Big news in the Mom-101 household, and no I’m not pregnant

by Mom101 on 03.23.09
in Uncategorized

You may know that Nate is hilarious (mostly) and a loving dad (pretty much always), a Redskins fanatic (sigh) and generally cool guy (I know he’s reading this). What you may not know that he is also a food savant.

He’s the guy who can stick his nose in a glass of Tempranillo and tell you exactly which berries are in there. He stocks more kinds of salt in the pantry than most cooks have herbs, and he would sooner slice out his own tongue than use margarine. Get him going, and he can wax on for hours about sriracha and salt cod and the merits of Rare Breed ham – just be warned that he may not stop.

His greatest fear in life is, perhaps, that his children will turn out like their mother and not eat pork chops.

Nate is, without a doubt, a foodie.

When I first started Mom-101, I described Nate as a fledgling comedy writer/waiter turned stay-at-home-dad. Three years later, he’s now the fledgling comedy writer/waiter turned stay-at-home dad turned retired stay-at-home-dad turned disgruntled waiter turned nascent food blogger.

And now, culinary school student.

Can I get a big whoo for men in uniform?

He started last week–the professional pursuit of his one true joy in life, with the hope that down the road someone will hire him to write hilariously and passionately about it all. I mean, come on. Name one food writer who can drop Mr. Show references at the same time he rambles on about chorizo.

It’s a massively gaping void in the food writing world, if you ask me.

I couldn’t be more proud. I couldn’t be more terrified that we will be poor for the rest of our lives. I am also a little sketchy on when we’ll exactly have sex considering I’m working days and he’s gone most nights for the next nine months.

So how’s 6:45 AM Sunday for you? Can we pencil it in before pancakes and after the dream about Charo wearing a giant emu costume in my high school bio class?

But mostly, I’m proud. Because if there’s one thing that the universe (and Gourmet Magazine? Ahem…) can never have too much of, it’s smart funny guys who know how to treat a stick of butter.

{57 Comments}

57 thoughts on “Big news in the Mom-101 household, and no I’m not pregnant”

  2. That’s terrific – go, Nate!Q-ster will want to come visit. Along with Obi-wan Kenobi, the chefs on Food Network are his heroes. I’ve caught him rummaging among his toy food, looking for the kosher salt.

  6. I don’t know what Motherhood Uncensored is offering, but I’m not jumping on that bandwagon, ok?Congrats to Nate! But, you guys do realize that he will be cooking WITH me the next time you guys visit, otherwise I may never be able to feed you again (I, alas, only have 6 different salts in my pantry).

  8. @goddess in progressYou and Nate have a whoooole lot in common in that sense. I think she is single-handedly responsible for his emigration from the Food Network to the Travel Channel.

  9. Way to go Nate! If there is any food show worth following, it’s Anthony Bourdain (in our humble opinion).I am married to a professional chef and the schedules can be hard – but the great food he occasionally makes at home make up for it!Best of luck!

  11. Oooooh, he looks so HANDSOME in that white jacket! I love chefs. I can only imagine what size jeans I’d be wearing if I lived with one. I’ve been wanting to be a pastry chef most of my adult life. Maybe I’ll be inspired by his journey through school. Or terrified. I bet we’ll see him on Top Chef one season. At least he’s not a jackass like Hosea. Good luck, Nate!

  12. I think it’s great that you are sane and brave enough to be okay with your hubby doing this. I, on the other hand, really need someone to do something that guarantees an income RIGHT NOW, since I spend my days twittering and falling prey to mommy-targeted marketing schemes.But, uh, can we have dinner at your house? I promise I’ll eat the rare breed pork chops 😉

  13. Oh you lucky little so-and-so. My ideal boyfriend/husband-type guy would be a chef. This also means that you’re going to have all types of yummy “homework” around your house, like fresh made bread. I can come overz?

  15. YAY NATE!!!Seriously, Kyle is going to be ridiculously jealous when I tell him. He’ll just have to live vicariously through Nate’s studies.

  16. I know that it’s SOOOOO wrong of me- but honestly, the only thing I can think of after reading your post is “mmmmmmmmmm chorizo”…. Congrats and good luck to your hubs!!

  17. My eyes are swelling with tears… oh, not because of this post, because pippi just shit again and it’s hooooorible… Thank for the nice words everyone, but why didn’t anyone tell me how much interest accumulates on a student loan BEFORE I ventured into a field that generally pays $10 an hour to start?And Motherhood Uncensored, we need to talk…

  19. Congratulations to Nate!!!I hope he enjoys it and that this is just a stepping stone on his path to the things he wants to use culinary school to accomplish. Good job!PS – Margarine is evil and clearly came from the depths of Hell. That is all.

  20. Congrats and good luck to both of you. Sounds exciting.Aren’t all children of the 70’s afraid of margarine?

  23. envious on all counts covered in mazel tov. when he’s done with school can you guys write/produce a traveling food show, please? i do love an anthony bourdain marathon, but i’d rather spend my sunday in the kitchen with you two jokers. so exciting.

  24. Congratulations!OK, there’s some slight jealousy, even though I know I haven’t the discipline for such a profession.And yes, Travel Channel over the Food Network any day.Except for Ina Garten; I still like her.Please share some of Nate’s stories as he goes along – if it’s OK with Nate.

