While I would have loved to launch this blog on the very day autumn began, it’s still very fitting for a mid-season start. And anyway, do seasons ever really begin the very day they’re marked on a calendar?

I liken the process of thinking to the process of the autumn harvest. This is traditionally the season where we reap everything we’ve sowed. And for me, it’s a meditative season where random fractional thoughts that were brewing all year begin to surface and I gather them, mull them over and think about the year to come. Sorting through these tangents is like picking through crated vegetables, and putting them together and letting them blossom into reality is like putting together a dish and serving it to the world. Thoughts can often take hold of you and give you those same warm fuzzies you get when your cupping a mug of warm hot chocolate. There’s so much warmth and comfort in that one little cup, and the anticipation of the first sip gives you just as much pleasure as chugging down the whole thing. I really love this season.

– Cynthia Furey

I’m what you could call a selective procrastinator.
There are things that I’m really great with (paying bills on time, planning out menus long before gatherings are even scheduled, meeting deadlines), but then there are those things that seem to sit on my to-do list for longer than necessary (like tidying up the apartment before said gathering). This blog is one of those things.

Don’t get me wrong; I love writing. It’s a huge part of who I am. But when it comes down to actually sitting down and writing, I have a problem. It’s not because of laziness or lack of time. It’s because I sit and agonize over the perfect story, the perfect sentence structure, and where commas and punctuation would accent my ideas perfectly. This perfectionism thing is one hell of a writer’s block. It’s why I haven’t been able to really write something, and it’s why this blog has taken so long to get to this very first post.

So I’m gonna get over it. I will write. I will not agonize. I will write (and cook!). I will not spend hours agonizing or editing. I’m gonna write.

I hope you enjoy reading about my food world, as grammatically imperfect or tangent-laden as it is. I welcome you to my journey, and thank you for reading.

– Cynthia Furey

I’m Cynthia Furey. I’m a writer and editor who can’t decide between big cities and small, cozy spaces. But lucky for me, there’s no reason why we can’t have both at the same time.

In addition to this blog, my food writing appears in places like The Orange County Register, Orange Coast magazine, TASTE magazine, Leite’s Culinaria and Saveur.com. I’m also an editor for the LA/OC  Zagat Survey restaurant guide. I have degrees in English and culinary arts, a yellow belt in karate and giant hands and feet.

And, I love screenwriting. I won this contest, and I’m currently writing a television pilot and short film. I’ve got specs and whatnot as well, should you fancy a read. You can contact me at cynthiafurey@yahoo.com. Here’s my LinkedIn page, if you like that sorta thing.

Some of my favorite published pieces

• Marathon du Medic: France’s boozy marathon. This is where I got to dress up in a ridiculous hula costume and run a marathon while drinking some of the most awesome wines Bordeaux has to offer. The best part? You can do this, too.
• Food 101: Kitchen Sink Mashed Potatoes. You wouldn’t believe how much heavy cream, butter and and cheese that potatoes can hold.
• Food 101: Croque Madame and Croque Monsieur. Know the difference between the two? I didn’t, ’til I went to culinary school…
• Food 101: Pumpkin muffins with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It doesn’t matter whether the muffin or the cupcake came first. Just that they’re both easy to make when you’ve got a can of pureed pumpkin.
• An underground dining experience: The Ghetto Gourmet. Let’s all sit on the floor of some stranger’s house and eat food prepared by other strangers as we attempt smalltalk with each other. It’s fun, I promise.
• Food 101: Peach Muffins. A recipe for your overripe, squishy peaches.
• Real Italian food at Roma D’Italia, Tustin. Big, fat plates of red-sauced euphoria at a local restaurant that’s been around almost forever.
• Exploring the massive Southern-rooted beast that is the Turducken. Thanksgiving will never be the same again.
• The wonders of bacon sushi at Fish in a Bottle, Placentia. Bacon sushi. Again: Bacon. Sushi.
• Having “chicken” at The Veggie Grill, Irvine. I got your (pseudo) beef right here.

NON-FOOD stories:

• Talking with man’s best friend: Tyson the Skateboarding Dog and the O.C. Pet Guide. Oh, how we love our furry friends.
• Survival is a Very  Cool Trick. This guy is a master at sleight-of-hand tricks.