Cooking and baking are not easy despite what chefs and recipes say. Those with physical disabilities have a harder time with both. Yet one chef managed to conquer these and she's a brilliant writer for the Wednesday New York Times Food section.
The writer is the great Nigerian born chef and author Yewande Komolafe who detailed her story in today's issue.It started with her sickle cell anemia that flared out of control. Sickle cell is a genetic blood disorder striking mostly those of African , Mediterranean ,Middle Eastern ,Indian and Caribbean ancestry. It's when the hemoglobin ,usually round compresses into a sickle or semi circle shape,It is a blood disorder that cause Ms. Lemonade to have severe pain.This lead to her being in a coma and being intubated for several months. It also led to her legs being amputated below the knee and both hands losing fingers. She had the good fortune f being able to eat her beloved Nigerian food thanks their mother and having Nikita Richardson, her editor and friend bring her treats from pastry shops all over the city. One was a brown butter cornmeal cake that was bought at Radio Bakery in Brooklyn. It became her favorite and Ms. Komolafe longed for the day when she could bake it,recreating its's crunch exterior and pillow soft crumb.
Maybe the cake was a hidden incentive to sally forth. Ms. Komolafe did get better . As of this date she is getting around on artificial legs and has prosthetic hands, She did returned to cooking and waiting for the paper.She has a small rotating army of assistants who help her .like Stasia de Tilly Together they go over recipes step by step. They''re in charge of prep, from slicing to chopping. They;re the ones who bring, Ms. Komolafe;es wonderful recipes come to life and flavorless. The creator herself is present during all steps. She listens ,she tastes she smells to see how the dish is coming along.It is frustrating though because its not her going through all the process. She gets impatient because the kitchen, like many chef;s is their domain and she feels possessive about it. She will also have to rely on how to reuse her prosthetics as she relearns how to whisk a bowl of cream from liquid to soft white peaks,.It will take time but she will get there.She has managed to recreate that brown butter cake (and she includes the recipe). taken from pastry chef Kelly Mencin. Ms. Komolafe's recipe varies a bit She adds dark cherries but keeps the other ingredients to give it crunch and flavor to create this buttery, fruity treat
There is triumph in getting over a tough physical problem. There is triumph in creating a good dish. Ms. Kamolafe has managed to do both with admirable grit and determination.
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