My passion for all things food inspired this blog.
It was in the summer of 1987 while doing a summer internship at Lawrence Berkeley labs that I discovered my preferred medium for chemistry, food. After sampling the multitude of ethic restaurants in Berkeley, I decided to trade in pipets and beakers for measuring cups and spoons! After college, I worked in Manhattan for a few years, sampling many wonderful restaurants and fine grocers. Balducci’s and Dean and Deluca were within walking distance of my Village apartment. It became apparent to me that my love for food and cooking was not fleeting. I continued to expand my culinary repertoire, but found some cooking techniques intimidating.
In 1994, I took formal culinary training at the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Institute) completing a three month La Technique Course. We started with the Rules of Hygiene and Tournage and ended with Canard a L'Orange and Pate a Choux. I later returned to FCI for a week long course in bread-making in 2009. These classes taught me to be a more courageous home cook.
TweakedRecipes pays homage to all of my cooking teachers whether from the FCI or from the many cooking magazines, cookbooks, and on-line blogs. A food photographer and dear friend once told me that it takes only one ingredient change to call a recipe “original”. TweakedRecipes has “original” recipes, but the the people or books that have inspired these recipes will be credited when applicable. My recipes may also contain tid-bits on cooking technique, food chemistry and nutrition.
One of my favorites apps is Paprika. It is perfect for downloading recipes, including those from TweakedRecipes, with an ability to edit, store photos of your food creations, and create shopping lists and meal plan. I encourage you to try these recipes, tweak them to your liking, and create your own library of amazing recipes.
Sharing a love of cooking has become my passion. I was introduced to the concept of the Teaching Kitchen at the Healthy Kitchen, Healthy Lives Conference held in Napa, California yearly. It is the collaboration of the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America. I like to say it goes beyond Farm to Table. It is more like Lab to Table, bringing you the latest in Nutrition Research and translating that to healthy and delicious food. Healthy eating is the number one contributor to health.
I created a Teaching Kitchen in my home. It is a hands-on space where people of diverse backgrounds can come together to prepare healthy, delicious, and affordable meals. I started the Teaching Kitchen in 2020, only to have it halted by COVID. In March 2022, the Teaching Kitchen was running again, albeit with not much momentum. Now that my work schedule affords me more time, I have begun again in earnest. Amy’s Teaching Kitchen was created in late 2024, with the inaugural class in January 2025. The recipes and their learning highlights will be posted on the website. I encourage you all to create your own home teaching kitchens using the resources on the website. Invite neighbors, friends, co-workers, your family to come together to cook, and even more importantly, break bread together.
I belong to the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC), a network of organizations that use Teaching Kitchens as their platform to promote personal and public health. I recommend the TKC website, teachingkitchens.org and under Resources/Toolkits, the slide deck “Setting up a Teaching Kitchen: A Beginner’s Guide.” A detailed curriculum is not yet available, and I am having to create my own.
Reach out to me if you are interested in attending one of my monthly Teaching Kitchens! It is free. A small donation to cover food costs is appreciated, but not expected.
Contact me at amystkboise@gmail.com.
Warmly , Amy Baruch
tweaked
verb
1. twist or pull something sharply
2. improve by making fine adjustments to it
3. become or cause to become agitated or excited, typically from taking amphetamines or another stimulant