MEET RYAN BALAS
Introduction by Kat Cunningham

When you first sit down and have dinner with Ryan W. Balas, "Intentional Chef", it is hard to imagine him growing up in a traditional Slovak, comfort food home.  You think Gourmet Chef.  You think Fusion Cuisine with a quirky twist.  You don't want to believe that when he is home resting and not cooking for anyone that the simpler comfort foods are gracing his plate.For guests and friends, the color of the dishes often compliment the hues of the food dancing upon them, and the variety and selection of what he serves go way beyond what most believe is a traditional Cleveland meal. Although I never enjoyed this local meal, I do know his charismatic passion for food. For 12 years I have watched him mix his reiki, massage, healing techniques with his chef persona and it excites me. I want everyone to know him as I do, so this is the chance to tell my readers about Ryan.        Kat

FROM BOY TO A CONSCIOUS CHEF

Cleveland was a great place to grow up – food-wise. Not many people realize how much variety there is coursing through all the neighborhoods and towns within the Emerald Necklace.

Starting a cooking career doesn’t just happen in the kitchen. You find you are influenced by many senses that you grow up with. But, like most people do, helping my mother and grandmother in the kitchen was a start. The strongest and fondest memories are of helping my mother prepare the many specialty cakes she was known for.  She also had a knack for turning out the perfect cream puff.  While others struggled with the pastry shell (pâté à choux) part, my mother had the timing down perfectly; and, while she focused on cake decorating or getting the icing whipped to perfection, I would be finishing the pâté a choux – adding one egg at a time and beating until my arms were sore.

I remember grandmother was as traditional as you could get.  Her stove was part gas, part wood burning; so, cooking and baking for her was more art than precision.  Maybe it was my first glimpse at intention in the kitchen – pure love. You never knew what exact temperature you would be working with and, while you had the efficiency of the gas oven, you still had to deal with a product that was manufactured in the early 1900's.

She had a bread recipe that was all purpose.  She used it as the base or shell for her apple pies, it provided dinner rolls when needed and, for Easter, a few alterations and it was the perfect Paska.  She would make her own soap, had no qualms about using lard, and could take dried peas and potatoes and turn them into a Christmas dish that the moment it hits your mouth takes you back to your first memories of eating it at her home. This is where sensing food started for me. Eating food brings the smells, feels, and the sounds connected to each dish. 

One of the strongest memories I have is the sound and feel of trains.  On the occasions we got to sleep over at Grandma's house, we used to love how in the middle of the night we would awaken to the whole house shaking as the trains from the neighboring train yard would be passing through to places unknown.

Another part of my life was being the second oldest of five children. Many responsibilities fell upon me and my older sister as both parents had to work to keep things going.  After my sister starting working and all the regular high school experiences took her away from the home more and more, those family responsibilities landed squarely in my lap.  It was tough growing up as latch key children but, we understood what our parents wanted for us and the only way to keep us in good schools, a safe neighborhood, and put food on the table was for both parents to work full-time jobs and have all of us help with the daily responsibilities.

The kitchen became mine and I loved to experiment.  If a recipe caught my attention I would have to try it out.  When I found a Swedish meatball recipe it gave me the chance to cook with wine long before I ever had my first real sip.  The family loved it.  Other times, you got to see when the recipe and idea doesn't always equal success.  A Whole Wheat Pretzel recipe from Richard Simmons in his early days will always be a memory of something that is only made once, never served to guests, and is never heard of again. 

For big family celebrations, potluck was the way to go.  We would make hundreds of Halupki (cabbage rolls) and have them slow cooking in those wonderful large roaster pans all morning long.  Pierogis are still a family favorite and as long as you stay in the meat and potato realm  you are bound for success at any gathering.

The next part of being a chef for me was traveling and exposure beyond Pierogis. I joined the U.S. Navy shortly after graduating high school and my first 9 years of service were in the Asian Pacific.  I spent the first four years stationed on the incredible island of Guam.  While there, I worked for a few months at a time in the Philippines and Japan, and was able to travel to Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea.  The food was amazing.  The combinations, flavors, and sensory experiences can rarely be described and only experienced.

I have great memories of attending the many fiestas on Guam.  Each village had its own day, whether honoring its patron saint or when it was founded and they would always invite the rest of the island to come celebrate.  It is something special when you can be walking down the street of a small village and be invited in with a smile and a wave to join someone’s party in their yard.

I took Chinese cooking classes while in Guam and Kiko Kay's tips and instruction still stay with me to this day.  And that, I hate to admit, was over 25 years ago!  Can I be Jewish for a moment?  OY!  Thank you.

After leaving Guam, I spent four wonderful years in Hawaii stationed both at Pearl Harbor and Lualualei.  More great food and experiences for me to take in.  The islanders really know how to not only enjoy food but each other.  I have never been anywhere else where family and extended family has meant so much.  Elders are still respected and honored and the experience of getting together, eating and enjoying each others company is still valued.  This Includes, for those that don't know it, the wonderful beach and surf community.  In many ways they are an even closer tight  knit family and those meals and times together are times for bonding.

Counting both my final years in the U.S. Navy and sticking around because it is such a fantastic place, I spent the last 17 years in Southern California, a place where the menu is always changing. This is where I met Kat. I was busy exploring the mind/body aspect of sensitivity. Somehow food seemed to fit in there somewhere. I became a massage therapist and Reiki practitioner. Places where I assisted healing, I found food was very connected to fearful emotions and lack of love. Finally, I got the awareness that healing in many aspects is possible.

Several years ago I realized that I wanted to bring all my experiences and skills together and fine tune them so I could open and operate something of my own.  I found a perfect fit at the California School of Culinary Arts - Le Cordon Bleu, Pasadena.  Attending school once again, in a field I have always loved, was a dream come true!  The classes, the instructors, the location was everything I needed.  Graduation came much too quickly – I wanted more!

My commercial kitchen experience followed and I soon discovered that so much of the art of cooking happens outside of the classroom.  It is only by working with gifted mentors and walking "...through the fire" that you know how to handle the day-to-day life in a restaurant kitchen.

Catering, teaching children, volunteering for large events, cooking on a cruise ship, and working with many talented chefs have brought me to where I am today – a multi-faceted being that sees it takes all senses to hone your craft and share it with others.

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