another “zero-waste” restaurant in Berlin, features an enormous piece of wall art made from melted plastic collected during the restaurant’s construction. At Nolla, located in Finland, gift cards are made with biodegradable poppyseed paper. Recipients can plan them in their gardens after use.

Smithsonian Magazine reports that Nolla also hosts occasional “blackout dinners,” where guests dine by candlelight and food is cooked without electricity over a live fire.

When it comes to gardening, hydroponics is a method of growing plants using a water-based solution instead of soil. Gardens can be small or large, even something as simple as growing your own herbs. Another way to reduce your waste could be to eat vegan, as the meat and dairy industries are responsible for 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Great vegan alternatives are available at most supermarkets, and some highly rated vegan restaurants in New York City include Beatnic, Ras Plant-Based in Brooklyn, and Anixi in Chelsea. According to the Marine Stewardship Council, there are also simple ways to be sustainable at home, like cutting the usage of plastic water bottles, cooking at home to reduce food waste, using reusable shopping bags, and switching to ecofriendly household products. Sustainability can be accessible.

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VEGETARIAN SALATA DE BOEUF

by Abigail Anton My heritage and my family are what inspired this dish. Salata de Boeuf is a traditional Romanian dish that I grew up eating. It was at every family gathering- holiday dinners or summer barbecues. Salata de Boeuf translates to “beef salad” in English, but most of my family is vegetarian, so I’ve eaten the meat-free version of this dish for most of my life. You could also make a vegan version by substituting the mayonnaise for vegan mayo. It’s an easy, delicious potato salad with lots of flavor. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.

Serves: 6-8

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients 7 medium red potatoes 4 medium carrots, small dice 3 stalks celery, small dice 2 large or 3 mediums parsnips, small dice 3 cups frozen peas 1 cup and 1 tablespoon cornichon pickles 2 teaspoons Vegeta seasoning salt & pepper to taste 1 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, preferably Grey Poupon Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced, for garnish red bell peppers, pickled or fresh, thinly sliced, for garnish Directions 1. Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about twenty minutes, adding more time if needed. Transfer cooked potatoes to an ice bath to cool.

2. To a separate pot, add the carrots, celery and parsnips. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the peas in the last minute of cooking to thaw. Drain the vegetables and set aside to cool.

3. Peel the cooled potatoes and dice into ½ inch cubes.

4. In a large bowl, combine the veggies, potatoes, and pickles. Add the Vegeta, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, and mustard then mix. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

5. Garnish with more pickles, pickled peppers, and chopped kalamata olives, if using.

6. Chill for at least one hour and serve cold, Enjoy!

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EASY AND FLAVORPACKED FUSKA

by Lucky Ahmed Fuska are crispy shells filled with spicy and mushy goodness - each one you pop into your mouth will explode with flavor. Paired with a sweet and tangy tamarind sauce, these are the perfect combination of flavor and texture!

Serves: 8 Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Ingredients 1½ cups water ¾ cup tamarind pulp 1 cup whole dried yellow peas, soaked overnight 2 large russet potatoes 4 eggs 1 red onion, finely diced 4 Indian chiles, finely chopped 3 sprigs coriander leaves, finely chopped 2 tablespoon Chatpati masala, preferably Radhuni, plus more to taste 1 package Golgapp Directions Tamarind Sauce: 1. In a medium bowl, soak the tamarind in the water for 1 hour to soften. Mix until smooth.

Filling: 1. In a large pot, simmer the yellow peas in their soaking liquid until soft, checking at 45 minutes and cooking for longer if needed.

2. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes and eggs. Place the potatoes and eggs in a pot and cover with water. ring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Remove the eggs after 10 minutes to an ice bath.

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Continue cooking the potatoes until they’re easily pierced with a knife, about 30 more minutes.

Let cool. Peel the cooled eggs and shred them with a fine grater; set aside. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and dice into small cubes.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, about 3/4 of the shredded egg, onion, chilis, coriander, and 2 tablespoons of chatpati masala. Taste and add more masala if needed until filling is spiced the way you like.

Assembly: 1. Use your finger to crack a hole in the golgappa and spoon the filling inside. Place on a serving platter and repeat until all the filling is used.

2. Top the filled golgappa with the remaining shredded egg and serve with the tamarind sauce on the side.

Exploring Ghost Kitchens A Cost-Effective Solution for the Culinary Industry

by Yu Ying Yuen

Ghost kitchens are on the rise, especially since the onset of COVID-19, when many restaurants shut down due to lack of customers and the incurring costs of running a storefront. You might be wondering, what is a ghost kitchen? It’s similar to renting a room, except it’s a kitchen. Who knew? Ghost kitchens can be a place to prep food for restaurants that don’t have their own space, or they can be used as additional space since some storefronts don’t have enough room in their own kitchen. Even big chains like McDonald’s or MrBeast Burger use ghost kitchens in their franchise according to “More And More Restaurants Are Turning To Ghost Kitchens During The COVID-19 Pandemic,” Delish. I always thought that when you ordered something on DoorDash, drivers would go to individual restaurants to pick up orders. Then I realized that some of those restaurants on DoorDash don’t have their own storefront at all, they’re just online businesses who rent ghost kitchens to make the food!

Let us know what you think about ghost kitchens by leaving a comment on our Instagram at @passthespatula

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Ghost kitchens seem like a great addition to the culinary industry, especially for up-and-coming businesses looking for a budget-friendly space option or testing out ideas. Many businesses have switched to online only, which can make it easier for customers to access their products. Why waste so much money to buy or lease a whole storefront and risk going bankrupt, when you can just rent out a kitchen? You wouldn’t risk losing huge sums of money, plus your bills, subscriptions, and costs would be lower. You have so much less to worry about. I’d say it’s a smart idea, since you can work in a larger kitchen and it’s more sanitary to work in a commercial grade kitchen than to just cook in your own home. Not only that, it’s a great legal way to sell your goods. Ghost kitchens are innovative ways for entrepreneurs worldwide to run their food businesses, and start up slowly without taking on a huge risk which could impact their whole future.

SPREZZATURA PANNA COTTA

by Natalie Balaban Benjamin Siu, my Colavita partner, and I created this recipe for the Colavita Culinary Competition, where judge Tom Colicchio said it was one of the best panna cotta dishes he had ever tasted. Not often made at home, this panna cotta features ingredients that aren’t found in traditional recipes. It has the distinctive flavors of basil and lemon to brighten the sweet milk base. For a dessert that looks so complex, this recipe is extremely simple to make. Creamy and flavorful but not too sweet, this panna cotta has all of the things you look for in a nice dessert. Additionally, it looks beautiful when served and can be plated in many ways that will steer it from anything but plain. This panna cotta can be made all year round, but tastes especially good in the warmer seasons.

Serves: 3-6

Estimated Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients 1 lemon, plus strips of zest for garnish 30-45 leaves fresh basil, plus more for garnish 454 grams whole milk 57 grams heavy cream 2 ½ tablespoons water 10.5 grams plain powdered gelatin 200 grams granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 900 grams fresh whole strawberries 350 grams granulated sugar 1 ½ teaspoons water 1 teaspoon cornstarch 4 tablespoons Colavita balsamic vinegar 1 ½ teaspoons unsalted butter

Directions Panna Cotta: 1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from half of the lemon in wide strips, being careful to not remove any pith.

2. Cut two 6x6-inch squares of cheesecloth. Divide the basil leaves and lemon peel between them and tie all corners of the cheesecloth together with string to create sachet bags.

