The Beginning

Jonathan Waxman has been declared the "Obi-Wan" of the cooking world as well as "one of the original practitioners of New American cuisine." Those exact two acknowledgements are the reason why I decided to embark on this journey. Not only did I want to find out what made him so wise with ingredients in the kitchen, but also needed to flex my New American culinary muscles. 


I wouldn't call myself an amateur cook but by no means am I professional. While I am knowledgeable of various cooking techniques, ingredients, and methods, I am sure I will encounter combinations I had never thought of and skills I will have to garner. Moreover, "New American" cuisine isn't exactly what I cook on a regular basis and like I mentioned earlier is a large reason why I chose this cookbook. I grew up in an Indian household but food is something we were encouraged to explore. My parents were always up for trying something different and I think that is a large reason why I am ambitious and fearless when it comes to sampling food. 


The idea is simple. I cook every recipe in Jonathan Waxman's "A Great American Cook." There is no particular time frame to complete this task and I surmise it's really just about the journey. But there are two rules I hope to abide by:

1. Follow the recipes exactly how they are described
2. No ingredient substitutions 

Of course there are caveats to even these two rules, but I'll deal with them as they come up. Most of all I hope you all enjoy following me in this journey.