Latest news with #Food52
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
I'm a private chef in New York City. Sending one DM changed my entire career trajectory.
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maddy DeVita, 26, a private chef and content creator based in New York City. It has been edited for length and clarity. For me, the spring of 2022 was spent applying to pretty much every job under the sun that I was remotely interested in. I had been working at a global health nonprofit since graduating from college during the pandemic, but realized that, despite always thinking I'd go into medicine, I actually wanted to work in food. My cover letter was sparse — I didn't have any professional experience, I just loved to cook, and was a halfway knowledgeable home chef. The search felt endless. I interviewed at World Central Kitchen and never heard back. I tried test kitchens, like Food52, to no avail. At one point, I decided to try going into management consulting, because I'd at least make a lot of money. Rejections kept rolling into my inbox, and I reached a breaking point. Related video When she started her career switch, DeVita had zero professional food experience. Maddy DeVita A string of rejections made me braver But the rejections also made me bold — what else did I have to lose? What's something crazier I could try? I was so used to getting nos, so one more wasn't going to make much of a difference. I'd been following a small Italian farm, Ebbio, on Instagram for a while, so I sent them a DM to see if there was any way to work together. They read it but didn't respond, but I weirdly wasn't deterred. I'd been turned away from so many jobs at that point, so I figured I'd just pitch myself to them once more. Related stories Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know And this time, it worked. They responded and said they were working on a cookbook project and that they'd love to have me help. By early August, I'd booked a flight to Italy and put in my two weeks' notice. DeVita spent six weeks on a farm. Maddy DeVita Quitting was never part of my plan It's not like I woke up one day and decided to quit my job. In fact, as the supremely logical oldest of three girls, I never thought I'd quit without a clear career plan. If I'd gotten an offer from any of the more practical jobs I'd applied to, I probably would've taken it. So many people are stuck in the thought loop I was in: "Oh my gosh, I want to do this, but it will never happen," or "I'm not the type of person who would do this." I learned, though, that there's actually a narrow pool of people who actually go after the crazy idea, so your odds of getting what you want might be better than you'd first think. After spending six weeks on the farm and getting back to New York, I enrolled in culinary school and started private chefing for clients in the city after graduating. I kept posting content on my food Instagram, HandMeTheFork, which had mainly consisted of filtered photos of avocado toast when I first started my frantic job search. The decision to go to Italy changed her whole career path. Maddy DeVita Listening to my gut gave me the life I love now I spent most of the past two years cooking consistently for families — getting embedded in their homes, spending a summer out in the Hamptons, making everything from meal-prepped lunches to Sunday dinner — but I don't do that as much these days, since I'm starting to earn money from my online content. Now, I'm doing more one-off, larger dinner parties and figuring out how to manage the world of social media, so my schedule is way more flexible. If I'm not cooking for an event and I'm feeling disciplined, I'll start my day with a Barry's Bootcamp-style workout class, which kicks my butt. I'll then do my admin work at a café in my Brooklyn neighborhood, likely while listening to bossa nova music, my current obsession. After finishing up any video or Substack editing and recipe planning, I'll go grocery shopping, ideally at the farmers market. DeVita is now a full-time private chef. Maddy DeVita The afternoon is usually filled with recipe testing and filming content, and I actually try to limit my social media time to the midday hours. Evening means cooking dinner for myself and my fiancée, and doing some more editing. All along, I've just wanted days that are dynamic, that are always different, and I've found that. Every day is different. Maddy DeVita Listening to my gut has been my north star these past few years, though it often feels like my brain has to catch up to my instincts. I haven't made decisions based on right or wrong, or the next most practical career step, but instead based on what I'm called to do in the moment. Of course, I've gotten lucky, but I'm so glad that I've led with what I feel pulled to internally. While at my college reunion a few months ago, I saw a ton of friends who were in my pre-med class, some of whom have finished med school and are fully doctors. It was such a surreal experience, realizing that could have easily been me, but that, despite my early expectations, it's not my life at all.
