Congratulations to Kurt Fralick of Olympia, WA for winning this month’s FoodieInDisguise contest with a copy of Memorable Recipes by Renée Behnke. Kurt’s entry said:

The world needs more dinner parties! Mine are usually BBQ oriented, but we’re in the middle of a kitchen remodel so I hope to expand my horizons! The last party we had was the Super Bowl, and we grilled lime-garlic prawns and fresh oysters, followed by thick rib-eye steaks. Mmm!

Kurt lives and works in Olympia, WA with his wife and 10-year old daughter. Kurt took the time to answer a couple of questions I had for him:

1. What draws you to cook?
I was in the restaurant business for over 20 years, and did everything except cooking. However, I did work with a lot of fantastic chefs, and once I got out of the business, I wanted to cook some of the same food they did. Only now that I was finally out of that crazy but wonderful business, I actually have the time to cook!

2. What is your favorite thing to cook?
I enjoy a wide variety of flavors and cooking styles, but I do keep going back to the barbacue and smoker. I did a smoked 19 lb. turkey for Thanksgiving this past year that turned out great, and am looking forward to doing another this year. A friend of mine and I also cooked a whole pig Cuban-style on an above-ground pit that turned out wonderful, and we now have an annual event centered around doing that.

3. Your favorite kitchen utensil and why?
If you say kitchen utensil as opposed to back yard utensil, I guess I’d have to say my omelet pan. I truly enjoy the feeling of making a perfect omelet, and I could never accomplish that with just any old saute pan. Not with my minuscule skill set!

4. Your favorite place to eat
There’s a little Mexican restaurant about 20 miles south of where I live, and they make their phenomenal tortillas by hand, and slow cook their sauces for hours. The closest to authentic Mexican food I’ve tasted in the Pacific Northwest.

5. Your favorite place to shop
Pike Place Market when I’m in Seattle, but our local farmer’s market here in Olympia is great too. Costco always has very good quality meats. Top Foods for most everything else.

6. Tell us a little about yourself to our readers…
I now work a standard day job writing IT contracts for the State of Washington. I left the restaurant business about 10 years ago so I could get married and start a family without working 60 hours a week, and I have a lovely wife and 10-year old daughter. I enjoy fishing, bowling, cooking, and camping. And when I can combine it all by camping, catching the fish and cooking it outdoors, I’m really in heaven! Haven’t figured out how to work the bowling into that, though . . . ;)

Join us next month for our next giveaway!

Scott Mindeaux