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Jaredfpaventi's interview



Interview by Laurence Interview by Laurence

We interviewed jaredfpaventi!

Visit the blog: Al Dente.


See profile page and recipes



". . . good cooking is no big secret. Simple flavors always win."



Hello jaredfpaventi, so tell us...


When did you begin your blog, and what inspired you to start it?


I first started blogging in 2011 after I stopped adjuncting at a local college. Teaching had been a creative outlet for me, but as the rules and policies changed it became more of a burden with a paycheck. I had a six-month-old at the time and teaching was also keeping me away from spending time with her. I wanted to fill the creative void that teaching left, so I thought about how I could combine something I was good at (writing) with something I enjoyed doing (cooking). And, the first post was born.

Are you involved in the blogging community - how do you attract new readers?


How DO you attract new readers? Seriously, I'd love to know the answer.

The readership was primarily friends and family at first. I used Facebook and Twitter as a means of releasing posts. It took me a little while to figure out how to market Al Dente outside of my internal audiences.

I started with some of the recipe aggregators, like Feastie, Foodily, and RecipeUS, and have done my best to write with search engine optimization in mind. I try to interact with the restaurants I review and authors of the original recipes through Facebook and Twitter. I've started some nice relationships and conversations that way. Founding Farmers in Washington, D.C. lists my review on its website.

Since my daughter (now 3) was diagnosed with Celiac disease, I've tried to network in that circle of bloggers as well.

What is your earliest food memory?


My earliest memories are of the brown cabinets and flecked countertop of my maternal grandmother's kitchen on Syracuse, N.Y.'s Northside. She had an enormous stove that always had a pot of something cooking. The back window looked out at her garden, the side window at the driveway, and in the basement was where my grandfather made wine. The kitchen was large, and opened up to huge living/dining room where family gatherings would spillover. I was usually sitting at the kitchen table or trying to steal a slice of bread off the counter.

You talk about some serious weight loss on your blog, what sort of food did you eat to accomplish this?


The weight loss was a big deal, both in terms of lifestyle change and personal outlook. My doctor used Nestle Optifast, a system of engineered nutrition shakes. Heavy on protein and light on flavor, I drank about six of these a day. And that was it.

It was rough at first. I was a bigger jerk than normal to be around. It took a couple of weeks to adjust to the new regimen and for my irritability to subside. I look at it like quitting smoking cold turkey. I went from thousands of calories per day to a few hundred. In the end, I lost 70 pounds. I gained about 25 of it back, but that's because I went back to eating real food.

What are some of your go to meals and snacks?


My signature go-to dish is chicken marsala. My favorite thing to make is marinara sauce. It's a full day process that starts first thing in the morning, fills the house with the memory igniting smells of tomato sauce and usually ends around 6 or 7 at night with a dining room table of family eating.

I've really tried to get better with snacking as the result of the weight loss struggle I went through. While I would rather eat ice cream, I tend to grab whatever fruit is in season or some popcorn. Rules, however, are suspended when I'm on vacation.

If you could be a contestant or guest on any cooking show what show would you choose?


I used to love watching "Hell's Kitchen" because I admire the hell out of what Gordon Ramsay has done. I also have a ton of respect for Tom Colicchio from "Top Chef" and his books. But, I think that I would rather follow Anthony Bourdain around for an episode (or season) of "Parts Unknown."

Who are your culinary influences?


My family. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen as a kid watching parents, grandparents and aunts cooking. There's a lot of my mother and grandmother in my cooking, particularly in how I use vegetables.

My wife. She's my primary audience right now. We have been together, married and dating, for 18 years. When I met her, she was an extremely picky eater. Because of her, we try new things. Or, at the very least, I cook so that she tries new things.

Outside of that, I have tried to adopt the cooking habits put forth in the "Silver Palate Cookbook, and by Tom Colicchio in his books.

Do you have a secret weapon in the kitchen?


Secret weapon? My palate. I can breakdown flavors pretty well by taste. When something in the kitchen goes awry, I'm pretty good at adjusting things. Besides, good cooking is no big secret. Simple flavors always win.

Oh, that and my trusty J.A. Henckels Pro-S series chef's knife.

What are your goals for this blog? Where would you like to see it in the next year? Five years?


In the perfect world, I would monetize the blog and spin it into a cookbook, take on a regular column at Serious Eats or Eater, and maybe become the food correspondent for NPR.

In reality, I'll still be here next year. I plan on doing this as long as it is fun.

Anything else you would like to share?


Please read my blog and follow it on Facebook. Old church cookbooks have become my new obsession and I'm spending some time right now deconstructing them. I call the feature Killing Me Softly, because I'm convinced that wives spent their time trying to quietly and slowly kill their husbands with oleo, butter and eggs at every meal.



Thank you jaredfpaventi for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Laurence - 08/13/2013



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