Who the Hell is Scando?
One person's war against overpriced mediocrity and disrespect for real food.
The Rage That Started It All
I got tired of paying for overpriced mediocre food in restaurants. It's downright disrespectful to the cultures who clawed their way through poverty and necessity to create these dishes. Once you've tasted something that transcends you, that moment where you stop mid-bite and just stare into space because your brain can't process how good it is, you can't go back to the garbage.
This site exists because I needed a place to share my love of food with friends and family, and to preserve the techniques and tips I've learned through countless hours of research and hands-on trial and error. If a dish doesn't create that moment of disbelief when you bite it, we keep working it. Period.
The Philosophy
I've always said that a chef's first cookbook is their best. That's the one built off their love of food. After that, it becomes about money or staying relevant. I don't want AI writing my recipes, and I'm not trying to throw up hundreds of banner and popup ads. That's annoying.
Most of my recipes aren't for beginners. They're a testament to the time and techniques needed to craft a final product. But that doesn't mean beginners can't get there. They need to get out of their head, listen to the ingredients, and respect the process.
The Origin Story
I've been cooking since I could reach the stove. I used to taste my mother's spaghetti sauce, then smell all the seasonings to determine what it needed. She was ALWAYS so pissed off that I messed with her food. It didn't get better once my family wanted my food over hers.
Before there was internet and Food Network, I watched PBS: Julia Child, Jeff Smith, Jacques Pépin, Martin Yan, Justin Wilson. Then in the '90s, Emeril came on the scene and Food Network was born. Great Chefs of the World showcased future stars like Thomas Keller, Bobby Flay, Eric Ripert, and José Andrés before they were household names.
Anthony Bourdain showed the edgier side to cooking. Mario Batali opened up Italy. Iron Chef opened my eyes. Even though I couldn't understand a word (this was before closed captioning), it showed me top-level ingredients and possibilities. I had notebooks filled with notes, recipes, and ideas.
The Business Years
I started my first food business in my 30s with a cookie manufacturing operation, carrying forward a childhood favorite shortbread linzer cookie that still rocks worlds to this day. I went further into exploring at Le Cordon Bleu, reading everything in their library and tasting at the end of every class. (I never went to school there, just worked.)
Catering came next. I said I would never do a wedding. It's the first thing I did. I wanted to bring REAL food to people, using it as a social vehicle to bring them together. I charged too little, gave too much, but I learned that I could shop, prep, cook, deliver, and clean an event for 100 by myself.
Today
Now, with the internet and hundreds of cookbooks at my fingertips, I'm drawn more toward 1970s cookbooks, or niche specialties where technique and grandmothers hold the secrets. The old ways. The real ways. The methods that were born out of necessity and perfected through generations.
Every recipe here has been tested, tweaked, and beaten into submission until it works. Not just once, but every single time. This isn't a blog. This isn't content. This is a collection of recipes that deserve to exist, preserved the way they should be: with respect, precision, and zero nonsense.
If It Doesn't Create That Moment of Disbelief, We Keep Working It.
Welcome to Scando's Kitchen. Let's cook something that matters.