Philosophy:
Cooking should not be limited to the stay–at–home housewives or chefs in fancy restaurants. Maybe you like to throw parties. Maybe you have a loved one who’d appreciate a home cooked meal brought to their place. Maybe you have children to feed, along with their friends who come over. Despite your reasons, cooking should be fun and enjoyable, not a chore. One might live with the strict rule that eating should be done only when necessary. Obviously, that person lives in a box. Sure, moderation is key and nutritional values should apply to a healthy lifestyle; but I’m here to bring the joy and happiness of cooking and eating to you. I love hosting parties and making colorful appetizers. I love wine–ing and dining. I love traveling and trying foods from all over the world. I appreciate the ambiance of a nice restaurant, in addition to looking down at my entrée and seeing the love that the chef had put into it. I also love a laid-back night where I can whip up something and eat it in bed while watching a movie. I am here to help make others as passionate about cooking and eating as I am.
Me:
My name is Nathalie Jean Nguyen. Born and raised in southern California. My neighborhood was part-suburban, part-city… definitely not country. I now wish I was raised on a farm around animals that produced what went on the dinner table. At the same time, maybe I’m glad I didn’t spend my weekends churning butter.
I was the first generation of my family to be born in America. My parents and siblings struggled through the Vietnam War and stayed in refugee camps before arriving to the Land of the Free. They cooked traditional Vietnamese food with other Asian influences. When I was growing up, my mom worked hard and a lot of hours to support her five children. She would come home late at night to put together a quick dinner in order to get some family time around the table. For large gatherings, it was normally required that all the girls should help out in the kitchen, no matter what age. I got spoiled – being the baby – and got out of that most of the time. However, it was always in the back of my head that I had to learn how to cook to feed my future family. What a drag.
It wasn’t until college that I had to really learn how to cook for myself. True story: I thought I was so cool when I combined frozen packaged chicken with packaged Ramen noodles. Gourmet right? Well it got me where I am now. When I was a student and worked my way through college, I spent some downtime watching the Food Network. Realizing I had been watching it all my life with intrigue, I decided to start paying attention. Trips to the grocery store became more and more familiar. I started out combining boxed and canned goods. Then I started adding fresh ingredients. Now, family and friends are coming to ME for recipes. Adding over ten years experience in the restaurant business, I have come to appreciate the culinary life. So I thought it was time to start my own blog and bring my cooking into other people’s lives.
© 2018, FoodByNat.
FoodByNat 