I'll Have What She's Having: A Journey Through a Food Career (so far)

In the glutted world of dream food careers, you will run across the full gamut from sous chef to challah baker, food stylist to saucier–and on and on and on. Beyondish has shined its culinary light on clam diggers and sea salt rakers, abalone farmers and tortilleras. It takes a lot to raise our editorial eyebrow. But when we encountered the personality behind the website “Food and Architecture,” we simply had to know more.

Victoria Pardo has immersed herself in seemingly every nook and cranny food could throw at her. She followed her formative years in both the front and back of the house in restaurants, with a Master’s degree at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. She combined her degree with her keen fascination on how food and architecture meld. “As human beings, there are three things that are essential for survival: water, food, and shelter. Funny though, how they are rarely discussed in relationship to one another,” she notes on her blog.

Beyondish caught up with Victoria having recently shape-shifted from the demands of FEMA to her current role as a Nantucket native islander.

So I sense a bit of food obsession? Is that true? 

Ha-ha, yes, there’s a bit of an obsession. I would say this happened over time, but the mindset is heavily influenced by my mom. I think of the long road trips I took with my parents as a kid, my mom making us stop at 4:30 in time for dinner at a local restaurant we voted on that day in the car. My dad and I were always like, why can’t we just drive until 8 and get Wendy’s or McDonalds? My mom would never have it, always making sure dinner was a great experience or an event. I guess you could say my mom’s obsession became my obsession.

You’ve worked in restaurants since an early age? Can you share a few where and whens?

I started when I was 16 years old on Nantucket Island. I’ve worked at The Tavern on Nantucket on and off throughout my life–it’s a home base for me. Luke and Cato (the owners) have been a huge part of who I’ve become today. It serves simple, yet tasty fare in a relaxed environment. I worked for a bit at Herb and Wood in San Diego, run by Brian Malarky and Chris Puffer. That was my first time working in fine dining. Herb and Wood had mouthwatering food–Brian knows how to use his acids- and it was all open air in San Diego’s Little Italy. What an adventure! A few years ago, I worked as a pastry expeditor at The Proprietor’s on Nantucket. This was my first experience in the kitchen. It was incredible to be able to see all the work that goes into the preparation of meals at a fine dining establishment. From prepping herbs in a very specific, painstaking way, to the rush of dinner service and making sure my hand wasn’t shaky when I positioned the ice cream on top of the crumbs…all good lessons.

One especially funny or horrifying moment from your early days?

My hostess job at Schooners-first job ever!- the owner said they needed their bacon stretcher back from a restaurant nearby. They asked me to go get it. I, as a young, impressionable teen, asked no questions. The restaurant that supposedly had it sent me to another restaurant, which did the same thing, and– well, you get the picture. Eventually I headed back to everyone’s laughter at Schooners. I am so gullible. [Editor’s Note: this writer had to inquire if there is such a thing as a bacon stretcher.]

You went to school for architecture preservation and married that to food. Wow! Can you elaborate a bit on how that happened and what it means?

 I always had a dual interest in food and architecture. I had a hard time picking a thesis topic for my master’s program in New York. All my fellow historic preservation masters’ candidates were writing on very serious topics like Le Corbusier’s influence on the world today or photogrammetry’s promise in historic preservation. I love architectural history and historic preservation, but not to a level so specific and so scholarly. I explained this dilemma to my then thesis advisor, Paul Bentel, who said, why did I have to choose? That moment has been one of the most impactful moments of my life so far. Paul helped me merge my interests of food and architecture by having me read a ton of books on food and architecture histories. I was able to narrow down my thesis topic to food interpretation at historic sites, in which I developed criteria to identify flaws in food programs, developing ideas to improve programs and increase visitation. This analysis was done at places like Old Sturbridge Village, MA for example.  I also learned I didn’t always have to choose!

Following school, how did that pan out into a food-related career? 

I focused my career at FEMA in historic preservation, but I have always been involved with food in other ways. I’m very involved with the Association for Living History, Farm, and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM), an international organization that shares practical knowledge and skills among those who make history relevant to contemporary lives. I work closely with my region on bringing living history to the masses. I also continue to work at the Tavern. Food is a part of my life in all sorts of ways and I continue to bring it in more and more.

You also have quite the travel bug. A few places you’ve been where food has changed your life?

I have a huge passion for exploration! I think I may have been Lewis or Clarke if I was alive back in the day. I have this thirst to learn about new cultures and what they value. When I first visited my family in Taormina, Sicily I was in college and loved to cook, but hadn’t really delved in yet. (Though I did enjoy making spaghetti and clams.) When we visited my cousin Pancrazio in Taormina, he brought us to our cousin’s restaurant to eat spaghetti alle vongole. I was floored. The spaghetti wasn’t drowning in marinara. The olive oil emulsion and tomatoes coated each strand perfectly and each clam popped in my mouth. Pancrazio taught me how to cook this dish the Taormina way, and I sat with him asking detailed questions at the dinner table covered in other regional dishes. This was the first time I really experienced and thought through a dish, its construction, and how it changes from one culture to another.

Beyondish discovered you whipping up amazing meals in hotel suite mini-kitchens. That’s quite the talent. Tell us a bit about your normal cooking habits?