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mirror
'I'm a food expert and you're cutting bread the wrong way here's how to do it right'
When it comes to slicing bread, many of us don't think twice and simply go in for the kill - but one expert has revealed a simple trick that will change everything Embarking on a culinary adventure often means elevating your meals and dabbling in more sophisticated cooking methods. You might have nailed the perfect spaghetti dish or even ventured into crafting a beef wellington, but there's one fundamental skill that could be tripping you up, and it's as straightforward as cutting bread. Discovering you've been scrambling eggs all wrong or learning there's a superior method to sizzle bacon are easy tips to digest without denting your pride, but the art of slicing bread has left many of us bamboozled. For most, slicing bread is a no-brainer: just lay it down on its flat side and slice away, but for uniform and neat slices, approaching the loaf from a different angle might just be the trick. What's this game-changing technique?, reports the Express. Simply cut the bread on its side. Although you lose some stability and need to be a bit more cautious when holding the loaf, it can yield the ideal slice. Revealing the tip, food writer and stylist Sarah Jampel divulged in Food 52: "Yes, it takes a bit more coordination and care: rather than resting the flat, stable side against the cutting board, you'll have to hold the bread in place with the hand that isn't knife-wielding ... But it's not as scary as it looks." This approach comes with several benefits. It's particularly effective for slicing through tough crusty breads. Those stubborn sourdoughs or hefty bloomers that defy your sawing efforts to penetrate their solid bottom crust can now be sliced with ease. By adopting this method, the cutting motion becomes much shorter, thus delivering more power to slice through a tough crust. It also ensures you're slicing through the entire crust layer simultaneously. Sarah explained: "(For tough bread) you'll be able to penetrate both of the toughest parts of the bread - the upper and bottom crusts - right from the start," she says. "That makes it easier to get thin slices, and it means you won't struggle with detaching the sometimes-tough bottom." This approach not only simplifies the process but also allows for more daringly thin slices. Moreover, it's particularly effective for softer, more delicate breads such as brioche, ciabatta, or a baguette. By laying the loaf on its side, you avoid damaging the bread's essential crumb structure, ensuring it remains light and fluffy. "By turning the loaf on its side, you'll have less distance to cover with the sawing motion. That means you'll preserve the integrity of your bread's crumb structure. Too much sawing can mar your slices," Sarah disclosed.
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
A Year After Barstool Sports, CEO Erika Ayers Badan Is Now Stirring The Pot At Food52
Erika Ayers Badan joined Food52 in April 2024 after about an eight-year run as the CEO of Barstool ... More Sports. Erika Ayers Badan has worked for some of the most recognizable brands in media and technology, including Microsoft, AOL and Yahoo. Now, Ayers Badan is, in some ways, deploying a modified playbook she wrote at Barstool Sports, a sports, media and comedy brand she led for nearly eight years before joining cooking, lifestyle and homeware company Food52 last April as its chief executive officer. 'I felt like there was a really big gap, the same way I saw the gap when I went to Barstool Sports,' she told me during a video interview in June. 'At Barstool, it was about creating something from nothing. They had a hugely loyal and rabid audience, but we exploded it. And the difference for Food52 and Schoolhouse was really reshaping it versus creating it.' Ayers Badan sees a future at Food52 similar to the business she built at Barstool Sports, one centered around storytelling, commerce, community, audience and talent. She referred to year one at Food52 as a 'reshaping, reprioritizing and rejiggering' period, while she expects year two to be a foundational year where producing creative content, developing new franchises and introducing more personality-driven programming is central to the brand's strategy. 