  30. I’m not sure most people here will appreciate the ultimate irony of you partnered with a major foodie.I love it.Will he learn how to bake shrink-e-dinks?

  31. Very cool! Chris and I have secret dreams of going to culinary school and opening a restaurant…

  32. oh the foodie/funny ones are the best and rare!! tell nate that if he makes anything superbly awesome for vegetarians to drop the recipe this way, because my husband and i are always looking for new ones to try. though we are not by any means cool enough to go to culinary school. congrats over and over!

  34. Lucky Lucky all of you. This is exciting all around. Congrats to Nate.Just one thing. Pork chops? ARE YOU CRAZY? They are god’s gift, Liz. Really, girl.

  35. That is so awesome. My mom did this a few years ago. Also, I always feel weird leaving comments like this because most people are like my husband/wife, but I don’t have one of those so it’s usually my mom/stepdad. Anyways, she loved doing it and it’s kind of awesome living with a chef, because at parties at our house her chef friends and her always end up making really great food.

  36. Thank you all so much for the great wishes. (And don’t believe Nate – I bet he was actually teary.)@zandor I don’t have a husband either. If that makes you feel better. @sarah and the goonsquad we will take you up on that offer. Say the word, mama.

  38. how great! congratulations!my husband is equally annoyed with me not eating pork (i am jewish), so, Nate, you are not the only annoyed chef out there!

  39. You had me at Redskins fanatic!Way to go, Nate! That is so awesome to follow what love doing. While my husband often cooks and he makes an excellent terriaki pork tenderloin, his other specialties include Manwich and hamburgers. :-

  40. Welcome to the student wives club!* It’s exciting to watch someone you love emerging with a whole new piece of his identity. I know how great Nate (Nate the Great, right?) is and would CERtainly read anything he wrote about food. What a lovely partnership you two have. Classy, as usual.*My 60 year old husband,MD is now a 1L at Georgetown Law School.

  41. Sounds awesome! Perhaps he needs a food blog? I too pray my children don’t grow up not appreciating a good imported proscuitto. For now I am proud they eschew dinosaur shaped nuggets and canned fruit cocktail. And tell Nate that my kids got a bottle of their own sriracha in their Christmas stockings. Good stuff!

  43. Fantastic! Can’t wait to see him in print…because I know he will be there and by then I will be back to my love of hours in the kitchen, bottle of wine and lots of stuff everywhere making a creation recommended by someone that looks so good on paper I have to try it myself!I have a feeling Nate has that gift among his others.By the way, B’ham AL has some pretty good ones here if you ever need a southern getaway for a field trip of top cuisine. See Frank Stitt for one.The guest house should be ready in another couple years 🙂

  45. Any guy who can cook is a hero in my eyes. Congrats on the new venture! Maybe we’ll be eating at his restaurant someday?

  47. I am married to a similar foodie who almost went back to (culinary) school. The benefits are great. Even if I get sous chef duty and have to clean all the pots. Oh my god all those pots. 😉

  48. Congratulations, Nate. Don’t worry too much, Liz. My husband and I both work days and we still don’t have sex.[sound of crickets chirping]I’m pretty sure he’d agree with Kristen, though.

  50. You’ll have to let me know if you are ever in Seattle! I’d love to meet, and feed, the Nate. And, man, it must bug him that Thalia has such a limited repertoire. I know. I’ve got one of each. One adventurous “try anything” child and one suspicious-from-birth child.

  51. Woo! Congrats Nate! (And enjoy, Liz.) Yummy!Also, my word verification is “chant” as in: Nay-ayte! Nay-ayte! (Me chanting Nate.) Okay. So… yeah.

  53. A friend of mine who reads your blog saw Nate’s pic and asked if I know him…… he’s my classmate! Please let him know that I made the Duck Fat Tea Biscuits. That is all.

  54. Well hi there Gregorio! If you’re making duck fat tea biscuits I’d imagine you’re welcome over any time…

  55. Yay. For. Nate!OK, so I don’t know the guy but I’ll take your word on the hilarious and cool factor. But I do know something about ditching what makes sense to follow passion.I’ve done it myself and now similarly am along for the ride as my (begrudgingly) corporate husband is on the brink of making a major change (in profession and pay check) to enter the world of counseling psychology.I have moments of concern about the finances (to be quite honest, mostly as it relates to my ability to buy shoes whenever I want); on the other hand, I grew up in a family of 7 kids where we had two adjacent TVs (one with working sound, one with working picture) and health care wasn’t even on the table (seriously, I didn’t realize people even had health care until I went to college). And miraculously everything worked out.It no doubt will be a scary ride at times, but it also will be exciting. People deserve to have and follow passions. And I’d rather be poor (or somewhat short on shoes) and see Jon inspired, than see the look on his face when he comes home from another day at the grind.Congrats to Nate for making the jump, and to you for supporting him! -Christine

  57. So shoot me, I'm just catching up now. I did this too, about 5 years ago, with the intention of becoming a food writer. Due to pregnancy and real life, it never worked out, but I LOVED CULINARY SCHOOL. I have such fond memories. My husband, however, remembers only carrots cut in a million different ways…

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