The Joy of Cooking

In her bestselling book, My Life in France, legendary chef Julia Child said the one piece of  “invariable advice” she often gave to people was to “learn how to cook.”

“Try new recipes,” she wrote, “learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all, have fun!” 

There are so many benefits to cooking: it’s more affordable than dining out, it’s healthier, and it can be a great form of stress relief. However, recent consumer data indicates that Americans are spending more money eating out than they are on cooking at home. 

The United States Department of Agriculture tracks food expenditures in the country and found that, in 2023, food-away-from-home spending climbed to $1.5 trillion, accounting for 58.5 percent of total food expenditures that year—the largest percentage ever observed in the data series. While food-at-home spending also increased (from $1 trillion to $1.1 trillion), this difference does indicate a return to a preference for eating out, following a spike in the popularity of cooking at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

There are many factors contributing to this shift. For one, food-delivery apps have made ordering takeout and securing seats at restaurants easier than ever. Furthermore, with stress levels surging among American adults, cooking can start to feel like a daunting task rather than a fun and accessible form of self-care. 

Photo Courtesy Of Browns Kitchen

Brian McMullen, in-house chef and class coordinator for Browns Kitchen, recognizes that cooking is scary for a lot of people—that the fear of messing up or wasting time and money on a meal that ends up inedible can take the joy out of the process. But, like Julia Child before him, he encourages everyone to keep at it. 

“It’s food, you know? In the end, we’re just eating it. It’s not an exam where you’re being judged. … Just try to have fun,” he says. “If you mess it up, so what? Nothing bad is going to happen from you trying something new and it going wrong.” 

McMullen’s passion for cooking was ignited at a young age, thanks to his maternal grandmother. 

“She was the most incredible cook in the entire world,” he says. Born and raised in Japan, “she used a lot of her training and expertise cooking Japanese food and applied it to Southern cooking. The hybrid of the two [resulted] in some of the most incredible stuff you’ve ever had.” 

He accepted his first kitchen job in middle school, starting “where all people start”—in the dish pit. Over the years, he worked at various restaurants and food trucks and made his way through the ranks, from prep cook to line cook to executive chef. 

In 2016, he received his culinary arts degree from Keiser University before taking a brief hiatus from restaurants to work as a production manager at Lucky Goat Coffee and then as a brewer for an area brewing company. In late 2023, McMullen rejoined the culinary world with Browns Kitchen. 

“Working in kitchens and certain restaurants, you find yourself cooking the same thing day in and day out—it got boring and stale and took away my passion for food,” McMullen says of his initial decision to leave the culinary industry. “I wasn’t having people over on the weekends, and I wasn’t cooking at home for myself anymore, so I ended up leaving.

“That break was really exciting for me because I used those years to regain my passion and have people over on Friday night or Sunday for a family dinner or Super Bowl party or whatever, and it was really nice to get that part of my life back,” he continues. “Browns has not only allowed me to flourish but also helped me rediscover my passion. Having all these chefs surrounding me and [watching] these unique classes we offer continues to grow my love for cooking even more.” 

Browns Kitchen’s cooking classes are designed to help everyone learn how to re-create their favorite dishes at home, regardless of experience level. However, they’re particularly helpful to novice chefs who want to cook more but are overwhelmed by the process. Classes provide foundational knowledge not typically found in online recipes and are led by chefs who can answer common questions like, “What happens if something goes wrong?” or, “Can I sub this ingredient for something else?”

Apart from taking classes, McMullen says there are a couple of things beginners can do at home to make the cooking process less stressful, the first being to read a recipe through three times before even busting out the ingredients. The second is proper prep. 

“In culinary school, we call it ‘mise en place,’” he says. “It means, ‘things in place.’”

Pre-chopping, dicing, and measuring vegetables and spices allow chefs to “cook on autopilot,” which goes a long way in preventing burnt food and big messes. 

“A lot of people are reading [and following] that first piece of instruction of the recipe, but they still have seasonings in their cabinets or carrots that aren’t peeled,” McMullen says. “So, the tomato paste and onions are already in the pan and ready for the next step, but [the person cooking] isn’t ready, so now they’re rushing and flustered. Preparation makes everything less chaotic.” 

At the end of the day, McMullen says it’s important to have fun in the kitchen and not get too rigid with recipes.  

“If a recipe calls for two cloves of garlic but you love garlic, put in as much as you want,” he says. “If it says to chop up a jalapeño but you don’t love jalapeño, then don’t add it in.” 

And remember, learning to cook is like learning to swim or ride a bike. 

“More than likely, things are not going to go the way you want them to the first time, so don’t just do it once,” McMullen says. “The cool thing about cooking is that you get to apply the things you learned the first time to improve the second time.”  

Join the Fun!

From cookie decorating to pasta making to glorious gumbo, Browns Kitchen offers a little something for everyone. 

To sign up for a cooking class, visit brownskitchen.com. 

2551 Capital Circle NE | (850) 385-5665