Tuesday Night Supper Club no. 46 {featuring rook no 17}

happy august...i cannot believe summer is on the down-slide

it seems only yesterday i was worrying about swim suit season

looming upon us

truth be told

autumn is my favorite season anyway

warm woolies, early suppers, nesting

speaking of nesting

let me tell you about our feature this week

Jenn

from

do you know her?

you should

beside
 throwing a great linky party of her own each week

{a little birdie told me}

she is an incredible artist

both

in the kitchen

and 

out

last month

she contributed these 

zucchini and feta scones

so enticing

that i can be found (most days)

standing over my zucchini plants

whispering

please grow

i find jenn so charming

and i wanted to know more

i asked her these 10 questions

1.  Rook no.17...can you tell us about the name of your blog?

I’ve had a longtime affinity for black birds because of their intelligence, their social nature, and the way that they nest in groups.  When coming up with a name for my blog, I chose the Rook to symbolize the creative nester who enjoys the company of others of its kind, is avant-garde and deviceful and is drawn to shiny and glittery objects.  No. 17?  I’m a vintage and retro junkie and liked the way the “No. 17” gave the name an old fashioned apothecary-label vibe.

2.  Your sweet creations are incredible? Do you have a background in professional baking?

I've had very little professional culinary training, truth be told. I've taken culinary school classics in patisserie, garde manger, and chocolatiering, but don't have a degree.  I studied Art History at UC Berkely, had an interesting run with the Candid Camera television show, and owned an old fashioned country store with my husband for 8 years before launching my cake business in 2004.  The majority of what I've learned about cake sculpting and cake decorating has been self-taught.

3.  How long have you been blogging and how did you get your start?

I’ve always been what I’d consider a “creative dabbler” ~ gathering inspiration from the world at large and bringing it home to do-it-myself with my own unique spin and style.  In sharing my creations with others, I was so often asked for the recipe, or how I made something, that I sought a way to share my inspirations more easily and with a broader audience.  I conceived Rook No. 17 back in March of 2009 as a way to share my dabblings, experiences, and finds with others.

4.  You cook, you craft, you have a passion for reading...do any of them stand out as a favorite?

I’d say that cooking and crafting are part of the same passion – a way to use my creative energy to create things that delight, comfort, inspire, or make a little magic for the people I love.

5.  What is your least favorite food trend?

Hmmm…at the risk of making some enemies, I have to be honest and say that the cake pop trend doesn’t jive with me.  They’re adorable, creative, whimsical – no doubt.  What confounds me is the longevity of their popularity despite what lies at the heart of their fanciful exteriors:  boxed cake mushed up with tub icing.  This combination, robed in candy coating, lacks the balance that I enjoy in a dessert.  To each his/her own, but I prefer to indulge my sweet-tooth on a treat with different levels, textures and notes.  Sheesh…I swear I’m not a food snob. 

6.   What is your number 1 kitchen essential?

My KitchenAid mixer, hands down.  When it comes to tools, I couldn’t live without my candy thermometer or my collection of kitchen scoops.  The simplest essential – a pencil.  I take notes on everything I create in the kitchen.

7. What word or phrase do you hate to see on a restaurant menu?

‘zesty’, ‘all-you-can-eat’, ‘surf and turf’, ‘worlds best’.  I once tried the “worlds best burger’.  That story does not have a happy ending.

8.   Dream dinner party--guest list, menu, location,music

My husband and kids, my parents, my siblings and their families, in some remote corner of the world eating the regional cuisine with the family that cooked it, accompanied by Anthony Bourdain and set to the music of good conversation, laughter and the satisfied groans that come from experiencing exquisite food.  More realistically, I’d love a lazy day by the river eating really good fried chicken and Mexican corn, listening to Green Day.

9.      3 things always in your shopping cart

Kosher salt, bacon, good cheese.

10.  sweet or savory?

Savory (see above)

now you know

 why i am so inspired by her

want to know more? you can find Rook no.17 HERE

now it is time to see what you are cooking this week.  

remember, i pick my spotlight features from those who link up. 

will it be you? if you are new to the supper club, please go HERE  first, then link up

Tuesday Night Supper Club no. 46 {featuring rook no 17}