About

Hey, I'm Chef Mike!

Culinary trained and obsessed with good food, I break down the basics of cooking so anyone can feel confident in the kitchen.

From knife skills to stocks and sauces, I teach the fundamentals of cooking, just with fewer burns and way more fun. Let's get cooking.

What The Frizzled Leek Is All About

This website focuses on core culinary education, making it the go-to resource for anyone who wants to master the basics of cooking. Here, I break down the same techniques taught in professional culinary schools and fine-dining kitchens, including:

Classic cooking methods like sauteing, poaching, roasting, and braising.
Knife skills for speed, safety, and better results.
How to build flavor through stocks, sauces, reductions, and aromatics.
Learning how to make all 5 mother sauces and their sister sauces.
Practical Culinary 101 lessons that build real cooking confidence.

My Culinary Background and Expertise

I grew up in a family that loved to cook. Cookbook stacks were taller than I was, and Food Network might as well have been my Saturday morning cartoons. As a teenager, I worked for a personal chef preparing upscale dinners and meal-prepped dishes that gave me a love for cooking.

I went on to study Culinary Arts at Hocking College, then moved to sunny San Diego, where I spent years working in fine-dining restaurants, hotels, and resorts. I learned the skills and techniques that turn simple ingredients into great food.

In 2021, I launched The Frizzled Leek to bring those fundamentals to home cooks who are hungry to learn more. Straightforward culinary teaching that actually helps you cook better at home.

Who This Site Is For

You'll fit right in if you:

Believe good cooking starts with good technique, not good luck.
Want to level up from "I follow recipes" to "I know what I'm doing."
Are tired of Googling "How to fix broken hollandaise" at 8 a.m. on a Sunday.
Love learning the building blocks of great food.
Want a chef-trained guide who explains things in a friendly, approachable way.

Standing in the kitchen with arms crossed in front of stove.

A Reliable Culinary Resource You Can Trust

My background as a trained chef and years of professional cooking experience provide the backbone of the content you'll find here.

If you're looking for an expert who can help you master foundational culinary techniques, I'm here to guide you.

Let's cook with skill, confidence, and a whole lot of flavor.
Mike

More About Mike & The Blog

Are you a professionally trained chef?

Yes. I studied Culinary Arts at Hocking College and have worked in fine dining restaurants, hotels, and resorts.

What makes your recipes different from other food blogs?

I focus on foundational, technique-driven recipes that teach you how to cook, not just what to cook. The site includes classic building blocks like stocks, mother sauces, and daughter sauces, along with step-by-step guides on essential skills such as knife cuts, animal butchery, and proper kitchen technique.

Do I need fancy equipment to cook your recipes?

No. Most recipes are designed to be made with standard kitchen tools you likely already have. I focus on technique and fundamentals first, because good cooking isn't about gadgets.
That said, I do use tools like an air fryer and a sous vide machine in some recipes when they offer clear advantages in consistency, texture, or ease.

Do you offer cooking tips or just recipes?

In addition to recipes, I share guides on knife skills, sauces, stocks, and foundational techniques so readers can cook with confidence.

How do you test your recipes?

Every recipe is developed and tested in my home kitchen, often multiple times, to ensure consistent results.