Wine Down Wednesday featuring Chef Jim

Q: What’s your earliest food memory?

CJ: Young and microwaving pizza.

Q: Who has influenced your cooking the most?

CJ: The internet and travel channel. I enjoyed watching Andrew Zimmern on Bizarre Foods and Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations.

Q: What’s your favorite go-to ingredient?

CJ: Chicken thighs

Q: What are some of your signature dishes?

CJ: Cajun chicken, coleslaw, collards,  Guinness beef stew and green curry.

Q: What did you choose to make for Wine Down Wednesday?

CJ: Peruvian tamarind citrus chicken over amaranth with tres leches for dessert.

Q: What was the inspiration for the dish?

CJ: Gas station chicken place that does Peruvian chicken off St. Johns.

Q: If you could cook a meal for anyone, who would it be?

CJ: Chris Farley, he would be a fun guy to eat a ton of food with.

Q: Dumbest thing you’ve ever done with food or in a kitchen?

CJ: When I was sixteen working in a pizza shop. My coworkers made garlic and cinnamon sticks. We also made garlic chicken wings and thought it was a great idea to make cinnawings and dip it in frosting. It sounds worse than you think.

Q: What would we find in your kitchen at home?

CJ: Lots of hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, and grape seed oil.

Q: Most memorable meal?

CJ: First time I had tacos in Austin.

Q: What food is your guilty pleasure?

CJ: Ketchup and Mayo too much. Also, meat sticks, gas station meat sticks.

Q: What’s your last meal on earth, if you had the chance to choose?

CJ: Gyro, fries and General Tso’s chicken.