the beginning.

heirloom tomato and burrata salad
fraiche restaurant, executive chef/owner jason travi

its been awhile since i've published a post online. but recent entries from mattatouille's blog motivated me to write my thoughts on food. good food. this won't be a normal food blog with reviews of restaurants, good or bad. this will be dedicated to my perspective on the restaurant industry, its culinary trends, my definitions of fine dining (or quality cuisine for that matter) and all things in between.

just to give you a little reference on where i come from. i don't actively pursue the next big thing eating trend and i know where to draw the line between a trend and quality food. i have seen many trends live and die and personally, some of them never deserved the publicity and notoriety. unfortunately, cupcakes and yogurt have taken up most of the past five years or more. recently, bistro dining has seen its number called many times, shown by the recent openings of anisette and comme ca. but are these movements unique to LA? can this even be considered 'good food'? do i have a right to criticize or even judge?

i think i do. i spent a year of my life, cultivating my mind and palate with one of the best chefs in los angeles. understated simplicity. thats my approach to food and its an homage to many chefs that i profoundly respect and diligently follow. that year was devoted to the back of the house of a restaurant founded on the principals of fresh, high quality ingredients and pinpoint execution. i learned the ins and outs of kitchen work, the ups and downs of being on your feet for more than 8 hours, and the joy and fear of working under a chef who always demanded the best. on top of all this, i have spent countless hours, researching food and restaurants and trying new cuisines to expand and refine my palate. i have eaten at over 200 restaurants up and down the california coast, from one to three michelin stars and from james beard award winners to hole-in-the-wall mom and pop institutions. this is my take on food. fresh, simple, understated food.