Hey, Hi, Hello.
I’m Amy and I started my Charm City Cook blog in 2010 as a way to document my kitchen adventures. I started cooking a little later in life than a lot of people. In 1999, I took my first trip to Paris to visit my best friend Lia who lives there. Of course, the food blew my mind. I still remember my first escargot! Then, I went back in 2003 and 2007 and on that latter trip, I went down a food rabbit hole. Because I had started cooking around that time, I was much more interested and curious. France made me see everything about food differently, it’s hard to describe. But, after that trip – with the help of food television and my first few cookbooks – I began to try cooking lots more new things. I found that I really enjoyed playing around with flavors and ingredients, tasting and figuring out what the dish needs.
The more I learned, I found that going out to dinner was a lot more of an adventure. I nerd out! I will never be a full-on chef, but I have an appreciation for the work – every little detail. I love listening to a chef or a bartender tell me how they created something, it’s fascinating. I am so thankful to everyone in food & beverage who’s taught me and opened my mind. That includes everyone from chefs, farmers, brewers, food producers, bakers, writers…I mean, everyone. For real. I get to learn something new every single day.
Q&A
If you had to listen to one album on loop, for the rest of your life, what would it be?
U2, The Joshua Tree. I like albums that take you back to a place and time in your life.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not eating, drinking or cooking?
Sleeping.
What’s your go-to drink in a cocktail bar? Wine bar?
Vodka martini, up. Olives. Extra cold.
Dry, white.
In a dive bar?
Miller High Life.
The last text message you sent:
Love you.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sitting around a table picking crabs with people I love.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
That I didn’t go with the flow, although that might have been easier.
What is your most treasured possession?
My dad’s wedding band.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
The line at the post office.
Favorite food writing?
Gabrielle Hamilton, Blood Bones & Butter
What is your motto?
Don’t be a dick.
What do you love most about food?
That it creates a memory.