'I'm really trying to build, in the same way I built a flywheel at Barstool, is to build that here at Food52 with a different audience around a different set of products with different types of stories, but distributed the same way — on Tiktok, Instagram, YouTube and in live events,' she said. From Ayers Badan's tenure at Barstool Sports, developing sports and entertainment franchises, like the top sports podcast 'Pardon My Take' and entertainment and pop culture brand 'Chicks in the Office,' among others, were core tenants to the overall success of the sports company. She's trying to accomplish a similar feat at Food52. For example, in early 2025, the brand launched the Food52 Hotline where people can ask resident experts through the company website and social media platforms about problems they're experiencing in the kitchen. Through text and video formats — and an upcoming podcast — Food52 provides answers and solutions, as well as highlights brand recipes and products. In the future, Ayers Badan is also considering further Hotline franchise extensions with possibly live events and a Thanksgiving telethon where Food52 chefs answer last-minute food-related questions. Weeks ago, Food52 also launched a similar concept with Schoolhouse, a manufacturer of lighting and lifestyle goods company that was acquired in 2021. 'We will answer these same questions in a way that's entertaining, in a way that's relatable and approachable, in a way that's authentic and in a way that showcases the best of what we have to offer, not as an ad, but just as part of what we're doing,' Ayers Badan said. Her focus for this year, in part, is also around finding the next crop of creators in the food, home, design and lifestyle sectors, and imagining how they appear across video, social media and other distribution platforms, including the newsletter provider Substack. 'If someone is an expert on color design or someone is an expert on trending restaurants in New York City, I'm interested in people who care and are rabid about it,' she said. 'There's where we are at. What does this look like on video? How would it appear in a podcast? What does this look like as a live event? What does this look like in the comments section?' In March, the company also debuted its ReWork program, a new initiative designed to engage at-home Moms who are looking for freelance and part-time opportunities to create content for both Food52 and Schoolhouse. Meanwhile, Ayers Badan highlighted that Food52 will soon launch about 10 different content series later this summer and fall, all designed to entertain and inform an audience across food, home and lifestyle. Though she didn't provide many specifics, Ayers Badan teased a possible rundown-style show — i.e., what's happening today and what's trending across lifestyle and home — that may originate from the company's test kitchen space at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Food52 is also currently in the process of launching a show around Tiara Bennett, who is a chef and owner of a New York City bakery called The Pastry Box. She provided another example. Months ago, the international design magazine Architectural Digest provided readers with an all-access look, via text, audio and video, at the home of actress Jennifer Garner. What if Food52 could do something similar but for a different audience? 'There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of women and people who have beautiful homes, beautiful apartments and unique spaces all over this country. What if we tell those stories?' she said. 'I'm really interested in looking past perfection and looking through the establishment. What the Internet has done is eaten the middle man, and it has democratized expression. It has created so much opportunity. I'm excited about this concept of where people live, how people live, to find voices in the crowd that can do that right and to then pair them with the right production and the right product.' She said the company will host an UpFront event this fall to sell its new series as well as other content and media to potential advertisers and brand partners. Food52 expects to double its media business year-over-year in terms of overall revenue and audience size, Ayers Badan noted. Currently, the brand's commerce and trade business — where the brand works with interior designers, architects and boutique hotel owners to decorate their respective spaces — are the two dominant streams of revenue, according to Ayers Badan, but she said she expects the advertising business to also grow 'substantially' in the future. There's also early-stage talks about how Food52 may host ticketed live events with food and lifestyle creators and professionals. 'I really believe part of the reason that Barstool Sports was so captivating is we had big, beautiful personalities like [founder Dave Portnoy],' she said. 'I can't wait to find the Dave Portnoy of home at Food52. They're out there.'
