Meet the Chef
Who the heck is The Skinny Guinea??
Hey how you doin'? I'm Tommy and I'm The Skinny Guinea...and I love to cook! Let’s be clear about something right off the bat...I’m in no way, shape or form a trained chef. Nah, I’m just a busy dad who has a million things to do and wakes up every day feeling like I just gained another gray. Can you relate? Well it’s actually a million-and-one things to do because at the end of the day, after a full day of...well...life, I’m the one responsible for putting food on the table for the family.
I’m a business owner and sole proprietor by day and live cooking show host and food blogger by night. I’ve always had a passion for cooking and love being able to create something from nothing. Cooking is my outlet. It’s my time away from the “nut house” where my only focus is to make the best meal I can (and sneak a few beers too lol). I don’t have to deal with the sibling rivalry, the barking dogs, unclogging the toilet, mowing the lawn or picking up dog crap in the yard. It’s really the one time of the day I get to relax and enjoy!
My wife, Michele (aka ‘The Guinea Pig’), is Mom to our two beautiful girls Kylie and Morgan (‘The Mini Guineas’) a high school Anatomy and Human Biology teacher, head varsity track coach, and entrepreneur with a side hustle. Needless to say, she’s a busy gal. It’s not that she hates to cook, it's just she really doesn’t have the time for it. We’d all probably be eating beanie weenie or Cincinnati chili if she did the cooking, which don’t get me wrong, they’re solid meals...if we had three bathrooms in the house. I guess I just sort of became “household chef” by default. Which was kind of a pain in the ass at first before I knew how to cook but it’s really been a blessing in disguise because it’s allowed me to find my passion (it only took 40 years).
I always grew up around food. I mean, growing up in an Italian American family...it’s safe to say, it played an important role in my life. The 7 fishes, the Sunday gravy, Potato Croquettes, Eggplant Parmesan, Manicotti (pronounced Man-e-goot), family BBQs with the Belt Parkway buzzing in the background. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all Cannolis (that’s pronounced with a ‘G’) and Gabagool, but my family could cook and I was always a beneficiary of it. To this day, I’m still shocked that after all these years, I can still call myself ‘The Skinny Guinea’.
My grandmother started it all for me. And though I never appreciated how hard she worked in the kitchen then, now I see her in a different light and wonder ‘how the hell’ she managed it all. I remember her spending days in the kitchen preparing for a big meal. Stuffing artichokes, baking the sweet potato pies, frying the eggplant for Eggplant parmesan. And she never wanted or needed help. She’d tell my Aunt Rosemarie to beat it and she’d shoo Aunt Lucille away. My dad would somehow force his way in while Aunt Carleen and Uncle Agnello were the smart ones who wouldn’t dare go near grandma’s workspace. It was always her show and she ran it like a boss babe! I wish my grandmother was alive to see me today. She’d be proud!
But times have changed. Not many of us have the luxury our grandparents or even parents had back then. It’s hard enough to survive on two working salaries, let alone one. Having two working parents in the house means less time to plan what you’re cooking for dinner. Chances are, you’re either ordering out a lot or eating dinner very late. Parents these days need as much help as they can get. And it’s not for lack of hard work, it’s because the system is broken.
Enter The Skinny Guinea. What’s great is that I DO have the time to plan what I’m cooking for dinner and I want to help you do the same! On this site, not only will you find FAST, healthier family meals (while staying true to my Italian American roots) but you’ll also find a weekly newsletter where you can sign up and get recipes in your inbox to help you prepare for the upcoming week! Sign up for it here.
Feel free to contact me at any time with questions, comments or suggestions using this link. I'm always looking to make this recipe site better, so I welcome all feedback. Hope you enjoy the site and thanks for stopping by…Buon Appetito!
Cooking with The Skinny Guinea…finishing FAST, even in the kitchen!
