Quarantiners were so excited to cook at home at the beginning of isolation – we saw many great recipes on social media. By now, most of you probably ran out of creativity and can’t wait to dine out.
But while our favorite restaurants remain closed, maybe these recipes from Parma will inspire you to continue to cook even more delicious meals. They are all vegan and made with their non-dairy parmesan cheese. A Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo? Yes, this is possible. You can still be in your food comfort zone while discovering new cuisines inside your own kitchen?
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
Noodles or Zucchini Noodles*
1 Cup Cashews (depending on how thick you want your sauce)
½ Lemon to taste
1 Cup Parma! (1 – 3.5oz bottle)
1-2 Cups Water
Salt to taste
Basil or parsley as garnish
Directions
Cook your noodles as directed. Blend the dry cashews into a flour. Add 1/2 the Parma! then slowly blend in water. Add additional Parma! to desired consistency and taste; add salt to taste. Put a portion of noodles onto a plate or bowl, add a dollop of sauce on top. Garnish with Parma! and fresh herbs.
*Zucchini Noodles – 1 or 2 Zucchini – use a Spiral Slicer for angel hair pasta or a Spirooli Slicer for thicker noodles, or using a wide grater, make long thin strips.
If you are using wide zucchini strips, layout the strip put a dollop of cheese on top, and roll it up.
Preheat oven to 425. Begin cooking pasta in boiling water. While pasta is boiling, combine mushrooms, asparagus, onions, a little oil/salt/pepper, spread onto a baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes. To make the Creamy Pesto Pasta sauce combine the basil, garlic, lemon zest + juice, oil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper in a food processor or large personal blender and blend until creamy. When pasta is done, drain all but 1/4 cup water (a little pasta water helps the creaminess), combine pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, onions, and pesto, sprinkle generously with Parma and serve.
On Parma! website, you can see more recipes and check out their products.
If you feel the winds of change blowing through NOHO, there’s a good reason. Christina Lucas is back in town.
Downtown was able to grab a quick chat with Christina about her career, vision, and tenacity.
Photo by Universal Admedia
Fresh off her multi-year world tour with insurance giant AIG –
Christina returns to Manhattan as an executive within Global Claims. It’s a role she’s undeniably suited for, having successfully led hundreds of people and managed multiple business units from Miami to Tokyo to Bulgaria, where she was in charge of over 500 multi-lingual insurance professionals supporting the UK and Western Europe. And everywhere she goes she brings change with her, transforming divisions to deliver groundbreaking results.
Bright and engaging, Christina is naturally drawn to the energy and diversity of life in NoHo. Slipping spur-of-the-moment into a table atAtla, waiting patiently for sushi atUchū, or shopping atDiPalo’s to prepare an impromptu antipasti platter for friends in her home.
Photo by Universal Admedia
When Christina steps out, she’s always dressed for success –
whether she is heading out for tennis, attending an art gallery showing, delivering a keynote address, or discussing global trends with business leaders. “A solid, 90% of what I wear to work is,St. John,” she admits. “But I feel absolutely inspired when I wearAnya Ponorovskaya. I feel like I can do anything.”
Photo by Universal Admedia
Apparently, Christina can do anything she sets her mind to.
Fearless and courageous even at the age of 8, she boarded a jet from Louisville, Kentucky, for Wiesbaden, Germany, to join her mother who was serving in theU.S. Army. “I knew that I wanted to be a global citizen, to be international and see the world,” Christina says. “Now, I’m so glad to be back in Manhattan. It’s the right change for me right now.”
Photo by Universal Admedia
Christina Lucas is Senior Vice President, Global Claims Business Performance atAIG.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics fromGeorgetown University, and a Masters of Information Technology fromAmerican Intercontinental University. She currently lives in Manhattan, speaks five languages, and is passionate about the arts, cooking, and tennis.
AASHI VEL AND STEPHANIE LAWRENCE Co-founders of Traveling Spoon, a company that provides travelers with private, authentic food experiences—from homemade meals to cooking classes—in people’s homes around the world.
