Poor chef person of the month
Theresa Bolos
HI! My name is Theresa Bolos and I am from Upstate, New York, from a small town
called New Hartford, NY. I am 40 years old and have lived in Orlando, Florida for 9
years now. I grew up in a small town, so moving to Orlando was a Big Deal for me. I
lived at home till I moved here. Yes, that means I lived with mom and dad till I was
31 yars old. I had no reason to leave. My mom is an amazing cook and she makes the
GREATEST arabic food. Her grapeleaves are to die for and her tabouli is amazing!
She also never measures anything. She's such an amazing cook that she knows what
portions to use without even measuring! She taught me quite a bit about cooking, but
not measuring. LOL
My parents both are from Beruit, Lebanon. Back in the day they had something called
"arranged" marriages. My dad was given a photo of my Mother's "sister" and flew from
New York to Lebanon marry her. Well, when my dad got there, he took one look at my
mom, and married her instead! Thank God, or I probably would not be here and would
not be a part of the most loving, close family ever! I am the youngest of 5
children, AND the only girl! So my mom made me help with everything in the kitchen.
Which I enjoyed. I remember making my first cake, I burned it and cried! My mom was
so sweet and patient and helped me learn what i did wrong. Since she was so old
fashioned, I grew up with my mom catering to my dad (and the family) by cooking
every meal every day! She always said "a way to a man's heart is through hi
stomach". Not sure if thats always true since I am still single and I can
cook! HAHA!
I have 4 older married wonderful brothers. Between them they have over 20 kids and I
even have 13 GREAT neices and nephews. I have no children. My dream is to get
married, have children, and pass on my mother's "favorite" receipes. See, when my
mom came to New York, she did not speak a word of English! She also couldnt even
boil water! She taught herself to read and she taught herself to cook, and passed on
that skill to me. I learned so much from my mother, and her being so motivated and
determined, it made me the same way. I always cooked, but not like now. We ate out
allot or I made allot of pasta or quick "prepared" meals. (ones the store
prepared)...
What made me start cooking more and healthier was this. My boyfriends grandfather
passed away when he was only 59. Then when my boyfriends dad suddenly passed away
last year, with no warning, also at 59, it made me want to cook healthier. My
boyfriend has high cholesterol and we just were not eating right. Thats when I
started to try new receipes that were "healthy" and reasonable and good for both us!
No more heavy pasta and pizza and fried foods. I bought a new grill, and when I did
not want to pull out the Huge grill, I also bought a grill that you can use on your
kitchen stove burner. A great investment! I started grilling everything, adding
spices for flavor, and here I am now. Cooking each night a healthy meal! I do have
the "occassional" pasta, but I try to make it "wheat" pasta.
I also write poetry. Everytime we had a family event, my brother Mark is the singer,
songwriter, musical one in the family. I am the one who writes poems and recites
them for the family. Whether its my parents 50th anniversary or my dads 80th
birthday party, I am the one who gets up to receite a beautiful, touching, and
sometimes, funny poem. I am not shy by any means. I love to make people smile and
write poems to express my feelings quite often.
I can cook many meals for 7.00 or less. I am a server part time in a restaurant and
I chose that job so I can go home to NY each month to see my parents. See, my
parents are older and not well. My mom had many surgeries.. And even though the
surgeries did not help and she cant stand up without being in pain, she cooks for my
dad each day, every day, at least twice. She's strong and determined to make my dad
happy. And my dad's hapiest when he's eating. My mom had three surgeries alone in
the last two years! Nothing helped. She has bad pain in her back that goes to her
leg and toes, and I even brought her out here for surgery, but it did not help. Even
though I am sad about that, I wont stop trying to get a doctor who can help her. So,
I chose my job only because it allows me to go home every month to see my mom and
dad, and that gets costly, so I am on a budget, and make meals that fit that
budget. Life is short and i hate to miss a day without
them. So I learned to make some amazing meals, that are healthy and reasonable.
Here is one of my All-Time favorite receipes. And yes, it cost under 7.00!
