May 01, 2012 - The First Entry

I see that at long last the idea that kept harassing me has finally materialized into a presence on Twitter and my own blog. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Bram, and this is my online kitchen. I'm twenty-six years old, I live in Toronto, I love food, and I've never written a blog before. This, in fact, is the fourth sentence of my first ever blog post. If you haven't already guessed, this is a food blog. So what makes me so trusted and qualified to write a food blog? Well, my mom's a great cook and I dated a chef once. That's about it! I have a career in finance that keeps me rather busy and happy. Cooking is simply something I love to do and the way I see it, why not have as much fun as possible with the things we love to do? Also, you don't have to be a trained professional to have a passion for cooking. We all need to eat and we all get our inspirations from different venues.

In 2008, I started a photo album of dishes I've prepared on Facebook. I called it "Bram's Culinary Creations". To date about a hundred photos have been uploaded and it has earned me quite the foodie reputation among my peers. I'd say my style of cooking is fairly experimental but the most common traits among my dishes are rustic, fresh, exotic and nutritious. I say nutritious with a grain of salt (pun intended), because though most of the food I prepare is reasonably healthy, there are always moments for occasional indulgence.

This blog will be a collection of kitchen accomplishments, kitchen failures, photographs, recipes, food facts, and inevitable ramblings by yours truly romancing and/or cursing an ingredient or cooking method. There will also be travel stories, mostly of a culinary nature, as I love to travel as much as I love to eat. I have been to many places in Canada, San Francisco, New York, Boston, all over Europe, and East Africa. In fact, I am headed to London in one month from today for a visit where I'm sure to amass some blog-worthy experiences. If you live in Toronto or ever planning to visit, this blog will have lots of great references for your taste buds. 

And so it begins! I hope that you enjoy the blog as much as I do. Visit often and stay happy (and fed!).

B

Follow me on Twitter for more meal madness! @BramLlewellyn

Charming photo of me munching on smoked pastrami at Katz's Deli in Manhattan's Lower East Side, 2011