Chef Pete's Birthday Dinner Menu for Himself

Middle Eastern Inspired Menu

Olives Marinated in Preserved Meyer Lemons and Rosemary
Feta Cheese
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Oven Toasted Pita Bread with Cumin and Garlic
Hummus
Baba Ghanoush
Quinoa Tabouleh
Carrot & Jerusalem Artichoke Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Pom Vinaigrette
Merguez Sausage (spiced lamb)

Flour-less Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut Crust and Frangelico Whipped Cream

Happy Birthday To Me, Happy Birthday To Me, Happy Birthday Dear Chef Pete, Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Memories of Dad via Vintage Cavatelli Maker

When I was growing up in the late 50's and early 60's I doubt the term "stay at home" mom was in our vocabulary, but my Mom with 7 kids to look after certainly was one and as she will say now at 91 very happily so. She worked hard raising us Solomita's and did more than her share of of laundry, cleaning, cooking, helping with homework and numerous other tasks a parent has to do.

In order to feed a large family my Dad worked multiple jobs most of the time. So needless to say he was not in the kitchen very much, if at all. But I do remember him making Italian ices with a ice crushing machine that he had once in a while and also making homemade Cavatelli, a fresh pasta that is about 1/2 of inch long with a slit running down the length with ridges. You can still find Cavatelli in Italian specialty markets. I sometimes buy them at Caputo's on Court Street a family owned business that makes handcrafted Mozzarella and pastas. They have two types one with ricotta cheese and one plain.

With Little Buddy Biscuit Company temporarily out of action, I am in the process of testing different recipes that I might want to use professionally in the future. I am also doing a lot cooking for the fun of it, the kind that you don't have time when you are working full time. I thought it might be fun to try my hand at Cavatelli, which I made once before but not since I first received my Dad's Cavatelli Maker #50 made by Vitantonio Manufacturing Company of Cleveland Ohio, at least 35 years ago but my guess longer than that. I tried to locate them on the web but could not find an active web site and I found one post that said they went out of business.

I took the box upstairs from the basement and took the maker out of the box. Inside the box there is also an envelope filled with notes and recipes. There is an original sheet of paper from Vitantonio with two Cavatelli recipes, one with potato and one without. Uncle Tony also gave his own recipe "Uncle Tony's Style" to my Dad dated 1976. I love the fact that he signed the recipe "Get Fat Woody, Uncle Tony" Woody being my Mom's nickname (long story there).

My Dad also took notes when he made the pasta, not sure if he did each time but there is one from 1976, 1979, 1982, and 1983.
I would guess he made them more often than that but who knows.

I decided I wanted to try a recipe that I found on line that adds eggs and ricotta. Unfortunately this recipe produced a dough that was too soft and sticky to go through the rollers of the machine. I wound up rolling, cutting and shaping the dough by hand. After reading all the notes and setting up the maker it was kind of anti-climatic and disappointing, though the resulting pasta surely tasted good. Oh well I guess that means making Cavatelli again soon because I really want to crank out some pasta on the Cavatelli Maker #50 made by Vitantonio Manufacturing Company of Cleveland Ohio.

The Growth of LBBC Hits a HUGE Pothole.

If you've read past blogs you have been witness to the growth of Little Buddy Biscuit Company from a small company that sold wholesale to local cafes in Brooklyn to opening a bakery in South Slope in August of 2009, to then having to close the bakery at the end of 2010. Despite a loyal following and good press we were beaten down by a tough economy. Then in the Spring of 2011 we gave the concept of combining our business with a local cafe a try. Unfortunately combining the two businesses didn't quite work out.

So now what is the next move for Chef Pete and Little Buddy? To be honest I have worked too hard on developing my repertoire as a chef and a baker to give up just yet. I am determined to continue my career in the food business as an entrepreneur and more specifically as the owner of LBBC. I know I won't be able to do so as a solo owner so I have to have faith I will find the right business partner or partners who want to take the concept to the next level.

In the meantime I am continuing to hone my craft as a chef and a baker. I will develop new recipes and tweak ones that I liked from the past. Maybe I'll even take a few classes to improve skills and learn from other bakers. I am also visiting other cafes and bakeries to see what other successful business owners do well. The one thing about cooking is the learning is endless and it's kind of nice to have the time to focus on getting better at what I do.

I also am enjoying the extra time I have with my son Jack and my wife Jill. Jack is now in 3rd grade and helping him with his homework everyday is an important activity that I hope we both can succeed at. There are museums I haven't had the time to visit in a while and plenty of books and movies to catch up on. I'm also playing the drums again so while I want to see the business back in action I am enjoying the downtime too.

The Continuing Journey of Chef Pete & Little Buddy Biscuit Company

It's just after 9:00 am on a Monday morning, so what is a baker doing home on the computer instead of baking muffins, biscuits, scones, cookies etc? Well Root Hill Cafe, as you should know as the new home of Little Buddy Biscuit Company, is closed for the next two weeks to "refresh" our space and to build a new and improved kitchen for Chef Pete! I will now be out of the basement and upstairs in the cafe. I am really looking forward to the new design and to continue my work at Root Hill.

It's been a great 5 months, yes time is flying by, and we've accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. Little Buddy Biscuit Company has been welcomed by both the staff and the customers at Root Hill. Our baked goods sell out quickly each day.

