As long as I can remember, the kitchen has always been a primary staple in my immediate family’s homes. The smell of Sunday sauce at my grandma’s house, made in a rustic, old cast iron pot that was passed down from her mother, was what we now think made her sauce taste like no other. I knew fall was in full effect just by the scent of freshly baked apple pie coming from my mom’s kitchen—oh, how my dad could not wait to dig in with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
I vividly remember watching my mom clean an octopus as a kid at Gino’s—her place of work for 18 years in my hometown of West Paterson, NJ. I was captivated by the fact that every single local would come back, some regularly, just to get a taste of what my mom was cooking and baking. I learned quite a bit of Italian from Johnny, the elderly man who worked the front of the establishment. Everyone always migrated into the kitchen as she was preparing their food, talking about everything. The same happened at home when she was always happy to feed all my friends and would be offended if they did not accept the offering. What fascinated me most about her cooking was that she never measured anything—I would watch her in the kitchen preparing food, in awe as to how she was able to do such a thing with the result always being 100%.
As I grew older, I, too, developed a deep love and passion for cooking and baking. I spent 14 years of my youth working in the food service industry at Francesco’s Restaurant, and the skills I obtained there I am forever thankful for. I would experiment with different recipes with my mom, always being my own toughest critic, determined to please her palate. As the years went on, I soon realized that I, too, naturally let go of the need for measuring ingredients with surprisingly great results. My friends would ask me for certain recipes, and I would be dumbfounded about how to relay the instructions—so I began showing them, which always ended up in laughter because they would never be able to remember by just watching me create my culinary masterpiece.
It wasn’t until I reached Boundless, which was exploding with creativity, that I thought I could take my role of Associate Director of Communications a step further and develop a project that I thought my fellow coworkers would enjoy: an agency cookbook to gift to clients during the holiday season. My idea was well received, and I began collaborating with my manager and the creative team to get this project up and running. The result is a unique and diverse culinary masterpiece of all our favorite recipes. Food is the universal love language, no matter the culture, and I do believe it is what brings people together. I hope you all enjoy what Boundless has cooking in the kitchen!
