I first met Ori in some of the offices at Chelsea Market while I was in New York with Jo for BlogHer’s annual conference last August. (That was a hugely productive meeting. Not only did we get a great chef to profile in our magazine but we also decided to have the launch party of the magazine at the market.) I don’t know how to describe Ori other than she is so lovely she glows. She utterly personifies the ‘long term benefits of eating well’ that she describes below and you couldn’t meet a nicer person. Her vision of food and healthy eating is inspiring and makes me want to eschew all my bad eating habits. (At least it does until a package of Double Stuffed Oreos calls me at 2 am asking why I don’t love them anymore and I cave. Drat.)
My formal training in food studies took place at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health (2005). But my education truly began as a kid. I had a two-fold lesson on eating quite early in life. My parents were fanatics about eating healthy and in our house there was barely a cookie to be found. As tough as it was on a kid, I see now how it instilled in me the enormous importance of good, quality food and the long term benefits of eating well. It also made me a fearless eater (which has proven handy in many foreign countries). On the other side of the coin, growing up with two Italian grandmothers, every Sunday meant massive gatherings over pound and pounds of pasta with all kinds of home-cooked fixings. This imparted to me the important ritual of breaking bread together and the satisfaction a delicious meal.
With a bit of professional training and a deep-seated respect for food, I hone my passion for feeding and eating in the great city of New York, my hometown, where dining experiences are inexhaustible. When possible, I travel to new parts of the world, making it part of my mission to observe and cook with locals wherever I may be. Recently I’ve been referring to myself as a ‘culinary tourist’. It follows on a list of other fun, if slightly more commonplace job titles like chef and caterer and cooking instructor.
To me culinary tourist describes the cumulative experiences I have racked up working in kitchens, strolling through markets, feasting at food stalls and communing at tables around the world. I return home with more recipes than snapshots and look to recreate the authentic (exotic!) taste experience. The people I cook for (or teach to cook) then have the chance to explore a new world, and those dishes become my travel tales.
Make sure you visit Ori’s blog: http://upchefcreek.com and her art site: http://ocosentino.com
I love the description of “culinary tourist” — it’s so great! I’m all Italian, and find the same balance between nourishing my body a nd feasting with family to be so gratifying. Lovely feature!
A lovely article highlighting Ori Cosentino. I have followed her career as an artist and then as a chef for years. Growing up in similar and nearby circles it was easy to notice her natural talent and creativity. It has been a pleasure to watch her hone her artistic talents with both the paint brush and the whisk. The only thing you can predict about her work is that she will pleasantly surprise you so I recommend that everyone keep an eye on Ori Cosentino.