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Taste Curator

904-290-6924 | mimi@tastecurator.com

PO Box 2922
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32204

130 Corridor Rd # 2922
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32204

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It is because of the “#me too” movement that exposed a culture of bad behavior men who had been perpetually done wrong things to women for a long time, and would have gotten away with it had the movement not put a stop to it. This not only punished these men justifiably for what they had done, but may prevent other men from abusing and mistreating women in the future. As a mom with a millennial daughter who just entered the work force, I’m extremely grateful for what this movement has done to this and future generations. If you have daughters, granddaughters, nieces, aunts, you have to appreciate the “me too” because it will benefit all women in their personal lives or in the work force for generations to come. **
And now with the horrific death of Mr. #georgefloyd, many Americans are “#woke” to the ugly truth of not only #policebrutality but unspeakable racist acts against the black community. We’re starting to see positive changes everywhere, people are being more sensitive to their own behavior, corporations are taking a stand to openly support #BLM, celebrities are donating large sums to organizations that support causes for justice and the black community. **
And with the latest lawsuit from #gabrielleunion (one of my fave actresses) against Simon Cowart and NBC for “racist actions” during her time on “America Got Talent”, I can see this lawsuit as the first of many to follow, to expose companies/individuals/organizations of past racist behaviors to bring justice to victims of racism who, like the “me too” victims, may not have come forward had it not been for the many victims before them who came forward. There is strength in numbers and there is no time better than now to make history with actions, not just words, to not make Mr. Floyd’s death be in vain, and turn this tragedy into something good, similar to the “me too” movement. I’m not naive enough to think that any action would end racism altogether. But consequences and punishments for racist acts are a good start towards preventing more tragedies like this from happening again. Just remember, silence and inaction empower racism. Speak up.

Even for busy healthcare workers at Mayo Jacksonville, some still found the time to show solidarity through their “White Coats for Black Lives” unofficial, impromptu session today. Big corporations and institutions like this used to stay neutral at controversial current events. But for the first time, we’re seeing so many of them speaking out and taking a stand. It gives me a lot of hope in this dark time. A Mayo physician wrote this on his social media “Today, I joined my colleagues at Mayo Clinic Florida in a moment of silent protest. We want to acknowledge and show our sadness with what is going on in the US. Even more, we want to stand with our brothers and sisters to protest police brutality, racial discrimination and violence. We refuse to be complicit by being silent when our brothers and sisters are brutalized for standing up for what is just and right.” #WC4BL, #whitecoatsforblacklives #justiceforfloyd

This evening’s “Beaches Display of Unity” was as peaceful & powerful as can be, as hundreds came out to show solidarity for change & justice. We wore masks, and so did a lot of folks, and sat at least 6 ft away from each other. When I shared the flier on my IG earlier, a couple of folks criticized me for not practicing what I preached about social distancing, so hear me out. Yes I’ve been advocating social distancing (I still do), but if the economy opens up everywhere whether I like it or not, and folks think it’s safe enough to go out to eat (something we all love but is not a necessity), then why can’t we be out in the huge open air with masks on & keep our distances, to do something much more meaningful? ** I want to make it clear that my support of this event does not mean I don’t support law enforcement. I’m just against police brutality & racial injustice. Here are the facts: 1) An independently compiled database found that more than 1,000 unarmed people died as a result of police harm in 2019 (US News). 2) Most states’ police forces killed black people at a 2.5X higher rate per capita than white people (Statisca.com) 3) Minneapolis Police use force against black people at 7X the rate of whites (NY Times). 4) Getting killed by police is a leading cause of death for young black men in America (LA Times). 5) Complaints about police are not always looked into — Chauvin had 18 complaints against him, but nothing was done, until now. 6) 99% of police killings weren’t even charged, much less convicted (Mapping Police Violence)
** The numerous protests across the nation are about Mr. Floyd’s killing but also about decades of frustration over rampant police brutality that seems to have no consequences. We can’t erase the past, but moving forward, we have to be unapologetically ANTIRACIST and commit to CHANGE. “One either allows racial inequities to persevere as a racist, or confronts racial inequities as an antiracist. There is no in-between safe space of ‘not racist’. The claim of ‘not racist’ neutrality is a mask for racism” Ibram Kendi

