Big Bites tiny kitchen
Life is what happens around the table.
Recipes
Good ingredients, simple technique and a Cooking School sidebar that teaches you how to cook with or without the recipe.
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Dining Out
From dive bar to Michelin star, the unforgettable meals, unexpected encounters and the scenes that prove it's New York or nowhere.
See the Scene →
Hi, I'm Michele.
I'm a Philadelphia girl who dreamed of New York from the moment I saw that stoop on Sesame Street. I eventually made my way here and, like many New Yorkers, I cook in a kitchen that requires a little creativity.
I've been cooking since I was a teenager. It started slowly with a few meals here and there. Over time my attempts increased and my repertoire grew. I'm not a chef and I didn't go to cooking school, but no one has ever asked me for credentials before eating something I made for them.
I created this site as a place to keep my family recipes and add the new ones I come up with as an everyday cook. The stories and the city crept in naturally. It quickly became clear it could be more than that.
I created a Cooking School sidebar for every recipe with vocabulary, tips and techniques that help you understand what you're doing while you're doing it. It's a place to learn the basics while you cook the dish itself.
I believe the best person to learn from is a regular home cook. I'm not working with a professional kitchen or a fancy commercial oven. I'm using a rental that sometimes requires a negotiation just to light the burners or keep the oven on.
And the kitchen itself?
Most people would call it the foyer.
You can learn to cook through recipes. You just need someone to explain what's actually happening.
I'm that someone. Every recipe on this site comes with a Cooking School sidebar.
Explore the Recipes →On Every Table
I write about food from a place of abundance, and I know that. Not everyone has a full table. For too many people, food isn't comfort. It's a daily struggle, but there should be food on every table. That's never far from my mind. These organizations are working to change that, and I'm proud to support them.