It’s been too long

Some of my most enduring friendships and relationships are those that can weather bouts of absence and reunion without missing a beat.

We all get busy, and I especially value to relationships in which I can pick right up where I left off.

I hope that this blog can function in the same way.  I’m still here, you’re still here, and maybe the distance has even made your heart grow fonder.

I know I’ve missed this blog.

So, what’s happened?

Let’s see…

• I’ve left a corporate job that was eating my soul, and I’m now happily employed as a groomer at an all-natural holistic pet store – Tabby and Jacks
• My last test kitchen was a big success – it was the first time I featured a double round of service and I had a high percentage of first-time diners, which is awesome.  We dined on waffle battered fried chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, “My Bloody Valentine” slaw and pink-peppercorn parsnip cake (watch for this in Isthmus!)
• I’m writing A LOT, which I love.  Check out the upcoming Our Lives May/June food issue, and monthly Isthmus columns around the middle of the month
• I’m also trying to write for myself – i.e. Gastropacalypse Test Kitchen, and it’s been a tough balance to manage.  I’ve joined an LGBT writing group to help me incorporate writing, and stay connected with a writers community
• I’ve got some more ink, the last one a partial heritage piece, and a nod to my culinary exploits.  It’s actually based on a South Korean film called Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, which dealt with a lot of themes of forgiveness and salvation that really spoke to me.  Not to mention it’s jaw-droppingingly beautiful.  Bonus: after the heroine gets out of prison she becomes a cake decorator.  Here’s a photo of the progress so far, 8 hours in, with about 2-3 more hours to go at the deftly talented hands of Hannah Aitchison

What’s next?

• Watch for an announcement of the next test kitchen!  I held a recipe concept contest, and the winner was Linda Falkenstein, who suggested Bi Bim Bop – a Korean-Jazz fusion dish.  I’m thinking of mustering up some New Orleans inspiration…something Creole/Cajun mixed with the far east.  I’m consulting with Linda to figure out a date – hopefully late April.  Sign up on this site to receive email newsletters, if you haven’t already, to get the heads up.
• Looks like a cooking video project may be in the works…more at a later date.  What topics would you like to see GTK-style?  Write me at info@gatsropacalypse.com!
• A friend of a friend from Ladies of the Press invited me to submit a piece for a spontaneous book publishing event and live performance called Carbon Café, slated for this Friday in East London.  The theme is to work within environmentally-conscious themes, so leave it to me to write a cannibalistic baby-eating approach to reduce the world population and thus solve many environmental problems.  And I mean that in the nicest way (my new favorite phrase.)  I’ll post the piece as soon as the event is over – don’t want to give away any spoilers what with the world wide interweb these days.
• I think the universe is sending me a message that despite my hang-ups as a texture eater who’s a little finicky about shell fish, I may need to try oysters on a half shell.  Not only have I seen raw oysters featured a handful of times on Anthony Bourdain over the course of my recent Netflix binges, but today – get this, this was awesome – I bought a six back of a quite refreshing New Belgium Ranger IPA from Star Liquor and the cashier was eating raw oysters at the counter!  Knife and everything.  Got them from the co-op he said.  Maybe he looked cooler eating them than I would, given that he had a pretty badass waxed Pringles-man style mustache, but it made me think, there’s nothing I shouldn’t try at least once, and these I haven’t had yet.  (By the way, my alter ego, Richmond Marcelle, resembles the Pringles man.  See Richmond as a ringleader here.)
• My web designer has inspired me to eat vegetables.  Oh yes, those leafy, multicolored things that I put in my bottom refrigerator door for eye candy.  Who knew they were edible!  She made a beautiful Mediterranean style salad that I admit, made my Chicken Cordon Bleu pizza look like chopped liver.  Her recipe hasn’t been written down yet, but my Sherlock Holmes skillz tell me that I should not write this after drinking my six pack of New Belgium Ranger IPA.  PS: She makes it with kalamatas, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, roasted red pepper, chick peas, oregano and blueberry vinegar.  She forgot the artichoke hearts and is still talking about them, so when you make this, add them.  This is really just a pitch to get you to go to her fabulous website and become one of her many satisfied clients!  Or the zombies will get you.