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Two weeks ago, I participated in an event put on by my good friend, Tarik, called Battle of the Chefs. This was the 3rd installment of the event, and I went up against a fellow friend/chef named Chris (although everyone calls him Diggums). The rules of the battle went like this: Both Chris and I had to present a dish prepared in 50 minutes to a pannel of 3 judges using all of the ingredients we picked. A week before the battle, both Diggums and I had to present a list of ingredients to Tarik that we wanted to us including starches, vegetables and proteins. We then blindly picked the ingredients... We each got one starch, two veggies, and one protein. I picked out rice, asparagus, carrot, and scallops. Diggums got bread, onions, corn, and clams. We also had a secret ingredient, which we picked up 2 days before the battle, that we needed to incorporate into out dishes. I ended up getting blue cheese and Diggums got sardines. As soon as I picked my ingredients, I started brainstorming about what I wanted to do. The most basic dish I could do was something like risotto with glazed veggies and seared scallops, but that was too basic for me, I wanted to wow the judges not only with flavor but with technique and presentation. I love Asian food and immediately though of sushi. I had already made sushi a few months ago on Mixin' It Up with Chef Tarik, so I browsed Pinterest for another idea and stumbled upon a "Sushi Stack." The idea worked perfect! It took me a couple of tries to get the recipe down right where the flavors and components all complimented each other and most importantly, I could get it done before 50 minutes. This was a picture of my first trial run: The components of the dish were as follows: the main portion of the plate was obviously the sushi "stack." It had a layer of crispy rice at the bottom, a thin layer of fresh mango, a layer of dijon dressed asparagus ribbons and a layer of seared, soy marinated scallops. The stack was pared with a carrot cream as well as an asparagus top and few pieces of carrot. The stack was garnished with a dollop of spicy mayo, white and black sesame seeds as well as a sprinkle of nori flakes. The idea was there but execution, components, technique and plating still needed some work... The rice layer was too thin, the asparagus just kind of blended into the scallops, the scallop pieces were too big, the veg on the plate was skimpy... It definitely needed more work. The second time around was definitely wayyyyyy better. The rice was thicker and more proportional to the rest of the ingredients. I didn't cook the ribbons with the dressing, instead I just lightly tossed them in the warm dressing before plating which allowed them to keep their bright green color while becoming pliable enough to put in the ring mold, I added a bit more cream and veg to the plates and kept these components on one side vs. on both sides: ...granted, I did forget garnish on this plate up before I took the picture, I remembered after when I had already dug in... LOL. But nonetheless I was VERY happy with how this plate up had come out. At this point I was ready to get my secret ingredient. I was hoping and praying it wouldn't mess up the flow of my dish TOO much. When Tarik picked my secret ingredient as blue cheese I thought "Oh god how the hell am I going to make this work!" I brainstormed with a friend and bounced a couple ideas back and forth. At first I thought about incorporating the blue cheese into the carrot cream but I didnt want to take away from the cream and overpower the dish, my friend and I both agreed that I would probably be best served if I substituted the soy glazed cooked veg into a raw slaw instead. I grated together carrots, asparagus and Asian pear, seasoned the veg with a bit of rice vinegar, salt and sesame oil, and right before plating, folded in some blue cheese crumbles... it worked PERFECTLY. I actually liked the raw slaw on the plate better than the cooked veg because it added extra to the dish. Warm, spicy, cool, fatty, acidic, all in one... Here's a short clip of my final plate up during the battle: Even though I didn't win, I am so damn proud of how this dish came out!! It was the first time I ever presented my SAVORY skills to my peers - Everyone knows about my baking, but people rarely know about my cooking! No one was expecting me to present something so intricate and layered, literally. I think the only reason why I didn't win was because my dish was a bit too complex for some of the judges to comprehend... how unfortunate... LOL. Regardless, I'm was so excited that everything turned out so smoothly and I cant wait for the next one! - Chef K

