Welcome to Existential Eater

I am an artist and designer living in Olive Branch MS. I grew up in Memphis TN, eating Southern style home-cooking and barbeque. I am not a trained chef or culinary professional by any means, but ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you; I love to eat! Some of the most enjoyable and memorable moments of my life have been at the dinner table.

I've always appreciated good food, even as a child. My grandparents lived on a farm in Mississippi, where my family and I spent summers eating some of the most amazing food on the planet. Mamaw and Mom were both excellent cooks in the Southern tradition. And I loved everything they cooked. 

As a young adult, I watched Julia Child, The Galloping Gourmet, and The Frugal Gourmet, diligently writing down recipes with the intention of cooking them one day. But I never did. I dined at fine restaurants, down home cafes, hole in the wall barbeque joints, taco stands, food trucks, you name it; any place I heard of that was rumored to serve great food. I traveled extensively in North America, Europe, and the Caribbean, and ate fantastic food everywhere. Oddly, as much as I enjoyed eating, I rarely attempted cooking anything beyond the basics.

But then a few years ago when my mom passed away, I experienced an existential crisis of sorts that impacted my relationship with food; especially the preparation of food (More about that later). When the cable cooking channels came along, I was hooked. It was like food porn. I watched for hours with glazed eyes (still do). I began cooking along with the chefs. My efforts were mostly successful, with the occasional whopping disaster. But I gleaned a lot from their expertise,  and got bolder about experimenting with ingredients and following the recipes verbatim.

Now when I go to restaurants or travel, I come home and attempt to recreate the meals I enjoyed. I frequent farmer's markets and buy organic produce, meat, cheeses, and fresh eggs whenever possible. And, I'm slowly but surely acquiring a collection of pots and pans, knives, cooking utensils, and of course, recipes. Who would've thought...

They say that human beings fall into one of two categories; those who eat to live, and those who live to eat. Clearly, we know which tribe I belong to. 🍳