Paul Kita Cooks

Is He a Writer who Cooks or a Cook who Writes?

Every now and then, you run across someone who’s known nationally, but keeps a prett y low local profi le.

Many of our readers may be unaware that West End Living editor emeritus Paul Kita is the food and nutrition editor at Men’s Health magazine, published by Rodale, Inc.

He’s also the author of A Man, A Pan, A Plan: 100 Delicious & Nutritious One-Pan Recipes You Can Make Right Now! and has served as a certifi ed Kansas City barbecue judge.

We sat down with Paul to discuss his culinary roots, the creation of the book, and the att raction of Newhard’s corn shed. West End Living: What lit your interest in cooking? Were you always in the kitchen? Paul Kita: No, when I was litt le I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen. That was Mom’s realm! But as an adult with young children, I now understand why she insisted on that. When I cook at home and the kids are running around, I sometimes feel like I’m a contestant on Chopped!

But she taught me the importance of a home-cooked meal. Most nights of the week, Mom put dinner on the table for us; we didn’t go to restaurants very oft en. I didn’t realize that situation was the exception until I was older.

I actually developed a love of eating fi rst. And that means really enjoying the food you have. I can still see my dad relishing a giant pile of boiled Newhard’s corn. Local, fresh and bi-colored. That was a real event at our house! WEL: Newhard’s corn? PK: Yes, from Newhard Farms Corn Shed in Coplay. You can’t beat it.

HOME OF THE HOMEOFTHE THE LOCAL FREEZE THELOCALFREEZE

WhippedWhipped Cream Cream

Chococ latet Chocolate Cofffeee Sugara CoffeeSugar

Bana an na an sa Bananas

NutellaNutella

VanillaVanilla IceCream IceCream

ColdBrew ColdBrew

Jay'sLocal www.jayslocal.com 2301W.LibertyStreet Allentown,PA18104

610-351-3100 contact@jayslocal.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAUL KITA

A Man, A Pan, A Plan is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

WEL: So when did the urge kick in? PK: College. I wanted to go to culinary school, but that was too expensive. Instead I studied journalism at Ohio University in Athens. But my sister bought me a copy of The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook. I read and cooked my way through the syllabus. I remember making beef stock from scratch in my college apartment – my roommates weren’t too happy about that!

I worked at restaurants while in college. I spent some time with a food truck, on the late shift , so I had a lot of customers from the college bars. I also spent two years at a sushi bar. Believe me, that’s nothing like cooking at home. WEL: You’ve been with Men’s Health for quite a while. Tell us about that. PK: I joined the magazine about 12 years ago. At fi rst, I helped with food and nutrition coverage. That enabled me to meet and talk with chefs about their recipes. I also visited many major restaurants and learned even more. It was quite an education. In the early days of the magazine, I contributed to its Guy Gourmet blog, walking readers through chefs’ recipes. When you do that three or four times a week for fi ve years, you get good at it! WEL: How did the book come about? PK: An earlier cookbook called A Man, a Can, a Plan: 50 Great Guy Meals Even You Can Make had grown out of a Men’s Health article. Thanks to the Food Network, guys were evolving from using just a can opener to using knives and cast iron skillets – call it “Cooking 291.” A Man, A Pan started out as a page in the magazine; when we saw that the concept had legs, we went ahead with the cookbook, packaging up the recipes from the magazine.

It’s really a non-traditional cookbook – it’s a trim size, not very heavy and not hardbound. And it’s all rooted in practicality, just like me? WEL: So you have a practical streak? PK: Yes! I’m a kitchen minimalist – no air fryer, no cherry pitt er…I didn’t even own a whisk for the longest time. I didn’t see the point – I already had a fork. And until I met my wife Meghan, I didn’t have a microwave, either. WEL: What’s in the book? PK: It’s divided into breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, and the recipes run the gamut from the familiar to some that are rather non-traditional – like Chicago hot dogs for which you make the meat from scratch. A pan is the main cooking vessel, but not the only one you’ll need. WEL: Who does the cooking at home? PK: I do! Except for Fridays – we usually order out – and Sundays. That’s when Meghan takes over. I prefer working from cookbooks, rather than a seat-of-the-pants approach. WEL: Any special favorites in the Kita household? PK: A big bag of steamed clams and some fresh Newhard’s corn. Spaghett i and meatballs always goes over, and you can’t beat a good peanut butt er, banana, raisin, cinnamon and honey sandwich – we like to pack them when we’re hiking or at a park. WEL: Any fi nal thoughts? PK: For me, cooking is a stress release, almost a form of meditation. The whole process makes me slow down, so it’s a form of self-care too.