3. In a large pot, bring the milk and heavy cream to a boil over medium heat, being careful not to let it overflow. Remove the pot from the heat, add in the sachets and let the milk cool to room temperature, allowing the basil and lemon flavor to infuse. Alternatively, you can quicken the cooling time by pouring the milk mixture into a metal bowl and placing that in a larger bowl filled with water and ice. Stir until the mixture is cool.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the water and the gelatin until combined. Leave to sit for 5 minutes to bloom.

5. Into the pot with the cooled infused milk mixture, pour the sugar and salt, whisking constantly. Bring this to a gentle boil over medium heat, continuing to whisk. Remove the sachets.

6. Pour the gelatin mixture into the pot and, whisking constantly, simmer on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes to dissolve. Remove the pot from the heat.

Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is melted and everything is combined.

skimming off any foam that forms on top. The mixture will be slightly thickened and darker in color.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the water with cornstarch until there are no lumps.

4. With the strawberry mixture still over medium heat, add the balsamic vinegar and cornstarch slurry. Stir until the mixture boils and thickens.

7. Divide the panna cotta mixture among ramekins or small glasses. Refrigerate until cool, at least 3 hours.

5. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the butter. Once the butter fully dissolves your sauce is ready to serve.

Alternatively, the sauce could be chilled in the fridge if preferred.

Strawberry Balsamic Sauce:

Assembly:

1. Hull strawberries and pulse them in a food processor until you have a chunky puree.

1. Remove the set panna cotta from the fridge and, using a butter knife, separate the sides of the panna cotta from the mold (if it’s not already loose). Invert onto a plate.

2. To a large pot, add the strawberries and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and let it reduce by about a quarter, sitting occasionally to prevent burning or sticking and

2. Add as much sauce to the panna cottas as you wish, garnish them with lemon zest and a basil leaf and serve.

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MOM’S FAMOUS RICE & BEANS

by Oswald “Ozzy” Willson This recipe was a staple in my family’s kitchen growing up. My mother would cook this and always had us wanting two or three platefuls.

I want to include this recipe as it was very sentimental to me, and I want to share the warm comfort of this recipe with others Serves: 4 Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups long grain rice 3 ½ cups water ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar Salt, to taste 2 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound pork chop or ham steak, cut into ½-inch cubes 4 ½ ounces yellow onion, diced 7 ounces green bell pepper, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 15.5-ounce can Goya Red Kidney Beans, drained 14 ounces unpeeled russets potatoes, rough chopped 14 ounces carrots, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 8-ounce can Goya Tomato Sauce 1 ¾ cup water 2 teaspoon onion powder 2 teaspoon garlic powder Salt, to taste Sugar, to taste 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon (1 packet) Goya Sazón con culantro y achiote 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar Hot sauce of choice, for serving, optional

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Directions Prepare the Rice:

Prepare the Beans:

1. In a large pot, cook the garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until lightly brown

1. In a large saucepot, heat the olive oil over medium high. Add the pork or ham, and sear until golden brown and almost cooked, about 6 minutes.

2. To the same pot, add the rice and water along with the vinegar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.

3. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

4. When the rice is ready, fluff with a fork, remove from the heat, and cover until you are ready to serve.

2. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic, and let it sweat until soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes.

3. Add beans, potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, bay leaf, Sazón, balsamic vinegar, and enough water to cover. Add salt and sugar to taste. Bring to a boil.

4. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook for 30-45 minutes or until carrots, and potatoes are tender and fully cooked.

5. To serve, place the fluffy warm, rice on one half the plate and the beans of the other half (or directly on top!) Drizzle with hot sauce if desired.

A Sweet Collaboration

by Traceena Lynch

Part 2: The Baker “YOU’RE LATE!” I shout, as Kelly strolls in an hour later than expected. “No need to shout, Caleb. I would’ve called, but I forgot...” he answers, coming into the kitchen of my bakery. “Try to remember next time then,” I say, making it known that I’m annoyed.

I wouldn’t say that today is a big deal but if I did that would be a lie. Today I extend my services to not just me as a baker, but extending it to becoming a cake decorator, all cakes decorated by me. The reason behind it just being me is that everyone I interviewed lacked the skills that I needed. So in normal Caleb fashion, I’ll make up for it on my own and do everything on my own.

“What is that supposed to be?” Kelly asks, looking at the cake confusingly. “A pink strawberry shortcake vintage cake.” I reply, looking at him. I show him the reference picture and his face of confusion sticks. “Is there something wrong?” I ask him nervously.

I already had to redo it multiple times because it didn’t look right.

“Well, it looks rather rushed, and the shades of pink are so close you can hardly tell the difference. Also, the strips of icing that look like streamers are disconnected, as if you started one, stopped, then continued going right then and there. Now also th-” As he’s stating every single mistake I yell, “SHUT UP!” “You asked..” he says quietly.

“I asked Kelly, my best friend, not Kelly the art critic,” I say in defeat. “Sorry Caleb, I guess I’m still in the zone. I just came from an art, show you know,” he says, coming over to comfort me. “I know you’re trying, and I’m sorry for

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going off, but you need to understand the design better,” he says, trying to reassure me. “Your work will always end up being this sloppy if you don’t understand what you’re doing first. The only way to understand is by starting from the drawing. You being probably the worst artist I’ve ever known is probably stopping you from understanding what you’re trying to do,” he says, explaining my errors in a better form than before.

“You really know how to make me feel better,” I laugh, knowing that he’s completely right about the drawing thing. I realize he has a point with his words, and I’ll take them into consideration for the future.

“No more of that now, help me finish setting up for the photographer. She’ll be here any minute,” I say, hoping for the best.

“Whatever you say, you’re the boss after all.”

We get to work so everything’s prepared for when she arrives. Fingers crossed the photos come out looking decent. I know she’s the best, but with how this looks, I’m nervous.

To be continued...

PASTELÓN

by Annalyse Melendez

The people who inspired this dish for me are my mother and my grandpa. Take a lasagna, but make it Caribbean, replacing the pasta with nice, golden-brown sweet maduros (fried, sweet plantains). If you’re looking for an easy, quick, and delicious dinner, this pastelón recipe is for you.

Serves: 5-6

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 8 yellow ripe plantains 1 pound block Polly-O mozzarella cheese 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground beef 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning 16 ounces Hunt’ s spaghetti sauce with meat ¼ cup merlot wine Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. 2. Cut off the ends of the sweet plantains. With a knife, lightly cut through the skin lengthwise, being careful not to cut the inner portion, and peel off the skin. Cut the sweet plantain in half horizontally and then cut each half vertically into ¼-inch thick planks.

3. Grate half a cup of cheese on the coarse side of a box grater. Slice the remaining block in half and slice each half into ¼-inch thick pieces. Set both grated and sliced cheeses aside.

4. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium heat.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the ground beef along with the Italian seasoning and cook, breaking the meat up and stirring occasionally lightly until browned.

5. Add the spaghetti sauce and the wine, stirring until everything is combined. Bring everything to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and reduces slightly.

6. In a large frying pan, heat about 1-inch high of canola oil over medium high heat. Once hot, fry the plantain pieces in batches for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown in color.

Assembly: 1. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, layer about 1/3 of the meat sauce. Arrange about half of the fried plantains in a neat layer on top of the sauce. Some gaps are acceptable.

2. Pour another third of the meat sauce over the plantains, followed by all of the sliced mozzarella. Pour the remaining meat sauce over the cheese and top with the other half of the fried plantains.

3. Finish with a light layer of shredded mozzarella cheese on top, then bake the pastelón for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Truth O R

DARE

Use these as a fun way to get out of your comfort zone!

Truth or

DARE

Go to the first local restaurant that pops up on your social media feed Or Jot down your least favorite ingredient and think of a recipe with this ingredient.

