We rolled into Denver last Thursday to spend a few days with Rance’s sister Seana and her husband Jason. I love these two, they’re so much fun to hang out with and we always eat well when we’re with them. In part because Jason is an aspiring chef. In fact, they just got back from NY after a whirlwind trip he won in a 10 minute cook-off.  The contest, which was sponsored by the Food Network, gave contestants ten minutes to create a dish from scratch. Jason managed to make chocolate cake AND ice-cream. He’s really excited about the science of cooking and molecular manipulation and beat out the other contestants with his wizardry.

Bro and Sis enjoy some java.

So while we generally go out to a restaurant that they want to share with us, my personal favorite is having Jason cook. This trip was no exception, he prepped fourteen, count ‘em–14–heads of garlic for a pasta cream sauce with shrimp and pork belly. I don’t know how he did it, but the sauce which was definitely garlicky was also creamy and rich. And the pork belly, the pork belly had a perfectly crunchy exterior and a moist, juicy inside.

Seana and Jason, love you guys.

Jason would love to come to Chicago and intern in the kitchen of one the city’s great restaurants. I hope he does, and I hope he stays with us, but most of all I just hope he keeps cooking.