During the summer of 2016, I worked for a hotel/restaurant called Castle Hill Inn. I did my required externship there for my associates degree from the Culinary Institute of America. Upon graduation in May of 2017, I was offered a full time position at CHI. I never thought I'd come back to RI after college, but I didn't want to give up on the offer I was presented so I took it. I worked at CHI full time between the summer of 2017 and winter of 2019. Let me just tell you, what an amazing opportunity I had there! I started off as a pastry cook again, this time working dinner service, then eventually moved onto savory cooking, working in their more casual kitchen and from there, finishing up my time with the Newport Restaurant Group as a FOH staff member (serving breakfast to the house guests, working expo and running food for lunch, and attending room service orders). Working at CHI gave me such an incredible basis to starting my career as a chef. The ingredients and techniques were top notch, the service and care, unmatched. There was never any competition or negativity. Everyone there had a purpose and worked hard to show up as a part of the team. I am so grateful for all the people that I met and the connection I created while working there, I really wouldn't be where I am now if it weren't for the experience I had there. The thing I miss the most though, besides the food and the people, are the views. Those breathtaking sunsets and that incredible picturesque horizon is something I will NEVER forget. I swear, whenever I am feeling down or need a quick little getaway escape, I drive an hour to Newport, and it heals my soul in an instantly. Even during the wintertime it's absolutely beautiful. The way the snow falls and glides effortlessly over the ocean creates an image worth capturing. Rhode Island isn't called the "Ocean State" for nothing, but nowhere else compares to being up close and personal with the Atlantic Ocean like being in Newport.

When thinking of a name for my edibles line I wanted something simple yet to the point, with an emphasis on the professionalism and luxuriousness of the products to be featured. The whole idea of infused products came about after I graduated college back in 2017. My ex and I both had a passion for becoming our own bosses, we both loved cannabis, and we both shared a common interest for food. We thought, "what better way to showcase who we are than to brand infused edibles" and alas, Kronicles was born! The concept of Kronicles was to offer a line of custom-made ice creams and confections, all infused and highlighting our roots through our product selection and flavors. I am Colombian and Puerto Rican and she is Panamanian and Jamaican, and to us, our roots told our story. We put on an ice cream social (a tasting of our products) in May of 2019 and by the time the pandemic hit early 2020, people were loving our products! We had things like plantain ice cream with dulce de leche swirl, sorrel sorbet, chocolate chip ice cream sammies, guava jellies, coffee caramels, coconut panelitas... the list goes on and on. Towards fall of 2020, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity of doing a pop-up shop and then a few months later, were featured in an article of Eater Atlanta as an "up & coming small business". Unfortunately, the relationship I had with the person I started Kronicles with, slipped down the drain towards the end of 2020. There were many things we just couldn't see eye to eye on anymore, and even though we hired a mediator to help with managing our content, etc. it just wasn't enough. The loss of Kronicles was extremely hard for me. It happened during a time of major grief...I was also dealing with the impending doom of the passing of my father. 2021 was honestly one of the toughest years I've had yet. Sometimes I think about the fact that deep down, I intuitively KNEW that something big was going to happen. Nothing felt right towards the end of 2020, and now I know why. Regardless of the trials and tribulations I was sent forth to conquer in 2021, towards that fall I was feeling better and more like myself again. A friend of mine introduced me to a group putting together some underground cannabis events and she suggested I participate and sell products again. I was a bit flustered because I didn't have branding nor had I made any infused goodies in months BUT I reached out to a couple friends, got a logo made, stickers and business cards printed, and a menu curated. I was ready to get back into the game, but this time as LIQUID GOLD... ~ Creative. Professional. Luxurious. Absolutely Divine. ~ This past month marked a year since my newest SOLO business venture was created. I want to give a huge shout out to all of those who have supported me throughout the years and endlessly show love towards my cause. It's been a constant battle back and forth whether I should pursue this venture or not but at the end of the day, making food makes me happy. It's the ability to be as creative as I want to be, and to showcase products that people normally don't see, that keeps me going. It's the endless amazing comments and reviews on my products and the networking that keeps me expanding. Liquid Gold is a reminder to myself that everyone deserves a break once in a while and that's totally okay, but to never give up on my dreams and what I love. - Chef K

