Featured Community Member: ChefTomCooks

Written Saturday, January 16th, 2010 by Theresa H Hall

ChefTomCooks is a blog, which has been around for over three and one-half years. Chef Tom writes about food, has published numerous cookbooks, which are downloadable and has a passion for cooking. I met him over at BlogCatalog, some time ago. He always has something new and inviting to share. His videos are an additional kitchen tool and he loves to teach.

Tell us your story Chef Tom. How did you start out in the food industry?

As a child I remember my grandmother was an amazing cook and I always took time to learn from her.  In high school I worked as a cook at a few local restaurants.  I then decided to study cooking and restaurant management in college.

Where do you live in New York City?

Currently, I live on Long Island, which is about thirty-five minutes from New York City.

Do you still manage a restaurant? If so, what cuisine do you prepare everyday?

Currently I am not working at any restaurants.  I manage my own online cooking blog where I share my recipes.  I have also been contributing to the “America’s Secret Recipes” series of cookbooks, available from Recipe Secrets.net.

Which three restaurants are your New York favorites and why?

I love this local restaurant called South of the Border.  It has such nice atmosphere and the Mexican food is always out of this world.  I recently became a fan of Spitzers, located in NYC.  They have a huge selection of beers on tap and dishes such as duck confit and BBQ short rib burgers.  Another favorite of mine is Butterfields, where I always recommend choosing one of the chef’s daily specials, because everything has such great flavor.

Are you married? If yes, does your spouse help in your research and recipe ideas or is it all your creative genius?

No, but my girlfriend, Katie, loves to take cooking tips from me.  She always brags to her friends about how nice it is to have a boyfriend who cooks so well.

How many cookbooks have you produced?

I currently have one cookbook that I have available on my website. It is called, “You Can’t Beat Home Cooking!”.  I have also contributed to “America’s Most Wanted Recipes”, and “America’s Secret Recipes 1 & 2”.  I am currently working on two new cookbooks that will be published later this year.

On your day off, what types of things do you like to do?

On days off I like to relax.  I also enjoy being with my friends and family.  I love spending time in the city.  As often as I can, I go to NYC restaurants and clubs.  When the weather is warm, my girlfriend and I enjoy camping and cooking outdoors.

If I could grant you a food wish, what would yours be and why?

Grant me a real food wish? I wish for a little cleanup elf. The only thing I hate about cooking is the cleanup time after!

Do you like wearing a bib apron or the waist apron? Do you use potholders, or kitchen towels and tongs?

Hmm, at home I don’t wear and apron.  When I worked in the restaurants I usually wore a bib apron.

What has been your most memorable experience in the professional kitchen? Have you ever cooked for a celebrity?

When I was seventeen, I was working in a restaurant down in St. Augustine, Florida.   This was my first job at a restaurant.  I was hired as a dishwasher, but quickly moved up to basic food prep. One day we prepared a meal for Tom Petty and his guests.

Which five to ten ingredients do you love to cook with?

Chicken, hot red pepper flakes, chili powder, zucchini, yellow squash and cheese.

Do you ever go to the fish market? I heard there is a huge warehouse that was built. If so, what is that experience like?

No, I haven’t been to the fish market.

Do you attend the theatre? Have you ever wanted to be on television?

I have been to NYC theater shows.  Most recently I saw “Stomp”, which was very good.  I never really had a desire to be on television but I have wanted to create my own television show.

I know you are on BC, Twitter, FB and Half Hour Meals. How do these social networks help you?

These sites help me stay in close contact with my readers and hopefully reach potential new ones.  They also make it easy for my readers to share my blog with their online friends.

I am certain you were invited to check out Half Hour Meals. How long have you been a member?

I think it has been less than a year.

Have you tried any of our member recipes yet?

Actually, I have.  Last night I made Focaccia Bread Pizza.

What do you like about Half Hour Meals and what would you tell others about our site?

I like how your site helps connect people with recipe blogs to people searching for recipes.  It is a great one-stop site to find the recipe you need.  I really like the simple, easy-to-read layout of the site.

Chef Tom, I want to thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. I know how busy you must be. I hope you will share some time with us in Discussions as we kick off 2010. Happy New Year & Bon Appetit! Be sure to visit ChefTomCooks and download his free cookbooks. I already did and they are filled with great recipes.