Meet the Author: Ian Knauer

We’re taking it back to the roots with the author of our first ever edition, Eggs. While eggs are always in season, springtime gets us in the mood to turn to Ian Knauer’s recipes--dishes like egg tagliatelle carbonara and broiled Caesar salads with poached eggs. Here’s a deeper look into all things Ian, the brains behind this awesome rhubarb cocktail and our Eggs edition. 

What's the best cooking advice you were ever given?
Surround yourself with shallots and sleep in a bed of cilantro.

What do you think is the most common food misconception?
That gluten is the devil.

What sparked your interest in food & cooking?
Since I was a kid, I always loved cooking and eating. I think I might be particularly sensitive to low blood sugar, so I chose a life in which I am always near food, and then learned to love the process of it.

If you were a food what would you be?
A hot chile. A fatalii? Full of spice. Makes you sweat.

If you could have any two guests over for dinner, who would they be?
Living: Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Joni Mitchell - two of my heroes. Dead: Martin Luther King and Elvis Presley - same reason.

Even if it's hard, we're making you choose. What is your favorite recipe in your edition? Why?
Humm. I think the cocktail - It's a strawberry-rhubarb foamy drink, not the kind I usually like, but it's perfectly balanced and really good. 

If you could just banish any one food from the earth, what would it be?
I would never do that. I even eat things that aren't foods.

What culinary trends do you see sprouting that you hope will take root?
Preservation and fermentation. Love them both.

What is your favorite city to eat in? Why?
Titusville, NJ. (My cooking school is located on a working organic farm - we eat VERY well.)

What 3 ingredients do you use most frequently in your cooking?
Salt, fat, and chile peppers.

What was your favorite childhood snack?
Yocco's Hotdog - extra everything.

Are you team cake or team pie?
Pie. Pie. Pie.