Seattle Food Blog Chain: Marc Schermerhorn
A Seattle blog that serves up savory recipes and a hearty helping of sass.
Posted by: Allyson Marrs on Jun 20, 2011 at 03:42PM
4 Comments
Here’s the deal with the Seattle Food Blog Chain: Nosh Pit spotlights a Seattle food blogger, and then asks that blogger to point us in the direction of another food blogger. We started things out with Matthew Wright of Wright Eats, who sent us into the virtual kitchen of Marc Schermerhorn. (Wright on Schermerhorn: “He’s the very best cook I know, and a total cookbook nut.”)
Be warned, however, that this virtual kitchen is not a place you want to go without your sense of humor. There’s just no politically correct way to say this: the name of his blog is Baketard. (Please send outraged correspondence directly to Baketard).
About the blogger When he’s not traveling the world for his job at Microsoft, Schermerhorn is usually in the kitchen, spending upwards of twenty-five hours a week creating savory dishes. Inspiring all this output is his massive collection of cookbooks—he keeps about 1,000 at his Mt. Baker home, and has read most of them cover to cover.
“I do not want our house to look like we should be on Hoarders,” says Schermerhorn, who has—paging the A&E network—taken to stacking shelving his recipe tomes in the bathroom. But the obsession, he says, has more to do with culinary curiosity than compulsive collecting. “America tends to Rachael Ray things—to dumb things down,” he says. “If I want to know how things are made, I want the real ingredient, not the Mac and Cheese packet substitute.”
Mini-review of the blog Baketard is an online recipe source with a snarky twist. “Part of it is I’m retarded,” says Schermerhorn. The name also refers to the fact that Schermerhorn, a graduate of the culinary school at the Art Institute of Seattle, never really learned to bake. “It’s just not exciting,” he says of pastry-making. Most dishes on the site (such as Oola’s crispy deep-fried ribs, or the best damned ribs you’ve never tried) are introduced with an amusing anecdote about when and why Schermerhorn made them. Silly stuff aside, Baketard is an excellent resource for anyone looking to up their culinary game.
Level of commitment Schermerhorn says he spends about two to three hours each week updating the blog.
Randomly selected quote [About the “best damned” ribs] “Yes, they require some labor. Yes, you will need a defibrillator and a Lipitor drip. Yes, there are a lot of ingredients, but don’t be so goddamned lazy. You have to hack up some vegetables, dump them all into a pan with the ribs and let them braise for a few hours. Cry me a river.”
Bookmark if Schermerhorn says that his audience typically falls into two groups: “1. People who are very into cooking and like trying new (sometimes random) dishes and ingredients, and 2. Snarky smartasses who don’t mind the food distractions.”
What you don’t know He’s actually quite shy. Seems weird, I know. But Schermerhorn insists that he hides in the corner during public gatherings and isn’t one for making small talk with strangers.
Advice for aspiring food bloggers Don’t go getting a big head. “Bloggers think they are authors. Dude, you’re taking time to barf your thoughts. You’re not an author,” he says.
Keep reading to find out whom Schermerhorn chose as his favorite blogger to read. Hint: She really loves food.
Tags: How To, DIY cooking, Cooking, Recipes, Seattle Food Blog Chain