Truth or

DARE

Spin a globe and whatever your finger lands on, find a business that cooks food from that cuisine Or Draw out the perfect business that you would build for yourself

Truth or

DARE

Go with a friend to different delis across the street and order the same thing. See if their food tastes the same or different.

Or With a friend, find a food blogger and make a competition to see who can make the best version of that meal.

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GUAVA CINNAMON ROLLS

by Aylin Sanchez Every time you bite into one of these ooey-gooey rolls, it’s like an explosion of flavors in your mouth. You get the tartness from the guava and, simultaneously, the boldness of cinnamon.

The whole thing is pulled together by the creamy cream cheese frosting that just melts right into all the nooks and crannies. It’s funny, actually. When making this recipe, I was in the kitchen with my mom. She was never much of a fan of the traditional cinnamon rolls. So she asked me to make guava filling for her. Little did I know that this was one of her best ideas. I got to incorporate authentic Hispanic flavors into something as simple as a cinnamon roll, elevate its flavors, and bring it to the next level.

Serves: 6

Estimated Cook Time: 3 Hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients 366 grams warm milk 104 grams granulated sugar, divided 7 grams active-dry yeast 640 grams all-purpose flour 17 grams salt 80 grams unsalted butter, melted 50 grams egg 4 grams vanilla extract 56 grams butter, softened 55 grams brown sugar 50 grams granulated sugar 226 grams guava paste, cubed 2.3 grams cinnamon 85 grams heavy cream 110 grams butter, room temperature 130 grams powdered sugar 226 grams cream cheese 226 grams guava paste cubed 4 grams vanilla extract 2.3 grams cinnamon 60 grams heavy cream Directions Dough: 1. Heat milk in the microwave until lukewarm, about 30 seconds. In a small bowl, add 4 grams of sugar and the yeast.

Add the warm milk and whisk to dissolve the yeast. Set aside until foamy and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

Assembly: 1. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.

2. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a ¾-inch thick rectangle, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking.

3. Leaving a ½-inch border, spread filling in an even layer over the dough.

4. Starting with one of the short sides of the rectangle, roll the dough into a tight coil and pinch the seam to seal.

5. To cut the rolls, score the dough lightly into 6 even pieces.

Slide a piece of unflavored dental floss under the dough coil. Wrap the floss around the dough, cross the end and pull tightly in opposite directions. The floss should slice through the dough. Repeat until all of the rolls have been cut.

2. To the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, remaining 100 grams of sugar, salt, butter, egg, vanilla and the yeast mixture. Mix for 5 minutes.

Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Knead or by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 10 minutes.

6. Transfer the cinnamon rolls to a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover and let rise until puffed, 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Once risen, drizzle 15 grams of heavy cream over each roll.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and turn to grease the top. Cover and leave to rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours to rise.

8. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the icing: in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the guava paste, cream cheese, butter and heavy cream. Beat until completely smooth. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and powdered sugar and combine until fully incorporated. Set aside.

Filling: 1. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cubed guava paste and cinnamon until smooth.

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7. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Once risen, bake the rolls for 25 minutes.

9. Frost the baked cinnamon rolls while still hot from the oven. Enjoy warm.

TOP 5 ZABIHA HALAL RESTAURANTS IN NYC

by Lucky Ahmed

ARIA KABAB 72-55 KISSENA BOULEVARD, FLUSHING, NY 11367

YOGURT LA CREPE 29-02 DITMARS BOULEVARD, ASTORIA, NY 11102

SAGAR RESTAURANT 168-25B HILLSIDE AVENUE, JAMAICA, NY 11432

MANNAN BAKERY 71-14 35TH AVENUE, JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY 11372

MANNAN SWEETS & RESTAURANTS 75-13 101 AVENUE, OZONE PARK, NY 11416 67

Somethin’ to Munch On

by Jessica Ramirez Social media has revolutionized the food industry.

Entrepreneurs can use social media platforms to showcase their products to a broader audience, connect with customers more, showcase their work with others, and even hop from trend to trend. Back in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. economy hard. Being stuck at home, many found new ways to engage or make money through food blogging, food photography, and other online marketing.

TikTok creators captures users attention with videos of 60 seconds or shorter, keeping their audience more engaged.

The type of content you can find on these platforms varies from people recreating animated dishes, baking for fun, or even trying out food from different countries and cultures.

When it comes to promoting your product, you should make sure your food looks visually appealing to attract viewers.

Easy and quick recipes that require few recipes will pull people in, especially when they’re ingredients you can find at home. The mood, music, transitions, and backgrounds are all important in creating a great video.

As someone who’s on social media a lot, I enjoy food media the most because I’m a big food lover, and I love seeing different trends and cultures. It makes me actually want to try them because the food itself looks delicious; and since the videos are short, it gives the impression that recipes are easy and won’t take long to make. Gooey foods (like a cheese

pull), drippy foods (like chocolate chips in a cookie or a birria taco in consommé), crunchy foods (like cutting a sandwich) and fresh, bright pops of color all draw me in! Another thing I enjoy seeing is when characters or animals that I like are recreated into food. Making food cute, or even putting faces on it, makes me smile and admire it. I’m also drawn into the videos because of how they are filmed, produced, and the way the end product is displayed.

Eventually, some people turn their content and passion into a successful business! Chloe Sexton, owner of BluffCakes, gained popularity on social media through her baking videos, especially the videos of her giant cookies (weighing seven ounces) which went viral. All the support she’s received has led to her opening up her own bakery! Another mom who’s made it big is Laura Fuentes, who created her own recipe and food blogging business inspired by a desire to pack school lunches (“MOMables”) for her daughter. Now other families can use her website as a resource to prepare healthy meals, and you can find tons of videos online of people making aesthetically pleasing bento-style boxes. These are examples of how you can use social media to thrive! Many of these content creators wouldn’t be where they are today without social media, and the support of the online communities they’ve created.

How to Not Set Your Kitchen On Fire

by Mary Ajisafe Step One: Put on protective gear, and set up your equipment and make sure not to injure yourself doing the process. Why do I say this? Well, some people need extra help!

Step Two: Do not, I mean, do not in any circumstance put anything flammable next to a fire, like oil, oil spray, or yourself.

Step Three: Have somebody with you, such as a responsible adult, even if you are a grown person yourself and for extra precaution.

Step Four: Do not contaminate your recipe with unwashed materials, including yourself! You do not wanna mix your product with other products that don’t belong in the food or in the kitchen…again, like your unwashed self!

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Step Five: When it comes time, cook the food.

Step Six: When it comes to cleaning up the kitchen, clean up properly, or there will be mice, rodents, and other insects that you don’t want in the house! And then, guess what? Nobody will want to visit your house, and you don’t want that!

Step Seven: This is the final step—if you do not know how to cook, stay away from the kitchen unless you follow these rules. You are a safety hazard without following the proper rules!

CHILE POBLANO SPAGHETTI

by Natalia Hernandez My grandma, who is an inspiration to me, was the first person in my family to make this recipe.

The combination of chile poblano and pasta is not something I have seen anyone make, but this recipe is delicious. It’s rich and creamy, with a little kick of spice thanks to the charred chile.

