A Walk Down Memory Lane w/Nancy Silverton

Weekend baking = Spiced Graham Crackers

In 1987, when I was a student intern at Scoozzi’s in New Haven, CT, I bonded with the Executive Chef over our mutual love of baking. Running the kitchen of a fine dining restaurant didn’t allow him to spend as much time with pastries as he would have liked, and I was being forced out of my comfort zone, working front-of-the-house. I was learning on the job, like the time a customer ordered a Rob Roy and when I told him we didn’t have that on the menu he snarled it’s an alcoholic beverage. Slinking back to the kitchen, my face aflame from embarrassment, I begged Chef to let me peel carrots or clean the grease trap. Really, I’d do anything if it meant I could avoid talking to the customers. The kitchen was, and always has been, where I felt most comfortable.

Chef remained steadfast in his belief that the whole point of the internship was for me to learn all aspects of running a restaurant. He knew I had a lot of kitchen experience and wanted me to spend time focused on the areas of a restaurant that were less familiar like balancing daily sales, ordering linens, counting the wine inventory, and gaining confidence with customer interactions including learning the names of cocktails. Sadly, none of these tasks allowed me to be proximate to the kitchen. When I was able to capture a rare moment with Chef, he would impart a bit of wisdom, usually about desserts, and often involving a tasting spoon.

The weeks of my internship flew by and it was time for me to head back to school in Michigan; my parting gift from Chef was the cookbook Desserts by Nancy Silverton. The first book in my cookbook collection, and one I’ve treasured for over thirty five years.

Scoozzi’s Restaurant in New Haven, CT. The restaurant closed in 2011.

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