Happy New Year!

Rise and shine!  Time for 2011!
It's Monday, January 3, 2011 and I just spent my last night in New Mexico for a while.

I'm going to miss the green chile, posole, rellenos, enchiladas, bizcochitos, the Rio Grande, the luminarias, the adobe, the mesa, the Taos Ski Valley, the sunsets and the smell of burning cedar and pinon.

The best meal of the trip was at a tiny spot named Rellenos.  It's got two sister restaurants (now of the mini empire called 'Antonio's') - both within walking distance.  Rellenos only has about 3 tables, maybe 4, one server, one cook.  The food is killer.  Authentic but fresh.  The Huitlacoche enchiladas with Poblano Verde sauce were off the hook.

Spent NYE at my dear friend's place, The Love Apple Restaurant.  It's the place to be in Taos these days.  We had a huge table set in the back, a perch to view the festivities.   Most of the staff of the restaurant took time to perform at different parts of the night.  There were Scottish funeral songs, jokes, some Kung Fu, and a jaw-dropping arial dance where a limber young lass was hainging by her feet, only attached to the ceiling by some fabric.  Very cool. 

Got to catch up with some old friends, some I hadn't seen since high school - a very long time ago.  Played some cards with the good old boys.  Shared some meals with loved ones. 

Good times.

Happy New Year!!!

life is short

I have had the most incredible year.  But it hasn't been without darkness.  I just returned home from a week with my dad.  It's been so hard watching someone you love slowly fade.  It's just another reminder of how quickly life passes.  Do what you love.  Love what you do.  Love those who are in your life because you never know how long they will be with you.
I feel blessed.  I have had so many wonderful people in my life.  I cannot thank them enough.  I am dealing with a lot of mixed emotions now and it is so good to know there are people I can rely on.
My dad is one of those wonderful people.
I have gone a long time without truly connecting with him.  As in all families, there are issues.  Mine are no exception.  So now I try and make up for some of that lost time.

But I have never doubted his love.

how do people blog every day?

This is the question I keep asking myself.  

Or maybe I just wish I could find the time to do it....

Anyway, a lot has been going on in the past few weeks.  Mainly, I have started a new venture:  strEATchefs!!!

I have been working on this every day from sunup to sundown and not much time for blogging (or anything else for that matter).

Laura Rice, my partner, and I dreamed up this superfly airstream idea about a year ago.  We thought that Boulder/Denver needed more quality street food and that the trend in cities like Portland and LA were fast becoming mainstream.  Why not be the fist in Boulder to do something like this?  And if someone else does beat us to it, then we want to be the best.  

So fast forward a year, a lot of travel, a lot of brainstorming, and a lot of meetings later and behold:  Rosie!

She's sleek, beautiful and ready to cook up the goods.

We have a full kitchen inside - grill, fryer, huge griddle, burners, and tons of refrigeration.  There is a ton of counter space, a hood, POS, storage.  But the most important piece is the crew.  I've got a handful of eager, experienced, and good-natured cooks to help me realize the vision.  

So now we are hitting the streets.  The lines have been long and the response has been fantastic!

Thanks to everyone who has visited us and who is helping us get started.  I see a big, bright, shiny future for strEATchefs!

deep thoughts

I feel like Jack Handy right now sitting on the beach in Florida watching the waves roll in.  I'm here for a couple of cooking demos at Publix grocery stores (well, actually its' at their cooking school called Aprons).  I've been fortunate enough to get put up at the Boca Beach Resort.  So I'm relaxing by the beach waiting for my next demo to begin.  It's perfect here - very warm, nice offshore breeze, clear waters and great sandy.  However, I can't stop thinking about what's happening a few hundred miles in the other direction.  BP and the oil industry in general have put us all in danger.  The oil has been flowing into the ocean for over two months now.  It is the most upsetting thing that has happened in our lives, in my humble opinion. The impact will not only be felt by the cleaning crews, the fishermen, the fish, the ocean-dwellers, the property owners, the oystermen, the tourist industry, the deep sea fishermen, the pelicans, the turtles, the dolphins, etc. etc. etc....  BUT BY EVERYONE ON THIS EARTH.  So much oil has spewed that it will make it out of the gulf, around Florida, up the East coast, across the Atlantic and over to Europe and beyond.  Many migratory fish and birds use the wetlands and the deep ocean just off the Louisiana coast to breed and hatch their young.  Sharks, whales, large predatory fish, etc. all need these waters to survive.  I predict a domino effect that will last decades.  I am so disillusioned with our government, big industry and the New American Apathy that seems to be imbedded in every bit of our lives now.  If it doesn't directly impact people, they just don't seem to care - or at least have the energy to do something about it.  Maybe we are all so busy with our crazy lives, debt, and fear that we can't offer any emotion to something this important.  But this keeps me up at night.  I have fallen in love with New Orleans and the state of Louisiana over the past year.  I feel like someone just shot my new love in the heart and nobody is slowing down to offer help...