If you live in Jacksonville, come and show solidarity at this “display of unity” event. So what if it rains folks. Our family will bring umbrellas 😘

Look at what Amazon is doing to protect their employees and shoppers, as well as their outlined actions to support Black Lives Matter. Look, I know there has been talk about Amazon’s mistreatment of their employees in the past, and some may say Amazon’s recent claim of solidarity with BLM was just a PR ploy. Amazon may not have given its warehouse employees enough toilet breaks, but companies can change and improve, right? And although Amazon’s profits from the latest quarter was up 26 percent from a year earlier, but “profit fell 29 percent, to $2.5 billion, worse than expected, because it cost more to meet the increased customer demand” (according to a NY Times article). **
The company didn’t have to donate $10M to organizations supporting justice and equity, when their products delivery cost and the cost to keep their workers safe are all taking a big bite out of the company’s profits.
**
Amazon is not perfect, but at least they are trying to be better. Let’s encourage companies that show improvements instead of condemning them for their past mistakes or accusing them of jumping on the band wagon of Mr. Floyd’s tragic death as a PR ploy. I say don’t feel guilty about all your online shopping at Amazon. Shop away!

We’re in a sad, sad time right now, but there is a silver lining everywhere. Look at the massive protesters in France are doing today, marching for justice. 👏👊👍❤️

👊😢😡😭🤛 #blackouttuesday #floyd #walkwithus #georgefloyd #icantbreathe

“Xôi” is one of the most common Vietnamese comfort foods, and can be made savory or sweet. The base is just glutinous sticky rice but the add-ons are endless: with yellow mung bean (“xôi vò”), with bright red baby jack fruit powder and coconut (“xôi gấc”), with shredded chicken and fried onions (“xôi gà”), with mung bean and hominy (“xôi bắp”), with pandan and coconut (“xôi lá dứa), with Chinese sausage “xôi lạp xưởng”, etc. One of my fave childhood memories was waking up to the delicious smell of frying “lạp xưởng“ (Chinese sausage) and chives in hot oil poured on sticky rice with a few drops of Maggi seasoning as our breakfast. Irresistible!
So this is my way of honoring “xôi lạp xưởng”, by forming a ball of cooked sticky rice mixed in Maggie, chopped Chinese sausage, mushroom & kale. But here is where my creativity went to town: I wrapped the sticky rice ball concoction in chicken skin and twisted the ends to close it up tightly. Turned the ball over to leave all that tucking at the bottom, showing a smooth surfaced ball. Sprinkled the top with sea salt & pepper & baked at 350 for 40 min. Then took it out and brushed a sage leave on top with eggwash and baked for another 5 min or so. ** “Xôi lạp xưởng” is so good already, but when you wrap it in chicken skin to crispen it in the oven, OMG, it’s “xôi” on a whole new level! (It’s also my Vietnamese version of a Japanese onigiri). So damn good!

Know what this veg is? It’s caulilini and that’s their natural bright colors after you roast them, no filter (just good lighting). So pretty and super delicious. It’s cauliflower but with better flavor and its stems are more tender, the whole thing soaks up your seasoning very well. Here’s a sauce recipe to pour over roasted caulilini that everybody in the family will love. You can get the caulilini at Trader Joe’s and the asian ingredients at most Asian grocery. ## 1/2 tsp chicken powder (dissolve in 1 tsp of hot water)
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp maggi seasoning sauce
1 tsp (or more) brown sugar (or replace with agave nectar to make it healthier)
1 tsp oyster sauce
1) Cut caulilini & rub in olive oil 2) roast at 425F for 10 min. Mix the ingredients above and pour onto the caulilini after roasted. But taste the sauce first and adjust according to your own preference (add more brown sugar if you want it more sweet or more water if you want it less salty, and add chili powder if you want some kick. I sometimes add turmeric powder for health purpose). You may not need all the sauce, so pour enough to lightly coat the roasted caulilini and save the rest in fridge for next batch. Let me know how it turns out. BTW, don’t throw away the stems. Trim the caulinini, but also chop the stems into little pieces and throw them into the mix before roasting. The Trader Joe’s bag of caulilini has already been cored and cut so this is a no waste veg bag.

