Flashback Friday - August 17, 2012

This post was originally published on August 12, 2009. Since then, Jesse Sandlin has left Abacrombie, helped open Vino Rosina, and worked in many places before, after, and in-between. The last time I caught up with her, she was waiting tables at Of Love & Regret because not cooking gave her a little more time to concentrate on her plans to open her own place sometime in the near future.

She's a cool chick. We hope she opens her restaurant soon. :)

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MinxEats Interviews Top Cheftestant Jesse Sandlin

Three of the cheftestants in the upcoming season six of Top Chef hail from Maryland, two from Frederick, and one from Baltimore. MinxEats recently got to ask fellow Baltimorean Jesse Sandlin a few questions....


M: Do you know Jill Snyder? Have you had a chance to sit down with her and chat about your experiences on Top Chef?

JS: I do know Jill. we first met at an event that we both did at Abacrombie hosted by Lars Rusins of the Baltimore Foodies, featuring female chefs from Baltimore. I have not had a chance to hang out with her at all since I got back from filming...things have been crazy for me since I got back!

M: Your Bravo bio lists five things you keep at hand at all times: bacon, butter, duck fat, cumin, and trash bags. Why those five items in particular, and what is your favorite way to use each of them?

JS: bacon because I think it's delicious! buttah, because it makes everything bettah!, duck fat because I do a lot of confit, especially in the fall/winter and trash bags because, have you ever been in a kitchen without trash bags? it's awful. also because I couldn't think of a 5th thing that I always always have in the restaurant because the menu changes so frequently. my favorite of those is probably bacon-the smokiness of it, the fattines, the crispness, it can be used in sweet or savory dishes....everything is better wrapped in bacon.

M: How hard is it to make it to the position of Executive Chef when one is self-taught?

JS: I think it's the same as rising to the top in any career. self taught or no...it's about having the drive to get to where you want and to be good at what you do and always striving to be better...

M: How long have you been a professional chef? If you couldn't be a chef, what would you want to do with your life?

JS: I've been cooking in professional kitchens for 15 years. I don't know what I would do I'd I weren't a chef. I used to want to be a teacher.

M: What do you think about the Baltimore food scene?

JS: I think the Baltimore food scene is improving greatly. there are a number of worthwhile restaurants in the area, and a ton of really talented chefs.

M: What is your current favorite dish served at Abacrombie?

JS: it's restaurant week right now, so the menu is a little different than normal, but right now i'm loving the roasted half chicken with squash and heirloom tomatoes.

M: As a Baltimore native, what do you like best about our city?

JS: the charm!!!

M: You seem to have a quirky personal style. Where do you like to shop for clothes and accessories, in Baltimore and elsewhere

JS: I really like doubledutch boutique in hampden, trixie's place in fells point, nordstrom rack, and thrift stores!!

Thanks, Jesse! We hope to see you go far in the competition!

Read more about Chef Sandlin here, at All Top Chef!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Fumetto #21 Always Dieting Girl

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Happy 100th, Julia Child!

So sad you're not here anymore. Everyone is celebrating!

Here's a lovely article on Julia by longtime friend, Jacques Pepin.

Here's another good one, about her marriage to beloved husband Paul, in Smithsonian Magazine.

And another, from USA Today.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Choice Bites 8.15.2012

Even though the next season doesn't premiere until November 4th, the Food Network has already released the names of the participants in the Next Iron Chef competition. As with Project Runway and Top Chef, it's an all-star season of sorts, with seven losers from past seasons coming back to compete once again (Nate Appleman, Amanda Freitag, Eric Greenspan, Jehangir Mehta, Elizabeth Falkner, Alex Guarnaschelli and Spike Mendelsohn). There will all be two first-timers to the contest - former Top Chef Masterstestant Tim Love, and the annoying Marcel Vigneron.

Taking another page from the Top Chef book, there will be a tenth competitor who will first battle it out online before joining the ranks. Among them are former Iron Chef wannabes Duskie Estes and Robert Trevino, plus newcomers Lee Ann Wong (Top Chef season 1, plus various shows on Food Network) and "renowned competition chef" Madison Cowan, who won the first season of Chopped Champions and bested Jose Garces on Iron Chef America, as well as participated in the BBC series, No Kitchen Required.

Don't know about you, but I think the web series sounds more interesting than the tv series. I'd love to see either Lee Ann or Madison win the whole thing and become the next Iron Chef. What do you think?

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Speaking of Top Chef...it's looking more and more like the next season of Top Chef will be Top Chef Pacific Northwest. Not only have Tom, Padma, and the gang been spotted in Seattle, but I also received an email with a tip that they were spotted on a Vancouver-to-Alaska cruise. Apparently the cast and crew left the ship in Juneau, where, presumably, they had another challenge. Hopefully none of the reality-show-whoring Palins will be making an appearance.

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I won't be going back to Chik-fil-A anytime soon, so this recipe for a home-made version of their sandwiches might come in handy. However, I have read before that they marinated their chicken in pickle juice, which is what gives it its je ne sais quois.

Posted on Minxeats.com.