Welcome to My Online Cookbook!

Thank you for visiting my web site! Instead of sharing some kind of verbose and lofty vision statement, please allow me to start with a story...

A 1987 Danish short film entitled Babette’s Feast tells the story of two sisters dwelling in a small, dwindling religious community in Denmark in the 19th century. These sisters, both very pious and austere (like their community) take in a refugee from Paris who agrees to work as housekeeper and cook in exchange for living with them. This refugee, due to danger in Paris, has been forced to cut ties with her past life, and her only link to the past is a lottery ticket that a friend in Paris has agreed to renew for her.

One fateful day, years into her stay with the sisters, Babette finds out her lottery ticket has won her 10,000 francs. The sisters assume Babette will move away to live in luxury, but Babette has one request before she departs: she wants to cook a “real French dinner” for the tiny community to thank them before she leaves. As preparations begin, the townsfolk grow increasingly excited and agitated to see all the rare, indulgent supplies arriving from all over Europe for this sumptuous meal. When the fateful day arrives, the town sits down to a meal the likes of which it has never seen; the finest, most elegant dishes are presented to them, and (as the story goes) Babette’s generosity towards this town of acetic, severe and even harsh people has an incredible effect. Hearts are warmed, old flames are rekindled, and warmth and joy settle in to replace distrust and superstition; in all, the town’s very soul is somehow redeemed through this opulent, love-inspired meal.

The sisters assume Babette will leave after the meal is over. However, they are shocked to find she has spent her entire winnings – all 10,000 francs! They exclaim that Babette will now live in poverty, to which she replies, “an artist is never poor.” The story ends with the sisters rejoicing over Babette, exclaiming how she will one day “enchant the angels.”

This story is a heartwarming one, and it illustrates the incredible power cooking has to bring people together. I am grateful that you found my online cookbook, and its beginnings, both in code and in cookery, are quite humble. Yet, my goal as I explore two new passions of cooking and coding, is to use these mediums to relate and connect to others. Just as Babette’s meal knit a community together in a transformed way, I hope my recipes online will help others to have that same impact. I know I find so much joy in seeing others connect over a meal I’ve had a hand in making. So, if you’re a cook, chances are you will use these recipes better than I ever could. If you’re a web designer, you’ll notice many areas for improvement on this site. But, whoever you are, I hope you find a way through this site to spread this same kind of joy to others; I know that even with my newly forming skills in these areas, I have something to offer – and so do you! So, happy cooking and (most of all) happy eating!