Dec 10
Decembers are a blur whether or not it’s snowing. With no plans to host, I’ve decided to spend the holiday party season as a kind of foreign exchange student. I’m just showing up when asked and however they’re celebrating, I’ll just go with it. Last Christmas was my family’s turn to have Noche Buena dinner and before that I had a party for friends before everyone went their separate ways, so it’s just not my year. Read more
Dec 1
I was excited to read about the opening of a store in Soho dedicated to the sale and promotion of Chilean gourmet food products and wines. I’m always searching for new ingredients and it’s good to have a new focus for my obsession. Puro Chile, a Hitchcock-sleek light box store on the corner of Center and Grand, is definitely obsession worthy. What’s most surprising is how warm the space becomes the moment you step inside. The staff is genuinely enthusiastic and the sparse room is dominated by a large tasting table at the center. Though they’re inventory is still growing, the shelves are lined with avocado oils and wine vinegars Read more
I’ve always loved the day before Thanksgiving. Even as my crepe paper pilgrim hat was melting in Miami’s November heat (started out as a Pilgrim lady ended up as the Wicked Witch) in school or a last minute deadline turned my half day into overtime as an adult, I could buzz along on anticipation alone, excited for the days ahead. For a few years I’ve had my own pre-Thansgiving rituals – early day (a day off with a dash of reprieve), quick stop by the Union Square greenmarket for northern spy apples (they go top secret on me when I need them for pie), and an early afternoon movie, ideally the newest Pedro Almódovar which seems to arrive just in time.
Nov 8
The first time I went to Kiosk to see their Florida collection I was apprehensive. A curated collection of objects brought back from their travels, I worried that, taken out of context and back lit in their Soho space, the cans of Materva and La Cubanita guava bricks would be all hipster irony and no heart. When I finally went, I loved it and was excited to hear they were hitting Portugal next. I’d only been there once in college but it’s still my favorite vacation of all time. For three days we drove along the southern coast only stopping to eat, swim and sleep. Like previous exhibits, Portugal. What a Beautiful Place! is small collection of shelves set up with light box view of a trip you wish you’d been on. With Avril au Portugal still floating through my mind, I wasn’t expecting to find so many practical why-have-I-not seen-this-before items. Here are a few pictures of my trip to their trip: Read more
Nov 1
I first came across pan de muerto, or “bread of the dead” in the long stretch of Mexican bakeries and stores in Sunset Park. Placed on family altars for el Día de los Muertos (November 1 & 2) as an offering to their deceased loved ones, I asked everyone I knew how they’d celebrated in Mexico and whether they continued to do so in the States. Read more
With this week’s release of Florence Fabricant’s Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York’s Savviest Hostesses, The Naptime Chef is hosting a virtual potluck dinner featuring a slate of great food blogs. With proceeds to benefit The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, this new release feeds more than your cookbook addiction. I recently spent time with a friend whose son was being treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering and was awed by the love and care the nurses and doctors showed, not only their patients, but their parents and siblings, during countless hours of treatment. It’s wonderful to find another way to support their work.
Oct 20
After last week’s break from posting, I was excited to get back in the kitchen. Fortunately, it was a giant kitchen at the French Culinary Institute for Pastryscoop.com’s Fall Conference this past Sunday where I volunteered for the day. I was assigned to a kitchen so I wasn’t able to see everything but demos that came to me were a great sample of the day. Here’s a brief overview for how it went: Read more
I’ve written before about how much I like sneaking into One Girl Cookies kitchen and saw that they just announced their upcoming apple pie class for October 27. They make incredible cookies and pies so f you sign up for one of their upcoming classes, they’ll show you how they do it. Unlike a lot of demonstration based classes in New York, you really get to pound the dough at One Girl so if any one is interested they should reserve a spot soon.
I went to the Times Square simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera’s Opening Night Gala performance of Puccini’s Tosca this week. Open air events in New York are a mixed bag. They seem like a good idea but usually mean hours of discomfort and crowds fighting over patches of damp grass. The Met’s broadcasts are the exception. Before the city stopped traffic on 42nd Street, the Met was creating an island of sound in the middle of Times Square every September. Last night, Karita Mattila’s Tosca threw jealous fits, betrayed a friend to the police, and killed a man – and she was the heroine. Pure passion rarely leading to pure actions, the quiet girl secondary roles Read more
Sep 15
Pastryscoop.com, sponsored by the French Culinary Institute, has opened registration for their fall 2009 conference to be held on Sunday, October 18th at the International Culinary Center where I’ll be helping out. For one day, they open their kitchens for top pastry chefs hold two hour demonstrations, workshops and tastings. I’m always amazed at how generous the chefs that take part are with their time and most importantly, they’re secrets.
Finalist for the 2015 James Beard Foundation Award in the International Cookbook Category for The Cuban Table
hungry sofia 