My mom calls this receipe "Kefta and Batata". Kefta means "hamburg/beef and
Batata means potato in arabic. It was passed on from my mom. It's such a great meal.
All you need is this:
One large potato (99 cents)
One Onion (50 cents)
One whole garlic clove (40 cents)
One small package ground beef (2.00)
one small can tomato paste (39 cents)
One small bag of baby carrots (1.19)
salt/pepper/allspice (1.00 total for spices if even that)
Start out by chopping the onion and mixing it with the ground beef. Make small
ground beef patties. You can usually get at least 10 to 12 small patties.
Cut the potato into "slices", but not too thin
Heat oil in a medium sized pot. Add meat patties on the bottom and lay flat on top
of one another. Add the sliced of potatoes next, and then the carrots last. Add one
can of tomato paste and Three cans of water. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and
allspice. Cook covered on low to medium heat until meat is cooked, and the potatoes
and carrots are soft!
Serve hot! Its quick. reasonable and healthy. Its like a stew, but even better! My
mom made this quite a bit growing up and I love making it also!
Cristina Querrer
What is your nationality?
I am Filipina, Dutch American and Native American. I was born and raised in the Philippines and as an Air Force brat, grew up with great appreciation for variation, and adaptability became one of my biggest strengths. I graduated from Wagner High School in Clark Air Force Base, the same year my step-father retired. We moved that same year to his hometown, North Franklin, CT. Interestingly enough, not only did I grow up knowing Filipino cuisine, but my step-father, is second generation Ukrainian decent. So, I am also very familiar with Ukrainian cuisine from his cooking and gatherings at the Ukrainian club in Willimantic, CT.
Where did you get your love of cooking?
My love for cooking (though I didn't know it then) was rooted deep in Filipino soil. Every summer when I was young, I watched my grandfather and uncles come back from a long day of fishing and observed my women folk make some delicious meals from what little they had. Also, from growing up on an Air Force base, it was also multi-cultural. At an early
age, I was not pigeon-holed to one particular flavor. But Filipino cuisine will always bring me back to my childhood and to the shore of Legaspi Sea.
Was your mother a good cook and what did she teach you?
I remember my mother insisting I stay in the kitchen with her to chop up vegetables for meals as I begrudgingly obliged as a youngster and most especially as a teenager. But as a grown woman with children of my own, I try to regain that memory in the kitchen with her. I still call her up from time to time for family recipes that I never write down,
because it is the connection my mother and I have with our culture and that we still share.
What's your favorite meal?
All the comfort meals that are so familiar to me are my favorite, of course. But my palate has broadened with age and I don't limit myself. I enjoy Italian to Thai, from gourmet to home cooking. Different flavors and aromas to me are like the many spectrums of color and texture.
You also paint, what inspires you when your brush hits the canvas?
I rarely have anything in mind to paint or draw when I am in the process of painting. I let the process take me to where it wants me to go. That's why I am more bent towards abstract expressionism; it breaks the mold of form and structure, though it may look chaotic for most, ironically there is balance in midst of it all. As an artist that is the challenge to find that harmony, unity and balance. Just like in life itself.
Do you think there is a connection between cooking and art?
There is a connection to all art forms. To me, cooking is also a major form of expression. It is universal. To create is innate. Although, some are better in different art forms than others, and some choose one genre. As for me, if there is an opportunity to express myself
creatively, I will do it, and learn from the experience, as I share it with others.
You also make music, what's your goal with that?
I am a singer and song writer; though I just stumbled on the opportunity to create music, singing, out of all my passions was my first love, believe it or not, and one the last to explore. My goal is just to create and wherever it leads me, I will be satisfied to have done it.
What other passions do you have?
My passion is unearthed when I write, sing, paint, cook, and whatever I can get into, and manage to dance in between it all. It's where I find my authentic self. Without these passions, I will not be me. It is my wish that everyone can find this kind of joy, the joy of self-expression.
Are you going to teach your children how to be a good cook?
