Gourmet club challenges cook to up his game
One of the reasons Mike Massoth loves watching cooking competitions is that he is awed by what chefs can produce in 30 minutes.
“It takes me 30 minutes just to get the pots and pans out,” he laughs.
For Mike, an IT professional from Geneva, it was the subtle competitive lure of a monthly dinner club that introduced him to seriously fun cooking about 10 years ago.
“We have a group of friends, three couples, who are excellent cooks. Once a month we take turns hosting a dinner. This is how and my wife and I got involved with cooking and really began to appreciate good food. One of the guys tends to lean on the French side, so he's really broadened our horizons.”
Now official foodies, the couple is always on the lookout for new recipes and different ingredients with which to experiment.
“Whenever we travel, food is of the utmost importance,” he says laughing. A recent trip to France and Italy yielded delicious results.
“I like to try new things. Standard cooking is fun, but there are a ton of interesting ingredients out there.”
“I like Italian, Mexican, Bohemian, and any Rick Bayless recipe. We love his restaurants and his show is my favorite.” Today Mike shares a unique Chili rellenos recipe starring plantains. On video he cooks a favorite duck with blueberry chutney he found on the Food Network website.
Because he is half Italian, Mike has a particular fondness for Italian recipes. His family has been on a years-long quest to reproduce his grandmother's recipes.
“Here's how it goes, and it is probably like this for many families. My Italian grandmother was a fantastic cook. When I was growing up she lived upstairs and every Sunday we ate amazing meals. Of course we didn't appreciate it at the time. Later, as adults, once your palette develops, you crave all those delicious foods. And of course grandma's recipes were in her head, or on little pieces of paper that are long gone.”
After much trial and error Mike and his cousins have been able to replicate a few of her recipes.
It isn't a surprise to hear that the Massoth's love to entertain.
“I recently threw a huge party for my wife's 50th birthday. We had such a blast. We just kept producing appetizers; we had about 15 or 20. That's the kind of party we enjoy doing, and going to.”
The Massoth's have been hosting extended family for Christmas for several years.
“For the past three years we've been making cioppino. It's an Italian tomato-based seafood stew. Even my 25-five year old nephew comes in and puts on an apron, and then we're all in the kitchen,” Mike said. “It's a good meal, but even better is the process. When you have a fun process, with a good result, that's pretty good.”