By Gini Dietrich
You know what I love about social media?
I get to meet people who live in my very city I wouldn’t normally run into when I’m out and about.
Kate Nolan is one of those people.
A former spelling team nerd (me, too!), she finds her way into the city for food, beer, music, art, and Manhattans (I’m discovering she really likes Manhattans).
But, let’s be real, the reason I like her is not because she makes fun of Sean McGinnis (hello, Skittles McGinnis!) with me or because she is obsessed with how many steps she takes each day or because she is hilarious. I like her because she’s infatuated with food.
In stalking researching her online, I discovered a food blog called Pig Pie Pint (say THAT five times fast).
While it hasn’t been updated since last July (cough, cough!), I thought her about page was really interesting.
I’ll let her tell you in her own words:
My culinary education began on Saturday mornings with the Frugal Gourmet (Jeff Smith), the Cajun Chef (Justin Wilson) and “Yan Can Cook” (Martin Yan). I’d like to be romantic and say that it all started with Julia Child, but it didn’t. In fact, my strongest memories of Julia on tv are the Dan Aykroyd version (and it still makes me chuckle). It continued with long hours spent watching The Food Network after college. Ina, Bobby, Paula, Emeril, Giada, Rachel, even Sandy… Am I the only one who misses her Tablescapes and cocktails? I’m not sure if it was the beginning of the celebrity chef or not, but it seemed that suddenly “Food” was every where, and I liked it. Every evening and most of my Saturdays (ok, Saturdays were spent flipping between Food Network and college football, but still…) soaking in all of the tips, tricks and butter. Then came the magazines: Cook’s Illustrated, Bon Appetit, Gourmet (sigh…), Saveur, Cooking Light, Everyday Food. Then came the blogs and, well, you really can’t throw a stick without hitting one these days, and here I go adding another one to the list. There are so many wonderful cooks out there doing their thing it can be a bit intimidating to start now, but I’m putting on my Big Girl Apron and joining in.
All of this is to say: I’m no professional. I’ve come about cooking through a combination of “What the hell, let’s see if this works” and obsessive research. This is my little spot on the lawn where you’ll find me playing around with my newest obsession, curiosity or craving.
So, ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to present Kate Nolan.
You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and her blog (which I think we should encourage her to re-ignite).