Press | Freshman in the Kitchen

May 9, 2009

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Thanks to FriendsEAT for the awesome interview!

Anyone who has gone to college is well acquainted with what used to be the Freshmen 15 and has now turned to the Freshman (or woman) 20. It’s those extra pounds that come on due to late night study sessions, sometimes a little binge drinking and the oh so fabulous meals made up of creamy chicken ramen, ready made stuffing, delivered pizza and dining hall murder burgers. Lucky for the new class of Freshmen (as well as anyone who wants to learn to make a quick and delicious meal on a budget and on a time constraint, Max and Eli Sussman have authored the cookbook Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef to make the culinary college experience a little more delicious, healthy and quick.

LAist interviews FITK May 5, 2009

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“I’m making pork belly tacos and fresh orange sorbet served in oranges,” Eli Sussman said, when asked what he was currently working on in the kitchen. The twenty-three-year-old LA resident and Detroit native has a passion for food – specifically making great food affordable and accessible. However, the radio promotions manager has no professional culinary training…which is all the better as testament to Freshman In the Kitchen, a cookbook he co-wrote with his brother Max, designed to inspire and take novice chefs on a step-by-step journey through the kitchen. The cookbook starts out with easy and simple recipes and techniques and gradually increases in terms of difficulty. Like many of us who spent at least some of our time in college living in a huge house with a bunch of friends and an often dirty kitchen, Eli used his first-hand experiences to write a book that a college student (or new chef) could relate to and understand. LAist had a chance to talk to Eli about the cookbook process, why it’s important to cook, the LA food scene…and their national debut on The Today Show.

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EDU in Review Interviews Eli May 3, 2009

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I had the great pleasure to speak with Eli Sussman, co-author of the just-released cookbook, Freshman in the Kitchen. As a recent graduate from Michigan State University, Eli knows a thing or two about what it’s like for college students to try to eat a decent (and economical) meal in between darting off to lectures, class, the library and the bar.

He and his brother Max, who co-authored the book, have spent years cooking in restaurants, summer camps and for friends and family. From line cooks to food runners, these brothers have done it all in the kitchen and they are anxious to share their tricks of the trade and their favorite recipes with you.

Just a few days after their appearance on the Today Show, we caught up with Eli to talk to him about his new book.

Where did the motivation come from to write Freshman in the Kitchen?

My brother Max and I have been in the food and restaurant business for years. We wanted to create a cookbook that was for anyone — the novice in the kitchen to someone who is very comfortable with cooking. Since we have been working in restaurants all of our lives and we’ve amassed a good deal of skills and knowledge between us. We wanted to share that with people in a way that is fun, simple and takes the fear out of cooking.

Freshman in the Kitchen is a progressive cookbook because it starts out with the beginner chef in mind and then evolves to involve more involved recipes. It’s really for anyone who wants to feel more comfortable cooking for himself , their friends or for their family.