The best empanada I’ve ever had was in El Calafate in Patagonia, Argentina. But empanadas pretty much kick ass everywhere in Agentina. I like the fact that they sometimes put a wedge of boiled egg or olive inside, and it’s almost always served with chimichurri sauce on the side. Remember that Miracle Whip commercial in the 80s, where the tag line was “a sandwich just isn’t a sandwich without Miracle Whip”? Well, I feel the same that an empanada just isn’t an #empanada without #chimichurri sauce.

I haven’t made empanadas in many years, but I remember distinctively each time I made them, because the compliments were so off the chart (such as “you should sell these” and “I’m not even hungry and I can’t stop eating your empanadas”). Mine are always baked, but when they’re this good, you don’t need to fry them. This time I made them bite sized, so you could just pop the whole thing in your mouth, no utensils needed. And of course, gotta have #chimichurrisauce.

Who says you have to sacrifice taste to eat healthy? Here’s a pasta dish that your body and taste bud will thank you. #spaghetti with #redclam sauce and kale meat balls. I don’t like a lot of sauce in my spaghetti so I added just enough sauce to coat the pasta. I used the juice from the baked meatballs as a base for the sauce, browned some minced onion and garlic, added clam juice, a heap of canned tomato paste, and I added this to my seasoning for that extra oomph: #nutritionalyeast seasoning (at Publix) that is not only is loaded with vitamins but has this umami taste similar to cheese. Vegans use this to replace cheese, and I can see why. It makes any pasta dish tastes better, and so good for you. Add it to your scramble egg, mashed potato, or whatever dishes that would go well with cheese. Yum. To add more veg to the dish, I finely chopped a bunch of kale and lightly sautéed before mixing in my ground beef, before baking them. The meatballs in this pic look too dark, so I’m showing you another pic of the meatballs on my baking tray with better lighting to show the green color of the kale shown through the meatballs, so pretty. The agave nectar roasted carrots balanced the rich umami taste. The #balsamiccaviar was just a little molecular fun added to my plating. And see that #nasturtium leaf? It’s from my herb yard, which I’ve been working on. I’m turning my front yard into this #ediblegarden with #herbs and vegetables, so will share pix when it’s finished. It’s always been my fantasy to grow my own #microgreens and #veg and eat from #gardentotable everyday.

I’ve always been a bit insecure about my baking skill. But thanks to chef @thebakerreed, I’m proud to say that I now know how to make #chocolateeclair and #chouxpastry **
The problem with #onlinerecipes is that not all of them are good, and I don’t think each one has been tested. So you’re taking a chance with ea recipe you try, unless it’s from a chef/blogger you trust. What I like about #pastrychef Rebecca Reed’s online class is that I’m going through the whole process in real time and able to ask questions along the way, and doing it in my jammy on a weekend, out of the comfort of my own kitchen. I learned not only the recipe but little helpful tricks such as dipping your finger into water before fixing the shape of your eclairs if they’re not piped perfectly; straining your pastry cream gives it a smoother texture; and mixing corn starch to the chocolate glaze to achieve that glistening look. ** As a chef who experiments A LOT in my kitchen, I’m used to failures. Failure is success in progress. You can’t expect to be good at something and not give yourself room to fail. Things that went to shit didn’t scare me because each time I failed, I learned something new that made the next attempt better, and better until I succeeded. So although my first batch of batter didn’t rise much and had dents in them, my 2nd batch was good enough for me to show you here. I can’t wait to do my 3rd batch because I just know it’s going to be even better. **
Choux and eclairs are those things that just taste better #homemade than store bought, unless you bought them from a pastry shop that just made them on the same day, and you ate them within a few hours afterwards. #eclairs have a crisp outer shell that gets dry when exposed to air for long. So it’s worth the efforts to make these babies. I used Vietnamese #marouchocolate and added #matchapowder to my #vanillacream filling, which made them taste less boring and look more interesting. I made these #vietnamesecoffee flavor #chanelbuttons because, well, I just love #decoratingdesserts as much as #platingmyfood. And eating them with herbal tea mixed by my friend @alexandranicom made my family enjoy my eclairs & choux even more.