1. Name three women who inspire you, and tell us why.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. For persevering through personal struggles in her own and her husband’s life, and for her dedication to the law and to ending gender discrimination.
Alice Waters. For creating an entire cuisine based on a philosophy of fresh, organic food that honors its makers. She pioneered California cuisine as we know it by focusing on the source.
Our moms. Both of our moms taught us that we could grow a family and a business successfully. And they are some of the best cooks we know.
2. What has been the secret to your success?
Hard work and trusting our gut.
3. If you were going to pass on one piece of advice to a young woman, what would it be?
Share your ideas and ask for help. Define what success is for you; it is a personal definition and does not look the same for everyone. Be passionate about what you do.
4. In the fight for equality, what area do you think needs the most attention?
An overlooked area in the fight for women’s equality is unconscious bias. From how we read resumes to how we interview to how we provide bonuses, we are often shaped by biases that have been created by our environments and of which we are unaware. I remember reading for the first time a Stanford study about how gender influenced the job application process. Individuals were asked to evaluate resumes (identical except for the name) for a job position; researchers found that the “Jennifer” resume was not only marked as less competent, but also was offered 13% less money than the “John” resume. We have an obligation as a society to reflect, educate ourselves, and actively work against these unconscious biases.
5. What are you most proud of in your career?
Getting started and staying committed to our mission and our company Traveling Spoon during the rough times. It takes a lot to take the first step in any big change. Creating a company was a big leap of faith that both Aashi and I are very proud of. Perhaps even more, it takes a lot to keep running a business. For all of the wonderful successes we have had, there are sleepless nights, a pressure to continue growing, and the stress of not knowing whether your company will survive its next financing round. We are truly proud that we are still going, and through the hardest times remain dedicated to our mission.
6. Where do you get your confidence?
We get our confidence hearing from our hosts and our travelers, time and time again—how meaningful their Traveling Spoon experiences are. To receive a review that says that we were the best part of a traveler’s 3-week vacation to Asia, from our host that they were able to send their children to school because of the income they received from Traveling Spoon or from a customer that they want to work for us because they believe so deeply in our mission—that gives us confidence every day to keep building.
7. What makes a woman beautiful?
Generosity. Joy for life. Love of family, and friends. Empathy and understanding.
8. What gives you joy?
SL: Perfectly ripe crémeux des cîteaux. Making my children laugh. Finding the perfect present for a friend.
AV: Eating fruit I picked from a tree. Sharing a meal with friends and family. Gardening.
Friendly reminder: it’s February, which means Valentine’s Day is the next thing you can’t forget to buy a gift for. But don’t fret, we’ve got you covered with presents for everyone from your best friend to your significant other. Read on for Downtown’s favorite gifts this season!
What’s more on trend that CBD gummies? These are the finest you can buy, with 20 mg per gumdrop and no artificial colors or flavors. This limited edition box features passion fruit and raspberry confections and is only available until February 14th. Snatch one up for your friend with pre-date jitters and another for yourself!
Let Bouquet Bar take all the guessing out of gift giving for you this Valentine’s Day. Their boxes include everything from flowers to chocolate to bath bombs, and they have ten holiday options for both the men and women in your life. The signature “Love Box” (pictured above) contains a mini-bouquet of red spray roses, lavender dark chocolate drops, sugar coated gummy hearts, caramel corn, gummy bears and a lavender scented candle. Plus, they’ve got free shipping and next-day delivery for all you procrastinators.
Keep your box of chocolates local this year with Brooklyn-made truffles from Fine & Raw. They are made with sustainable ingredients from around the world and come in flavors like sea salt, orange and hazelnut. For even more fun you can visit their factory in Bushwick to see how your gift is made!
If you’re looking for something hands on head to ICE, located in Brookfield Place, for some special VDay classes. Learn how to make French macarons or sear the perfect steak. If you don’t want to work so hard for your dinner sign up for the Champagne Gala, where you’ll sip on bubbles while learning about the history of sparkling wine and enjoying classic dish pairings. ICE offers couples classes through their recreational program all year long, so be sure to check out their other classes like homemade pizza and pasta.
