I am not a cook to say the least. For years I have stayed away from the kitchen out of a non-logical fear that Emeril Lagasse was going to appear before me and demand that I leave due to inexperience. I have actually left pasta to boil without turning on the stove, making the popular saying “I can’t even boil water” a personal truth. So, I’ve always left the cooking to others by convincing them that I should not be allowed in the kitchen for fear of breaking it or irritating it in some way.
I have gotten away with this for years, but then I became a mom and the kitchen was no longer a place that I could avoid all together. Yes, I admit I am guilty of preparing unexciting, prepackaged meals for my kids and when they have voiced their boredom, I’ve done the next best thing, gone out to eat.
Going to a restaurant for your favorite foods is convenient in many ways. For one you don’t have to clean the spaghetti off of the ceilings, and secondly, you are released from dish duty. However, it is also very expensive and ultimately not necessary.
Just ask local Seal Beach resident David Nunez who is the author of the book “The Appetizer IS the meal.” In this user-friendly cookbook, Nunez shows even the self-labeled cooking reject that there is a place for him or her in the kitchen too. His book is made up of twenty-seven delicious recipes that embrace the concept of eating appetizers as the main meal.
David Nunez started cooking when he was in college out of a necessity to save money. He discovered quickly that not only did he enjoy cooking; he also enjoyed cooking for others. Not only was this a great way to impress a first date, it was also a celebratory way to get friends and family together and enjoy each other’s company.
When he met his first wife Cindy he found in her not only a true love, but also a culinary companion. Instead of going out to eat, the couple opted to stay home and make some of their favorite dishes, most of which are considered to be appetizers. Together they created a menu that not only was pleasing to their palates, but also to their friends. The Nunezes spent their evenings on the porch with a glass of wine, music and company celebrating friendship and family.
This became a tradition that Nunez and his wife kept until she passed away from breast cancer in 2006. Before Cindy’s passing she asked David to fulfill a promise to her by publishing all of their favorite dishes in a book. This would be a way to share their love of cooking with others and most importantly their two daughters, Jordan and Sheridyn who are now 7 and 11.
Rather than preparing a traditional meal for his guests, Nunez uses a different approach. He prepares some of his favorite appetizers like chicken wings, smoked fish, shrimp and queso fondido and serves them up as the main course.
Finally, you don’t have to restrain out of an obligation to save room for the entrée because the appetizer IS the meal. This approach also has the benefit of giving one a more diverse menu by letting an individual indulge in several of his or her favorite appetizers.
When I met with Nunez, he gave me the most fabulous non-traditional gift; smoked chicken wings! He had prepared them in his smoker. Being a self-proclaimed culinary freak, I was surprised to hear that he owned his own personal smoker. Initially, I thought that this was something that a cigar aficionado owned and used. Nunez explained to me that if an individual supplies him or herself with a few basic tools that he or she could make food that he or she thought was only available in restaurants for a lot less money. Restaurant style food for a fraction of the price would appeal to any sensible “foodie.”
After meeting with Nunez and reading his book, I am not only inspired to become my family’s personal chef, but also to pursue my own passion, creative writing. He reinforced to me the concept that all one really needs is a few basic instruments, whether it is a skillet or a typewriter, and inspiration. For Nunez this inspiration came as labor of love to his late wife Cindy. Not only did he fulfill his promise to her, but he also is sharing his love of cooking with those around him.
Stephanie Gonshack is a Seal Beach resident.