Apparently, there’s a movie about stages “Stage: A Culinary Internship” to debut next Friday May 29. I’m definitely not going to miss this movie @thefridacinema. (Thanks @ddschris for letting me know). The movie “follows a group of young chefs as they navigate their way through a nine month contract at one of the best Michelin starred restaurants in the world Mugaritz, under world renowned chef Andoni Luis Aduriz. It has been one of the best restaurants since 2006 according to Restaurant magazine and has recently been ranked fourth best restaurant in the world.” Nine months staging? Damn, I could barely finish my two months staging at Gaggan’s, as it was intense, hard work 6 days a week. But I’m sure like most stagiaires, it was an incredible experience that we wouldn’t trade for anything. Link for ticket to stream it on @thefridacinema bio.

One of the silver linings from the pandemic for me is to use this time to tackle the projects I’ve been wanting to do but never did before. I’m proud to debut my slogan and stamp to emphasize that my VIGLO (Vietnamese with global influences) food is about using fresh, quality LOCAL ingredients but with GLOBAL inspirations. With the help of talented illustrator @kiartist, the result is this perfect representation of my slogan, done in my signature elegant, modern & clean way. I really enjoyed the whole collaboration process with artist Kiara on a customized illustration, from ideas to concept to final outcome. Another example of my silver lining is the making of my mini IG movie, a much more labor intensive project that has taken me months to put together. But I’m almost finished, just tying some loose ends. And I can’t wait to debut this mini 7 min movie to give you glimpses into my past VIGLO dinners, my philosophies regarding my cooking, what makes a great chef, and insights into the evolution of Vietnamese food. Check out a teaser of my mini IG movie on my “story”. There is so much more to come, and I plan to share on my IGTV as soon as I reach 1,000 IG followers (as my way to celebrate that milestone with a bang). I’m almost there folks, just need less than 15 more followers to go. Won’t you help me reach this goal by inviting your friends to follow me? (By tagging or forwarding this post to your friends). And don’t forget to comment below to let me know how you like my custom stamp. Btw, in case you’re wondering, the beautiful stem in the stamp is from a lotus pod, which is rarely seen in the States but can be found all over Asia. However, you may have eaten lotus roots in salad or lotus chips in the States before. I chose lotus pod for my stamp bc lotus symbolizes the holy seat of Buddha, which is the number # 1 religion in Vietnam. You often see the image of lotus in Asian culture because the lotus flower rises from the mud and blooms in exquisite beauty, so it symbolizes perfection and purity of both the heart and mind. I also use lotus a lot in my food and desserts 🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️

Personally, I’m not looking forward to shaking people’s hands again. Germaphobe Howie Mandel is way ahead of us. I sometimes felt annoyed when people extended their hand, especially men who looked sweaty. But the excuses to maneuver around avoiding shaking hands with people in the past was too stressful that I cringed while reluctantly shaking their hands. But this pandemic may change this part of our culture and hopefully would eliminate this custom altogether. I mean, who knows where their hands have been, regardless of how presentable they may look? I’m kind of favoring the Asian nod, or knuckle touch. I’m also not rushing to get back to our busy rat race lives, and want to continue to slow down and enjoy spending more quality time with loved ones. But trust me, there are a lot of things I miss and I can’t wait until we get to do them again (such as getting to see and connect with people in person). But there are some changes in my lifestyle that I want to implement even after the pandemic. Which parts of normal are you not rushing to?

