About Us

Our Mission: To provide a culinary education through creative writing, photography and a sense of humor.

The short version: As a cultural Jew, I self-identify with both eating and heritage. Eatsporkjew was launched with these two fundamentals in mind, and every post is a celebration of the intersection of storytelling and food.

The longer version…

What is Eatsporkjew.com?

It’s not your grandma’s food blog that’s what it is! Eatsporkjew is the embodiment of throwing caution to the wind when it comes to food, cooking, and the stories of our lives in between. We eat three meals a day (maybe a few more…ok STOP judging me!) and our food choices shouldn’t be squeezed through the narrow-minded juice-press of normalcy. We should listen to our guts more often. Our instincts should determine the food we make and the dishes we order. Why? What for? Because we only have one life to live and we’re living on someone else’s terms. Eat for you. Not for your husband or wife, or for the annoying co-worker who actually feels like a single Yoplait cup is a complete lunch. Now that doesn’t mean I think we should all be fatties. In fact, I judge people who are obese, because it makes me feel better about myself….then again, according to the BMI, we’re all obese so maybe I’m just someone who judges in general. Clearly I have things to work on. Regardless, everything does need to come in moderation, and I think we need to stuff our pie-holes with leafy greens as much (if not more) than our favorite fats and lipids. Some healthy foods can be just as delicious as the ones made from butter and bacon, right? HA! Do you do that? Make yourself laugh I mean? Good times. We just need to remember the joy that comes from a good meal, and how that happiness can have a ripple effect on the rest of our lives. Instead of reaching for the stars….eat them!

Why the name Eatsporkjew?

You don’t have to be a Jew who eats pork to be obsessed with this site. You just have to be obsessed with this site, everything else is superfluous.

Eatsporkjew is a philosophy. It’s the idea that no matter what dogma you’re subjected to on a daily basis, you are ultimately the only higher power that matters when it comes to what you put in your body. Our bodies are one of the few kingdoms we’ll have control of in our lives so Long Live the Queen! Old traditions are meant to be celebrated, but new traditions are meant to be made, and Eatsporkjew.com is a place where we can celebrate the diversity of food as our common thread. No matter how different you and I might be….we have the need for food in common…and that’s a good place to start, right?

Who is an Eatsporkjew?

An Eatsporkjew is someone who doesn’t count calories unless they want to.

An Eatsporkjew is someone who orders the entire left side of the menu, no matter how much of a little piggy that makes them.

And our dog Eddie (short for Edward Lewis) is an Eatsporkjew. In fact, he’s a tripple threat because he’s  black, Jewish, and he can dance…..and he’s a little bit of an exhibitionist, case in point.

About the Editor

Growing up in San Diego the son of New York Jews our kitchen was always overflowing with food. The flavors of bagels and lox, brisket, and chopped liver were juxtaposed with the flavors of chile relleno burritos, sushi and the fresh pasta from Little Italy.  I learned to celebrate food with family and friends at special birthdays, bar-mitzvahs, and brises, spending a lot of time cooking at home and dining out with the Friedmans (my best friend’s family who took us to dinner almost five nights a week).

I love attention and have often been called a “ham,” smiling from cheek to cheek for every camera lens I can find. Decades and thousands of hours of cooking shows, Bon Appetite magazine, Julia and Jacques, and the Joy of Cooking inscribed by my mother are my holy bibles and old testaments.

I went to school at UCLA and ended up spending seven years working in feature film development for some of the biggest producers in Hollywood. Before my soul turned to tar and I’d finished pulling out all my hair (thank god for Propecia) from the stress, I took a leap of faith in my two older brothers and moved to San Francisco, joined the marketing team of our family solar company, and fell in love. I moonlight as a personal chef to my partner Jonathan and am a pro-bono food connoisseur, aficionado, and live restaurant review concierge. I sometimes make people laugh (for free) with my snarky-mean-spirited-yet-innocent-and-a-little-racist wit.

I started writing this blog after hearing what sounded like disdain in my friend Shauna’s voice when she called me a “digital scrap-booker.” She said all my food-porn meant nothing unless I shared it with the world. And until I did that, I was just a scrap-booker. “The lowest of the low in scrap-booking,” she said, “because [I] was just scrap-booking in my head!” and then I think she cackled a little bit, we got drunk, and conducted an impromptu photo shoot of her getting jiggy with a giant straw beach basket (see photo below)

No baskets were hurt during this photo shoot. Can’t say the same for the souls of the humans involved.

Photography?

I apologize for any blurriness in my photos. I’m still getting to know how my camera works indoors and out. “I ain’t no professional y’all.” I use a Canon Rebel XSi that I bought used from my cousin Ronnie in 2010. He sold it to me the day after my older brother’s wedding. At the Sunday brunch. I call it my big boy camera, and it’s the first camera with a detachable lens I’ve ever owned. It’s great, and I’m sure Jonathan is happy that I bought it used for $300 instead of purchasing the new Sony digital semi-professional camera-set I almost put on my AMEX when I was in Boston for work a few weeks prior. Trust me, a used camera is all you need folks….unless you’re buying it new at Costco and then I think you’re getting a good deal. I love Costco! And yes, you will go through all those rolls of toilet paper. Buy them!

I’ve been asked if the photos are digitally enhanced or not. In most cases they’re untouched. In some cases I’ve used the color correctness and highlighting tools in Picasa. Nothing fancy, just enough to correct my poor lighting choices. When I photograph in a restaurant I try to call ahead and ask for a table in good lighting, but the hostesses can’t always oblige. So in some cases, I’ll play with some basic editing tools to try and capture the subject (whatever it may be) in a way that most resembles my perception of it in the moment. Because let’s be honest….as much as I’m taking and posting these photos for readers I’m doing it for me. “You must never forget!” All us Jews say that.

If you’re interested in using a photo from Eastporkjew.com, please contact us via email to discuss usage rights and permissions. We’re more than happy to give you whatever you need, we just like to know who you are, where you are, and what you’re going to do with our images. If we do decide to charge you for them, it’s going to be a nominal fee for legal reasons so just ask and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised with our response.

Your email should have “Photo usage” in the subject line, and please give us 24-48 business hours to respond to your requests. Our Contact Us page has contact information you’ll need.