Me and The Spice Rack

I figure before we delve into recipes and other things (and by the way, our first adventure will involve Gravlax), I thought I would talk a little bit about me (and The Spice Rack).

I have been cooking for a long time. It is a place that has always been comfortable to me. A few years back, I realized that cooking was my destiny and there was no way to avoid it. It was then, that The Spice Rack was born (although it took me a whole year to come up with the name). I am a humble person, but I am confident in my cooking. My belief was/is that The Spice Rack could hold up to quite a few other catering companies out there. The problem was that I didn't want to just "hold up" or "compare to".

I wanted my dishes to both respect the ingredients and also be a true representation of who I am and what The Spice Rack is. You see, I believe that you should do what you love, and it should be a true representation of you. That said, I decided it was necessary for me to enroll in Culinary School. I currently attend the HCAT Institute at Anne Arundel Community College. I enrolled to pick up a few tips, but soon realized that it is a very serious program. And to my surprise HCAT has won quite a few culinary competitions (and that concludes my HCAT infomercial.lol).

Along the way, I received an Entreprepreneur's Studies Institute Scholarship, A Central Maryland Chef's Club Scholarship and I placed 2nd in the ESI business plan competition (couldn't beat out the bubbly math teacher). Long story short, as I approach the end of the two programs I am enrolled in, I see the difference in both how I treat ingredients, how it tastes and how it is presented.

The journey I'm on right now is to present food that warms the soul and is memorable to you weeks and months after the event is over. I want our cuisine to be reminiscent of the grandmothers and aunt's that we all have that cook that food we look forward to at family gatherings. I want our cuisine to play a part in making your intimate and/or elegant wedding an affair to remember. To me its not just about soul food, or Caribbean, Latin or Asian foods, its about presenting you a dish that you may never have tried or haven't had in a long time. In a nutshell, I want for all who encounter The Spice Rack to go on a journey with us to another region of the world, or to experience traditional American fare in such a way that you write home to momma about it!

That is who I am, what The Spice Rack is and what it will always be. Good food, Good People, Good Times and most of all... A Culinary Experience.

Welcome!

Hello again and welcome to the blogspot for The Spice Rack.

If you don't already know, my name is Jamaal Fuller and I am the Chef/Owner of The Spice Rack, an "Off-Premise" full service catering company. Our specialties include Caribbean, Latin, Asian and Traditional American fare. We have been operating for four years now and we are getting into our groove now. I'll talk about the history (and my history) of The Spice Rack in another blog.

The primary purpose of this blog is for me to open my world up to you and for us to share ideas and opinions. There will be instructional blogs and I also look forward to receiving input from and also learning from you guys. I am a humble student in this world of food and I always will be.

My hope is that through these blogs we can learn, share and laugh over a good plate of food.

I anticipate posting a blog every couple weeks, maybe weekly depending on what we're making.

Let's have fun.