Serves: 6

Estimated Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients 2 chile poblanos ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided 1 pound spaghetti 1 bunch cilantro 1/3 yellow onion 2 garlic cloves 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon of salt ½ tablespoon chicken bouillon powder 1 cup table cream Directions 1. Using a gas stove, turn the heat to medium high and place the chile poblanos directly on the burner. Use tongs to turn occasionally. Char the chiles until blackened on all sides. You can also char the poblano under the broiler or on the grill. Transfer the chiles to a bowl and cover with a plate. Leave to steam for 1015 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon butter. Once boiling, add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

3. While the pasta is cooking, remove the stems from the chiles and wash under cold water to remove the skin and seeds.

4. Add the cleaned chiles to a blender along with the cilantro, onion, garlic, milk, salt, and chicken bouillon. Blend the sauce until smooth.

5. In a large pot, melt remaining butter over low heat. Once melted, add the sauce and bring to a simmer.

6. Stir in the table cream and add the spaghetti. Over low heat, simmer everything together until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the pasta.

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CHINESE STEAMED EGGS

by Yu Ying Yuen When I first tried steamed eggs, it was a day when my parents were away from home, and my grandaunt had to take care of us. She never really knew what to make us for dinner, as we are a vegetarian family and she is not. She decided, “Let’s make something easy. A no-effort dish that the kids might like.” When she brought us the plated eggs to the table, I wondered what this new dish was and why was it so silky and delicate! This pairs very well with rice. It’s so smooth and fun to watch it move and bounce. Chinese Steamed Eggs are a comfort food for me and my family. They are so delicious to eat yet so easy to make.

Serves: 4-5

Estimated Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients 2 cups water 4 eggs 1 pinch of salt 1 tablespoon soy sauce Directions 1. Prepare a steamer by adding water to the bottom and bringing to a boil over medium heat.

2. In a bowl, add the eggs and salt, whisking until smooth. Then, add the water and whisk again until mixed.

3. Strain the eggs into a large glass measure.

Skim off any foam. Pour evenly into a deep plate with 1-2 inch edges that can fit inside of your steamer or into four 8-ounce ramekins.

4. Carefully lower the plate into the steamer.

Cover and steam for 5 minutes over medium heat then turn off the heat and steam for another 40 minutes.

5. After 40 minutes, the eggs should look silky smooth. Remove them from the steamer, drizzle with soy sauce and serve!

Note: Cut baking time by half if using ramekins, or cook until the eggs look silky yet slightly firm.

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TOSTADAS DE TINGA

by Zoila Zuniga Tostadas de Tinga is a savory chicken recipe that is great for a family or friends gathering. Perfect for big groups, these tostadas are fun to make and eat with others!

Serves: 8-10

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 2 teaspoons salt 2 bay leaves 2 small white onions, medium dice, divided 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 7-ounces can La Costeña chipotle in adobo sauce 2 garlic cloves, minced, divided 1 chicken bouillon cube 1/2 cup corn oil 2 medium tomatoes, medium dice 1 20.5-ounce can La Costeña refried pinto beans, warmed on the stovetop 1 12.8- ounce bag Guerrero Tostadas Caseras Doraditas 3 cups cotija cheese, crumbled 1 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced 3 cups sour cream Directions 1. Fill a medium pot with enough water so that the chicken breasts will be well submerged. To the pot add 1 teaspoon salt, the bay leaves, and half of the diced onion. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. Once boiling, add chicken breast to the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, 30-35 minutes.

Assembly:

3. Remove the cooked chicken from the water and place in a medium bowl to cool. Set the poaching liquid aside. Once cool enough to touch, shred the chicken with a fork. Set aside.

1. Working with one tostadas at a time, top with 2-3 tablespoons of refried beans and spread into a layer, leaving a small border. Use tongs to place a mound of chicken in adobo sauce on top of the beans.

4. To a blender, add the chipotles in adobo sauce, half of the minced garlic, half of the diced onion, one chicken flavor bouillon cube, and 4 ounces of the poaching liquid. Blend until smooth and set aside.

2. Finish with sliced lettuce, a drizzle of sour cream, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. Enjoy!

5. Heat the corn oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the remaining diced onion and minced garlic until the onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

6. Pour the blended chipotle sauce into the saucepan and bring everything to a simmer. Taste and adjust the sauce with salt or pepper if needed. Add the shredded chicken and fold into the sauce until everything is coated.

7. Cook the chicken in adobo sauce on low heat until warmed through and simmering. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl for assembly.

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ENTREPRENEUR WORD SEARCH

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MOLE VERDE

by Daniela Mayo As I slowly discover more about my culture, I have decided to recreate my aunt’s Mole Verde recipe. This dish has a light green and mildly spicy sauce that can be enjoyed anytime.

Serves: 4-5

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 3 garlic cloves salt, to taste ½ white onion 10 tomatillos, husks removed 7 jalapeños, stems removed 1 chili poblano, stem removed ½ cup sesame seeds 1 cinnamon stick ½ cup pumpkin seeds 1 Hoja Santa leaf 2 tablespoons canola oil Directions 1. Put the chicken, garlic, white onion, and salt in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Drain the chicken, reserving the broth, and discarding the garlic and onion. Set the chicken aside to cool.

2. In a separate pot, place the tomatillos, jalapeños and chile poblano, covering with cold water and bringing to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the tomatillos and chiles until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds and cinnamon stick in a small dry skillet over medium heat until the seeds are golden in color and fragrant, stirring constantly, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a blender.

4. Using the same skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds until puffed and golden in color. This should take 4 to 5 minutes and, like the sesame seeds, stir constantly to prevent burning.

5. Put the toasted seeds and cinnamon stick in a blender. Add just enough water so they will puree and whirl to a somewhat foamy texture. Transfer to a bowl.

6. In the blender add the tomatillos, jalapeños and the chile poblano and blend until it looks smooth. Add the hoja santa leaf and blend for about a minute.

7. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the blended seeds, the tomatillo mixture, and the reserved chicken broth and bring just to a simmer.

8. Shred the chicken breasts then add them into the Mole Verde sauce.

9. Simmer the Mole Verde until the chicken is heated through and the flavors have blended.

Taste and add salt if needed.

10. Plate the Mole Verde in a bowl and enjoy with rice or tortillas.

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Keep Up Remaining Relevant

by Natalie Balaban It is no secret that local and small restaurants work diligently to keep their food consistently delicious. They provide for their communities in numerous ways, and account for 44% of the economic activity in the country.

Most local businesses attract their steady base of customers without worrying about expanding or keeping up with ever-changing trends. However, keeping up in a fast-paced city like New York is key to staying afloat. But how do you do it? We figured there was nobody better to ask than Richard Ho, owner of Ho Foods.This small Taiwanese shop has been open for around five years and has survived through the COVID era of the city - when quarantine made things tough working in the food industry. So, how was this possible? Richard credits his friends in the industry, “we really got a lot of help from restaurants when not all restaurants did… so I think it was having the right community and having some aid in one way or another.”

Micro-businesses face so many challenges, even when they’re able to access aid in times of emergency. For Richard, “the challenges change all the time… and they change for everyone from year one through year five, or from week one to week 100; for every restaurant, it might be a little bit different. There are some things that are consistent in terms of what an opening might feel like, what after the one-year mark might be like, or after five years in. Nothing’s guaranteed, the problems change all the time.” Some of these challenges may look like “having so many customers, and you don’t know what to do with them” or, as richard explains, conversely, “sometimes you don’t have anyone coming in, and you have to figure out how to get people in here.” Yet more challenges can arise from the breakdown of equipment or changes in the neighborhood.

Restaurants still find ways to keep their business alive and booming. According to Richard, the ability to problemsolve is a key way to keep your business afloat. No matter how long your business has been around, new and different challenges will always come, so problem-solving is essential. Particularly in three areas: external decisions like marketing, your service within the business, and what goes on behind the scenes.

