Ryan Sparzak | Features
I started this blog with hopes of purposeful storytelling of my journey; and others' life experiences, creating space for growth and opportunity, and building a common thread of likeness for those of us sharing and listening.
The community dinners I host a few times per year centered around celebrating the ones I could interview and feature on the blog. After I hosted a few events people and asked if they too could come, at the hint of exclusivity, I shifted the vision to be less invitation and more ticket based. Unfortunately, in the shuffle of transitioning structure so that more people could attend the dinners, I wasn't getting to highlight others anymore! While I've been trying to get back to it for some time, I've been unsuccessful in doing it justice until now.
LETS GO, BOYS!
Late Harvest Potage
Root vegetables, selection of late autumn squash, leeks, foraged mushrooms, and herbs—
Ryan Sparzak of Cookery Amendola felt the perfect fit to relaunch my beloved “features.” Not only has he prepared the meals for two different events I’ve curated, but can you believe his chef skillset is his side hustle?! That means he really loves preparing food— if you’ve ever made food for any size group, you know the detailed work, heart, and soul required to make it memorable. He does this rather effortlessly.
Ryan seems fully alive when standing somewhere between the dish he prepared and in front of the one he's serving it. Above all else, it is most apparent that he is heart-forward. His passion for understanding flavor profiles, processes, and techniques proves it at the first bite through to the licking of the plate. If you've been to one of my dinners or an Almagre dinner that he's working, you know what I mean!
What do I want to know?!
Why would someone choose such a strenuous side hustle?
And will it develop further into something full-time?
But actually, Ryan, are you working one full-time job or two?! It seems like every other day, I see food prep on his socials, an event his working on, or I’m hustling him into doing some event different than the prior- sometimes against his better judgment. He finds focus, thoughtfulness, and mindfulness while preparing meals for people. For private dinners, he starts with a questionnaire and gets to the heart of what someone loves to eat, why they love it, and which ingredients they feel connected t,o and then he manages to bring joy to people plate after plate.
Six-course dinner? No problem.
It is my finding when someone really, truly shows up and allows themselves to be fully present in their passion; joy soon follows. It changes everything. The audaciousness to say yes, the starting effort that sews through to its finish, and each stress or accomplishment while pursuing success results in the extraordinary. Ryan’s ache to understand all he can about pairing wine or cocktails with food is only second to pairing the person he’s preparing with the flavors they love.
In all of the stories I’ve gathered over the years, I relate most kindly to the ones that find life most full around a table; breaking bread, sharing wine or whiskey, telling stories, and experiencing food. And while for people like Ryan, it can be most challenging to sit down, hold still and be fully present at the table he has covered in mouthwatering dishes, experiencing all of the hard work. Do you feel that way? I often do. To slow down after so much time making things perfect, to sit down and enjoy takes almost as much work. I see it as something inside of that same passion feels more satisfied by ensuring everyone enjoys themselves to the fullest. I think that's beautiful.
Ryan says after a hectic, exciting, packed year of learning, he’s taking 2023 much slower. He’s engaged with two chefs in Denver who are gladly taking him under their eye to teach him some techniques and hone in on some of the food preparation processes. Ryan hopes this serves all of us well. He’s lived around the map; he’s experienced all types of cuisine. He hopes to continue to allow Colorado Springs to indulge a more broad scope of flavor while energetically teaching us about what dishes are and where the ingredients originate.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS
Q: Who are your favorite people to prepare food for?
R: “Small groups of strangers. My wife, Jessica, says my superpower is assembling a flavor profile specific to them.”
Q: How is preparing food different for you than sitting down to eat food?
R: “When I went to my first coursed meal (No.9) in Boston, it was a whole new experience. I had never experienced a properly coursed meal before in my life. It changed the way I enjoy food. For people who haven’t had that experience, I see what that can offer them.”
Q: Favorite process?
R: “Pasta making— might be in the genetics, I don’t know? But from start to finish, there is just something about the process that is therapeutic, and at the end, you can see your work, and then it’s devoured.”
Ryan as a Private Chef in your home, on a trip, for a small (ish) event, and more is a perfect choice. And while his bookings may be in 2024, he’s worth the wait— I’d connect now to save your spot. You can follow him on IG @cookeryamendola !
And because I love a good credit given where it’s due + a sold connection from friends: I was initially introduced to who Ryan was through Tarah MacAlmon @thelofthouse. I was actually introduced to him later after being connected through Grace Harrison of Almagre when I had my Fall dinner at her venue in 2021. Almagre IG is HERE
To good food & chasing dreams.
xx, k
