Cooking is a labor of love for South Carolina-raised Reina Gascón-López.
The kitchen has always been Reina Gascón - López ’s glad post . " I ’ve been cooking since I was maybe 9 or 10 years old , " she pronounce . " My mom always gave me little project in the kitchen when I was younger , and then the honest-to-goodness I got , the more hand - on it became . "
At first , Gascón - López was just helping her mom cook Timothy Miles Bindon Rice in their Charleston , South Carolina home ; finally , she graduate to fix habichuelas , traditional Puerto Rican stewed beans , and later prepping food for big folk gathering at her grandparents ' home in Puerto Rico . As much as she love cooking , Gascón - López did n’t act on a vocation in food — at least not right away . Her parent wanted a brighter future for their daughter , so Gascón - López get her college degree and took a job in the corporate world .
The problem was , she was deplorable . shopworn of dreaming about a life spent in the kitchen , Gascón - López scrapped her more traditional life history path to go to culinary shoal . " I ’d rather be stressed over a job that I find live up to , " she tells Thrillist . Inspired by her preferred food memories , in 2017 , Gascón - López createdThe Sofrito Project , a free recipe web site packed with her idealistic learn on comfort food . " Sofrito is basically the foundation of Puerto Rican cooking . It ’s a seasoning base that we use in most of our savory dishes , " she says . " I decided to name the blog after it because I consider it a labor of love . " She also recently launched her own line of spice withSpice Tribe , and is planning to form on a cookery book proposal next .
Photo courtesy of Reina Gascón-López; Design: Mia Coleman/Thrillist
Though Gascón - López finds inspiration everywhere , her Puerto Rican heritage and culture has perhaps the orotund wallop on her culinary worldview . The Sofrito Project is full of formula for Hellenic Puerto Rican dish antenna , with Gascón - López ’s signature twist — thinkcoquito lace cooky , arroz con pollo , or ajibarito burgerwith tostones buns . Still , Gascón - López admits that some of her favorite recipe are the dewy-eyed , like Puerto Rican rice and beans . " Something about it is so nostalgic for me , and it ’s one of those super awesome struggle meal , " she says . " If I do n’t feel like preparation , or if I ’m feeling lazy or if I ’m stressed out , I will always have a little potful of Elmer Rice on the stove . "
Gascón - López is conscious of always framing recipes as her personal take on a classic , rather than the terminal - all , be - all edition of that dish . Since she ’s based in South Carolina , she does n’t always have access to all the element she might have in Puerto Rico — plus , she agnise that her experience with a cup of tea might not be the same as someone else ’s in her community . " Food is such a personal thing , " she says . " mass get fairly up in arms if they see a dish that ’s something that they grew up eating and then they look at it and it does n’t look like something that they ate or that their granny cooked . "
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" I do n’t think there ’s an issue when it come to make dishes or sharing recipe from other cultures , as long as it ’s done from a space of respectfulness . "
Puerto Rican cuisine is n’t the only solid food culture that enliven Gascón - López ’s formula , either . you could trace the influence of her Southern upbringing in recipe likegreen tomato relish , Gallus gallus and dumplings , andlowcountry shrimp and grits , while other stunner bear grounds of her admiration for Japanese , Korean , and other food cultures . Gascón - López recognizes that she is not the authority on another culture ’s food for thought — whether that ’s ramen or risotto — so she ’s careful never to cross the line of cultural annexation . " I only cook thing that I ’m familiar with or that were taught to me from multitude in those cultures , " she says , noting that she often points her readers toward other chefs to find the more authentic version . " I do n’t think there ’s an return when it comes to make dishes or deal recipe from other cultures , as long as it ’s done from a blank space of respect . "
Photo courtesy of Reina Gascón-López; Design: Mia Coleman/Thrillist
Gascón - López ’s paying attention , venerating approach to food for thought ties back to her cooking philosophy . When she ’s in the kitchen , she moves with intention , remain in the minute as she chop vegetables , mince herbaceous plant , or stirs a pot of simmering lather . " I ’m a big believer in nutrient being kind of like a love life language . I love make for other citizenry , " Gascón - López say . But if the best intellectual nourishment is cooked with love life , the reverse is also true : " If I get in a engagement with somebody and then I endeavor to cook , it ’s curtain , " she allege with a laugh . " The nutrient ’s not buy the farm to release out good . "
And that does hap — even for a professional chef . Oversalting a sauce or burn a pot of rice can be discouraging for domicile cooks , but Gascón - López says that sometimes , misapprehension just are n’t that deep . " If something does n’t cultivate out , it ’s like , ‘ hey , is it still edible ? Then eat it . ’ If it does n’t turn out exactly how you want it , that ’s okay , just judge again . It ’s just food , " she read . " Whenever you start something new , you ’re always go to be a novice . There ’s nothing wrong with that . "
After all , Gascón - López ’s willingness to strain something novel — without knowing whether she would win — was key to pivoting from the corporate human beings to her dream job as a chef . Though it has n’t always been light , she says she ’d do it all over again if give the fortune . " aliveness is too short . Do what makes you happy and it ’ll work out the way it ’s hypothecate to , " she says . " If you ’re aligned with what you ’re supposed to be doing and what you make out doing , I do n’t mean things will be in the way when that happen . "
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Photo courtesy of Reina Gascón-López; Design: Mia Coleman/Thrillist
