At the start of the pandemic, when the world started shutting down, people did one of two things. They either hunkered down, reading books, watching TV, cooking, etc., or they took advantage of the downtime to figure out what they were going to do next.
For people like Steve Forman, he’s never been idle, so when he found himself sitting around the house, he knew that he needed to come up with something to keep himself busy.
“I was at home, and I was driving my wife bonkers,” said Steve [laughing]. “I’m the regional executive director for Delaware North Sportservice, which means that I’m used to keeping busy. I told my wife that I was going to do a Facebook Live cooking demonstration on a random Thursday evening. It turned out that it was a big hit. People were looking for entertainment, and they were also looking to learn things. I started to get requests to do more virtual classes, which spun off to private cooking classes. I chose the name Thyme-N-Honey for the business because it’s a bridge to ‘sweet and savory,’ and it’s a nice little catch phrase.”
Eventually Steve launched the Thyme-N-Honey page on Facebook, and to this day he offers a free cooking demonstration, every Thursday at 7pm. He’s even been known to have a special guest on his show, such as Corey Kadish who is Steve’s sous chef at KeyBank Center. The two have an amazing rapport, which translates to plenty of fun banter and sensational dishes.
For smaller in-person classes, Steve cooks at Food E on Chandler (Built Without Guilt kitchen). For his larger classes, he leases The Artisan Culinary Loft on Amherst Street.
For Steve, Thyme-N-Honey is a dream gig. It gives him the freedom to do what he loves doing, while teaching others how to cook, or how to elevate their dishes.
“I’ve been cooking since I was 15 years old,” Steve told me. “I knew that I wanted to cook even earlier than that. When I was young, my teacher sent me home with a recipe for cookies. My mom showed me how to scale everything, and how to make the dough. People loved them. I kid you not when I say that every day for the next year I made a version of snickerdoodle cookies. My dad finally had to say, ‘No more!’”
Steve started working in restaurants as a dishwasher, and then cooked on the line. He went to culinary school, and then to Buffalo State University for the Hospitality and Tourism Curriculum. Over the years, he’s worked at top restaurants such as The Sagamore Resort in Lake George (he grew up in Ballston Spa, NY), numerous restaurants in Saratoga Springs, and was the Executive Chef at EB Green’s Steakhouse in Buffalo.”
Now, Steve has the best of all worlds. He’s got a great day job, and he’s enjoying lots of newfound fanfare with Thyme-N-Honey.
“My goal is to help people enjoy cooking at home again,” said Steve. “I show them simple techniques to help them elevate their dishes. It’s relaxed and fun – cooking shouldn’t be intimidating. For example, there are a lot of people out there who don’t know how to cook pasta right. They wash the pasta after it cooks. No! It should be drained and left to cool on a sheet pan. The structure of the pasta puts body on the plate. Otherwise it’s going to be limpy. Whether you’re cooking Asian, Spanish, Italian, French… there are basic rules. You’ve got to make it right. I love the science and innovation of food. I also like showing others how to follow the basic rules. Come take a class, and see what I mean.”
Upcoming Thyme-N-Honey classes range from:
Moroccan Cooking Class
Bold and spicy dips and srtisan cracker creations
Italian Cookery – Creamy Alfredo sauce and bold bolognaise sauce; proper pasta cooking
Feel free to register for an in-person class, or join Steve on his Thyme-N-Honey Facebook page every Thursday at 7pm for a free cooking demonstration. Either route you choose, you will find yourself in the right hands, guided by a chef who wants everyone to possess the basic cooking skills that will make for a happier and healthier, and more delicious home.
Photos courtesy Thyme-N-Honey
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