The Chef's Voice: Amy Byrne
The Garden Street Café, Rhinebeck Health Foods

"I'm what I call 'a chunky cook.'" I was standing in front of a group of people, co-leading a lunchtime seminar on healthful cooking. They were trying their best not to stare at my bulging belly, fleshy cheeks, and swollen feet (I was eight months pregnant at the time). "What I mean is I don't spend time and energy dicing things just so and scrupulously measuring out ingredients."

These days, with a seven-month old baby boy starting to scoot around, I have even less time to artistically dot every plate and cross every garnish. But I've learned that being a "chunky cook" is okay. Most people who love to cook aren't professionally trained chefs with impeccable knife skills. But neither was your grandmother, and chances are she's the best cook you ever knew.

Don't get me wrong: I have deep respect for the skills of culinary grads. Schooling would've saved me from plenty of embarrassments along the road to overseeing a health food cafe. Burning dinners. Presenting literally half-baked holiday apple pies at family gatherings. Getting a little too happy with the marjoram on a pot roast.

But I haven't let mistakes stop me either. You see, I love food and I love what it can do: heal, comfort and nourish. I'm not unique in this—I come from a long line of cooks at Rhinebeck Health Foods who also enjoy cooking with imagination, whatever their formal training.

Gordon Elliott's Door Knock Dinners is one of my favorite cooking shows. The premise: a chef shows up at your door, and using only ingredients that you have in your pantry, whips up a gourmet meal for you and your family. Of course the fact that they seem to more often than not find themselves in a posh section of town where there is fresh basil growing in the garden and foie gras in the fridge doesn't hurt. But I still enjoy the show, because it encourages one to think creatively in the kitchen. It also reminds me of how I learned to cook.

In 1992 I was attending college in the area and looking for a part-time job. I found one at Rhinebeck Health Foods, working the cash register. That first day, I was intrigued by the incredible smells coming out of the little strip of kitchen called the Lunch Counter with its electric stove, tiny sink, and next to no counter space. I was a pretty picky eater up to that point, and to say I hadn't really stretched my culinary boundaries would be putting it mildly. When I was growing up, my dad's favorite dinner was creamed chipped beef on toast. Garlic never passed my lips until my brother cooked it for me when I was twenty-three.

I was persuaded to try many types of cuisine for the first time working at Rhinebeck Health Foods. When a Saturday shift opened up on the always busy lunch counter, I joined the crew.

It wasn't until I showed up for work that first Saturday and was asked to make a big pot of soup that it dawned on me: I didn't know how to cook! Sure, I could boil water to make my favorite comfort food—boxed macaroni and cheese. But prepare a dish for someone else? From scratch? A tall order, to say the least. "The Girls" who worked the counter informed me that there was produce from the then Mohegan Market that needed using. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't as perky as the newer shipment coming in. With some encouragement and direction, I turned out my first pot of soup filled to the brim (a future trademark of mine and running joke with my co-workers). It was a fairly simple soup—Carrot Potato Ginger—perfect for a bleak winter day.

I remember the first person who ordered a bowl. I stole glances from the sink where I was doing dishes. He took his first few sips. Lo and behold! Nothing dreadful happened! Good, I thought, he can't think it's all that awful. As the customer rose from the counter and put on his hat he said, "Great soup. I was feeling a bit run down and that perked me right up!" I was hooked. How nice it was to know you had improved someone's day just by feeding him some soup.

I gradually developed a flair for creating what I call "healthy comfort food." With each Saturday that passed, I learned more tips and recipes from the women who came before me (our male employee ratio has since increased greatly). Specials that stick out in my mind for sticking to people's ribs include yummy tomato, potato, kale, and red onion casserole, a tasty split pea soup, and curried Indian stews with fragrant basmati rice. Of course, old favorites like the Avocado Supreme (our "signature sandwich"), Fantastic Salad, and Tuna Melt have always been on our menu.

In the early winter of 2000, the lunch counter was renovated for the new millennium to create something even more special. The result is the Garden Street Cafe at Rhinebeck Health Foods, a full-fledged cafe with an expanded seasonal menu of delicious and healthful fare. Some of our new favorites include: Sweet Potato Lentil Soup, Sauteed Greens and Tofu over brown rice and the Chili Works and Burrito featuring our Black Bean Chipotle Chili. Every member of the cafe staff contributes to our culinary productions (including a culinary grad). As manager I see to it that we provide efficient and gracious service. "Chunky cooking" may not result in a perfectly plated nouveau gastronomic creation. But a visit to the Garden Street Cafe at Rhinebeck Health Foods will tell you there's more to tasty wholesome food than perfectly cubed tofu.

Amy Byrne manages the Garden Street Café at Rhinebeck Health Foods and also serves as promotional director for the store. She and her partner Joe live in Rhinebeck with their baby boy, Strachan.

Greens and Tofu

Portions are enough for one person; multiply by the number you want to serve.

Ingredients:

• two large handfuls mixed organic greens—washed, drained, and cut into large bite-size pieces (we use a braising mix that includes lacinata kale, purple kale, red and green chard, baby bok choy, and collard greens, but any mixture of your favorite greens will do)
• one handful cubed, extra firm tofu
• cooked organic short grain brown rice
• 2 tsp. canola or olive oil
• diced garlic to taste (we use lots)
• chili pepper flakes to taste
• tamari (soy sauce)
• water

Preparation:
Heat a large skillet or wok until oil is hot, but not smoking. Add tofu and cook until it begins to brown slightly. Add garlic, chili pepper flakes, and greens. Add a splash of water to create steam (this will help to wilt the greens). Toss ingredients with tongs while cooking until greens are tender. Add a splash of tamari before removing from pan. Serve greens and tofu hot over cooked organic brown rice. Enjoy.