Carrying on My Father's Legacy: Cooking My Way Through His Recipes
While healing myself in the process
Food Magic highlights the physical and spiritual benefits of wholesome everyday ingredients while following me on a journey of cooking through my late father's recipes.
As a paid subscriber, you'll gain access to his treasured recipes, along with special content designed to enrich your culinary experience. For just $8 a month, you can embark on this journey with me while gaining culinary wisdom and spiritual nourishment.
Some of my fondest memories are of me and my father cooking in the kitchen. I was his personal sous chef when he needed help crafting new dishes, and I was also his taste tester when he needed suggestions on how to improve his creations. Our time in the kitchen would always start with him pouring himself a glass of wine and setting the tone with some neo-soul or Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love” in the background. He would take a couple of sips of his wine and throw his kitchen towel over his shoulder to begin, and then he would gather all of his ingredients.
He would dance as he minced garlic, sang as he washed and seasoned the meat, and even did a little bounce of his shoulders when the beat of the music dropped.
Since his passing in 2022, I haven’t enjoyed being in the kitchen like I used to. My knives have collected dust, my collection of reusable takeout containers has gotten larger, and dinners out have become the norm. Just chopping an onion, or anything for that matter reminds me of those moments with him, and I hate being reminded that he is no longer here.
But avoiding our favorite activity is just suppressing my feelings and forcing me not to think of and remember him — and why wouldn’t I want to remember him? He had the best laugh, an electric energy, and was creative, just like me. He was patient, funny, and an adventurer, always trying new things.
He wasn’t like a regular dad, he was a cool dad!
After he retired from the military, he went to culinary school to perfect his craft. He later started his own catering business called Freddie’s Fresh Start which would cater banquets, parties, and gatherings.
In one of our many message exchanges, he mentioned that he wanted to start a food blog. He had so many incredible recipes, and I am saddened that he never got the opportunity to do it. However, it got me thinking. Since cooking was our favorite thing to do together, maybe I could start a food blog in honor of him. It would help me to grieve healthily, and I could still give my feedback on his recipes by adding my own twist if needed.
So in honor of my father and in an effort to stay connected to him, I’m going to start cooking again the way we used to. I have all of his recipes in little notecard books, and I’m going to embark on a Julie & Julia kind of experience and cook through each of his recipes while documenting my journey.
I don’t expect to ace every recipe because my father was a professionally trained chef, and reading his handwriting is a bit difficult at times. However, I do expect this experience to be healing and not only will it be fun, but it will help me stay creative and force me to try new things.
My father expressed his love through food, and I miss feeling that love. I miss the extravagant presentations and the surprising pairings. I miss him, and I’m going to make his meals and view this as if he is still making them for me.
If you’re interested in seeing how this journey unfolds and want to collect some amazing recipes along the way, become a paid subscriber. As a paid subscriber, you will get access to all of my father’s recipes, participate in polls to vote for the next dishes, as well as receive herb profiles, homemade tea blend recipes, and more. Hopefully, this will inspire you to get in your kitchen and use your creativity.
Bon Appétit!