Hong Kong - Day 1

It certainly takes some time do get from Boulder, CO to Hong Kong.  Like 24 hours door to door.  It is well worth the wait!
I flew in  on a dreary day (which could either be clouds or some seriously thick pollution - probably a combination) and touched down just after dawn.  After finding my way to the hotel, I hooked up with Josiah Citrin, chef and owner of Melisse Restaurant in LA.

We clambered our way through the streets of Hong Kong, trying to find our bearing.  We walked up what seemed like an infinite ascension of stairs to some really cool shops and alleyways serving dumplings, duck and many local offerings.

After cooling down with some cold beer we made our way to the Ferry Building and took a ride to Kowloon.  We checked in with Chef Jake and his crew at BLT Steak.  We got an idea of what we would need for the dinner the following night and how much prep would be involved.  Then it was back to Hong Kong to take a break and get ready for the evenings adventures.

We took a 20 minute cab ride to Lei Yue Mun, a crazy fish market on the Eastern Kowloon side.  It was basically a long row of fish purveyors packing aquariums and tanks with every type of sea creature you can imagine.  Each stall has a restaurant connected to it where they will slay and cook whatever critter you bring them.  After doing our best "bartering" and trying to get a feel for what kitchen would do the most justice, we settled in and chose our victims.  We ended up with a feast - way too much food for two people!  We ate:  snapper, prawns, clams, geoduck, cuttlefish, abalone, lobster, mussels, and one massive crab.

They put together a few different preperations and the food came out when it came out.  We also dove into some wonderful Chinese broccoli, noodles, rice and I forget what...  Oh, lots of beer...
Slowly and painfully we made our way back to the hotel to sleep and see what the next day would bring us...

Lobster, before and after

Geoduck, before and after

Cuttlefish

Abalone

Bass

Prawns

Crab

where indeed...

Hello people of the internet.
Sorry if you've been following a blog that hasn't seen much action in the past few weeks.  I've been a very busy guy and have forgotten to keep up with this whole blog thing.  I've got 10 minutes before I get on a 22 hour flight to Hong Kong - so I'm going to be brief.
A lot has happened since my last entry.  The most significant news is that my dad is starting to feel a little better with the treatment he's been getting.  It's been a very tough year for him, but now there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel.
OK.  Now to business.  Since my last post:
I did a few more local charity dinners.
I did a few test menus for StreatChefs (coming in June!).
I judged a cocktail competition for 42Below Vodka.  The winner ended up going to win nationals and then the WORLD CUP!!!!  Congrats to Happy's very own Mark Stoddard!
I cooked a Cajun food demo for Sterling Rice Group's "Culinary Summit"
I toured Seattle and Portland and had some amazing street food, sandwiches (BUNK!), and altogether amazing food.
I went to Des Moines, Iowa and participated in a "Pork Summit" for the National Pork Board.
I cooked a Tequila dinner at Zolo with some of Boulder's finest chefs.
I helped plan the School Lunch Project with fellow chefs and food magnates.
I participated in the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival.  Cooked a luncheon with Carla, Jamie and Fabio from Top Chef.  I also cooked 2000 portions of buffalo for the grand tasting.
I participated in the Scottsdale Food and Wine Festival and did a few cooking demos.
And now I'm headed to Asia.  I'll be gone for two weeks but plan on posting many wonderful recipes, photos and stories about everything you have just read about.
Thanks for still checking this page out and I will be back with more....
Aloha,
Hosea

Wellness Initiative

I was honored to cook at Doug and Carol Bollman's house to help raise money for the Wellness Initiative.  Their mission is to help improve the physical health, social and emotional development, and academic performance of low-income youth.  You really can't deny that's a good thing.
I cooked a five course dinner for 30 people at the Bollman's.  Everyone in attendance donated to the fund and we all had a great time.  My new friend Emily (and daughter of the Bollmans) and her entire class signed an apron for me.  They also stenciled in a fleur-de-lis in honor of my recent trip to New Orleans.  Awesome!