I have my children experience at an early age to be in the kitchen, have them use their hands, making messes, and in the end, partake in the richness of life: good food, good laughs with friends and family! I also try to teach them that food connects us to this earth. Though my mother and my grandmother didn't tell me in words, it was through their action of having me be a part of cooking, that I understood the importance of nature's cycle. Food is our sustenance, our energy source. It is something to be very grateful for. I think we in our society forget that sometimes in our hectic lifestyles where everything becomes a chore and a nuisance.
Can you cook a healthy meal for $7 dollars?
As a single mother, I have to budget myself, and what gives me great satisfaction is making something out of nothing, as the saying goes. Gourmet foods are nice, with the fresh and expensive ingredients, but home cooking is where it's at. It is my childhood and yours!
Cristina Querrer's Bio:
Cristina Querrer moved to the Tampa Bay area from Norwich, CT, to earn her Creative Writing degree at Eckered College in St. Petersburg, FL, with a minor in Visual Arts. As a graduate of Wagner High at former Clark Air Force Base, Philippines, Querrer has also served in the Army. She has published, performed and exhibited as a multidisciplinary artist. Her poems and personal essays have appeared in The Mom Egg, Field of Mirrors: A New Anthology of Philippine American Writers, Babaylan, Pinoy Poetics, Literary Well and Bombshells: War Stories and Poems by Women on the Homefront, to name a few. She is also the singer/songwriter of Symptoms of Life: http://reverbnation.com/symptomsoflife . She can be reached at
cristinaquerrer@yahoo.com and her art and writing can be viewed at
http://cristinaquerrer.blogspot.com.
Scott Gordon Jah Beanz Owner
#1 how did you get started in the coffee business?
I've been planning it for about 4 years. My wife and I were brain storming to find something extra to do. And we wanted something that mixed both of our cultures to leave for our son Jason.
#2 Why the Blue mountain?
Easy, it’s the best coffee on the Planet! The coffee is cared for like no other. Greenwich impressed me with their techniques that are old school in the coffee industry and the most important thing was they as I are dedicated to delivering the best coffee in the world!
#3 what has been the hardest as far as getting the coffee to the masses and what has been your greatest joy with the coffee?
It’s not hard to get it to the masses. The hardest part is educating the masses about the difference between our coffee and the FAKES that are out there. Watch for the word "Blend" it means fake. Our beans look like chocolate there is natural oil glistening off of our beans. The others look like wood. If you're going to drink Blue Mtn. at least be sure you're getting what you're paying for.
#4 what does your wife and child think about what you’re doing?
My wife is my partner and confident we do everything together she as I believe in this product after all it comes from her home. My son is excited and wants to be involved he really enjoys the idea that we did it for him. One day it will be his and hopefully his children will enjoy its benefit as well. And that's what it’s all about. We are blessed and in Love.
#5 where do you see yourself and your company in the next year?
Educating the masses about our coffee and fulfilling there need for this Treasure. I have enjoyed a descent living in television and in a year we hope to be deeper involved in Food Television. We are also planning to get coffee carts and Kiosks in some prime locations featuring our coffee and maybe even some Chicken Curry and Jerk sandwiches with our little twist.
#6 I also hear your one good cook. What’s your secret and what's your $7 dollar meal?
Man, I love to cook! It is one of my favorite past times we usually entertain on Sunday's. Nothing like cooking for Friends and Family. My $7 meal would be a Chicken Curry Salad with hot chicken. See you all at Jah's House.One!
#7 what have you learned about yourself since you started this path?
That I really love being marketing wise creative that I have strength and God really is looking out. Karma means something it really is revolving around those of us that have pledged ourselves to doing well. Just like the Poor Chef.
Thanks so much Scott and we look forward to many great things from you
and your company, to order some of Scotts coffee and view his new TV
spot you can visit his web site at;
www.jahbeanzdist.com
www.youtube.com/jahbeanzdist
To be considered for next month send us a email at info@thepoorchef.com
