Latest foodie interview: Mykl Wu of Behind the Craft!

Hello beautiful readers! As many of you already know, I love meeting new foodie people and learning more about the food industry.

I recently met Mykl Wu, who works and writes at  Behind the Craft, a podcast which is dedicated to knowing the "craft" of anything food or drink related. Sounds like my kinda person! Plus his personal food blog, Thank You Cooperate highlights delicious food and restaurants.

Interview with Mykl Wu:



Bio wise: I was a television news producer for about 10 years before discovering my love for food and returning home to run my family's restaurant business. Ever since then I've been learning about the craft of cooking and food. Now I write about food and produce a podcast called Behind the Craft, where we go "behind the craft" of everything about food. Whether it's brewing beer or sharpening a knife. If it has to do with the food industry, we want to know about it.

 

 

Ramen.

 

1) What brought you into the food world?

I've always loved food. Even as a child I'd separate instant ramen from its broth and pretend I was eating Japanese somen. But even with my family I never quite gotten into the cooking aspect of food, until I saw the original Iron Chef. After that I was hooked. From then it was Michael Ruhlman's amazing Chef's trilogy that inspired me to take on the craft of cooking. I've been obsessed since.

 

2) What is your most memorable dining/food experience?

That is like asking who's your favorite child (not that I have any lol.) They're all special in their own way. Whether it's an adventure eating street side mussels in Istanbul or fresh sea urchin tostada's in Ensenada, to a hard to get seats at Momofuku Ko or Rose's Luxury, they're all memorable. Once I drove 3 hours from Barcelona to El Bulli (after they've closed) just to pay homage and have a picnic there. It was simple jamon, bread, and cheese but damn if it wasn't one of the most memorable experiences.

 

3) What is your least favorite food trend?

My least favorite food trend is also my favorite - Ramen. Even though this pedestrian bowl of comfort has been around for centuries, nobody in the U.S. cared about it until David Chang made it cool (and amazingly delicious, obv.) Now everyone thinks they can make ramen. And everyone claims to love it. In a way it's good that people are getting to know it, but it's bad because the overall quality is diluted. Making ramen takes years of skill and love. It needs to be appreciated and not just liked because it's trendy.

 

4) Describe your perfect meal at home.

(It's an interview of superlatives! lol) It's hard to pick the "perfect" meal. But I'll go two ways on this. One is the ultra simple but super delicious of a perfectly seared steak, some crusty bread and a bottle of red wine. That's when you just wanna unwind. It's quick and extremely rewarding.

The other would be a great big family meal where everyone chips in or better yet, just kinda watch and taste while I do all the cooking. Even though some people will think I'm insane but Thanksgiving dinner would be up there as a perfect meal at home for me. Sure it's stressful and tons of work, but at the end of day you've managed to feed and make the people you love happy, and isn't that what cooking is all about?

 

 

Steak dinner at Mykl's house. Can I be invited next time?

 5) You are on an island, what 3 food ingredient would you bring with you to cook?

Given the fact that I'm on an island. I'd just need salt, pepper, butter. I can catch all the seafood and surely there are some citrus (for acid) on the island. And that's pretty much all you need! 

 

 

 

Be sure to check out Behind the Craft for more food news and Thank you Cooperate for one of the best food blogs I have read.

 

Thank you Mykl for sharing your love of food!

Happy Cooking,

Kimm

 

Salmon.

MY LATEST SWEET INTERVIEW: With Lesly, co-founder of WOW Chocolates in Seattle.

On one of my recent visits to my yoga studio, Bikram Yoga Redmond (http://www.bikramyogaredmond.com/), I met a lovely young woman named Lesly. Quickly, I found out we had something in common: Not only are we dedicated Bikram yogis, we both loved creating and making delicious sweet treats. Lesly informed me about her local (Seattle-area) chocolate business, called WOW chocolates (http://wowchocolates.com/).

After seeing, AND tasting, WOW Chocolates, I was highly impressed by the decorating details, quality of chocolate, and unique flavors. Lesly, and her sister (co-owner) Maire, use tropical and exotic flavors not normally founds in typical chocolates. Banana-ginger, jalapeno-mango, and raspberry-cabernet (my personal favorite!) are a few fun selections you can choose to buy from their website.

Check out my sweet interview with Lesly:

Lesly, on right, with her sister/co-owner, Maire.