My process is pretty relaxed. My mom went grocery shopping every day, and every day we would decide what we felt like for dinner. She didn’t batch grocery shop for the entire week like most of my friends’ parents did. I really don’t know how she did it as she was a general manager her entire career at McDonalds and worked a ton. I plan my meals during the workweek, but on the weekends I still wander through the local grocery store thinking about what I feel like and what dish I want that evening. I really enjoy making dinner. I stop whatever I’m doing around 5:30 every day and step in the kitchen. I’m pretty methodical and keep my mise en place, so I would say my process is relaxed but also very professional in cleaning as I go. Tres importante! As far as those hotel kitchen suites, same thing. When I’m traveling for work, I love to keep my same routines. Keeps me grounded. Cooking for yourself instead of takeout also saves a ton of money.

Would you say you have a cooking philosophy?

Philosophy? I am trying lately to just appreciate life’s simplicities. Our world is saturated with cooking videos and chefs and high-end restaurants. I try to keep my basic love of food alive just by enjoying every moment and cooking what I want, when I want.

You grew up on one of the most famous islands on the planet. How has that influenced your tastes?

Even though Nantucket is famous and known for its high-end cuisine, my influence is from my Pop-Pop who was a true islander, whose family has been here for generations. He was a good cook and made me all sorts of dishes from the sea including swordfish, baked stuffed lobster, shrimp cocktail. I would say very much working man’s dishes to be honest. Think 1950s seafood cuisine. Being on an island, the ocean inspired my tastes. My uncle would catch a lot of bluefish and I remember I got so sick of eating bluefish one summer. We made baked bluefish, bluefish salad, bluefish pate. So much bluefish! We also have a lot of fresh produce from local farms which was a good thing to experience growing up.

High brow or low brow? Which direction do you head in when planning a menu?

I would say it’s a mix. I like hamburgers with Kraft mac and cheese, and Rice-A-Roni, or Americanized taco nights. I also love making complex dishes like coq au vin or Beef Wellington. I think anything and everything can be delicious. I see things where they are. I like eating at nice restaurants for example, but also enjoy eating at Taco Bell! I like making chocolate cake from scratch, but I also like the Betty Crocker yellow cake. I take things for what they are and enjoy accordingly.

Martini or Manhattan? Favorite craft cocktail? 

Extra extra dirty dry martini with blue cheese-stuffed olives. I want my martini like a snack. I love a complex gin cocktail. I’m not even sure what I like, I just know the perfect balance when I like it. Love a Pisco sour with egg white froth. I love Allagash white or similar wheat ales. So good and refreshing! I also really like Bass, but I can never find it!! Oh, and a Corona with lime in the summer.

What about a favorite childhood dish?

Some of my earliest memories were when my mother would sit me on the counter and dip a piece of Wonder bread in her slow cooked pork tomato sauce. So good! She always made dinner an event. Every night was a special party for the three of us. I cook for my mom now, so I feel like it’s come full circle. One dish that stands out from childhood is not something my mom made, but chicken parmesan from a Massachusetts chain called Papa Gino’s. As my mom worked a lot it was convenient for her. I kid you not when I say I ate that every night from kindergarten to around junior year of high school. Every. Single. Night. I didn’t want anything else! My mom was smart though and let me have it. Can you tell I was an only child? She let me have it, but at the same time had me try dinners she would make. I’m grateful she gave me the space to discover my love of food with her and at my own pace.

Recipe or free form?

Sight and smell for the most part. When I’m trying new things, I’ll generally stick to the recipe, but loosely. I think that cooking is a very organic process. While I think recipes are good for oven temps and stuff like that, I really think that a dish is an artwork, the flavors build on each other in a unique progression.

Best home chef tip for people who are daunted by cooking?

Get excited to enjoy your evenings and slow down your life. I think it’s fun to have a wall of cookbooks and take one out and pick something that you haven’t made before. I would say, like with anything, just start! Give yourself grace and just enjoy the process as cooking is an experience to enjoy, not a chore.

True, people are crazed and these are crazy times. Can food make a difference in how we navigate them? 

I think so. Thinking about food in creative ways can increase understanding and bring people together. At living history sites like the Tenement Museum in New York City, a food tour through the lower east side through the lens of a tenement family can get you thinking about food through history and how people navigated the world back then. It develops a shared understanding across cultures and can be a direct access point into these lessons. I think it can be used as a meditative technique–a chance to detach from your hectic day and conduct a ritual. Paying attention to all the flavors and textures can be very calming in and of itself and focusing on each mealtime, savoring every meal makes me happy. I think it brings people together and reminds us all of what really matters.

Thanks for being so forthcoming, Victoria. Last question: specific go-to restaurant dish you’d walk through a blizzard, or fly a thousand miles for today?

I have a few: the Balboa burger at the Balboa Bar & Grill in San Diego. Pizza in a jar at Buona Forchetta in San Diego. Urbn Pizza in North park, also in San Diego! The roast Peking duck at The Nautilus on Nantucket, cheese pizza at Grande Apizza in Clinton, Ct. Chicken parmesan at Papa Gino’s in MA. And the Eggplant Parmesan Sub at Village Pizza in Brookline. Trust me on this.