As wintertime slowly but surely creeps up on us, all I keep thinking about is summertime and the best things it brings - Cookouts and picnics, beach days, all the day parties..... ahhhhh, and most importantly those amazing and beautiful rays of sun! I know I'm not the only one who gets seasonal depression, and one of the only ways I help myself alleviate that angst is by reminiscing through pictures and videos of the summer months that have just passed. As I was scrolling through my phone today, I came across these pics of a quick lunch plate I made during the summer. It consisted of butter based blue fishaesar" salad, and roasted sweet potatoes. My dad literally raised me on fish - I remember being a little girl sitting down with these huge pieces on my plate, mashing the meat in between my tiny fingers to check for bones so that I wouldn't choke, just like he taught me to do. Some of my best food memories are around fish - mostly just eating it though because I never had the patience to actually GO fishing and catch anything. My dad used to catch EVERYTHING from blue fish and black fish to flounder, scup, even eel and crabs. He also had a lot of friends that shared the passion of fishing with him. This past summer one of his friends blessed my mom and I with a FAT ASS blue fish. It was about 30 inches long and I swear that thing weighed like 50 pounds. My mom butchered it into steaks and the following day I made this plate. As I was finishing up the first half of my workday, I brainstormed what I wanted for lunch. Of course, it had to be something quick and easy but flavorful and filling. I opted to make this butter based blue fish steak with a "caesar-ish" style grilled kale salad and some air fryer roasted sweet potato fries. I started with the sweet potato fries first. I peeled and cut my sweet potato and then I tossed it in some EVOO along with spices (although I don't exactly remember which ones I used on this particular day, I'm pretty sure it was somewhat along the lines of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika and of course salt & pepper). I lined them in an even layer in my air fryer basket and cooked them at 350f for about 15 minutes, until they were fork tender. In the meantime, I made my "Caesar" dressing. I tried to do more of a vegan version, using soaked sunflower seeds instead of egg yolks as the base although I still used some anchovy paste and grated parmesan for the umami flavor and cheesiness. After the dressing was done, I prepped my veggies for my salad. I thinly sliced a radish and sliced a few cherry tomatoes in half. I had some kale that I wanted to use up and the best way I like to consume kale in a salad is by lightly grilling it to soften up the chew. To do this, make sure your kale leaves are washed thoroughly. Warm up a cast iron pan over medium heat, drizzle a touch of oil and place the leaves right in the pan. You might have to do this one at a time depending on the size of your pan. I grill the leaves just for a couple of minutes; It's a very quick process as you don't want to completely wilt your kale, you just want to get them a bit softened I took them off the heat, removed the stems and roughly chopped the leafy part. I used the same pan to toast some pumpkin seeds for garnish right before I cooked the fish. I kept the pan on the heat, added in another drizzle of oil and then tossed in a handful of raw seeds. I sprinkled a tiny bit of salt and pepper to season them and then shook my pan to stir them around making sure they were in an even layer. They got some color after about 5 minutes of me consistently shaking them around in the pan. This is a KEY step so that they don't burn. As soon as I took the pepitas out of the pan, I lowered my heat a tiny bit. I grabbed my fish and patted it dry with some paper towel and seasoned both sides with s&p right before I drizzled another touch of oil in my pan and laid my fish right in. As it started to get some color, I threw a couple tablespoons of butter and a few sprigs of thyme into the pan. I flipped the fish and started basting it. Basting is basically a cooking technique where you're scooping and pouring the hot oil directly on top of your protein to help it cook while the fat seeps into it. As the fish finished cooking through, I mixed my salad - Tossed my greens with the veggies, some of the "Caesar" dressing and a bit of extra shredded parm. I ended up using a deep blue round plate for this quick lunch to help the colors of my meal pop. This plate came together in about half an hour, and it was absolutely delicious! The salad was refreshing and light - Just acidic enough to counterbalance the fattiness of the fish and the sweetness of the potatoes. The fish was perfectly golden brown and was just so damn fresh I couldn't get enough. The meat was juicy and soft and had a slight nutty profile from the browned butter it was cooked in. I probably ate this plate in about 5 minutes... LOL. This is easily one of my favorite meals to make - Fish with salad and a carb of sorts, most times it being either a roasted potato or tostones. I've since made the dressing a few other times and tweaked it a bit. If y'all are interested in the recipe for this dressing, let me know in the comments! Till next time - Chef Keyla <3