Meet SaucyA

Dangerous Beginnings: Falling in Love with Food

When I was little, I loved making "soup"--water mixed with any kitchen item I could grab. My parents humored me until I made this soup with the household chemical ingredients in the basement. There was a minor fire. After that, cooking was limited to plastic toy food.

Needless to say, cooking has always been one of my passions. Writing is the other. Stories were less likely to combust, so I had support for the latter. I graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in English, and immediately moved to the Virgin Islands to write for The St. John Sun Times. To help subsidize rent and rum punches, I also began cooking professionally. I started at a martini bar, where I learned about classy bar food and the un-classy aftermath of 10-ounce martinis. Later I worked as garde manger at Paradiso, one of St. John’s most popular restaurants.

Making it Official at The French Culinary Institute

I moved from one island to another, and I’m now a culinary arts student at The French Culinary Institute. This fall, I will begin graduate work at Columbia in nonfiction writing. I’m not a career-changer like many at FCI, who have permanently traded their neckties for neckerchiefs. I love doing two things too much. Cooking inspires my writing, and the sedentary nature of writing gears me up for long hours in the kitchen. I don’t know which career I’ll end up picking, but I do know that my FCI training and connections will help me achieve my goals.

I hope that you enjoy reading about my culinary adventures!