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First, you have to have a marketing strategy. From Richard’s standpoint, when you start your own business, you have to be willing to try things outside your comfort zone (though still within your values) because “who knows what might work or might not work?” This might look like a willingness to collaborate with others, including brand ambassadors, influences, or other businesses.

Then, when you prioritize serving good food and employing “nice, responsible people who are happy to be here,” customers will return, and will be happy to spread the word to others. During service, it’s important to stay true to your priorities. “Is the food good?” Richard says business owners have to ask themselves. “Do people resonate with what you’re trying to do in terms of flavors and ingredients? Do people wanna come here and spend their money on it? Do people get treated with respect while they’re here? Are people responsible...and of course, are they going to get what they ordered?”

Some of these things are obvious to the public eye, but so much happens behind the scenes as well. The work that no one sees matters just as much. “You have to be honest,” says Richard, “and you have to have some kind of integrity in what it is you’re doing,” to build and maintain trust. “Having integrity... is major.” He explains that even though some things will be out of your hands, it’s important it is to try as hard as you can, and maintain consistency in what you say and do.

Running a tiny shop is no easy task. “In New York City especially,” Richard reflects, “you get the pressure to expand, to have a little bit more...it’s very difficult to have a small shop and make it work.” Remember to support your local businesses, your mom-and-pop shops, because those take a lot of work to maintain their status. And if you own a local small business, or plan to start one, don’t freak out when you face a challenge. Instead, find a solution. Test out different marketing strategies, be open to new tactics, always keep your priorities in mind even when service becomes difficult, and remember to be honest and try your best. As we know, society is constantly changing. It takes a lot to keep up!

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH BABY SPINACH

by Angel Fuentes This recipe represents delicacy, and it looks fancy when you plate it. It’s the perfect recipe to try if you want to impress someone with a simple dish.

Serves: 4

Estimated Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients 2 strips bacon, thinly sliced ½ small red onion, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 14-ounces cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 5 ounces baby spinach 1 lemon, juiced 1 pound large sea scallops Salt, to taste Black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon butter Directions 1. Heat a medium saucepan over low heat and cook the bacon until it has started to crisp.

2. Add onion and garlic to the bacon, and saute until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the beans and spinach and simmer until the beans are warm throughout and the baby spinach has wilted, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Blot the scallops dry with paper towels and remove the adductor muscle on the side of each scallop. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

5. Add the butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the scallops and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side until caramelized.

6. Add the lemon juice to the beans and spinach.

Assembly: 1. Divide the spinach and bean mixture into 4 warm bowls and top with scallops.

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GORDITAS

by Jessica Ramirez This recipe is a classic Mexican dish that can be served in many ways. It’s simple, quick, and budgetfriendly. It doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, it’s versatile, and you can even substitute other ingredients or add some more! The advantage of making this dish is that it is novice-friendly.

Serves: 4

Estimated Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients 1 ½ cups masa harina ½ teaspoon salt 1 ¼ cups, plus 2 teaspoons cold water 3 tablespoons oil ¼ cup of Tropical queso blanco, grated ½ head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced Sour cream, for serving Directions 1. In a medium bowl, mix together masa harina, salt, and water until a dough forms.

2. Divide the dough into golf ball sized balls. Using a tortilla press, press each ball between two ziploc bags, to create flattened disks.

3. Heat a medium nonstick pan or cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil. When it sizzles, place your gordita down. Let it cook on each side, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

4. To serve, spread each gordita with a layer of sour cream. Top with the sliced lettuce and cheese and enjoy.

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HABICHUELA CON DULCE ICE CREAM

by Jane Hernandez

This dish is inspired by my family, most of whom live in the Dominican Republic. I hadn’t seen many variations of Habichuela Con Dulce, which is traditionally eaten at Easter and I wanted to challenge myself by turning it into a softserve ice cream. It was a nerve-wracking experience working through this. It took two trials before the recipe was good enough to release into the world. My family eats this hot with milk cookies on the top. But since the Dominican Republic is an island with a warm climate, I was inclined to transform it into ice cream. It’s perfect for summer, when hot food is the last thing on your mind but you still crave warm flavors and spices. If you’ve never had Habichuela con Dulce, try it the traditional way first so you can experience my culture.

Habichuela con Dulce Serves: 10

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 595 grams dried pinto beans, soaked overnight in water 1680 grams water 383 grams coconut milk 170 grams pure creamed coconut 680 grams evaporated milk 1 teaspoon salt 300 grams granulated sugar 453 grams batata (sweet potato), cubed 1 1/8-inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cinnamon sticks 6 whole cloves 80 grams raisins Directions 1. In a large pot, put the beans and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour, adding more water if needed, until the beans are very tender when poked with a fork.

2. Working in batches if necessary, blend the beans and their cooking liquid until smooth, adding more water if necessary to blend. Pass the blended beans through a strainer into your large pot.

3. Add the coconut milk, creamed coconut, and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

4. Once boiling, stir in the salt, sugar, raisins, batata, cinnamon sticks, clove, and vanilla.

5. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45-50 minutes, until the liquid reduces to half and the sweet potato is tender.

6. To serve hot, in the traditional way, ladle the habichuela con dulce into bowls and top with the cookies. If using to make ice cream (recipe follows), refrigerate until completely cold.

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Ice Cream Base Serves: 8-10

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour, plus chilling

Ingredients 227 grams milk 340 grams heavy cream 6 egg yolks 250 grams granulated sugar 1 tablespoon butter, heaping 296 grams Habichuela con dulce 50 grams Galletas de Leche cookies, crushed Directions 1. In a medium bowl, add the egg yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until combined.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the milk and heavy cream to a simmer, whisking constantly. In a bowl, add the eggs. Slowly whisk one third of the hot milk and cream mixure into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and cream. Heat over medium-low and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

3. Remove from the heat, add in the habichuela con dulce.

Transfer to a bowl. Place the bowl in an ice bath and stir until cool, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. Using an ice cream maker, churn the base according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In the final minutes of churning and add in the crushed cookies. Serve immediately or transfer to a container and store in the freezer until ready to serve.

DAD’S TÉ DE CANELA

by Ariel Nayotl When my father worked in the food industry, he always came home late. But, even though it was late, he would still make tea for us to drink so we could chat about how dinner service went. Té De Canela helps boost your immune system, makes you strong, and refreshes you enough to return to work the next day. This recipe is dedicated to my father because he is the reason why I am in the food industry and love working in the culinary world. I always look forward to making this tea to continue another day.

Serves: 2

Estimated Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients 4 cups water 1 cinnamon stick 1/4-inch ginger, peeled and sliced 2 slices of orange 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste Directions 1. Add the water to a small pot over high heat.

Before small bubbles start to form, add the cinnamon stick and ginger, then bring to a boil.

2. Once the water is boiling, add the 2 slices of orange and boil for 5 - 8 minutes or until very fragrant.

3. Strain into two mugs. For each mug squeeze 1 wedge of lemon and stir in 1 tablespoon of honey.

4. Share and enjoy!

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Spilling The Tea with Yoko and Jan

by Aylin Sanchez Entrepreneurship is developing, organizing, and running a new business to generate profit, and sometimes, that means taking financial risks. You have to start at the bottom and build your way up. Many of these entrepreneurs work in New York City, encouraging social change and improving the way people live and work. They create more sustainable, less expensive products, and functional jobs, and encourage new ideas for products and and services to the market.

