What I Ate This Summer

This week, Khalil relives some of his favorite summer food moments.

By Khalil Hymore

When I was a kid, one of my favorite things about going back to school every fall ( besides the new clothes) was writing the obligatory "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" essay. My sister and I often spent our summers in my mother's hometown of Cleveland, N.Y., just outside Syracuse. Growing up in California, upstate New York always seemed so exotic to us. Everything was different: the weather, the accents, and, of course, the food.


Our New York summers pretty much always revolved around food. From our grandfather's garden, to the endless days spent blueberry picking to the big feasts that our nana and aunt's would prepare -- summer was a time to chow! Even now, when I visit with my mother's side of the family, I defer to them in the kitchen. (I am so not the culinary expert in my family.)

This past summer was no different than those years past. In fact, for the first time in ages, I felt like a kid again. The summer began with a big family vacation to Yosemite. We hiked, swam and rafted to our hearts' content. But the best part was that  we ate and drank the entire time. Each night, a different family member took charge of the kitchen duties each night: Highlights include the now-famous pizza night, courtesy of the Pizza Gals (also known as my aunt's Susie and Teresa, and my sister Ashley) and my cousin Matthew's Southern style shrimp boil -- corn on the cob, potatoes, sausage, shrimp, and a ton of Old Bay seasoning -- served low-country style on newspaper.

After a relaxing stay in Yosemite, I returned to New York City to begin work on my web videos for The Tasty Dish, which I blogged about several weeks ago. Though it was a lot of hard work it was a blast to work on. In fact, just in time for those last minute barbecues before summer ends, WEtv.com has posted the first video: Grilling 101.

With my videos wrapped, my family and I convened once again in Rochester, N.Y., at my Aunt Susie's house for another wonderful summer gathering. For the first time, in a long time, my sister and I traveled together with our significant others to hang with our family in another nod to those upstate New York summers of our youth. And once again, it was all about food and family. We spent one of our mornings shopping for fresh food at the Rochester Farmer's Market and an afternoon yanking fresh vegetables and herbs from my aunt's garden to cook with. On the day of the party, my sister, my aunts, and myself prepared a fabulously simple meal for our family reminiscent of the ones my grandparents used to prepare when we were kids. Eating locally and seasonally was never "trendy" in my family. It's just what we did.

Hanging out with my aunt and spending time with her in the garden, I realized how much I missed my grandfather.  He'd visit us every winter in California, and would always plant a garden that would provide us with a wonderful bounty come spring and summer. He'd also prepare dinner and bake for us on a regular basis. (In fact, I remember being the envy of all my friends when my sister and I would come home from school to fresh cupcakes and pies!) Food and cooking is definitely in my genes, and I was reminded of that this summer during the time spent with my family. It's how we bond. 

Although I'm surrounded by food for work, I found that spending so much of my free time cooking and eating with friends and family was both refreshing and inspiring. Most of all, through the meals that I helped to prepare and eat, I was able to reconnect with some of my favorite past feelings and memories and understand a little better why I love to cook so much. 

What about you? I want to hear all about your favorite meals from the summer.