About Foodie Stuntman

Updated, May 2015:

Hello and welcome to Crazy Foodie Stunts!

About twenty years ago, my college fraternity brothers started calling me by my initials and the name has stuck over time. My wife, who I met years later, uses them occasionally so I have come to be known as DB. When I started this website, I also decided to use the alias Foodie Stuntman.

Why Foodie Stuntman? Well besides the obvious play on the name of this blog, it breaks down to two parts. I used Stuntman because I like to be challenged by the food I prepare. More on this later.

I chose Foodie because I am one. Unfortunately, the word has become somewhat of a pejorative term recently because it’s been misinterpreted but I would like to re-define it. A foodie is not someone who simply enjoys good food at restaurants. To me, a foodie is someone who appreciates food preparation, learns as much about it as possible and applies it through practice. A foodie patronizes restaurants less frequently than s/he prepares food at home. When a foodie does eat out, s/he will often use the dish ordered to inspire creativity in their own kitchens.

I have had two prior attempts as a food blogger. Over the course of those preceding websites, I found myself gravitating towards food that has some unusual or difficult quality in its preparation for someone with no formal culinary training like myself, in addition to food made from scratch (think of fresh pasta, homemade cheeses, barbecue sauces, etc.). It is with this resolve that I started this website in 2012 and it’s reflected in my earlier work such as Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi with Fontina Fonduta , Chocolate Espresso Gelato and Herbed Speckled Crab Ravioli with a Lemon Butter Drizzle .

While I was preparing these foods, I began to realize that, fundamentally, there is only one way to prepare a pan sauce or braise short ribs, for example. Simultaneously, I found that I was much more intellectually stimulated by dish composition rather than executing its preparation. Through this experience, I began to gain a new respect for executive chefs that successfully balance the creativity of intriguing his/her diners with fascinating flavor profiles and/or preparation while meeting the business need of giving them something familiar that will sell so the restaurant doors can stay open.

When I compose a dish for presentation here, I have become reliant upon my copy of THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg with Photography by Barry Salzman in addition to THE VEGETARIAN FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity with Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, and More, Based on the Wisdom of Leading American Chefs by Karen Page with Photography by Andrew Dornenburg and highly recommend both reference guides, as they have become an invaluable part of my kitchen. Therefore, going forward I plan on changing the emphasis of the challenges I attempt for publication from execution-focused to flavor profile-focused with the goal that the dishes I prepare can be placed on a menu at all types of restaurants (OK, maybe not fast food establishments, but all others).

Lastly, I welcome any questions or comments you might have and can be reached by email at foodiestuntman at gmail dot com, on facebook, G+, twitter, pinterest and Instagram.