Jan and Yoko are among some of these entrepreneurs who contribute to the diversity of the city by incorporating and sharing their cultural heritage in their business. You can see the Malaysian and Chinese influences in their tea shope, Her Boba, located on 457 W. 50th Street. “We felt that many of today’s boba shops did not sell authentic bubble teas,” they explained, so they launched a menu selling classics like Mango Green Tea and Classic Bubble Milk Tea, plus the beloved and popular Her Boba Signature Matcha Teas like Matcha Jasmine, Matcha Lavender, and Matcha Ube. They hope to expand Her Boba and stay true to their mission of using all naturally sourced ingredients and keeping the teas as authentic as possible. There were many significant steps along the way, such as branding, finding a location, and decorating, all while cutting costs at every step. The first steps in branding are naming your business and picking a logo. According to Yoko, when picking a logo and name, you want something simple, “so that you can see it from afar, and recognize it, something that isn’t so complicated you can’t remember it.” Another big step is finding a location, a daunting task, especially in New York, with ever increasing inflation. Before finding her location, Yoko checked out a few places, but ultimately decided on the little spot on W. 50th because the rent was affordable. Another reason was that it was close to a school, which had the potential to bring in a lot of profit. When it came to decorating, Yoko decided to do everything herself. She uses the “aesthetic of simplicity” to her advances, and upcycles many things to decorate, as well as keeping the menu simple, and “prioritizing quality over quantity,” which allows customers to really enjoy their products. “Something big isn’t necessarily needed, as long as it gives you the push you need to start,” Yoko and Jan say, as it relates to finding money and setting up shop. They’ve been known to cut costs by rescuing items from Facebook Marketplace, cleaning them up, and giving them a new touch. Thrift like this helps out the shop financially. “Use what you have,” she advises, recommending that folks try not to overachieve so much that you end up bringing down your business instead of helping it to flourish. Don’t exhaust all the resources you have at your disposal, and don’t try to be like everybody else. The more authentic you are, and your product is, the more homey it will feel.

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MATCHA TIRAMISU

by Rafael Barrios My interest in coffee has inspired me to create a dessert that blends the flavors of coffee and matcha, two of my preferred sources of caffeine. This fusion of Italian and Asian culinary traditions, while not a traditional combination, work well together. In contrast to the typical preparation of tiramisu, I have incorporated matcha powder into the cream mixture while dipping the ladyfingers in espresso. This recipe was a challenge because others haven’t done this twist on tiramisu. I struggled with balancing and incorporating the matcha into the tiramisu. Adding matcha powder to the sweet cream mixture gives this dessert a distinct green tea flavor, while espresso in the ladyfingers remains faithful to the original. This tiramisu recipe will be your new go-to if you want to impress your friends and family with a secretly easy dessert!

Servings: 6-8 Estimated Cook Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes

Ingredients 70 grams brewed espresso 120 grams granulated sugar, divided 2 grams ground nutmeg 2 grams ground cinnamon 51 grams maple syrup 3 medium egg yolks 1 large egg white

450 grams mascarpone, room temperature 26 grams matcha, sifted and divided 240 grams heavy cream, cold 100 grams Balocco ladyfingers 6 grams matcha or ground espresso, sifted

Directions 1. In a medium bowl combine the espresso, 30 grams sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and maple syrup, whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl whisk the egg yolks, and 50 grams of sugar vigorously until light yellow and doubled in size. Set aside.

3. In a seperate bowl, beat the egg whites and stream in 25 grams of sugar until soft peaks. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone and 8 grams of matcha.

5. Gently fold in the egg yolk mixture to the mascarpone matcha mixture. Repeat this process with the whipped egg whites, folding until no streaks remain. Set aside.

6. In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream, 18 grams of sifted matcha and 15 grams of sugar to medium peaks.

7. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture, being careful not to deflate the cream.

Assembly: 1. Dip 10 lady fingers in the espresso mixture and line up in a 8x8. Cover completely with a layer of mascarpone cream. Repeat this process, starting with espresso dipped lady fingers, once more to form a second layer.

2. Cover and refrigerate the tiramisu for at least two hours to set.

3. To serve: Sift matcha on as garnish.

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BERRY CHANTILLY CAKE

by Traceena Lynch The inspiration for this Berry Chantilly Cake comes from my mother. Growing up, I was taught sweets weren’t healthy for me. My mother always tried to avoid them but never could. Last summer, I begged her to let me make this cake for her because, when I tried it, it wasn’t too sweet or savory, but it was that wonderful in-between.

Long story short - she loved it. Who can stay away from this delectable sweet treat? This cake was inspired by the Whole Foods Market Berry Chantilly Cake. While I didn’t know the exact recipe or ingredients, I was dedicated to recreating it. After some research and recipe testing, I put together a recipe that now sits at the front of my recipe book. The cake is a beautiful two-layer cake filled with sweet Chantilly cream and a sweet-tart fruit filling. The whole thing is topped off with fresh berries, which makes it best enjoyed during the spring and summer months.

Serves: 24

Estimated Cook Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients Cake 284 grams all purpose flour 227 grams granulated sugar 7 grams baking powder 170 grams milk 83 grams vegetable shortening 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon salt Chantilly Cream 154 grams cream cheese, room temperature 154 grams mascarpone cheese, room temperature 624 grams powdered sugar 227 grams heavy whipping cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract Berry Filling 500 grams fresh or frozen berries, any variety, thawed if frozen 85 grams granulated sugar 2 teaspoons lemon juice Assembly 500 grams fresh strawberries 500 grams fresh blueberries 500 grams fresh blackberries 500 grams fresh raspberries

Directions Cake 1. Preheat your oven to 350 °F/175 °C. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan.

2. Combine all cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Mix on low for 1-2 minutes. Scrape the bowl several times to incorporate everything.

3. Increase the mixer to high and mix for another 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.

4. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle rack for 35-45 minutes. The cake is done when a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. Let the cake rest in the pan for 2 minutes before flipping onto a plate or baking rack to cool completely.

Filling 1. Mash up berries in a bowl with a fork or potato masher. Add sugar and lemon juice and stir to combine. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Chantilly Cream 1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone together until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and mix until well combined.

2. In a separate large bowl whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts, and mix until incorporated. Watch the cream closely to prevent curdling.

3. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to make the frosting.

Assembly 1. Slice the cooled cake in half horizontally to make two layers. Place one layer on a serving plate.

2. Pipe a border of Chantilly Cream around the top of the cake. This will hold in the berry filling. Spoon the berry mixture on top of the first layer and spread evenly. Place the other layer of cake on top.

3. Use the remaining Chantilly Cream to frost the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with the fresh berries.

Enjoy.

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A Sweet Collaboration

by Traceena Lynch

Part 3: Faith for the Future “Do I have to stay the whole time?” Rosalina asks Lily as they arrive. “I’d appreciate it if you did,” Lily responds, already in her zone and ready to work.

From there, Rosalina does what she does best, sits away from others just observing. As the photo shoot goes on, she slowly notices Lily becoming impatient, something you don’t usually see. “Let’s take five and come back to finish up afterwards,” Lily says to Caleb, who only nods in agreement.

Lily comes to Rosalina. “I’ve never seen such an interestingly crafted cake. Every angle there’s a new mistake that I’ll have to cover up later, and that’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid. I would hate to have to upcharge for edits.”

“I hope you’re not giving up, because it’s only simple things. Like, take a look at this,” Rosalina says showing her the sketch she’s just made of the cake.

Rosalina starts to ramble on about how it should’ve been done and how with a bit of tim, it could easily be fixed. After showing Lily the vision of the cake that she was photographing, it finally became clear.

“She probably hates it, Kelly,” Caleb says, pacing back and forth.

“Well you know now for next time what to fix I guess,” Kelly said sitting on the front counter of the bakery by the register.

“THERE MIGHT NOT BE A NEXT TIME, KELLY!” he shouts. “Why is that now?” he asks, staying calm, hoping that it’ll influence Caleb to do the same.

