two forks are better than one.
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 8:03PM 
Younger, thinner and newly in love.
Welcome! This site is dedicated to celebrating and inspiring couples who cook. There’s something deeply satisfying about cooking together. It’s one of the most basic expressions of love and the perfect activity for building meaningful relationships.
We know from our own personal experience that the shared preparation and enjoyment of meals can bring you and your partner together in many ways.
When Justin and I first met, neither one of us were particularly good cooks. We shared a love of food and a desire to experiment with different recipes and ingredients. Cooking-in versus dining-out became our date of choice.
I learned about him - he's an improvisational cook and way-too-good of a bartender. He learned about me - I like to follow recipe directions and nurse a hangover with processed cheese sauce. I introduced him to The Godfather. He showed me Blue Velvet. We both love a spicy Bloody Mary. Ours was a love affair created over many dinners and a few cooking disasters.
The kitchen has had a transformative power on our own relationship and blogging has given us a way to share that with others. We know first hand that when you cook together, good things can happen. Sexy things can happen. Tasty, yummy, delicious things can happen. Disasters and pizza delivery can happen. But whatever happens in the kitchen, it will be happening together.
As the Gastronomic Duo our goal is to provide inspired and inspiring content – through original recipes, by offering ideas that have worked in our relationship and our cooking, and by celebrating other couples who share the kitchen.
One of our most popular features is Gastrophiles, our profiles of cooking couples. To help you get to know us better, we decided to turn the tables on ourselves by answering our most savory questions.
Who’s the Alpha cook?
Halibut, green goddess salad, glazed radishesLori: I think early in our relationship, it was me. Not because I was a better cook, but because I was more focused on meal planning. I was the one deciding what we should make or new dish we should try. But obviously after you went to culinary school and started working in restaurants that all changed. Your skills far surpassed mine and now I think you’re clearly the alpha cook in our kitchen.
Justin: It’s interesting. Because I think I’m the alpha chef, but I think you’re the alpha taster. You have a huge influence on what we cook and why I want to cook good food.
Lori: “Alpha taster” sounded a little risqué – I’m glad you explained yourself.
What have you learned about each other through cooking?
Poached egg, sauteed spinach, sausageJustin: You’re Ms. Mise en Place, where I like to fly by the seat of my pants and experiment as I go.
Lori: If I make something once and I like it, I want to recreate it. You want to make it different every single time.
Justin: Have you learned anything about me?
Lori: You’re more improvisational and more willing to go off the grid.
Justin: Off the grid – that’s me!
Lori: The other thing – is you love to season.
Justin: Lesson one – season your food. Lesson two – stop seasoning your food.
Lori: Ha ha! You do love salt. Also, the more that we entertain, the more that I notice how much you enjoy sharing your knowledge and passion of food with others. You love to involve people in the process of cooking. It’s never a solo act for you.
Justin: I really do want to teach people how to make food and to care about where their food comes from. I am passionate about food, sometimes to the point where it alienates me, because I have strong opinions and I’m not afraid to share them.
Can you actually taste it when food is made with love?
Justin: Yes. That’s the difference between good food and not good food. Food made with love has intent put into it. It’s cared for. It’s not just about sustenance or just about enjoyment. It’s about both. I absolutely think love is detectable in food.
What’s your cooking philosophy?
A morel on one of our mushroom hunts
Justin: it’s almost cliché – keep it simple and taste your food. Nature created the food. It’s already perfect, so don’t mess it up. “Made with love” doesn’t start when you put food in a pan, it starts when you buy that food and with the choices you make.
Lori: I think the only thing I would add, is in response to some feedback we’ve gotten about our blog. People think we cook this way every night. And the reality is, like any couple, there are nights we have to divide and conquer. There are nights when we are just too tired and we order take out. We don’t have an unrealistic expectation that people are going to cook meals together every night of the week. That’s just not life. It’s more about – instead of going out to eat, or rather than having one person always make the meals – make it a shared event. Once a week would be a great thing for relationships.
What’s the secret ingredient to keeping your relationship cooking?
Mussels in white wine sauceLori: I think we both make a strong effort to stay connected, to always be communicating.
Justin: For me, the secret to keeping our relationship cooking is innuendo. I’m always flirting with you.
Lori: You are always making a move!
Justin: Just with you.
Lori: Right, good clarification.
Justin: If you asked the question, “what are the secret ingredients to our relationship,” I’d say unconditional love and trust. It’s like a good stock. You can’t have a good stock without carrot and onion. Our carrot and onion is unconditional love and trust.
We believe that cooking together = fun, sexy, deepen your relationship time. We hope you join us.
--Jd & Lo--
Reader Comments (7)
followed your progress on "Star", and even wrote to the network for them to pass my email on to you. My heart bled for you when you were being so down on yourself because of little education. I have learned (and I'm sure others have told you the same thing) that formal education has little and sometimes absolutely nothing to do with the intelligence, common sense, personality) and ultimately the success of an individual. Believing in yourself is key to success, as is surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Bottom line is (and I'm trying not to lecture or sound high and mighty, But, I want you to keep your chin up and don't let the pennys and Jylls of this world get to you. I've had a sobering lesson taught to me. After suffering a very severe stroke 2 years ago, leaving me completely paralyzed on my left side ( I was 46 at the time, I’ve had to learn literally everything again. It certainly brings you around, when you realize you’re re-learning basic things you learned the first when you were very young. I've always been a cook and a good one, a gourmand and foodie. ( coooking was a sort of coming of age for me, which I will elaborate on in one of my f future blog posts. I’ve always been active and vital. I went to University and studied Economics , I owned and operated a large family restaurant in a big tourist town in Nova Scotia with my husband, who is the trained cook( my only formal training came when I was thrown feet first into the kitchen of that restsurant.the family. I am a returning officer for our provincial Elections department and I'm a Justice of the peace and former editor/ journalist of two newspapers. Sooo, my point is, I guess, that you have to roll with the curve balls life throws at you, no matter if you're educated or not. While recovering and re-learning everything, I developed a new business complete with business plan, and started making plans to compete in a future "Star" season. I've developed the makings of two concepts for shows. ( I've watched and "studied each episode of star for the last two seasons. to help acquaint myself with things I may need to know when I eventually compete. I am also in the planning stages to go back to school to study nutrition and policing ( for possible future employment with CSIS.PLEASE, Justin keep doing what you do and keep up with what I'm doing with the love and unconditional support of my husband and family!! :)S,M.M.
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