Navy is a Texan, baker and animator
Get to know Navy in this cook Q&A, and get his “Donburi (rice bowl)” this SATURDAY (3/3) and SUNDAY (3/4) on Shmeal! Follow Navy on Insta @mynameisnavy!
Q. How did you first learn to cook?
Navy: Born to an immigrant family, you’re often limited to what foods you can eat. My parents didn’t know how to cook American food, and that’s something I craved as a kid. I was maybe 9 or 10 when I convinced my mom to let me try. So we picked up a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese, and I followed the directions on the box, and that was the beginning of my love affair with the kitchen. I let my creativity and curiosity spawn from that experience.
Q. What’s your favorite food memory?
Navy: Moving to New York from Texas and having my first (of many a) lox bagel.
Navy’s “Shrimp and Grits.”
Q. Do you have a specialty or a favorite style to cook?
Navy: I enjoy cooking Asian food; there’s so much variety. But growing up in Texas, I am well versed in Tex-Mex and southern comfort food. Sometimes I like to combine cuisines into something new.
Q. Anything else we should know about you and your cooking?
Navy: I also really love to bake. People think it’s rigid, that you can’t deviate from the recipes, but I experiment all the time! You just have to do the research and make smart replacements or additions based on how each ingredient behaves during the baking process.
Q. What’s your best cooking tip?
Navy: Umami is everywhere. Take advantage of replacing basic ingredients like water or milk or salt or vegetable oil in recipes with things like condensed soups, harissa/tomato paste, anchovies, bouillon paste, nut oils, fat drippings.
Navy’s cooking “Donburi (rice bowl)” SATURDAY (3/3) and SUNDAY (3/4) in Uptown! Get your request in and follow him to see what he makes next!
By Shmeal
The Shmeal Team. 🐖💻