The Chef
The Chef, The Wife and the inspiration for this page is Chris. Actually, it is Christina but if she is not called that in her kitchen then why should she be called that here? Anyways, Chris is a phenomenal cook that makes her husband and stepson the happiest men on Earth.
What Chris puts into her cooking is a direct reflection of who she is and what she feels about you. Her carefree attitude toward life is on display when she hums and talks to herself as she studies the contents of the refrigerator looking for random items that might be tasty if they met. Recipe books are nothing more than a possible source for a spark that inspires home cooked brilliance. Her recipes are usually fired from the hip and the ingredients are rarely a part of the recipe until they are actually added to the meal.
What defines Chris, though, is her heart. She cooks for herself because she loves cooking. She cooks for her family and friends because she loves them. Chris puts her heart and soul and love for life in everything she does and this is never more evident than when she cooks for the people closest to her. The meals are always fantastic but the beauty of what she does is in the process. Her love, her humor, her focus, and her temper are all on display in a spectacular performance that always precedes a great meal.
This is what makes her special and this why she has a website about her.
The Sous Chef
First and foremost, “Sous Chef” is a way overblown title for this member of the staff. The Husband, The Note Taker, The Wine Glass Filler, and The Music Picker, and Guy That Shreds The Cheese are all more accurate names for Brett. Actually, the best name for Brett might be “Luckiest Man and Best Kitchen Help in the Free World”.
Brett cannot cook. He can follow a recipe as well as any idiot can but he lacks the creativity and taste of the process that a real cook considers second nature. Fortunately for him, though, you do not have to know how to cook to appreciate a good meal.
Brett is such a lucky man that he gets to enjoy fantastic dinners 13 nights a week. He is honored to be married to The Chef and the least he can do to show his appreciation is to write a website about the magic Chris shares with him from now until the rest of their lives.
The Apprentice
Ivan is Brett’s son, Chris’s stepson, and the hardest customer in the restaurant to please. At six-years-old he is a recovering picky eater. It was not long ago that he would refuse a grill cheese sandwich at a restaurant for the simple offense of featuring white processed cheese instead of the standard yellow variety. Now he cleans and debeards mussels and is a fan of the zing he gets when he bites into a meal flavored with Big Daddy’s Hot Sauce. His palate expands with every meal and the love “Silly Ms. Chris” puts into his dinners is not lost on him one bit.
Before Ms. Chris came into the picture, “Ivan and Daddy” meals were limited to chicken pot pie, ravioli, macaroni and cheese and, well, that is about it. Chris helped convince them both that there was more to dinner than convenience and the nightly menu began to expand. Chris’s approach was to present new flavors in kid friendly presentations. For example, Ivan ate shark that Chris had cut into chunks and breaded as if they were chicken nuggets. After two bites, Ivan decided that shark was the yummiest fish in the sea and maybe seafood was not so bad after all.
Ivan’s resistance to new things waned ever so gradually until one day the unthinkable happened: After a YMCA soccer game, Brett suggested that the three of them go get some pizza. Ivan countered with a suggestion that they go eat sushi instead. Chris almost cried tears of joy and Brett nearly soiled himself in shock. At that moment he ceased to be just a picky mouth to feed and has been a respected and contributing voice in Ms. Chris’s kitchen ever since.