Boston Globe
24-06-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Recipe: Butter noodles with melting cabbage comes from a recent James Beard cookbook winner
5. Divide the noodles among 6 shallow bowls. Top each with 2 tablespoons of the butter and more cracked pepper. As the butter melts into the noodles and guests stir them, the noodles will turn glossy and creamy. 4. With tongs or a slotted spoon, pull the pasta from the pot and add it to the cabbage and onions. Stir well. Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release the browned, flavorful bits. Add more pasta water if necessary, 1/4 cup at a time, to create a thin but silky sauce that clings to the noodles. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if you like. Remove the pan from the heat. 3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the noodles and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions. They should be slightly undercooked. Remove the pot from the heat. Do not drain. 2. Add the cabbage and continue cooking, stirring often, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cabbage and onion are both golden brown and a golden crust forms at the bottom of the pan. If the pan looks dry, add 1 tablespoon of oil, or more, to help the cabbage fry and caramelize. 1. In a large flameproof casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the cracked pepper and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until translucent. Earlier this month at the James Beard awards in Chicago, first-time author and blogger Carolina Gelen received a medal for ''Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes'' (Clarkson Potter). The book chronicles her life and memories in the kitchen, told through stories and recipes such as cabbage rolls baked in layers in a casserole, the Perfect Chocolate Cake (true to its name), and a chicken schnitzel with caramelized lemon gremolata. The author's voice is charming and inviting. Gelen was raised in Transylvania, Romania, by parents who experienced communism, dictators, and poverty. Yet during her childhood she and her mother replicated recipes from their favorite TV chefs. Her parents taught her that the only way to escape their life was to go to college. She enrolled in a computer science program, where she was miserable, and continued cooking as a diversion from her studies. During summer breaks she traveled to the United States and worked in restaurants, then, once home, began to create cooking videos. They caught the attention of the New York Times' Instagram page, which published them. Soon after, the website Food52 approached her about developing recipes. She began to glimpse the possibility of doing what she loved for a living and took a leap to immigrate to the United States in 2021. Her recipe for wide noodles, sweetly caramelized cabbage and plenty of onions, salted butter, and a hefty kick of cracked black pepper, is a childhood dish, inexpensive, creamy, filling, and comforting. Serves 6 Earlier this month at the James Beard awards in Chicago, first-time author and blogger Carolina Gelen received a medal for ''Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes'' (Clarkson Potter). The book chronicles her life and memories in the kitchen, told through stories and recipes such as cabbage rolls baked in layers in a casserole, the Perfect Chocolate Cake (true to its name), and a chicken schnitzel with caramelized lemon gremolata. The author's voice is charming and inviting. Gelen was raised in Transylvania, Romania, by parents who experienced communism, dictators, and poverty. Yet during her childhood she and her mother replicated recipes from their favorite TV chefs. Her parents taught her that the only way to escape their life was to go to college. She enrolled in a computer science program, where she was miserable, and continued cooking as a diversion from her studies. During summer breaks she traveled to the United States and worked in restaurants, then, once home, began to create cooking videos. They caught the attention of the New York Times' Instagram page, which published them. Soon after, the website Food52 approached her about developing recipes. She began to glimpse the possibility of doing what she loved for a living and took a leap to immigrate to the United States in 2021. Her recipe for wide noodles, sweetly caramelized cabbage and plenty of onions, salted butter, and a hefty kick of cracked black pepper, is a childhood dish, inexpensive, creamy, filling, and comforting. ⅓ cup sunflower or grapeseed oil, or another neutral oil, and more if needed 1½ tablespoons coarsely crushed black peppercorns 3 medium yellow onions, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick Salt, to taste 1 head (3 pounds) green cabbage, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide slices 1 pound wide egg noodles, such as tagliatelle or pappardelle 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature (for serving) Extra coarsely crushed black peppercorns (for garnish) 1. In a large flameproof casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the cracked pepper and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until translucent. 2. Add the cabbage and continue cooking, stirring often, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cabbage and onion are both golden brown and a golden crust forms at the bottom of the pan. If the pan looks dry, add 1 tablespoon of oil, or more, to help the cabbage fry and caramelize. 3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the noodles and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions. They should be slightly undercooked. Remove the pot from the heat. Do not drain. 4. With tongs or a slotted spoon, pull the pasta from the pot and add it to the cabbage and onions. Stir well. Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release the browned, flavorful bits. Add more pasta water if necessary, 1/4 cup at a time, to create a thin but silky sauce that clings to the noodles. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if you like. Remove the pan from the heat.