In addition I have also had the opportunity to expand the breakfast and lunch menu at Root Hill while going back to my roots as a chef, taking advantage of my culinary training at Natural Gourmet Institute for Health. Each day we make delicious sandwiche, salads and other prepared foods using fresh vegetables, grains and quality ingredients. When we reopen we will continue to add new specials to an already expanded menu. The target date for reopening is Tuesday, September 6 so come by and check out the new digs!

The Return of Little Buddy Biscuit Company!!!

It was a tough experience closing the Little Buddy Biscuit Company retail bakery last year on December 31st. My wife Jill and I had worked non-stop for almost 2 years and spent way more money than I'd ever imagine to open the store and try to keep it going during the rough start. Between the bad economy, a location that turned out to be not quite as busy as we had hoped and extreme weather in both winter and summer we couldn't hold on despite great reviews and a number of loyal customers who loved us. As I was packing up and moving our belongings during the cold and snowy weeks of early January I thought that I would give up on a journey that lasted more than 8 years.

In 1992 I decided to change careers and go to culinary school, The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health. Once I made that decision I worked as hard as I could to learn as much as possible about being a chef. While in school I did double the internship requirements and landed a job before graduation. One job later and less than a year after Jack was born Jill and I decided I would leave work and stay home with Jack. It was great being with Jack the first few years and I wound up starting Little Buddy Biscuit Company, kind of by accident actually, while taking care of Jack. My focus since has been entirely on two things: being a dad and learning my craft.

We built a cult following for our cookies, making them in a spare kitchen in our home, and selling them to cafes in Brooklyn and via the mail. Once Jack was in school we decided to expand the business, created a business plan and searched for space. Finally we opened our own bakery in August of 2009. Fast forward to late December of 2010 and after the word got out that we were closing, the owners of one the cafe's we sold wholesale to called me and asked if I'd be willing to talk to them about business. I was really touched that they thought that much of what I was doing to reach out to me at a tough time in my professional and personal life.

After a number of meetings and months of planning setting up a new kitchen and moving my stuff again, Little Buddy Biscuit Company has found a new home at Root Hill Cafe (262 4th Avenue at Carroll Street, Gowanus). I will be making the best of the baked goods I was making at the bakery plus some lunch/dinner items. Root Hill already put in a kitchen work space in the basement and there are plans for renovation of the cafe space in the near future to accommodate the expanded menu we are planning.

This was a good week to start up again as it is Root Hills 3rd anniversary, so there is double cause for celebration. I have already started integrating Little Buddy product with the Root Hill menu this week, making cookies, biscuits, brownies, Mac n Cheese, walnut coffee cakes, savory muffins and will continue to add to the selections as we move forward. I am excited about this new chapter for Little Buddy Biscuit Company and working with Maria, Michelle Andrew and the staff at Root Hill. I hope our customers from the South Slope and elsewhere will venture to Root Hill for LBBC treats.

Cauliflower, Potato & Red Bean "Indian Style" Stew

This recipe was loosely inspired from a Serious Eats Post by my friend Geetika Khanna of the Indian Culinary Center. I basically made an improvised "Indian Style" Stew with spices and ingredients on hand for my dinner tonight. Feel free to play around a bit with the spices,omitting or adding or using less of a particular spice.

Here is the recipe:

Cauliflower, Potato & Red Bean "Indian Style" Stew

Ingredients
3 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil (or Canola or Sesame)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds (preferably black)
1/4 teaspoon green cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic minced
Chopped Serrano pepper to taste (optional)
half of red onion large dice
Sea Salt to taste
half of head cauliflower cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons tumeric
1 tomato chopped
1 15 ounce can Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk
3 small Yukon Gold Potatoes (small pieces boiled 10 minutes, set aside)
1 can organic Red Kidney Beans, drained
Chopped Cilantro to taste (optional)

Procedure
1. Heat oil in large saute pan on medium high, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and cardamom seeds, stir constantly for 30 seconds or until seeds become fragrant. Add garlic , ginger and serrano pepper and cook another 30 seconds. Add onion and touch of sea salt and keep stirring & cooking for a few minutes longer
2. Stir in cauliflower and continue to cook and stir for another few minutes.
3. Add tomato paste, white wine, and tumeric and cook for a minute or two longer.
4. Add tumeric, chopped tomato and coconut milk, lower heat and simmer until cauliflower softens.
5. Add cooked potatoes and red beans and simmer for about 10 minutes or longer to thicken stew and let flavors meld.
6. Serve in a bowl with chopped cilantro if using and a slice of naan if lucky enough to have on hand.

A Poem For My Son, Jack

I wrote this poem for a poetry slam at Jack's first grade class. He was really into the slam and it meant a lot for him to have me there reading a poem. I wouldn't say poetry comes easy to me but I wanted to write a poem that Jack would understand and would also tell a story of how important he is in my life.

A Poem for My Son, Jack

I want to teach you
Because I have so much to learn
I want to watch you be silly
Because it’s laughter that I yearn

Build me a mansion out legos
And a fortress out of zoobs
A dream out of play-doh
And a future long with you.

Strum a few chords on my guitar
So I can write a song about life
I’m going to strive for success
So you can reach for it too

I want to be a good man
And make you proud
I want to be a better man
So I can show you how