My friends and I been doing some take outs at various restaurants in Jax and we were concerned to find out many out there still did not have their employees wear masks to protect themselves and their customers. Restaurants are wrong in thinking that just because they are open only for take outs and not seeing customers directly that their employees don’t have to wear masks. Do they think that all of their employees are immune to coronavirus? The CDC advises that we should treat each person as if they are infected (because symptoms may not show for 14 days). Therefore, when restaurant employees wear masks, they protect themselves from not touching their faces, AND prevent their own droplets from accidentally spread onto the food they prepare and all the kitchen/restaurant surroundings and furniture. Restaurants operate on such tight margins already, you’d think they’d do everything in their power to make their employees and customers safe. To not supply masks for employees to wear is irresponsible.
**
Until there’s a vaccine, there should be NO EXCUSES for restaurants not to enforce mask wearing for all their employees, as it is the most effective way to stop the spreading of this virus. **
No budget for masks? No problem. @Masks4jax initiative will supply restaurants and their customers free masks. Just contact them via IG @masks4jax or via their website masks4jax.com. Let’s all be good neighbors and good citizens by using hashtag #masks4jax to inform Jaxsons which restaurants do and don’t comply to mask wearing, so we could help them improve on safety measure which affects all of us. Kudos to @blacksheeprestaurants, @restaurantdoro, @bluefishjax, and @pratiitaliajax for having their staff wearing masks to protect themselves which also protect their customers. Will other restaurants comment here to let us know if you enforce mask wearing for your employees? Thank you

I’m looking forward to @thebakerreed’s pastry virtual class this Sat. Have always wanted to make eclairs. Sign up soon so you could have enough time to get ingredients ready. Sign up at LearnFromChefs.com!
Saturday, May 16th
9-11AM
$15

My sister in law @kalsan99 made a lot of these masks to donate to healthcare workers in Houston and she just sent me some for me to give away. If anybody needs one, just DM me and I will mail to you pro bono.
@Masks4Jax initiative also gives away free masks to restaurant staff and their customers. **
I have another sister in law (who has a PhD in public health) who is trying to pass a law requiring EVERYONE to wear a mask. (I know, I have a badass family with smart & talented women). This is no longer a personal choice but a responsible action that everyone must practice in order to save each other’s lives. Think facial mask as seatbelt. Back when it was first enforced, many people at first didn’t like seatbelt either but now it’s the law that has proved to save millions of lives. **
The US’ biggest mistake is to not take this virus as seriously as the rest of the world. We are leading the world with having the most coronavirus cases and the most deaths. On April 11, the BBC reported death toll passed 2,000 a day in the US. Experts predict 3,000 deaths per DAY by June. But these numbers can be decreased significantly if everyone wears a mask. Swipe left to see studies to support this belief. #masks4all @masks4all.nations @masks.4.all @zarrgram

The Netherlands sure is creative. Will we see more of this? Those who know me know that I live & travel to eat. So to take the joy of dining out or the joy of traveling to eat from me is torturous. Nevertheless, there are more important things in life, such as staying healthy and living responsibly so we don’t get each other sick. Covid-19 is not going anywhere soon, and you can quote me on it. I have read enough and researched enough to know that the countries who crack down on mask wearing and take all other precautions seriously before opening up the economy are the ones with the least number of infections and deaths. The countries who do the opposite are the ones with the most cases. Guess which one we the US fall under? Anyway, I got sidetracked. About this photo, it just intrigues me to show the creative ways others are working to make this new norm work in our current lives. Can this be the future of fine dining for us? What do you think? Yay or nay?

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