Meet & Eat: Tressa Eaton, Serious Eats Intern
Note: Make way for another member of the Serious Eats family. Tressa is a recent Wesleyan University graduate who will be interning with us for the summer. We sort of hazed her yesterday by making her sit next to a platter of pastries from City Bakery. She was a fan of the pretzel croissant (she passed the test). Say hello to Tressa!
Name: Tressa Eaton
Location: New York
Occupation: Full-time intern looking for a full-time job
Guilty pleasures? Ordering Green & Black's 85% Dark Chocolate by the case. Roasted chicken skin—if you don't watch me, I'll denude your chicken in a flash. Good chocolate pudding. Bread with cold Irish butter. Pork products of all kinds. I don't know if I consider these things "guilty pleasures" so much as "necessary pleasures."
Describe your perfect meal. BLT with an egg. Fresh corn with butter and salt. Sour cherry pie with caramel ice cream for dessert. All eaten outside on a blanket in the grass. It would be even better if the egg, lettuce, tomatoes, and cherries all came from the small farm where I worked during my summers in college.
What food won't you eat? Any type of melon except for watermelon. Can't stand it. It's that only thing I absolutely will not eat. Also, I try really, really hard to avoid high-fructose corn syrup and most foods that come out of a bag, box, or can.
What would you like to try but haven't yet? That Miracle Fruit that makes everything you eat taste sweet. However, I have such a big sweet tooth, I worry about my willpower when faced with such a situation.
Favorite food person? Nina Planck, author of Real Food. She's got no nonsense, common-sense advice on what to eat and why you should be eating it.
When did you first realize you were a serious eater? From birth—my last name is Eaton.
What do your family and friends think of your food obsessions? I think my family's pretty much been aware of my obsession since I said "Hey Grandma, how about we pick up some smoked salmon?" at the age of four. My friends laugh at my typed lists of places and things to eat and groan when I drag them to the far reaches of various cities, but no one complains after we are done eating.
Favorite food sites or blogs (besides Serious Eats, naturally)? 101 Cookbooks, Smitten Kitchen, Gourmet.com. I never leave Jane and Michael Stern at home when traveling. On the subway I can always be found listening to Lynne Rossetto Kasper on Splendid Table. I quietly worship her.
What is your favorite meal of the day and where do you get it? Slowing down for a home-cooked dinner with friends.
Do you ever cook? I cook every single day. My friends and I picked where we lived in college based on the kitchen alone.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
16 Comments:
Why hello there from a fellow Wesleyan grad--Lauren Rothman of '08 (and current Food & Wine magazine intern!)
Lochina at 5:18PM on 06/16/09
Welcome Tressa!
finsbigfan at 5:27PM on 06/16/09
Hi Tressa! Try one of Texas' Pecos canteloupes. As well as our fine Rio Star red grapefruit.
chascates at 6:03PM on 06/16/09
Welcome, Tressa!
I'll denude your chicken in a flash.
Scary! =)
Cassaendra at 7:25PM on 06/16/09
A welcome and a shout out from a Wesleyan grad '96!
Does 'Wes Wings' still exist on campus? I'd love to know your favorite 'college eats' at Wes!
HeartofGlass at 7:37PM on 06/16/09
Welcome, Tressa. Your profile is that of a TRUE Serious Eater!
Kerosena at 8:54PM on 06/16/09
Hey Tressa,
Has anyone ever told you, that you look a bit like Gale Gand?
Also, Eaton's used to be a chain of department stores that the restaurant inside was famous for their Red Velvet Cake. :)
ag3208 at 9:17PM on 06/16/09
Love your name, Tressa. I approve of all Eaton!
lambowner at 9:21PM on 06/16/09
I love Lynn Rosetto Kasper too! I do a fabulous impression of her =)
inothernews at 1:56AM on 06/17/09
so thrilled to see so many wes alums are serious eaters! go wes!
-'07 alumna
ps loved your video for "oh no!" cake.
pearltellszoe at 2:34AM on 06/17/09
welcome!
between your guilty pleasures and perfect meal i think we would get along very, very well! (and your last name's rad.)
gastronomeg at 10:36AM on 06/17/09
Welcome, Tressa. I have a couple of nieces who are capable of denuding a roasted chicken as well.
1992 alumnus.
wojohowitz at 11:26AM on 06/17/09
High fructose corn syrup may have a complicated-sounding name, but it’s simply a kind of corn sugar that is nutritionally the same as table sugar.
High fructose corn syrup is not sweeter than sugar; and high fructose corn syrup, sugar and honey all contain the same number of calories (four calories per gram).
Like table sugar and honey, high fructose corn syrup contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives.
Consumers can see the latest research and learn more about high fructose corn syrup at www.SweetSurprise.com.
Audrae Erickson
President
Corn Refiners Association
cornrefiner at 4:53PM on 06/17/09
Shill!! someone at corn refiners association must have a HFCS google alert.
winkyj at 5:34PM on 06/17/09
Audrae/cornrefiner: Um, high fructose corn syrup is not really that complicated-sounding and I think those of us with a television have seen the commercials, thanks.
JustNancy at 6:02PM on 06/17/09
Thanks for stopping by cornrefiner, but I'll stick with grade B maple syrup, raw honey and good ol' white sugar in my homemade cookies every once in awhile. No HFCS for me.
tressa eaton at 10:01PM on 06/21/09