“I don’t know, she probably won’t have any availability for a while,” Caleb responds, finally taking a breath and sitting down. “Well, you’ll never know unless you actually ask,” Kelly reassures him.

As they walk back into the kitchen, they overhear Rosalina’s vision of how she sees the cake, and Kelly has a light bulb moment. Kelly goes up and talks to Rosalina, explains the situation about the cake and his friend, and asks if she could help him out. He

agrees, still enthusiastic about her drawing. Kelly then turns to have a private conversation with Lily.

“Your friend tells me you’re having problems with envisioning this cake well enough to actually bring it to life,” she says. “I might have a slight problem, I don’t understand how to express it,” Caleb responds embarrassed. “Understandable, most people don’t have that ability, but if you’d like I wouldn’t mind helping,” she says as she hands him the drawing of the cake she made. He smiles and says “I’d like that very much,”.

After some time, Kelly and Lily rejoin Rosalina and Caleb. “So, I’ve talked to Lily over here,” Kelly explains, “and we’ve agreed to reschedule time for a do-over.

How’s that sound?

“Pretty good, Rosalina’s actually offered to help me so it’ll go smoother next time,” Caleb responds, now having faith in the future. “I guess it’s a go for next week then. I’ll send you the information later, Caleb,” Lily says, packing up her things.

The next photoshoot runs really well and the cake ends up looking as amazing as it tastes. As Lily and Rosalina leave, You look happier than usual, how come?” Lily asks Rosalina as they leave the bakery.

“If you must know, Caleb asked me to help him anytime he has cake orders. He even said he’d pay me; we’ll be partners and split the profit 50/50.

“I’m so happy for you, Rosie. I guess you being an artist doesn’t really mean you have to work in big art galleries, it just means you have to find the job that works best for you and your artistic skills. Not only that, but a place that appreciates those skills, and Caleb seems to appreciate them!” Lily exclaims, extremely proud of her best friend. This is the happiest Rosalina has been in quite some time.

“Thanks Lily, not sure if it’s permanent, but it’s a start.

I finally have faith for the future.”

The End * SPOILER: IT DOES BECOME A PERMANENT THING *

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CHOCOLATE WACKY CAKE

by Syre Cole This Chocolate Wacky Cake is a moist cake made without any milk, eggs, or butter. It is topped with a creamy chocolate frosting for the “icing” on the cake!

Serves: 10

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients Cake 420 grams all purpose flour 400 grams sugar 7 grams kosher salt 45 grams cocoa powder 20 grams baking soda 160 grams canola oil 400 grams imitation vanilla flavoring 118 grams lukewarm water 25 grams apple cider vinegar Icing 430 grams powdered sugar, plus more for dusting 145 grams cocoa powder 50 grams canola oil 4 grams imitation vanilla flavoring 120 grams water Directions Cake 1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and baking soda, and mix well. Add the canola oil, vanilla, lukewarm water, and apple cider vinegar. Mix until well combined and no lumps remain.

3. Divide batter equally between the two cake pans and bake for about 25 minutes. To make sure it’s cooked through, poke a toothpick in the center of the cake. If the toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean then it’s ready.

Leave the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

Icing 1. In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and canola oil.

2. Gradually whisk in water little by little until the desired consistency and the icing is spreadable and silky smooth. If the icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.

Assembly 1. Carefully remove the cooled cake layers from the pans. If the icing has set, stir well before using.

2. Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate and spread a layer of icing on top. Stack the second layer on top. Spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of the cake. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy.

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What’s it like Being a Student Entrepreneur?

by Angel Fuentes To become a young entrepreneur, you might want to ask yourself the following questions: What are the advantages of opening your own business? How do you manage a school/life/ work balance? What might I need to know? Are there successful examples? As our student entrepreneurs below demonstrate, there are a variety of skills to gain, including the opportunity to communicate and learn from other entrepreneurs, as well as hone in on soft skills like adaptability, problem-solving, and discipline.

These can help you focus on your goals and help you make decisions in a calm and composed manner.

Nylah White is a senior at Food and Finance High School with her own baking business, @ Nylah_Bakez, where she bakes cakes, cookies, and pies for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions. According to Nylah, “A benefit of running your own business is that you can be your own boss, which is easier for someone like me to handle because I get to set my own working hours and have close to full creative freedom.” She suggests all aspiring young entrepreneurs should get their ideas together before acting. This could be writing them down on paper or even typing them in the notes app on their phones. She also believes fully that they should focus their studies on what they wish to pursue, and if that is not an option, take general business courses. While money was originally the motivator for starting her own business, as she relies on herself a lot by taking on all the financial responsibilities, she now loves seeing her customers feel satisfied with her work – it gives her pride. Thankfully, she receives a lot of support from her family, and they help keep her motivated, too.

Another Food and Finance High School senior who runs her own baking business is Annalysse Melendez. She specializes in making cakes for all occasions, such as birthdays and graduations, and loves making theme cakes. She became an

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“A benefit of running your own business is that you can be your own boss, which is easier for someone like me to handle because I get to set my own working hours and also have close to full creative freedom.”

Nylah White, Senior at Food and Finance High School

entrepreneur to show the world her potential as a pastry chef, showcase her unique flavor combinations, and of course, to have an incoming source of profit. She believes that her taste buds are unique compared to those of other pastry businesses. Her business has been challenging since she has had a handful of school-related activities keeping her busy, but she does make sure that she keeps in contact with her customers. Annalysse suggests that one of the most important things to keep in mind when running a business as a student is time management…“if you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior student, the main thing you always want to keep in mind is that you can balance out everything, and you should take time to do so, when it comes to your school work to your business-related stuff.”

JUGGLING STARTUPS, SCHOOL, & SOCIAL MEDIA

How does social media play a role in entrepreneurship? The social media team led by Jessica and Ethan asked three of our student entrepreneurs:

EVAN I think social media is important to me because it helps me promote my business, receive feedback, network, and get gigs. Follow me @_chefevan_ to check out my skills in Spanish and Italian cuisines, and so much more!

NYLAH

ANNALYSSE

In this day and age, social media is a make or break for a new business.

Not only is social media accessible, but it’s also flexible. Entrepreneurs can reach a wide range of customers with content which shows their creativity to express their brands however they want.

Per my personal experience, during the pandemic is when my baking career took off. Social media played a huge part in my exposure, as I could showcase my products through Instagram, whether pictures of my baking or small clips of me decorating.

@nylah_bakez

@anibakingcorner

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The Rise of Non-Alchoholic Mixology

by Rafael Barrios Once upon a time, alcohol-forward drinks ruled the culinary industry. High-profile restaurants had a signature cocktail menu and bartenders, who were more like alchemists, creating innovative cocktails that dazzled the palate and the senses.

It was an exciting time, full of creativity and experimentation.

But then, something started to change in 2018 when alcohol wasn’t as cool anymore. More and more people, specifically millennials and gen-Xers, have begun to question the role of alcohol in society and the negative impact it can have on our health and well-being. Fast forward to 2023, and gone are the days. Recently, there has been a rise in the sober curious movement and exploration into non-ABV, as noted by Ruby Warrington, who published “Sober Curious.” The movement snowballed because many people wanted to go out at night to have a good time but wanted to do so without alcohol.

There are many reasons why someone would want to abstain from drinking alcohol when going out for a social event. In New York City, this movement gave birth to a new culinary entrepreneurship. Sober curious pop-ups began to appear in New York City, offering unique and delicious mocktails that satisfied the cravings of those who didn’t want to drink alcohol, like Club Curious, mentioned in The New York Times.