The quickest way to end up in bed with someone is to gift them sleepwear! Ettitude, the luxury sleepwear and bedding brand that uses 100% organic bamboo lyocell fabric, has two bundles sure to have you jumping for joy. The Eye Love You Bundle includes two adorable, special edition sleep masks for you and your love, and the Big Love Bundle adds two cozy robes to the mix.
That’s right, we’re giving you permission to gift someone bacon for Valentine’s Day! Murray’s Cheese has tons of great boxes and baskets for everyone in your life, but we can’t get over the Bacon Me Crazy, which features three types of bacon adding up to 2.5 lbs of meat! Other favorites include the luxurious Burrata Lover’s Collection, the Champagne Lover’s Collection, which does almost all the work for you, and the Cheese Tower for Two that encourages you to skip right to the cheese plate.
Book a trip to Japan, for your tastebuds! Bokksu will send you a collection of Japanese snacks along with a tasting and culture guide to introduce you to the culinary delicacies of the Land of the Rising Sun. February’s Love Story Bokksu is filled with red, pink and heart shaped snacks to help you cuddle up and stay warm during the cold month. Bokksu and its CEO Danny Taing promote cultural sustainability by seeking out traditional, artisanal snack makers throughout Japan to use in Bokksu all year round.
Whether your celebrating Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day, everyone in your life deserves something sweet! Head to a Sprinkles location for limited edition flavors such as Raspberry Chocolate Chip and Stuffed French Toast or pick up a BE MINE or mini I <3 U box set.
This limited edition, non-vintage rosé is what we’ll be sipping on no matter what we’re doing this Valentine’s Day. The beautiful pink bottles can be purchased in a celebratory gift box, in a full sleeved bottle, or as a mini Moët. This bubbly is sure to make your night a memorable one!
Philadelphia and LA-based street artist Ambrella and activewear brand Spiritual Gangster have partnered up to remind us all to love ourselves first. The collection includes a muscle tank, t-shirt and hoodie featuring Ambrella’s artwork.
After the success of their in-store caviar lobster rolls, Petrossian and Luke’s Lobster teamed up for this extra special Valentine’s Day kit. Each package includes half a pound of lobster meat (enough for two lobster rolls), 50 grams of classic Baika caviar, 6 pieces of Petrossian fudge, 2 serving spoons, and a gift box. Why go out for this decadent meal when you can enjoy it in your pajamas at home?
Historically, Turkey has been the star of the Thanksgiving show — this year Breakstone’s is here to set the record straight.
In fact, according to a recent survey* conducted by New York’s own butter brand, Breakstone’s, New Yorkers cited they would rather do the following than have a Thanksgiving with no butter:
Almost half would rather give up a season of Yankees baseball
About 23 percent would rather give up wine and beer at their remaining holiday parties
About 17 percent would rather give up bagels for a year
Not to mention, last Thanksgiving, New Yorkers bought more than 4.7 million pounds of butter — that’s more than 18.6 million sticks!**
That’s enough sticks to run the length of the Brooklyn Bridge 842 times!
That’s the length of more than 1,863 Empire State Buildings.
That’s 1,191 times the amount of yards rushed by the New York Giants in 2016 (1,412 yards).
That’s more than ten times the weight of the Statue of Liberty!
*According to an October 2017 Survata online survey of 718 New York adults. **According to November 2016 industry data.
While women have made inroads in culinary education, professional kitchens and restaurants in recent years, the ratio of women to men across the spectrum from line cooks to chefs/owners remains low. In turn, the James Beard Foundation’s 2017Women in Culinary Leadershipprogram takes initiative to increase gender equality within the food world. Applications are now open for the program, with 20 positions available and 19 top industry leaders currently signed on as mentors; deadline for submissions is Sunday, Mar. 12.
