Dean Young

Once upon a time I was a young girl, moving with my family from Los Angeles to Denver, back to Los Angeles and then to Houston, then to northern California where I settled into adulthood. When I started college in Sacramento, I could only cook and bake things out of a box (or an instant ramen cup). I loved food and restaurants, though, in all their forms.

I returned to Los Angeles and, after graduating, took it upon myself to learn to cook for real. I studied cookbooks and online recipes and knife skill tutorials. I fell head over heels for Indian cuisine and sushi. I went vegetarian for a while and learned about meat alternatives and how to properly prepare all kinds of produce. Cooking became my favorite hobby (tied with video games).

Graduate school led me to England, where I studied creative writing and worked on my first novel. I loved British pubs, and even got a job in one. Upon my return to the States, I settled in the Boston area and decided, what the hell, I worked in a pub in Old England, so I  might as well try one in New England. From that day, I kept working in restaurants and bars for the next two decades.

In Boston, I learned all about craft beer, how to make cocktails, how to spot a customer who's going to be a problem, and how to get your car free when its tires are frozen in ice. Eventually, my roots called, and I moved back to northern California, settling down in Oakland. It was there that I decided to get serious about wine, where I began freelance food writing, and where I had my first stint as a beverage manager in charge of a spirits and cocktail program. It's also where I adopted my beloved cat, a grey tabby named Sal, who often works as my sous chef (or maybe it's the other way around).

Then came 2020 and the pandemic. I was lucky enough to get a job in online wine retail working from home, but when things opened up again, I popped in as an on-call bartender and server whenever I was needed. Then came 2023. I was diagnosed with cancer, and for the next few years my life would be consumed by a seemingly endless barrage of treatments. 

When I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, I went through a complete emotional and spiritual breakdown and had to rebuild my life. I moved back to Sacramento to be with family and to have the freedom to pursue my passions: traveling, cooking, baking, pairing food with wine and cocktails, and sharing my stories with anyone and everyone who might be interested in what I have to say. The world right now by and large sucks. We might as well enjoy delicious things as long as we can.