Andrea Williams
It all started when I was six and my mother let me and my best friend, Martha, bake cupcakes and then—sitting on newspapers spread all over the kitchen floor—frost them with a bileous green cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar combo tinged with food color for St. Patrick’s Day; a revelation.
When I was in high school, I would pour over my mother’s cook books. I have that talent for “tasting” recipes before cooking. Yes, Julia Child was an early influence (so trendy), since both her show and Graham Kerr’s giddy offerings were at the peak of their popularity. I would compose menus, hound mom to buy special ingredients, and then put on elaborate dinners for her and my stepfather.
At the University of New Hampshire, I used to cook up meals for my dorm mates on two electric burners in our tiny closet kitchen. I also ran the dorm “store” (exotic fare: candy, bagels, cheese dogs) with my roommate, Jane. I worked in the Catering Department as my work study employment, making subs at lightening speed in the MUB, serving sophisticated dinners at the President’s House, and lugging beverages and sandwiches all over campus for various alumni events. When I moved off campus, I got a job as a waitress at Newick’s Lobster House on Dover Point in Dover, NH.
A few years later, I started my own small catering business (serving interesting sandwiches, salads and appetizers) where I worked as an Executive Assistant. Late on Sunday afternoons, I would shop for ingredients on my way home from visiting my boyfriend two hours away. I’d stay up late doing prep, assemble what I could in the morning before reporting for duty. I’d take an “early lunch” to blow home, grab the parts, and race back for flawless set up and smacks of appreciation. Much more gratifying than mastering WordPerfect and writing meeting minutes. During this time, I also applied to the New England Culinary Institute… twice. I could not imagine giving up my dog Cappacino. I regret not pursuing my passion, as I realize now the boyfriend would have been happy to be a weekday stand in.
The best “real” job I had was as the membership coordinator at the Hanover Consumer Food Cooperative in Hanover, NH. All day long I researched and wrote about food, organized and often conducted the food demos and cooking classes, responded to customers inquires about exotic/ethnic recipes and nutrition, and wrote about pretty much whatever I decided I would like to investigate. Ego took me away from passion, as at that time I thought success would come with a bigger paycheck and better title.
Since then, I’ve enjoyed seasons where I threw elaborate dinner parties for friends. Never formal, but always cooking things I’d never tried before. That has always been my favorite source of adrenaline. I’ve been lucky to have very good and appreciative friends; always forgiven the clunkers and praised beyond deserving for the successes. I’m in a lull right now, far from most friends and family. Needing a way to make food front and center in my life, this blog co-written with Roger was born.
Here is the thing. I do love to eat, but thinking about food, planning menus and cooking actually brings me more pleasure. Totally warped, I know.
That said, I love to try out new restaurants (and frequent favorite haunts), find new sources for great ingredients, and experience the joy of a great new taste… ethnic, spicy, sweet, and an unusual combination. So, travel, too, is a project of collecting good-tasting memories.
So, we’ll do our best to bring the best of New Hampshire eating and cooking to you, as well as sources for local, organic, new and just plain yummy stuff. We’ll also share our own favorite recipes and resources.
Roger Goode
Growing up on Long Island, NY, my interest in art started early, when I would spend hours poring over my collection of comic books. I would study and draw my favorite characters every chance I had and dreamed of becoming one of the artists when I grew up. With my first exposure to formal training in my early twenties, I was encouraged to try my hand at oil painting and immediately fell in love with everything about it—the scent of paint and turpentine smells like home to me.
In 1984, I realized a long-time dream moving from New York to New Hampshire. Here I found new creative opportunities in magazine design. Starting out with virtually no experience, I became an early adopter (read: guinea pig) in desktop publishing, and in a span of five years I had graduated to Art Director of two magazines, simultaneously. In the years since, I’ve worked on other publications, with an ad agency, and in marketing. All in-between stints as a freelance Graphic Designer and Illustrator.
Living and working together out here in the woods now, feels like we’re closing in on something that really works. Fresh Start Creative is a good fit for Andrea and I to exercise the skills we’ve honed over the years, and provide quality service to our “day job” clients. And to support each other in pursuing our other interests. For me, that means outfitting a corner of my office where my easel and paints can live.
