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Daughter of two professional chefs provides a young adult's perspective on food, restaurants, and eating!! follow us on facebook @Francis Xavier

Month: April 2025

Travelers Culinary Adventure: Louisville, Nebraska; Casa del Sol Azteca

Travelers Culinary Adventure: Louisville, Nebraska; Casa del Sol Azteca

A thoughtful nod to tradition. Tucked in the heart of Louisville, casa Del Sol offers warm welcome and colorful plate. I stopped in and ordered the enchiladas – i dish i have come to judge with a cautious eye and hopeful palate. Flavor wise, they […]

Notes from the Garden: Lebanese Cucumber Salad

Notes from the Garden: Lebanese Cucumber Salad

Notes from Chef G The name of Lebanese style cucumber salad – comes from thin skinned, crisp and sweet cucumbers. Profiles like lemon, garlic mint are across the cuisine. Some recipes come with history. Others come with a name – and let you wonder. This […]

Travelers Adventure: Swim Across Distance and Time

Travelers Adventure: Swim Across Distance and Time

From Louisville to the Midwest, One Lap at a Time

Leaving Louisville, Kentucky, and driving west, I carry more than just road miles—I carry the rhythm of the water. Each pool I’ve swum in has left its mark, each stroke part of a larger journey. My time swimming at the University of Louisville wasn’t just about conditioning; it planted the seed for a deeper pursuit—one that’s led me to trace a path of pools across the Midwest and beyond to Denver.

In Louisville, swimming was practicality and passion intertwined. Genesis Health Club was a matter of proximity to work —a function  that fit neatly. Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center, my home with U.S. Masters Swimming, gave me a dependable rhythm and the comfort of camaraderie. But it was the pool at the University of Louisville that transformed the act of swimming into something more—a meditative, sacred zen ritual. The atmosphere, the the water, the way it carried me forward—it became a symbol of pursuit, of movement, of forward motion across both time and space.

Now, I drive westward with a simple goal: to swim. But not just swim. I’m documenting the journey—the pools, the communities, the cultures around them. Each facility tells a story, from the layout of the lanes to echoning laughter and swim back ground music. This is more than a workout log. It’s a chronicle of discovery.

First Stop: St. Louis
The pilgrimage begins at the aquatic center on the St. Louis Campus, where the water greets me differently. It’s colder, clearer, more reverberant with local energy. The swim feels new—not better or worse, just another verse in the ongoing rhythm. This pool carries its own character, shaped by a different set of regulars, lifeguards, and early risers. It’s the first of 4, but already I feel the map of my journey starting to take shape—one marked not by interstates, but by water temperatures and tile patterns.

A Culinary Detour: Salt + Smoke
Of course, no visit to St. Louis is complete without honoring another local tradition: barbecue. And when in the Ballpark Village District, one does more than swim—they stop, and they smell the smoked meats.

Salt + Smoke came recommended—by Gui’s DDD. I ordered a half rack of ribs, slick with spicy sauce, alongside a vinegary coleslaw and a bowl of brisket chili that held nothing back. But the surprise and delight of the meal is the popover. 

Golden on the outside, impossibly airy within, it was the quiet star of the plate—a mark of a kitchen that respects fundamentals while embracing flair. That popover, like

a perfect lap or an unexpected stretch of open road, reminded me why this journey matters: for the things you don’t expect, the flavors and feelings that surface only when you give yourself space to discover.

Salt + Smoke wasn’t just a great meal—it was an embodiment of place. Just like the pool, it reflected a culture. And just like the water, it offered something to carry forward.

Kansas City, Missouri 

The Swim

The drive into Kansas City carried the quiet evening. I arrived at the Swinney Recreation Center on the campus of UMKC, a facility that blends student energy with local presence. The pool sits just beyond and up into the center of campus life, calm and tucked into the thrum of academia.

My early morning swim here is grounded. The lanes were wide and inviting, the lighting soft but focused—no harsh glare, just enough glow to feel present in the moment. There’s a different kind of discipline in university pools, shaped by the steady cadence of student-athletes and regulars who have made this place their sanctuary. It wasn’t flashy, but it was honest. And in that honesty, it offered something essential: the calm, quiet and clarity.

The Culture

At Swinney, I noticed a cross-section of swimmers—students between classes, older masters. the unifier.

There was no music piped in, just the rhythmic splash of strokes, the soft hum of  quiet.  

The Taste

Kansas City is barbecue country—everyone has an opinion, and loyalties run deep. So I did what anyone on a pilgrimage would do: I surrendered to the rivalry.

