Chance meeting in Philly

I'm in Philadelphia for a conference and as I often do, I'm at the hotel bar having a night cap. A guy pops up beside me who happened to be a chef at the Westin hotel (another hotel). He was classically trained in Switzerland but has worked in the States for his career. Nothing earth-shattering was learned from my chat but I was very heartened to find myself keeping up with Foodie talk with a real chef ... but then again he was plastered. He recommended a place called Oscar's which is a downtown bar where all the hotel workers hang out to drink cheap booze. May check that out tonight.

Impress who?

"Cooking to Impress" is a a state of mind that says cooking is one of the fundamental human endeavors and as such, it commands all of one's creativity, ingenuity, passion, and bravado. It's more than cooking a great meal, or an expensive meal, or even a fancy meal. It's about sweating over your ingredients, your techniques, your tools to ensure that everyone knows that you've suffered for the craft. When the planets align people are genuinely impressed with not only a tasty meal but the effort and care that has gone into it. This blog is dedicated to foodies everywhere who crave the action and buzz of a commercial kitchen but don't have the guts to cook professionally.