What to Bring to a Potluck: A Chef's Honest List
The dish that wins a potluck isn't the most impressive one. It's the one that tastes right after two hours on a folding table. What to bring, what to skip.
Section
Eat
Restaurants, dishes, and where to go.
The Best Gas Station Snacks, After Years of 2 AM Stops
Gas station snacks are better than they have any right to be at 3 AM. A former Brooklyn line cook on the roller grill, the biscuit, and who else is in there.
Is Cooking a Love Language? A Chef's Honest Answer
A chef on the cake he baked as a kid, why dry Thanksgiving turkey still tastes like home, and what a packed lunch from someone actually means.
There's No Such Thing as a Typical Colombian Breakfast
What a typical Colombian breakfast looks like depends on the region: soup in cold Bogotá, patacón and yuca on the coast, arepas inland, beans on the farm.
What Does Raw Milk Taste Like Straight From the Cow
What does raw milk taste like? Straight from the cow it's shockingly sweet, thick, and rich. My honest account from a year drinking it on a Colombian farm.
Late Night Dining and the Last Hour Every Cook Dreads
Late night dining costs the kitchen more than diners realize. A former chef on the actual math, the kitchen's side, and the rule he still follows.
How to Plan a Restaurant Date Night That Actually Works
A restaurant date night works when the room and the food do the work. A former chef on the cuisines that make it easy, the foods to avoid, and the small details.
Sunday Brunch Done Right and How to Spot a Good One
Sunday brunch done right comes from a kitchen built around the form. A former chef on the signs of a real brunch spot vs. one faking it, and what to order.
Restaurant Happy Hour and the Hour That Starts the Night
Restaurant happy hour is the hour where the workday ends and the night begins. A former chef on the crowd, the food, the drinks, and how to pick the right one.
Going Out to Eat and the Right Spot for Every Occasion
Going out to eat is less about finding a great restaurant and more about matching the right restaurant to the occasion. A chef's framework for choosing well.
Restaurant Dress Code: What to Wear, Tier by Tier
Restaurant dress code, decoded: what casual, smart casual, business casual, cocktail, and jacket-required actually mean, and what to wear to each.
Dining Etiquette: A Complete Guide to the Table
Dining etiquette explained: what table manners are really for, where they came from, how they vary by culture, and how to handle any table with confidence.
Business Dinner Etiquette: The Meal as a Test
Business dinner etiquette, explained: how to host or attend a business meal, from ordering and alcohol to when to talk business and who pays the check.
QR Code Menus vs. Paper Menus: The Case for Paper
QR code menus vs. paper menus: QR codes save restaurants money, but a paper menu gives the diner something a phone screen can't. The case for keeping paper.
I Grew Up With Filipino Food Even Though I Wasn't
A love letter to the cuisine that fed me for years at my best friend's family's table in Queens — the rice always on, 7-Up pork BBQ, dinuguan, sinigang, lumpia, lechon at Christmas.
What Does a Maître d' Do? A Restaurant Explainer
What does a maître d' do at a restaurant? The role explained: the day-to-day duties, the hierarchy, and where you still encounter one today.
Working With Mexican Cooks Taught Me Real Hospitality
What I learned from a decade alongside Mexican line cooks in New York City restaurant kitchens. The food was the vehicle. The hospitality was the lesson.
Skip Mother's Day Brunch: 4 Better Alternatives From a Chef
Mother's Day brunch is a chaotic ordeal. I worked dozens of them, and sat through more than a few. Here's why to skip it, and four better alternatives.
Why I Still Walk Into Bars, Even Though I Barely Drink
My drinking years are behind me. I still walk into bars. Here's what survives the alcohol, and why some cities have a real bar culture and others don't.
I Took New York City's Food Scene for Granted
I grew up in New York City and trained as a chef there. I didn't see what made NYC's food scene special until I left, and most American cities aren't even close.