Club Curious is located in Williamsburg and is Curious Elixirs storefront where they sell non-alcoholic bottled cocktails and house-made focaccia bread. They also have live entertainment like magic tricks and improvised music set by the owner and other staff for their customers to enjoy while they socialize and enjoy their night. The people behind these pop-ups were often former bartenders or mixologists who had honed their craft over years of creating alcoholic drinks. According to The Salon Host Douglas Watters, who wanted to cut his alcohol intake for his health in 2020, which later led him to create his business, “the research on alcohol and longevity increasingly shows that those two interests are at odds with one another.

Making really good ‘no and low’ ABV cocktails allows me to enjoy the ritual and the social aspects of cocktails without negative impacts on my health.” Because New York City is a place full of innovation and expression, it would be beneficial to shift towards hosting social events at home or in public spaces, where non-alcoholic beverages can be enjoyed since it doesn’t stop you from having a spontaneous and wild nightlife that would be memorable. This is because drinking at a bar typically results in unconscious consumption, where an individual would be drinking without any thought, which can, unfortunately, lead to binge drinking. Additionally, sipping mocktails in this setting allows for a greater appreciation of mixologists’ craft, as individuals are more likely to remember the taste and value of the artistry involved. Starting an alcohol-free business in a city like New York is challenging, especially when most restaurant workers have a drinking culture in their environment. Many

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hospitality workers have consumed alcohol while or before working, which has made it an acceptable social norm because many workers agree it helps them feel relaxed and share a common experience that has caused them to drink and promote the positive attitude of doing so even though they know they aren’t allowed to. But these entrepreneurs saw a gap in the market and seized the opportunity. They could tap into a growing trend and offer something many people wanted but couldn’t find in traditional bars and restaurants. As the popularity of sober curious culture continues to grow, so does the demand for alcohol-free options in the culinary industry.

Entrepreneurship is about finding and seizing opportunities, even in saturated or resistant industries. Creative and adaptable entrepreneurs can create new niches in established markets, proving that innovation is always possible.

PLÁTANO EMPANADAS WITH GARLIC AIOLI

by Gaby Fernandez Plátano empanadas evolved from plátano bolitas, which are plátanos (plantains) made into a dough and stuffed with cheese, bacon, and egg. That flavor combination tastes good, but some of my family members think it’s too complex. So I decided to create something more straightforward, keeping that delectable platanos and cheese flavor. This led to the creation of these plátanos with garlic aioli. This recipe was inspired by my family, my culture, and, of course, plátano bolitas.

Serves: 5

Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 4 yellow plantains 3 cups water 1 pound mozzarella cheese ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 3 tablespoons achiote oil 1 cup canola oil 1, 1/3 cups mayonnaise 1 garlic clove, Juice of half a lemon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Directions 1. Rinse plantains under warm water and cut each into 3 equal pieces. Do not peel the skin off!

2. Add plantains to a medium saucepot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a low boil over medium heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes, or just until they are easily pierced with a fork.

3. While the plantains are cooking, shred the mozzarella cheese on the coarse side of a box grater and set aside.

4. Once the plantains are soft, peel off the skin (be careful as the plantains are still hot), and place them in a large bowl. While still hot, smash the plantains until no lumps remain. The heat helps make the plantains softer and easier to work with.

Add the achiote oil, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.

5. For each empanada, using an ice cream scoop, place two scoops of the plantain dough on top of each other in the middle of a 12x12-inch piece of plastic wrap. Cover the dough with another piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a ½-inch thick circle.

Add 2 tablespoons of cheese in the center and fold the dough in half, enclosing the cheese. Seal the empanada with your fingers. Repeat with the remaining dough.

6. Fry the empanadas: Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. To check when your oil is hot enough to fry, pinch a small piece of dough from an empanada and put it in the oil. If bubbles start to form around it, the oil is ready. Fry the empanadas in batches until golden brown, about 4 minutes, flipping halfway through.

7. Drain the empanadas on a paper towel-lined cooling rack.

8. Prepare the garlic aioli: In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes and give one final stir before serving.

9. Serve the empanadas hot with the garlic aioli on the side for dipping.

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MILK BREAD

by Khadijah Adula I have been obsessed with food depicted in anime since I was young.

Between the detail and the calming cooking process, food in anime inspired me to start baking. Milk bread is one of the first things that I learned to bake. It can be used in many ways and will always be my favorite.

Serves: 5 Estimated Cook Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes plus proofing Ingredients 620 grams bread flour, divided 200 grams water 60 grams granulated sugar 12 grams salt 10 grams active dry yeast 2 eggs, divided 285 grams milk, divided 50 grams unsalted butter, softened, cut into ½-inch slices

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Directions 1. Make the tangzhong (a water and flour-based “roux” used as a sort of starter). In a small saucepan, whisk together 40 grams of bread flour and the water. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened.

Transfer to a small bowl. Let cool completely. This step could be done the night before.

2. To a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the remaining 580 grams bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Whisk your dry mixture until evenly distributed.

3. Add 1 egg, 265 grams milk, and the cooled tangzhong to the mixer bowl.

4. Mix on medium-low speed until blended.

5. Slowly add in butter and mix on low speed until the butter is fully incorporated.

6. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the mixing bowl.

7. Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest until doubled in size, about one hour. Test the dough by poking your finger into the middle. If the dough does not spring back, it is ready.

8. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into three equal parts.

9. Shape each piece of dough into a ball.

Cover the balls with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

10. Working with one ball of dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle.

11. Fold in the long sides so that the rectangle is the width of the loaf (about 5 inches) pan. Then, beginning with one of the short sides, roll the rectangle into a log and press it closed at the seam.

Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

12. Place the 3 logs of dough crosswise into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan seam side down, cover and let proof for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 355°F and prepare an egg wash by beating the second egg with the remaining 20 grams of milk in a small bowl.

13. Brush the proofed loaf with the egg wash and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the milk bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving.

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RECIPE INDEX APPETIZERS Ceviche Tostones, pg. 24 Easy and Flavor-Packed Fuska, pg. 58

Photo/Illustration Credits Jenneh Kaikai by Clay Williams Paola Velez by Hector Velez Lay Alston by Clay Williams Pilar Valdes by Jessie English Sohla El-Waylly by Jingyu Lin Pass The Spatula (back cover) Illustration by Arnie Pelaez

Plátano Empanadas with Garlic Aioli, pg. 91

BREADS Guava Cinnamon Rolls, pg. 66 Milk Bread, pg. 92

DESSERTS Berry Chantilly Cake, pg. 84 Chocolate Wacky Cake, pg. 86 Flan, pg. 47 Habichuela con Dulce Ice Cream, pg. 80 Matcha Tiramisu, pg. 83 My Grandma’s Famous Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, pg. 31 Sprezzatura Panna Cotta, pg. 61

DRINKS Dad’s Té de Canela, pg. 81 Hot Choc-Nogg, pg. 54

MAINS Bagel Beef Sandwich, pg. 52 Chile Poblano Spaghetti, pg. 69 Gorditas, pg. 78 Mole Verde, pg. 75 Mom’s Famous Rice & Beans, pg. 62 Pastelón, pg. 65 Puerto Rican Beef Stew with White Rice, pg. 29 Seared Scallops with Baby Spinach, pg. 77 Tostadas de Tinga, pg. 73

SIDES Chinese Steamed Eggs, pg. 70 Vegetarian Salata de Boeuf, pg. 57

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Crossword Answers ACROSS 3. Remy 5. Aldente DOWN 1. Ratatouille 4. Spatula 2. Pasta

Coloring Activity

by Nylah White