THE FRUITION OF ‘COOKED IN CONNECTICUT’
beginnings…
This account, blog, page, or whatever label you want to give it because even I’m not sure sometimes, has always been and will always be about what I originally set out to do, ‘capture food as it’s presented.’ My photos have always been taken immediately, as a dish is set down in front of me, in real time the way it’s been intended to be presented by the chef, or the person making it, completely un-edited, as is. If I have to take 100+ rapid fire photos changing the angle or the dish minutely to get the right one, then that’s what I do. I’m hunting the diamond in the rough. I find enjoyment in discovering the perfect photo, that moment where the light just interacts perfectly with the food illuminating an image that seems to become greater than the sum of its parts. I don’t believe in taking hours to edit a photo on a computer to achieve this as a bunch of people seem to do, not with food anyways. I study the light and then use it. That being said, I have always chosen to use a more traditional camera and decent lens instead of a cell phone. I don’t subscribe to the “phones eat first” revolution but I’m by no means against it. [Insert your sarcastic criticism here]. Phones have gotten so good that you can barely tell the difference anymore, and in certain circumstances I find myself whipping my phone out more and more, particularly in low-light situations while in dimly light dining rooms. The clarity of my photos is important to me and I think that a camera/lens combo just ultimately offers better instant image quality. If you want to know, I use the ‘nifty-fifty’ as my go-to lens. I am always chasing a very specific light and aesthetic for my photos. Consequently, this stubbornness has always presented some significant obstacles and challenges along that way that I continue to deal with, the main one being that I only like to shoot in natural light which limits my time to daylight hours and always has me begging to sit next to a window. Restaurants must think I’m crazy when they see that in my reservation notes. Needless to say, I go out to lunch a lot and when it’s for a dinner reservation, it’s in that early-bird, bring your Grandma out to eat in the 5:30 time slot. If it’s winter time, forget about it. My wife gives me grief for it, but puts up with my antics because it means we’re usually ‘dining’ when the restaurant isn’t busy enough yet for my camera to be an uncomfortable distraction on her as she tries to enjoy herself.
I hope that by now, it’s a well known fact that I work in the restaurant industry. Always have. Probably always will in some capacity or another. I got sucked into it while in college and never left. I graduated with a degree in English Literature [sigh] and originally wanted to be a High School AP English teacher and coach Varsity Golf. Things change. After graduation, I moved to NYC, lived in Soho, and worked at Milos on W55th as a Floor Manager, which to this very day still has the best grilled octopus and crab cake in the city. Those days were filled with six day work weeks open to close, and one day off in which I just ate and drank my way around the city with friends. That’s about all I remember because everything else was just sleep, work, repeat.
Fast forward almost twenty years later and here we are. My entire working career has been centered upon restaurants, more specifically higher end, ‘fine-dining' style restaurants that focus on Chef driven menu’s, [usually with ego’s to boot] exceptional wine lists, and service to match. On my days off, when I’m not working I thoroughly enjoy, and I mean thoroughly, revel in being on the other side of the table, as the guest, being wined and dined enjoying the experience that I myself am tasked with creating for others, night in and night out. It’s the little touches that we don’t often notice, or do we, that I base a lot of my opinions on. The new silverware [and proper] for every course, receiving all our food at once in succinct harmony by multiple people if necessary, a neatly folded napkin when we return from the bathroom, never having to pour our own wine from the bottle we ordered, and having my water glass refilled even after I’ve paid the check. It’s these things that a lot of restaurants don’t seem to be delivering on anymore unfortunately, with some even failing miserably. But, the ones that do, stand out immediately, usually signifying that they are doing many of the other things right as well. But that’s another post, in and of itself for another time. If I’ve been to your restaurant but not posted anything, this is probably the reason, unless it was the food. My recommendation is my word and it’s my brand on the line. To all of you who follow me and ask me for recommendations when making decisions where to eat, I sincerely thank you for that and I take it seriously. It’s your money and you should be spending it wisely by getting the most out of it. If I’ve taken the time to post something, 99.9% of the time I’ve been there more than once, and had the dish more than once. Consistency is also incredibly important to me so before I put my name on the line, I like to validate my initial thought about a dish by having it again.
This intense love of dining out is pretty much how ‘Cooked in Connecticut’ came into existence, out of the necessity to cover a ‘type’ of restaurant that at the time I felt was being truly overlooked and under represented on social media. [my first instagram post was over 11 years ago] This certainly isn’t the case anymore however, which, ironically enough, I attribute to the cell phone camera, of all things. ‘Back in the day’, as I would do my research on a restaurant while deciding where to go, I’d go directly to a restaurants website and scope the menu out, and look to see what kind of pictures they’d have of their own food. Restaurants that had beautiful food photos posted, usually was a good sign and an indication of their commitment to making it taste good as well. Occasionally, and sometimes more than not, I’d order a dish and it would look NOTHING like the one the restaurant had posted. I can’t say I’d be pissed, but sometimes just disappointed and let down. I came to the conclusion that it must have just been a staged photo, for the website and to attract customers, which, by me being there had obviously worked. I felt duped. Once, I actually called a Chef out on it and we had this hilarious back and forth argument via texts and we had never even met. Yes, the power of social media…Anyways, I decided that I’d try to start a page based on taking pictures of food, from ‘higher-end’ restaurants, as it was presented to me in real time, so that others could see what they would truly be getting in that price-point.
Over the years, Cooked in Connecticut has morphed into a page featuring restaurant food, as well as my own food, and interpretations of dishes that I’ve eaten at restaurants. I have been lucky enough to work with and for some truly amazing and inspiring Chefs over the years. I have always been interested in food and cooking and have always paid close attention to what the back of house is doing. I’ve even had some chefs graciously teach my stuff and show me techniques for different things along the way. Doing ‘restaurant’ quality food at home is possible and more attainable than you think. As I get older and enjoy being in my home more and more, I’ve started to go out less and less. I feel myself and this page pivoting into a new direction, especially knowing I’m in the process of building and completing my own private space in which I can entertain, and put to use all the things I’ve learned while working in the food industry. Stay tuned for more and for ‘Secret Lake Kitchen.’ That’s all for now. -CJ-