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. The Beard House, as located on West 12th Street, will be hosting Women Chefs Rule on Feb. 27 at 7:00 PM. Downtown had the pleasure of speaking with Dirt Candy’s Amanda Cohen — who will be participating in Women Chefs Rule — and JBF President Susan Ungaro about food, working with the JBF, and what they have coming up.
More information on the James Beard Foundation can be found at www.jamesbeard.org, while Amanda’s popular establishment can be visited online at www.dirtcandynyc.com.
Susan Ungaro: When I joined the Foundation as President over 10 years ago, having come from being Editor-in-Chief of the woman’s magazine Family Circle, it occurred to me just how few women were being recognized in the culinary/restaurant industry, and how this did not reflect the diverse food world in which we live. I was set on designing a James Beard Foundation program that encourages women to break through the “gastro-ceiling.” Rohini Dey, a JBF trustee and founder/owner of Indian-Latin Vermilion Restaurants in NYC and Chicago was the first person to call the roadblocks for women in our food world “the gastro ceiling.” In 2012, Rohini and I spearheaded the Women in Culinary Leadership program, a paid mentorship program which helps aspiring women chefs and restaurateurs build in-depth leadership and management skills either in the kitchen, or in restaurant management and hospitality.
Who were the first big supporters of the program?
Susan Ungaro: Rohini Dey was the co-founder of the WCL program and first major supporter. When we developed the concept of an accelerated learning and leadership model, the curriculum was initially tested by Rohini and her staff at Vermilion. Rohini mentored the first WCL recipient, Eliza Martin. Support of the program grew in consecutive years after that. An incredible group of restaurateurs and chefs around the country signed on to financially sponsor the women and train them in their kitchens and restaurants. Among the first mentors were Christina Tosi, Momofuku Milk Bar, New York City; Elizabeth Blau, Elizabeth Blau & Associates, Las Vegas; April Bloomfield, Spotted Pig, John Dory Oyster Bar, The Breslin, NYC; Kevin Boehm, Boka Restaurant Group, Chicago; Kevin Brown, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Chicago; Tom Douglas, Tom Douglas Restaurants, Seattle; and Cindy Hutson, Ortanique Restaurants, Miami.
Susan Ungaro: I’m proud to report the WCL program has grown consecutively over the last four years, and for the class of 2017 there are 20 positions available offered by 19 mentors. A total of 28 Women In Culinary Leadership positions have been offered over the past three years, and of those candidates who have graduated, most have received job offers from their mentors.
The James Beard Foundation has expanded its commitment to correcting the gender imbalance in the culinary industry by launching another Women’s Leadership Program this year. The Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (WEL) program, which began accepting applications for the inaugural class on Feb. 15, 2017, is designed for female chefs/owners interested in growing and expanding their current culinary business. The program was initiated by JBF supporter Jodie W. McLean, CEO of EDENS, one of the nation’s leading private retail real estate companies, and will be supported by additional grants, including Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, a Founding Partner of the WEL program. WEL comprises an annual fellowship for a class of up to 20 women to attend a five-day entrepreneurship/leadership training program that will run from Sept. 10 to 15, 2017, developed with and hosted at Babson College. Targeted to women chefs/owners of one restaurant or food business, the curriculum will address advanced business and finance concerns related to entrepreneurship and expansion, as well as provide gender-specific training and leadership development. An emphasis on work/life balance and other cultural issues will also be part of the program.
In addition to the Babson curriculum, JBF’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program will create and administer a group of mentors who agree to provide expertise and career development support to the participants on an ongoing basis once they leave our business leadership program. Occasional in-person meetings and webinars will be encouraged throughout the year in order to grow a strong network of women leaders across the country. Members of this advisory committee include James Beard Award Winning Chef Traci Des Jardins; Ruth Gresser, chef/owner, Pizzeria Paradiso; Cindy McLoughlin, JBF Trustee and Partner with CohnReznick; JBF Award-Winning Chef and Trustee Anne Quatrano and more.
What makes a person eligible to apply for the JBF Women in Culinary Leadership?
