We had planned a cooking date night for a few weeks before we found ourselves at Chelsea Market in New York City, browsing the fresh seafood station. Rows of raw fish, shiny scallops, glistening oysters and lanky squid were on display on beds of ice — but we were looking for the shrimp. Previous trips the … Continue reading
Let me start by saying that I am no expert on “real” Chinese food. I have not been to China, nor are there many sit-down Chinese restaurants in Buffalo that I have been too. HOWEVER, if I had to put money on it, I would say that Red Pepper, located in Amherst, NY across from … Continue reading
Easter might be our favorite holiday in the Rookie Chef family. Growing up, we would spend hours in the kitchen with our parents prepping for for the whole family to come over on Easter Sunday to spend time together with a great meal. This year, we ventured to our uncle’s house for dinner — with … Continue reading
Living in New York City is like living in the pizza capital of the world. Sure, we have the gold standard when it comes to thin-sliced pies that you can grab in any neighborhood in the city — but don’t count out Chicago-style and every other variety in between. You can get it all here. … Continue reading
While winter brings along delicious meals like hearty soups and casseroles, I’ve been craving something fresher. Summer salads, although usually saved for warmer months are a really quick and easy way to lighten up your meals when it’s chilly. This week, we made a Quinoa Israeli Salad — a chilled and healthy alternative for a dinner … Continue reading
“Why go to the same restaurant over and over again when you can go somewhere new and inventive in an area that has new restaurants opening left and right?” This is what I am constantly asking myself when making plans to go out to dinner. I find dinner plans to be the best and worst … Continue reading
So I am not GF or Vegan or Vegetarian or anything, but man-o-man do I love Snyder’s Gluten Free Pretzels. A few of my friends are GF and introduced me to these wonders. I don’t know why but they’re my new favorite snack for sure. They are crunchier than a regular pretzel stick and I … Continue reading
Ever since founding Rookie Chef in 2013, it’s been a goal of ours to talk with and learn from the veterans in the business — the actual chefs and professionals who make the culinary world their life. In our inaugural interview, we spoke with Joshua M. Smith — the owner of SATO, a modern Japanese restaurant … Continue reading
On a boring, mid-winter day, the only thing that might sort of excite me is the fact that in a few short hours, I can craft up a delicious meal. I found this recipe while surfing on Pinterest: Paprika Chicken with a garlic|butter|thyme|wine reduction sauce. What attracted me the most to this recipe was the … Continue reading
There’s nothing like celebrating the holidays at home. With living in New York City and most of our family in Buffalo, short trips home to be with family are my favorite thing. I can’t get enough of cooking together in a busy kitchen — chopping, boiling, slicing, broiling, baking, stirring and more. This Christmas, my … Continue reading
After a long day at the beach, while on our inaugural Rookie Chef Road Trip to Cape Cod, the foodie team and I were very excited about a nice sit down dinner in Chatham. Less than a 30 minute drive a couple towns over, we walked the quaint streets of Chatham ahead of dinner, stopping … Continue reading
This year was an exciting one for us at Rookie Chef. New eats, new treats and our first Rookie Chef Summer Trip, this year to Cape Cod — a spot we had yet to venture. The seafood, sunshine and beach were all appealing and we couldn’t wait to share our adventure with you. Staying in … Continue reading
If there’s one thing to know about Rookie Chef — we know how to brunch. Known as the “Little Poland” of the borough, Greenpoint boasts a solid restaurant scene with stellar brunch offerings. This week’s stop was around the corner in Greenpoint, Brooklyn at Anella. Labled a “New American” restaurant, Anella’s current menu features some favorites including … Continue reading
Sometimes some of the best places to grab a quick bite when hunger strikes are random spots you happen to wander into. Sips & Bites in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is just that type of place. A couple months back, the Rookie Chef crew spotted S&B down the block and decided to give it a try. The … Continue reading
This recipe might be the most infamous family dish in the history of Przybyla family cooking. My Dad (Chef Ken) was invited to compete in the National Buffalo Wing Fest for the best amateur wing sauce for five years in a row, starting with the inaugural festival in 2002. This was our family’s first real … Continue reading
Kathryn and I discovered the magical world of Vietnamese food about three summers ago when a colleague of Kathryn’s introduced her to the glorious, Pho 99 in Buffalo. Now this section of town is where it starts to get a little sketchy. Half of the time when visiting Pho 99, one might be worried to leave … Continue reading
We might be biased, but this stuffed pepper recipe from our Dad might literally be the best summer dish in the entire world. The easiest way to serve and cook these is to prep the peppers and stuff the day before, leave in the refrigerator (covered in plastic wrap) and then take them out of the … Continue reading
Have we skipped spring completely here in New York City? The beautiful weather this weekend seems to have erased the memories of 30 degree chilled winter days and skipped ahead to 80 degrees and sunny. We couldn’t be happier. Along with one of the first really nice weekends here in the Big Apple, comes all … Continue reading
There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal. With as crazy as my work schedule has been, that small luxury of cooking a great dinner has been hard to come by recently. But last night was different. A rare night off had me planning for dinner since around lunchtime. Making my grocery list, since I was clearly … Continue reading
This year Buffalo had one of its coldest, and most snowy winters in its history. For someone who doesn’t like cold weather or being outside in -30 degree weather, cooking is what gets me through. I had really been craving some tasty, creamy chicken pot pie and behold… One day when I was looking to … Continue reading
