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How do I even begin to describe my James Beard experience? I have not a clue-its just too big, theres too much…the details overwhelming. Start at the beginning perhaps? Seems reasonable. Out of bed at a sleepy 7am early Wednesday morning. Get dressed and grab the days supplies (change of clothes etc.) knowing full well that we wont be returning back to the comfort of our hotel room until well into the night. The five of us (Chef Brian, Trey, Sadie, Vanessa and myself) flag down a couple cabs and off we go. Mind you, its snowing hard at this point- the streets are thick with it, the city is dazzling.

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I hate snow. Snow means frigid temperatures, wet socks, slippery sidewalks and of course travel delays. A blizzard hit NYC Wednesday- ugh. While it was beautiful to see the city blanketed in white and actually looking clean for once- the snow inevitably became a gigantic pain in the ass. Yes yes..the dinner went off without a hitch but the notion of traveling home the next morning was shot. The airport is ugly- plagued with delays, cancelations and general unease. My flight was canceled right off the bat so Im presently at the mercy of the airline. In any case…I shall get home eventually and when I do I plan on posting the details of the other night including a gallery of pictures that span the whole day- from prep to the big dinner itself. Until then, it looks like Ill be camping out at JFK.

We cooked all day long…all day. Woke up, got to the James Beard House and busted our asses like mad for nearly 15 hours. It was hard work but well worth it- Brian’s dinner was a success through and through. Forgive me, the details will have to wait…Im much too exhausted tonight. * Picture- Trey & I cooking @ The Beard House today.

Hit the city hard last night. Too hard…drank too much, smoked too much, laughed too much, talked too much. It was madness. The East Village, 4 different bars, drink after drink after drink. We got back to the hotel room at 4 am. 4 fucking am. I havent played that hard in years. Needless to say, today was a disaster- absolute hungover hell. Headaches, nausea and general unease however didnt prevent us from exploring the city a bit.

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Well, Im finally here and a bit tired. Landed this afternoon. Didnt die on the plane ride over- always a plus. At baggage claim there was 3 boxes of fresh fish to be picked up along with our luggage (not to mention a large satchel full of pasta and other specialty ingredients). Just one day away from the big dinner, all the details seem to be coming together rather nicely. We checked into our hotel rooms, got some lunch and did a little walking..a bit of exploring. I love New York City. Tonight is about getting settled and enjoying the city. The night is young…headed to the Village to get some celebratory drinking in.

On Monday February 8th, I’m headed to NYC for what I feel is an opportunity of a lifetime. Chef Brian Cartenuto of Cantinetta will be cooking up a dinner at the James Beard House and I have been invited to accompany him and help out in the kitchen. Holy fuck eh? I am beside myself with excitement. Not only is Brian a phenomenal chef but he’s also a good friend. To be there as part of his support staff is a true honor in every regard. There wont be any details of my culinary class exploits that week since Ill be taking it off of school (the lovely folks at LCB are happy to work with me in making up any work I may miss) but I will be writing about my experience at the James Beard House and my time in NYC. Check out the interview I did with Brian here as well as the details of the event here.