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{You Pick Six} An Interview with Co-Founder of New Grounds Food: Johnny Fayad

September 22, 2020June 25, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

As I mentioned recently, I attended Amplify, an event in Boston hosted by Branchfood. One of the local food companies there was New Grounds Food, makers of the CoffeeBar.

At the event, I was able to sample a CoffeeBar and (full disclosure) was given some to go. They are pretty good!

For those of you who don’t have time to drink your coffee in the morning, but still want the caffeine, you might just want to try one.

Johnny Fayad is a co-founder of the company that he started with Ali Kothari when they were freshman business students. They wasted no time!

So let’s learn a little bit more about Johnny in the 13th interview in the series, You Pick Six.

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What is a favorite dessert?
Trader Joe’s chocolate lava cakes with vanilla bean ice cream! Super quick and super delicious.

What is a favorite snack?
Pita bread with tomatoes and some veggies dipped in my mom’s iconic hummus with a little olive oil on top.

What is a favorite food movie?
Jiro Dreams of Sushi. I want to go there to eat one day (hopefully, while Jiro is still at the helm!)

What is a favorite quote?
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– Dr. Seuss

What is the best meal you ever had and where was it?
Whenever my cousin comes to Boston for work, he’ll typically spoil me with a really nice dinner. One of the best ones was at a sushi restaurant called Oishii in the South End where we had so many amazing dishes from squid ink pasta to different preparations of uni. So good.

How did food become an important part of your life?
Food has always been a huge part of my life. Starting with my mom who is a macrobiotic chef and all she does is cook, so we were raised where delicious food was the norm and rarely went out to eat. My love for food definitely grew as I started serving at a sushi restaurant in high school and a seafood restaurant in my first couple years of college. More recently, after starting New Grounds Food, I’ve been able to see and experience all of the work that goes into bringing food to life, which has given me a deeper appreciation for the food in our lives.

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Thank you so much for participating Johnny!

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Photos: Provided by Johnny Fayad.

*Updated 9/22/2020* The company name and website changed, so several links in this interview were updated.

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{You Pick Six} An Interview with Founder of Helen’s Kitchen Cooking School: Helen Rennie

July 30, 2020May 21, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

Cooking School Founder Helen Rennie holds a raw chicken

A few weeks ago, I attended Amplify, an event in Boston hosted by Branchfood.

It showcased new local food companies and introduced them to retailers and media. I learned about some great products, that I hope to write about soon.

I also met a fellow food blogger whose blog, Beyond Salmon, was one of the first that I read when I first started blogging. Helen Rennie has been blogging since 2005, so she is one of the first in the food blogging world. So it delights me to no end to welcome Helen to this blog! Now founder of Helen’s Kitchen Cooking School, let’s find out what she’s cooking up next in the 12th in the interview series, You Pick Six.

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Tell me about what you’re working on now?

I’ve been working on short cooking videos that focus on techniques. They are all available on YouTube for free. I started making them to help my students review the material they learn in my cooking and baking classes, but to my surprise and delight I’ve been getting comments from cooks all over the world.

What is a favorite cookbook?

Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. Judy has always been a great inspiration to me and I was devastated when she passed away at a very young age due to cancer. Her book is unique in many respects. She is the only restaurant chef that I am aware of who wrote her book cover to cover without a shadow writer. The level of detail is fabulous. I am forever grateful to her editor for not cutting Judy’s wisdom out of this book. Do you need five pages on how to roast a chicken? Absolutely! Although the zuni roast chicken is great, the real gem of this book is Judy’s advice to salt all your proteins a day ahead. It makes everything so juicy — just like brining without the mess of a bucket.

What is some of the best advice you’ve ever received?

This is not the best life advice, but it’s the best advice all home bakers need to hear: weigh all ingredients for baking. I am a cook by nature. I taste and adjust. Baking was a challenge. My pie crust cracked, my cakes were dry, my breads were dense. Then I got Rose Beranbaum’s book “The Bread Bible” and started using a scale. It was like magic. Everything worked! It wasn’t just Rose’s recipes that worked, but all my old recipes that gave me trouble worked. Flour is a powder and it’s compressible. Measuring it with cups is unreliable.

What is a favorite simple recipe to prepare at home?

Doesn’t get any easier or tastier than seared scallops, though a microwave poached egg is fun too.

What do you think that most people don’t understand about food?

