About Feast and Merriment
Hi there! Welcome to my little corner of the internet dedicated to all things delicious!
My name is Christina Collins. I’m a foodie. I love eating it, I love cooking it. I love sharing it. That’s pretty much me in a nutshell.
My love for food started at a very young age. It was definitely a nature, not a nurture thing because my parents and siblings were not, and are not, foodies. (In fact they are all quite picky and rather difficult to cook for!) But… then there is me.
I started eating lobster and clams with at 3 years old and couldn’t be stopped. I was never interested in “kids” food like chicken fingers or pasta with butter. I loved eating with the adults. I liked the cast iron seared rib eye, sautéed broccoli rabe, spaghetti with anchovies, pomegranate seeds, and my favorite snack of all- raw fennel bulb. Not your typical kid snacks.
But it wasn’t just eating the food that I loved. I loved cooking. As far back as I can remember, my favorite place has always, always been in the kitchen.
I always had a deep rooted desire for every bite to be the best bite, and I still do.
Food + Wine + Friends = Feast & Merriment
I started cooking at age 6 with my first generation Italian great grandmother. My oldest cooking memories are her teaching me how to make fresh pasta dough and and how to “roll it into snakes”, how to grate cheese, and how to roll the perfect meatballs- all by the age of 6.
But as much I liked food, I wouldn’t eat just anything. I never liked processed foods, or fast foods like McDonalds or Burger King. Even as a kid, I despised food that came out of a microwave that tasted rubbery and had an inconsistent temperature. I just have always liked really good food!
Fun Facts!
Cooking style: Rustic, yet refined. (Kind of like me!)
My favorite way to spend a day: Gathered around a table with friends.
I am inspired by: the Italian & French countryside.
I love: Slow lunches. Slower dinners.
Food Mantra: There is no substitute for quality, well sourced ingredients.
Meal I could eat everyday: A fresh baguette, a hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a glass of red wine.
Food I won’t eat: Cheese slices that resemble rubber and come individually wrapped. (It’s not cheese! I don’t know what that is!)
Cooking advise: Learn about salt & how to use it. Remember you can always put the salt in, put you can’t take the salt out.
Are you social? If so, I'd like to be your friend!
The Pasta Project
Pasta is my yoga. I knead and I roll and I roll some more and it calms me. It’s more than my passion. It’s an obsession.