Spring is SPRINGING!
and here's what I've been doing about it
It’s spring and I AM SPRUNG. I am currently very in love with life. The birds are chirping, the weather is LIT, folks are back outside. There’s something in the air that just feels like it’s all going to be okay. Plus… there are ramps.
And listen — I’m fully aware the world is on fire. I just can’t live in the space where the only air to breathe is clogged with smoke. There are some really beautiful things on the horizon for me and mine, and I want to celebrate them. As you’re reading this, unclench your jaw, let your tongue fall from the roof of your mouth, and relax your shoulders. Let’s breathe for a second.
I’ve been letting myself do the things I’ve been afraid to do. Try something new. Swap a little stability for planned chaos. Show my vulnerability. Be less than amazing at something and still share it with people. Those who know me closely know that I LOVE music. What I haven’t told many folks is that I started learning to DJ at the end of the COVID lockdown.
I read a quote from Questlove once about chefs and musicians, and it hit me right in the chest. It was something like: most chefs want to be musicians, and most musicians are aspiring chefs. I felt so seen. Had I not picked up a knife and apron when I left Delaware all those years ago, I could’ve easily stumbled into a studio instead of a kitchen.
Music has always been an obsession for me — almost equal to my passion for great food. Questlove also said, “I think it’s important to have an obsession that isn’t in your own medium.” And whew… that one landed too. There’s something about your art also being your means of survival in a capitalist society that drains you in ways that are hard to describe. Some days all I want to do is play with an ingredient, follow a spark, chase a flavor — and I just don’t have it. I’m spent. Spent on creating for others. Spent on repetition. And like I’ve said before: most of my best recipes come from my dreams. And if you can’t sleep, you can’t dream. (Insert reminder to rest well.)
So I’ve been exploring music in ways I never have before. Listening, curating, knowing every lyric, catching samples — that all comes naturally to me, like a perfect braised short rib. But creating music? Whole different beast. I hear great things in my head and have no idea how to make them real. So I’ve been practicing.
And y’all… I DJ’d my first public set this past weekend. A whole dance. I was nervous leading up to it, but the day of? It was fun. It was magical. Nothing to fear at all. Moving through and past our fears is important work. So on Easter Sunday, DJ YES CHEF! debuted. I DJ’d for strangers for the first time — outside my home, without headphones — and people really enjoyed my set. I had a good time. It was lovely. The theme was desire, which feels pretty perfect for Easter Sunday if you ask me.
Like I said: the birds are chirping, the weather is lit, and I’m ready for sundress/short‑sleeve season. The spring onions and garlic scapes are popping. Everything is new. Everything is at its first.
I also went to Sonoma for the first time — HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINE! I tasted a lot of great wine and ate some damn good seafood and Latin cuisine. Go off, Sonoma. I need to go back. I also got to spend downtime with my lady love. We wore matching outfits to a Babyface concert. On a Black love scale of 1 to 10, that’s a 45.
It was beautiful to explore together, try new things, talk about our love and our life and our future plans. Sonoma is GORGEOUS. A stunning trip.
Stay tuned for more news about The Food and Grief Project, plus food and wine reviews from Sonoma (why is one of the most memorable bites I had… a potato chip).