New York Post
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Inside 2025's ‘drink of the year' — from the NYC bar owner who invented it: ‘Very unique and different'
Here's something worthy of a toast. The bourbon-based cocktail crowned Food 52's 'drink of the year' is finally getting its moment in the spotlight two decades after its creator mixed it the first time in a Big Apple bar. The pink-hued 'Paper Plane,' first crafted at what is now Attaboy on the Lower East Side, has reached new heights due to its ability to balance 'the Holy Trinity of bitter, sweet and sour,' creator Sam Ross, 42, told The Post. Advertisement 'If you can balance all that, it has a weird, amazing sort of pleasantry to it.' 4 The Paper Plane, a bourbon-based concoction crowned Food 52's 'drink of the year' for 2025, hails from none other than New York City – and is finally getting its moment in the spotlight after nearly two decades, according to the drink's creator Sam Ross. Tamara Beckwith The tangy, bright beverage's versatility and ease to make has allowed it to gradually take flight across generations, genders and experience level, he added — and has gotten so popular in the last year that it's been canned for home bars across the US as of last year. Advertisement 'It's the sum of its parts, It doesn't taste like any one ingredient individually,' the Australian-born New York bartender said. 'Once you get it into the glass, you actually realize you're tasting something very unique and different.' Ross first crafted the concoction in 2007 at his tucked-away bar – formerly called Milk & Honey – while he was tasked with creating a signature drink for a bar out in Chicago called The Violet Hour. The drink was inspired by a bottle of Amaro Nonino gifted to Ross by a friend, he said, and aptly named his creation for M.I.A.'s indie-rap hit 'Paper Planes.' Aside from equal parts bourbon and the Italian liqueur, the spirit-forward cocktail also features Aperol and lemon juice. 'I just fell in love with it immediately,' Ross said. 'I created this drink because I wanted people to experience Amaro Nonino.' Advertisement And despite it first appearing on a Chicago bar's menu, the beverage 'definitely holds a New York immigration card,' the bartender stated. 4 Aside from bourbon, the cocktail also features equal parts aperol, amaro and lemon juice, which Ross describes as 'the Holy Trinity of bitter, sweet and sour. Tamara Beckwith The resulting cocktail helped Ross – also known for inventing the Penicillin – land on the map of modern cocktail tastemakers, but it also helped the 127-year-old Amaro brand stick the landing in cocktail scenes around the world, according to sixth-generation distiller Francesca Bardelli Nonino. 'The United States sets the trend for [not only] movies and TV shows, but also for cocktails,' Bardelli Nonino, 35, said — adding she's toasted with Amaro lovers in Japan, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom thanks to the success of the Paper Plane. 'In Italy, most of the time you first start to appreciate a product by itself and then in a cocktail, but in the United States you first appreciate it in a cocktail.' Advertisement To Bardelli Nonino, the celebration is personal, as the grappa-based liqueur traces its roots back to her great-grandfather's recipe from Friuli, Italy. 'The paper plane put together Italian culture and American culture – and I think people realized then, 'this is delicious, I want to know more about the other ingredients,'' she said, raising a glass at an inaugural Paper Plane Week event at Attaboy. 4 'The United States sets the trend for [not only] movies and TV shows, but also for cocktails,' Bardelli Nonino, 35, said. Tamara Beckwith Ross added the drink is a crowd pleaser as it's easy to make given its equal parts recipe only requires four ingredients and is 'self-policing' – in that it's immediately apparent if it was made incorrectly because of its signature pink hue and ample froth. 'All the 'modern classics' have to be somewhat simple to make – we're not talking about strange infusions or crazy techniques that take a long time,' Ross said. 'If you want to be able to be made, especially at home bars it has to be things that are very approachable … and I think it's just straight up delicious.' 4 Paper Plane Week at Attaboy in the Lower East Side, Manhattan. Tamara Beckwith Ross credits the dawn of the Facebook age for the Paper Plane's initial popularity among bartenders in the late aughts, but he believes the drink's versatility has been able to keep its humble profile steadily gliding over the years. The Attaboy co-owner notes he's pushing a newer take on the cocktail — dubbed a Mosquito with mezcal, Campari, fresh ginger and lemon — that he hopes to be met with similar fanfare. Advertisement 'It kind of startles me, each year it seems to get more and more popular,' Ross said of his Paper Plane. 'It doesn't have a singular market. 'When you think of a whiskey cocktail, you're automatically going to be thinking whiskey sours, Manhattans, old fashioneds,' he added. 'These are powerful, potent drinks — and this one isn't that.'
