There comes a tide in the affairs of man, where that one, enigmatic wave, unique from the lot, comes rolling in. Recently, after years of chatting it up cyberly, I finally got to meet said wave face to face.
Chadzilla is a blog known for being a leader of the food blog pack. His hook is telling it like it is, as a chef from deep within the guts of the industry, that is, within the hotel kitchen industry. Which is a whole other beast unto itself.
Generally speaking. I repeat, generally speaking, the majority of FoodBloggersville's residents can be found on one street. Yummy Potato Sprinkle Cupcake Here's My Favorite Color Street. A diary of sorts, a slumber party chronicle, with a Martha-tron embodiment at the helm, exposing emotional details of today's supermarket trip. Kind of a blog form of day time soaps. This is all good. The world needs and enjoys different flavors.
As an industry man, in an outpost in the middle of nowhere, I need my dose of the trenches. Frontline action, changing the food scene, not pushing the envelope, but inventing new concepts of what an envelope can be. Chadzilla is the one who develops that envelope.
It was great to hook up after so long, to finally meet the man. It didn't hurt, that he busted out my favorite meal on the planet, fried chicken. Not to mention, he graced us with his c-ass gumbo, complete with his folk's DNA signature of adding potato salad to it. Louisianan roots honoring my Texas roots. Now that I'm living 45 minutes from Canada, it was a blessing to be in a Southern aura, getting my needed fix.
We rapped about our own coming up in the biz and where that biz is now, and where it's headed. We were fortunate to work while the economy's wild spending and opulent habits garnered us to push exotic into galactic, restaurant-scene-wise. Now that the economy has tanked, we've watched how the restaurant scene has dug in further to remember its origins. We've gone womb-ing and emerged spiritually better, I think. From over the top decadence and formal service, to passionate food lover's growing, harvesting, networking, sharing, butchering, honoring-reawakening fermentaion, aging, smoking and curing again. Going back. Using our formal training and going guerilla. Using our chops, to deliver a message to more of the public, so that "we can all eat amazingly and feel completely nourished, together".
Now that you can get liquid nitrogen easier than sinus medicine, what was once lab food, can now be enjoyed to enhance a braised tongue taco. I'm watching my chef friends evolve their craft over the years, from once a year/lifetime dining institutions to more casual experiences, to even lunch counter/food hawker incarnations. It seems the lack of money, or I should say, the redistribution of money, has brought us closer to our hearts again.
Soul food is what we align to naturally, from wherever it comes from on this juicy planet. It only takes so many reality tv shows to break you, to be really real again. To go back home and cook what makes you happy. To ride in and experience the culinary frontier and come back to enhance our own roots. Gastronomic astronauts. Gastronauts. Whatever you call it, we can take the knowledge from bona fide astronauts, who've unanimously conveyed, you appreciate Earth much more after a few orbits around it.
Even our blogs have changed. From luxury reports to more of a culinary commune. Let me share so that you can become better. We've come a long way from that one trick pony chefism, that was the dogma of the industry. We've gone from, look at me, to, look at us. Now stir in your talent, to make this better.
Hanging out with Chad has given me insight in where to go in my own cooking vortex. The foodies where I live, are literally in the woodwork. Tucked away, off road, in the woods. When I do my thing, we attract them, like buck bait attracting a doe. You see it happening all over America. Rogue chefs gathering people to support great food, instead of egos. Building food communities instead of institutions.
So tune into Chadzilla to find out what is happening in the belly of the food scene.
Chad, it was an honor to be with you and your family. (Sorry it took so long to git this out!) Looking forward to evolving together and more importantly, as Hendrix reminds us to do, "Play on brother, play on."
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