Susan Ungaro: Women with a background in hospitality or the culinary arts and at least two years of relevant work experience are encouraged to apply for a chance to participate in an eight-month mentor program with top industry leaders such as Rohini Dey, Richard Melman, Tom Douglas, Mary Sue Milliken, Elizabeth Blau, and Gina and Linton Hopkins. In addition to generously financing the sponsorship of his or her candidate, the mentor designs a development trajectory at inception, which evolves depending on the mentee’s performance and ability. Monthly written reports and coaching conference calls with the James Beard Foundation are an additional way we evaluate progress and to provide feedback and encouragement to maximize the learning experience.
What are some of the New York restaurants that have placed people via your program?
Susan Ungaro: The 2016 WCL program is the first year that has included a New York restaurant mentor and the program is still ongoing, ending in May 2017. April Bloomfield has mentored two women in this class at her restaurants The Breslin and The Spotted Pig. I’m confident that one, if not both women will receive offers to stay on.
Accepting applications aside, what’s coming up for you?
Susan Ungaro: All of us at the Foundation are busy making plans for our James Beard Awards this spring. We celebrate the best of food media in New York on Apr. 25 hosted by Andrew Zimmern and then move to Chicago for our May 1 Restaurant & Chefs Awards Gala hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
Amanda, you are cooking at the Women Chefs Rule dinner at the James Beard House on February 27. What does it mean to you to cook with an all-female lineup?
Amanda Cohen: People might say it doesn’t matter, but it does. The food press has ignored female chefs for years, and there are a lot of us out there, so to have us all in one room, cooking at the same time, is a way of saying that we are not mythical unicorns. We exist in large quantities.
What do you primarily look for in a new kitchen employee? Are there particular skills? Is it the attitude?
Amanda Cohen: There are lots of things that I look for, but the number one is showing up. Seriously. Just show up. That’s half the battle right there.
Amanda Cohen: When I choose between my children, it’s usually the youngest who gets favored, and the newest item on my menu is my most divisive: the pumpkin pad thai. The noodles are made of butternut squash and they’re garnished with fermented pumpkin and pumpkin dumplings. It’s a lot of pumpkin. What divides people is the sauce. My sous chef is Thai and we worked really hard to make sure that the sauce was real pad thai sauce — not take-out pad thai sauce, –and that means it’s very sweet and very sour and very spicy all at the same time, and for some people that’s just too much.
What was the first restaurant you ever worked at in New York?
Amanda Cohen: I did an internship in the pastry department of Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill and it was eye-opening. I had to throw out almost everything I learned in cooking school and rebuild my skills from the ground up. I think I cried at least once a day.
When not busy with work, what do you like to do for fun?
Susan Ungaro: Escape to the movies — looking forward to the Oscars. And cook and eat simple comfort food at home with my family.
Amanda Cohen: Drink.
When not working, what are some of the restaurants you like most in New York?
Susan Ungaro: My favorite restaurant is the James Beard House. I think of us as the most dynamic place to eat in the city.
Amanda Cohen: I rarely go to the same place twice because I’m always trying whatever’s new, but a few places I’ve gone back to more than once are Anita Lo’s Annisa because it’s just a classic, and Jonathan Wu’s Fung Tu. We have all these Korean chefs right now who are getting acclaim for bringing high-end dining to Korean cuisine, so I don’t understand why Fung Tu isn’t getting hyped for doing the same thing with Chinese. [Editor’s Note: Fung Tu was recently featured on the Downtown website.]
Finally, any last words for the kids?
Susan Ungaro: For more information and/or to apply to the 2017 WCL program, visit jamesbeard.org/women-leadership-programs. Also, our call for culinary school scholarships will be online soon. Check out our website, jamesbeard.org, and sign up for our free e-newsletter, Beard Bites, to stay up to date on this exciting food world of ours!
Amanda Cohen: Show up. As a life philosophy I know it’s not the most inspirational but — honestly — you can’t get anywhere if you don’t even bother to show up.