Food is a performing art 99% of the time, and a creative art (1% of the time). I often hear in classes the following complaint, “I can’t cook because I am not creative. I can’t figure out what goes with what.” Then the students watch me cook and are surprised that most of the time I don’t add anything besides salt, lemon, and olive oil. The reason food tastes good is the balance of salt and acidity, and controlling texture through how you apply heat. It takes dedication, patience, and constant attention to detail, just like learning a musical instrument. If you play the violin off key, it’s hard to listen no matter how passionately you play it. If the cook gets the salt amount wrong, it’s hard to eat their dish no matter what amazing combination of local organic ingredients are in it. I find that we have a lot of passion for food in the U.S. these days, but not enough skill either at home or in most restaurant kitchens. But American food culture is in it’s infancy compared to Japan or France. I am sure the skill will come with time.

What is a favorite food movie?

Ratatouille, of course!

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Thank you so much for participating Helen!

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Photos: Provided by Helen Rennie.

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{You Pick Six} An Interview with Pastry Chef: Naisbel Azarak

October 7, 2024March 1, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

When out of this world amazing cakes started showing up at family events, I wondered who had made them.

Turns out it was Pastry Chef Naisbel Azarak! After seeing her work, I now believe that she can turn anything into a cake and the only limit is the imagination.

Her creations will astound and delight you. Take a look at her Instagram!

Plus, she got some big recognition last year when chosen to create a cake for Pedro Martinez as he celebrated his entrance into the Baseball Hall of Fame. How cool is that?!

Let’s learn a little bit more about Naisbel in number eleven in the interview series, You Pick Six!

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What is a favorite simple recipe to prepare at home?
I love to cook chocolate vegan cake! It’s easy and super delicious! It goes great with anything you combine it with and it’s rich and moist! Indeed my favorite thing to do.

What is a favorite snack?
Venezuelan tequeños!!! These are some amazing cheese sticks covered with a lightly sweet yet salty dough that gets wrapped around the stick then deep fried and the center cheese gets melty and delicious! I love that with a good cup of coffee or in the winter I like it with hot cocoa.

What brings you peace every day?
Knowing that I indeed do what I absolutely love! In times, it can be really hard, no sleep, no rest, but the satisfaction of seeing the result of my work, and the happiness in my clients’ faces is so rewarding that it takes all the pain and exhaustion away and reconfirms that I’m doing what I’m meant to do.

What three people do you admire most?
Duff Goldman! He is the whole reason I found this passion! Though his legacy (and show Ace of Cakes). Ron Ben Israel, his amazing flowers and extremely neat work keeps my breath away! And Frank Haasnoot. This man is an UNBELIEVABLE pastry chef! Every time I see his work I feel a tear will shed out my eye! His work is out of this world!

How did food become an important part of your life?
My mother is probably one of (if not the) most amazing cook in this world! She is adventurous! She is vegetarian! But she has never stopped cooking my beloved meat dishes! And she can make magic out of any ingredients! There is always a variety of flavors on our table! She has learned a ton from cooking shows and applies it in a personalized manner! My brother inherited the same skills! Those two are the savory team and I am the sweet one!

Tell me about what you’re working on now?
Currently I belong to the pastry team at the Mandarín Oriental Hotel in Boston, but I’m still working on the growth of Nais Cakes, which I am planing to open next year!

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Thank you so much for participating Naisbel!

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Photos: Provided by Naisbel Azarak.

{You Pick Six} An Interview with Founder of Boston Foodie Tours: Audrey Giannattasio

July 30, 2020February 8, 2016 by Lisa Johnson

If you follow Audrey Giannattasio on Twitter, you can see that winter weather isn’t stopping her from leading her food tours!

However, it was on a very warm summer day back in 2011, when I first met Audrey. As part of a small group of food bloggers, we had a great time touring specialty shops and restaurants in the North End, experiencing authentic Italy in Boston.

Since then, Audrey founded her own successful business, Boston Foodie Tours. For three years in a row, she has won TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence. She was also featured on Chronicle, a local television program bringing us stories about New England.

If you’re visiting Boston during a vacation, for a business trip or just taking a day trip into the city, you’ll have a great time on one of her tasty tours!

But now, let’s get to know Audrey a bit better. She’s number ten in the interview series, You Pick Six!

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What is a favorite simple recipe to prepare at home?
Toast with mashed avocado, Kosher salt, freshly-grated pepper, and olive oil. Lunch nearly every day!

What is some of the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Don’t let anyone define you.” I’m just sorry that it took me fifty years to get it right! No one will ever care about you and your future as much as you will. If you’re truly going to reach your maximum potential, you must tune out the naysayers, leave any emotional baggage behind, and run your own race. When you find that place where you’re meant to be, the world will embrace you, and you will embrace yourself!

