by MAJID SHAVANDY Imagine this, you open up the refrigerator and take out the package of chicken and just stare at it not knowing what to do with it. You keep thinking and just don’t know what to do with it. You are burned out and tired of cooking the same old thing. Your family… [Continue Reading]
By: MAJID SHAVANDY Those of you “PULP FICTION” movie fans know about Samuel Jackson and John Travolta’s characters’ conversation about “Pigs”. Well if Mr. Jackson’s character had ever tried this ham he would ” Dig on Swine”. The story of Jamón Ibérico ham is steeped in mystery and romance. The ancient oak pastures of Spain,… [Continue Reading]
by: MAJID SHAVANDY Recently I had mentioned in one of my blogs that you can learn so much about cultures and customs of people around the world by looking into what and how they eat. So with that in mind I was thinking about some of the weird foods and I came up with a… [Continue Reading]
by MAJID SHAVANDY In harmony with the rebirth of nature, the Persian New Year Celebration, or Norooz , always begins on the first day of spring. Norooz ceremonies are symbolic representations of two ancient concepts – the End and the Rebirth; or Good and Evil. A few weeks before the New Year, Iranians clean and… [Continue Reading]
By MAJID SHAVANDY My mother is my inspiration for my passion and love for food. She is from Azerbaijan and married my father who is Iranian. She gave birth to five boys, of which I am second eldest. As a child, I loved to help mother in the kitchen. None of my brothers were interested… [Continue Reading]
Laissez les bons temps rouler! Or for those of you not yet versed in Mardi Gras lingo, Let the good times roll! That pretty much tells you what you really need to know to enjoy Mardi Gras, but there is so much more… It is rich in tradition, history, food, and drink. Mardi Gras season,… [Continue Reading]
For over thirty years, Majid Shavandy has had the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of Service and Hospitality industry, from fine dining to Tex-Mex. He has been a corporate trainer, manager, owner and operator of three upscale restaurants, and been involved in the gourmet grocery industry.
by DENISE SHAVANDY Two great culinary artists collaborated to create a magnificent meal at the Buffalo Gap Food & Wine Summit this year. Steven Pyles and Najat Kaanache brought their creative talents together to create items such as Compressed Melon with Nitro Mascarpone & Proscuitto Dust, and Lamb Obulato, Osso Busso-Cocoa Cappuccino, Spring Peas, &… [Continue Reading]
by DENISE SHAVANDY Homer, a cow & a pig made for a great day at TSTC Culinary Institute. For our Meat Fabrication class, guest Homer Jones, deftly wielded his knife in a 6 hour demonstration of fabricating different cuts from a half of a cow. He slowly disassembled the hind quarter, and then the fore… [Continue Reading]