Living Chic
Cultivating an International Style
I grew up in southern Africa, emigrated to the United States with its multiple cultures, and have spent the better part of my adult formative years living in Los Angeles and New York, two global crossroads. I like to embrace what all the cultures of the world have to offer in terms of cuisine, decor, and ambience. I suppose you could call it eclecticism, but I’m wary of that label because over the past couple of decades I think it came to represent a kind of carelessness or thoughtlessness in design and decorating. Let’s try some synonyms: broad, wide-ranging, all-embracing, diverse, heterogeneous, inclusive, universal. My cooking philosophy falls in line with my overall decorating and entertaining aesthetic. I like to use a broad palette, to assimilate as many interesting flavors from as many national and regional cuisines as possible. Then I adapt the recipes, streamlining them without sacrificing one bit of flavor or excitement. If you can cook a dish in three steps within an hour that traditionally takes seven or eight steps and three hours—and without losing its edge—then by all means do it.