What is a favorite childhood food memory?
Picking large, purple grapes from the backyard vines in East Boston with my Italian-speaking, maternal grandmother, and my mother’s Sunday dinners, with freshly-made “gravy” – including meatballs and my beloved pig’s feet – and mostly store-bought pasta.

What do you think that most people don’t understand about food?
That creating good food isn’t necessarily about being an accomplished cook. Rather, it begins and ends with quality ingredients, such as a freshly-made mozzarella or a true Extra Virgin Olive Oil. What you put in is what you get out.

What is a favorite cookbook?
My favorite, most-used cookbooks are Ina Garten’s, whose recipes are both simple and reliable. My most valued and cherished cookbooks, however, are Marguerite Buonopane’s the North End Italian Cookbook, from which I learned as a young woman how to cook my mother’s Italian-American peasant dishes after she passed away; and my mother’s 1955 Good Housekeeping cookbook that I inherited.

How did food become an important part of your life?
My mother! Cooking was her way of demonstrating her love for others, and, perhaps, the only skill in which she had great confidence. Though we were on a tight budget, she could always stretch a meal for last-minute guests, who were often sent home with freshly-picked vegetables from our garden, and/or food gift bags.

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Thank you so much for participating Audrey!

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Photos: Provided by Audrey Giannattasio.

{You Pick Six} An Interview with Instructor & Food Blogger: Karen Zgoda

July 30, 2020November 2, 2015 by Lisa Johnson 4 Comments

The best things about blogging is the people that you meet. I first “met” Karen Zgoda several years ago online through our mutual love of dessert.

Then we met in real life on a plane to New York for a food blogging trip to Greyston Bakery, where they make the brownies that go in Ben & Jerry’s ice creams. We had a lot of dessert.

Over the years since then, we’ve gotten together for more blogging adventures, though Boston based, that usually end with dessert. Besides having a sweet tooth, Karen also has a strong sense of justice that I really admire. Which is in keeping with being a social worker and instructor. What can I say? She’s a real sweetie! So now let’s get to the ninth part of the interview series, You Pick Six!

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What is a favorite simple recipe to prepare at home?
Campbell’s Tomato Soup and noodles. I dump the soup into a pot, slowly add a can of whole milk while it warms, and add shell noodles. It’s filling and delicious. As an adult I’ve tried different soups but this is the only one that brings me back to my childhood. I grew up poor with a single mother so money was always tight (a Happy Meal was truly a happy experience). While I’ve had enough scrambled eggs, fish sticks, and Chef Boyardee ravioli to last a lifetime, Campbell’s Tomato Soup and noodles is still a favorite comfort food.

What brings you peace every day?
Reading and laughter. I make time for reading everyday, preferably scanning Twitter and mental junk food web sites in the morning, finding something awesome and sharing it, and reading from a hardcover at night. My favorite is when I find something so ridiculous or funny or inspiring that it stays with me the entire day.

What inspires you?
Love. Connection. Weird people. Nerds. Passion.

What is a favorite quote?
“All that survives after our death are publications and people. So look carefully after the words you write, the thoughts and publications you create, and how you love others. For these are the only things that will remain.”
— Susan Niebur

What do you think that most people don’t understand about food?
There is a food glass ceiling. High end dining is more and more inaccessible and I grow frustrated with its inevitable dominance in the local food scene. High end can be awesome. My favorite cake in the world is the Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Cake and while every bite is worth every penny, it is discouraging and deflating to look at the recipe to recreate it, which seems more impossible than the dissertation I worked on.

On the other hand, I have friends who see food like this as a challenge and pull it off successfully both professionally and in their own kitchens, and may I forever be in their address book for dinner parties! However, this is not me. In my current tax bracket I’m aware that in no way, shape, or form am I the target demographic for these experiences. At the end of the day, I feel that food is just food.

I’m a full time college instructor but due to gentrification creep, I find I am avoiding wider and wider swaths of the city that seem out of reach in terms of my income, experience, and perspective. I miss working class places that served good, cheap food with no courses or expectations and were just fun. I used to love finding unexpected gems to blog about on Fussy Eater and I’d love recommendations for finding places like this. I am hoping to blog more and would like dessert suggestions. I let the dessert blog go a bit when focused on work life, and feel like I need to be more connected to the food scene.

Tell me about what you’re working on now.
As part of my work with #MacroSW, I’m working on a study to evaluate how social workers use Twitter to connect, collaborate, and network. I’m very interested in exploring how Twitter and social media can be used for social change activities.

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Thank you so much for participating Karen!

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Cake Screenshot: Milk Bar | Book stacks photo provided by Instructor Karen Zgoda.