They Call Me Sandy Flay originally published on Food and Fond Memories on October 19, 2010 by sandyaxelrod 0 Comments (Edit)
They Call Me Sandy Flay
Bobby Flay and Sandy “Flay” Axelrod 2011
Bobby and Sandy 2008
I told you yesterday that I began a culinary journey with Bobby Flay about 9 months ago when I opened a copy of his “Grilling for Life” book. I cook so much of his food and my friends love it. In fact they call me Sandy Flay!
As a retired catering chef you can imagine that I love to cook. My love of cooking began as a child actually cooking with my mom. I remember being about 7 years old and preparing hamburgers and potatoes. Mommy would give me a little ground beef, the eyes of potatoes that she was cleaning and a handful of peas. I would then make teeny burgers and place them with my potatoes (eyes) and peas on my doll sized dinner plates, making sure my presentation was picture perfect. When I was in high school I had elaborate formal dinner parties for my friends and dates. But it wasn’t until I went to Europe for the first time at age 21 that my passion really developed. I remember stepping off the plane in Rome at Leonardo Da Vinci airport and being aware of this strange sensation that overcame me. Suddenly I wanted to taste everything that life had to offer, especially new foods. On that trip I visited Italy, France, Switzerland and England and practically ate my way through each country. I returned to the states wanting to learn everything I could about preparing great food from all over the world. I started collecting cookbooks and then watching the first TV cooking show “The French Chef” with Julia Child who I had the privilege to meet in 1992 at a catering conference in New Orleans. Right around that time I enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu, London so that I could learn even more. Back then women didn’t really have careers in much of anything let alone as a chef. I did this for my own satisfaction and the benefit of my husband and our friends. Many years later we moved to Florida and then opened our company Affairs to Remember Catering and I began really putting my culinary knowledge to use.
“Bricked” Chicken, Grilled Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes
Blue Corn Fried Chicken Salad with Cayenne Buttermilk Dressing
Martha Stewart was the “it” caterer at that time and she became my guru. The greatest compliment I was ever paid by a client was when she told me that Martha Stewart had catered her wedding and that Martha couldn’t hold a candle to me!! But it wasn’t until I started cooking Bobby Flay’s food that I realized how he was changing my life. Each year in the catering business had added pounds to my 5’1″ frame and the older I got the harder it became to lose the weight and keep it off. Each time I dieted I gave up all of the foods I loved only to devour them once my diet was done. I am sure you are all familiar with what happens next – you gain the weight back plus a few more pounds and then the cycle begins again – and again – and again. I knew I needed to lose weight for my health as well as my appearance but I had reached the point where I also realized that I could not keep yo-yoing. If I was going to eat well and be healthy I had to try to not diet but to change the way I prepared my gourmet dinners each night. Enter Bobby Flay. I purchased a copy of “Grilling for Life” along with a couple of his other cookbooks (as of tomorrow I will have all 10). After reading how this was not a diet book but rather a way to prepare really good food that was good for you I new this was just what I needed. Steve and I already had a fabulous, huge gas grill with a rotisserie and side burner that we hardly ever used. I was determined to master grilling. And just like that – my life changed. I AM NOT ON A DIET! Steve and I have never eaten more delicious food. I love Bobby’s bold flavors and variety of textures. I have lost 28 pounds without depriving myself. Yes, of course I exercise because I also want a toned body and strong muscles and bones. But I have mastered the art of grilling healthy delectable meals. I now have a Weber charcoal grill that I use in addition to my gas grill and I can finally say I have mastered that as well. Of course my dream would be to cook with Bobby Flay and not just with his “Flayvorful” recipes. But for now I enjoy the fact that my friends refer to me as Sandy Flay.