A brief bio on WOW chocolates:

After completed a degree as an interior designer and gained experience in the field for several years before discovering chocolate was not only passion but my calling.  I began making bonbons as a gifts for friends and soon word spread.  It then became something else entirely...a business WOW! Thus I pursued my passion for food, combining my background in design and a knack for creativity, and the result can be seen every chocolate creation.

 

Maire (sister) learned about the art of making truffles and bonbons from her sister.  She is an accomplished artist who works with many different materials - from acrylic paints to clay and wood.  Maire has always shared a passion with her family for food and now she strives to combine the worlds of art and edible every day.

 

WOW Chocolates will captivate your senses and take you on an extraordinary journey through our world of delightful, exotic and colorful bonbons.  Our passion for these delectable delicacies is infectious and is reflected in every bite.

 

WOW Chocolates.

 

Questions:

1) Describe WOW CHOCOLATES for people who are unfamiliar.

WOW Chocolates is a new and local company  run by two sisters.  WOW Chocolates crafted bonbons with unique flavors. 

2) What made you want to start WOW?

What really made us to start WOW was our passion for the amazing cocoa that Venezuela produced.  WOW Chocolates was created in Margarita Island - Venezuela and brought our confectionary art to the United State in 2012.  

3) What's the most popular chocolate you make?

Our most popular flavors right now are:  Mango-Jalapeño,  Tamarind and Chile de árbol,  Passion fruit and Strawberry-Basil.

4) What's your personal favorite sweet treat?

My favorite sweet treat is my mom's squash cake with strawberry jelly on top ,Yumm! 

5) Where can people go to purchase your delicious chocolates?

You can purchase our chocolates online through our web site.  You can find all the services that we offer,  like weddings, corporate and more.

WOW Chocolates for Valentine's Day.

 

For more information on WOW Chocolates, check out:
Main website --> http://wowchocolates.com/
"Like" 'em --> https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wow-chocolates/301095963288041?id=301095963288041&sk=photos_stream
"Follow" 'em --> https://twitter.com/WowChocolates

I look forward to seeing WOW Chocolates growing in Seattle's chocolate world! Best of luck to Lesly and Maire.

Happy Baking,
Kimm

LATEST FOODIE INTERVIEW: With Lee Johnson, Kitchen Manager of the famous Cirque de Soleil show!

At my Bikram yoga classes, in downtown Redmond, (http://www.bikramyogaredmond.com/) I always meet great, unique, and happy people. Many are foodies, health freaks, and Seahawk fans. I recently met Lee Johnson, the kitchen manager of Cirque De Soleil show. We quickly bonded over a love of Korean food, hatha yoga, and kitchen life.



What is Cirque de Soleil? (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/welcome.aspx) It is a dramatic, ariel-feasted, and visually stunning show that will leave you amazed and breathless! Cirque de Soleil comes, annually, to Redmond and shows sell out...fast.

Before Lee left good old Redmond for his hometown, Toronto, I managed to ask him a few questions about his experience and work with Cirque de Soleil.

Check it out:


1) How did you get started with Cirque de Soleil?

I started with the Cirque du Soleil in July 2005. I was living in Toronto at the time and working in a small 50 seat bistro. I happened to see the job description in the Toronto Star classifieds. I applied but did not expect to hear anything. Two weeks later, I was interviewed. Four weeks after the interview, I was working on tour in New Jersey.

2) What is the best part about your job?

The best part of the job has been the opportunity to travel through the world while working. I have traveled through parts of North America, South America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. It has been a great experience to try the food and meet the local people from these destinations.

3) What is thw worst part of your job?

The worst part is being away from friends and family.

4) What is your favorite restaurant you have ever been to? Why?

The best restaurant I have ever been to is a difficult question. One of my favorites would be the Country House Pecora Nera in Teramo, Italy. In 2008, I drove with two other cooks from Berlin to Teramo. We stayed at this inn set in rolling farmer's fields. The Country House Pecora Nera had a restaurant which served the cuisine of Abruzzo and sourced everything locally. All the vegetables were grown by the chef's family and the pasta made by hand as well. I was never disappointed with what they served. They were good memories.

5) What do you hope to gain from your Cirque de Soleil experience?

In many ways, I have gained a renewed appreciation for home. I am looking forward to getting back to Toronto. I have also gained a bigger perspective of the many cultures around the world. Travel is good education. I have been really lucky to have had this experience.



From this interview, it keeps on reminding me there are many outlets and adventures in the food industry. See what is out there and what you truly like and want to do!

Happy Cooking,
Kimm