Stop two: Arthurs Bryants and the comparison as “A Tale of Two Cities BBQ” in Mo.. The name alone pulled me in, and the food sealed it. I ordered burnt ends—KC’s calling card—paired with a smoked sausage link and a side of pit beans. The sauce was balanced and sweet and when asked to be dressed – “it is on the table”, Hmm. Continue with the experience the brisket served on whit bread and is as expected.

Arthurs vibe is easygoing and proudly local.

Arthur Bryant’s. A legend. You don’t come here expecting frills—you come for history, heft, and sauce with attitude. I went with it and doused .

Omaha Omaha

Travelers Culinary adventure : a Scotland Story

Travelers Culinary adventure : a Scotland Story

Scotland PreludeIt is a rainy day in Sioux City—a good day for reflection, with field coffee in hand. I stay somewhat dry as I stand in the rain, reminded that Scotland’s latitude is above Alaska’s. Long summer days, short winter nights. One does not go […]

Travel Culinary Adventure: Sioux City @ Rebos Grill

Travel Culinary Adventure: Sioux City @ Rebos Grill

Walking through the historic district of Sioux City expecting a quiet stroll to take in the architecture- I was surprised and delighted at the discovery of Rebo Grill off 4th Street. What followed left a big impression. I found tacos, really good tacos. The mid […]

Notes from the Garden. Dressing, Sweet-Sour Curry

Notes from the Garden. Dressing, Sweet-Sour Curry

Notes from Chef G

The accompany that pulls together – what makes the Tropical Fruit Salad more than a fruit bowl – is the sweet-sour curry dressing. Turmeric and just the right amount of warmth. A tang of lemon juice, a hint of sweet and the deep savor of curry powder creates flavor that doesn’t over power but is noticed.

Sweet-Sour Curry Dressing

what makes the fruit salad more than a fruit Bowl? This dressing
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 3 cups
Calories 47 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Soy Bean Oil
  • 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 4 TBsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Dry Mustard
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 clove garlic small minced
  • 1 cayenne pinch

Instructions
 

  • in a small screw-top jar, combine the sugar, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, dry mustard, curry powder, hot pepper and garlic. Cover and Shake well to dissolve the sugar. Shake again just before serving.
Travel Culinary Adventure: Sioux City Eats @ Woodbury

Travel Culinary Adventure: Sioux City Eats @ Woodbury

As part of my culinary adventure through the city, I found myself seeking both a work refuge and a well cooked dinner. The Warrior hotel, a 1920 gem, turned out to be the perfect back drop for both. There is a soft jazz melody whispered […]

Notes from the Garden; Tropical Fruit Salad: a Taste of the Season to Come.

Notes from the Garden; Tropical Fruit Salad: a Taste of the Season to Come.

There is a point in the year where the spring hesitates and summer leans in. Currently spring winds have a cold bite. The days are getting longer and as iIam capturing notes from the garden, I crave color. The combination of tropical fruits is a […]

Notes from the Garden. Brussels Sprouts on the Stalk: A Letter to the Roasting Season

Notes from the Garden. Brussels Sprouts on the Stalk: A Letter to the Roasting Season

There is something deeply grounding about roasting vegetables, espically Brussel sprouts. Not bagged, trimmed, pre-halved. The Stalk- full, hearty, awkward and in its natural form.

Roasting Sprouts on the stalk is a favortie ritual when the weather cools. The Foil wrapped is a gift from the top shelf of the grill, steam escaping like a whisper. the sprouts crisp at the edges while still al dente inside, gently infused with maple syrup, olive oil and black pepper.

Lately I have been on the road traveling for work, chasing swim stories, and new flavors in places far from my kitchen. There is a calm being at my kitchen. a smooth rhythm after weeks of moving from place to place.

Sure Brussels sprouts are out of season tight now. Farmers markets are staking stalks. But thinking ahead and writing in the quiet on the road.

TJ Brussels Sprouts Stalk

Roast Vegetable
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 43 mins
Course Entremetier
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • oven to roast
  • aluminum foil paper

Ingredients
  

  • 1 stalk of Brussels sprouts TJ
  • 3/4 cup Maple Syrup
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • sea salt
  • Fresh pomegranate Seeds Garnish

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Trim any unsightly parts. Rinse well in fresh water.
  • create a base in Aluminum Foil. Place the stalk in the center fo the aluminum foil base.
  • whisk the oil and syrup together. cover the stalk with the mixture. add pepper and salt to taste.
  • cover with a lid of aluminum foil and pinch together the base and lid.
  • this method is inspired by en papillote
  • roast for 45 minutes. serve with fresh pomegranate seeds.