Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie DeSando.
Hi Charlie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I live in Milwaukee. My son lives in St Pete I visit a lot and plan to retire there in a year or two. I started writing my blog as a way to express my love of food. I started a companion YouTube channel about a year later.
My theory is simple – 77 % of the chefs in restaurants in the US are men. So why do so many men either hate, avoid or just stink at cooking? To me, the reasons are simple – either they just don’t want to learn how to cook or they are intimidated by anything more than simple grilling of steaks. I love to cook. It is a form of creativity that is hard to duplicate at work. You plan, prepare, serve, devour and then take in the adulation of your adoring public for the wonderful meal you have created with your own two hands.
Cooking is really not that difficult. It’s no different from most other skills. Just takes a little practice, effort and desire. What I hope to accomplish with this blog is to show men out there (and other cooks) that you can be a decent, if not very good, cook by following a few simple guidelines and incorporating some shortcuts and tricks I have learned along the way. My blog & YouTube channel is a place for men (and other cooks) to learn shortcuts and secrets to everyday cooking. Simple recipes, simple ingredients, just basic cooking skills to help the novice or average cook expand their cooking horizons.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I started as a hobby and now want to make a business out of my passion. It’s daunting to prepare the food, write the content on the blog, film the video of the recipe, update social media almost every day (seven different sites) and keep everything relevant. Constant updating and out-of-date videos lead to drop in viewers. It is full filling but tedious work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I grew up in a restaurant family. My dad owned several restaurants in DC in the ’50s & 60’s (Randy’s, DeSando’s, The Channel House, among others). My dad was the main cook and I learned a lot from him about how to cook. I started working in Country Clubs when I was 14, in various positions. I started out washing dishes, then moved to busboy, waiter, line cook, snack bar cook, maître D’ cooking tableside. I worked in clubs until I graduated from college. I have always been comfortable in kitchens, thanks to my upbringing. Cooking in many ways is the most creative thing I do. I love to look in the fridge, see what’s there are devise a meal around on-hand ingredients. My wife Ellen is a fabulous cook, but she does not obsess about food like I do.
We have raised our two sons, Luke & Carlo, to be just as comfortable in the kitchen as we are. Luke is a very creative cook, not afraid to try different ethnic dishes. He has come to love Indian food and anything spicy. And he is the family pasta maker whenever we have fresh pasta for holiday meals. Carlo worked in the Bartolotta chain of restaurants in Milwaukee and then was a line cook at Company Brewing when it opened in Riverwest. He has shifted his personal cooking to a more healthy diet, more veggies and grains, rather than meat dishes. But he has been known to eat a piece of bacon or two now and then. We are a family that loves to cook and be creative. Hopefully, yours can be also.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to teach basic skills to those intimidated by being in the kitchen. I have a pro bono outreach for those in the community who need help and maybe lacking in the ability to prepare meals. I prepare and deliver meals to those in need. No questions asked. I have been blessed. I am in a position to give back to society and do so willingly. I also want to fill a niche of pre-pared, healthy food for busy people. This would be the for-profit side of my work.
Contact Info:
- Email: cookingsecretsformen@gmail.com
- Website: www.cookingsecretsformen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cookingsecretsformen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CookingSecretsforMen/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CookingMen
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/cookingsecretsformen
