Keren Brown
Claim to Foodie Fame: Frantic Foodie, Foodportunity; Author, Food Lovers' Guide to Seattle: Best Local Specialties, Markets, Recipes, Restaurants & Events
What is your earliest memory of cooking? One of my fondest memories around food happened on a class trip in first grade. It was my first year in a French immersion school in my hometown of Montreal, Canada. Our class trip was to the "cabane a sucre," also known as a sugar house. We all huddled inside a cozy cabin and they brought out all different desserts and cakes made of maple syrup. Then they took us to the trees to see the sap that would be cooked into maple syrup. We threw off our mittens and scooped the snow into our hands which we ate with the syrup twirled around it.
What is your idea of comfort food? Risotto is comfort food for me. It is the kind of food that can only be made with love because it requires attention and constant stirring. Everything about it is indulgent; the taste, the smell, the texture, and even the sound of the name.
If you had to eat only one food for the rest of our life, what would it be?
If I had to eat one meal for the rest of my life, it would be salad. I have a tomato and cucumber chopped salad with cottage cheese for breakfast at least a couple days a week. I like experimenting with different vegetables and cheeses, and I will throw anything that is crunchy into my salads, including different chips, pickles, crackers, and lots of fruit.
Who first taught you how to cook?
My love of cooking started when I was in my twenties. I took a cooking class because I wanted to learn the basics. We made a roasted tomato salsa with goat cheese on baguette. I couldn't get over how sweet the tomatoes tasted, and it just motivated me to experiment with simple ingredients and learn how to make my own version of foods that I used to buy.
What is your favorite dish or meal to cook?
My favorite dish that I like to cook is a tomato-basil soup. I use sweet potatoes instead of cream to thicken it up. It tastes wonderful along a slice of toasted baguette.
Do you have a recipe or cooking tip you can share?
I have a tip for parents who want to include their children in meal preparation and cooking projects. One of the best purchases I ever made was a learning tower. It is a wooden tower that kids stand in so that they can help you cook. My 3-year-old son loves his tower and he will spend hours just watching me in the kitchen through his tower as well as helping me cook. He also has his own kitchen drawer with all his cookie cutters, a rolling pin, and mini pans. Designating a specific drawer or area in the kitchen is a great way to instill a passion for cooking in your little ones.
Photo credit: Seattle Times/Steve Ringman
