With Portland Fridge, we set out to learn about notable Portlanders through the contents of their refrigerators. To our delight, we discovered that the interviews invariably become much deeper kitchen conversations. Think of a family Thanksgiving and all the stories that time spent in the kitchen together draws out, whether you want it to or not!
By Lola Milholland
Photos by Leah Harb
Storm Large has been a hometown celebrity for years, amassing a loyal following in performances with her band, Storm and the Balls. In 2006, she gained national attention on the reality television show Rock Star: Supernova, where contestants competed to become the lead singer for an all-star rock band. No matter that she was eliminated near the end, Storm showed that television is a medium where she shines.
Storm continues to expand her reach, from music to television to theatre, beginning last year with the lead role in Caberet. Her most recent project is an autobiographical play, Crazy Enough, that will debut at Portland Center Stage in March of 2009.
“Welcome to my fridge. I just finished with a performance, so the cupboards are a little bare. Three nearly identical containers hog the top shelf: soy, rice, and hazelnut milk. My new favorite for coffee: hazelnut milk. I like soy milk but it actually has not been agreeing with me, so I’ve been switching up.”
What in here do you eat for breakfast?
“I start the morning by making my own apple, ginger, and kale juice. It’s goooood.”
Storm pulls out ingredients to make herself a “lazy, quickie snack.” She offers to cook some for me as well, while she pours soy-ginger broth into a small pot and turns on the heat. Waiting on the counter are bean thread noodles and organic frozen peas.
You love being in the kitchen. Have you been a cook?
“I moved up here in January, 2002. I was going to quit music. I had a brochure for the Western Culinary Institute, but that’s as far as I got, because I started working at Dante’s, and the owner finagled me to sing in his club.
“When I first moved up, I had considered marketing my own food products or starting my own business. Just a cart, selling soup. It would be organic soup—local produce, both vegan and omnivorous options. In the fall, I love to make stewed lamb shank in a bit of a saffron broth. I love to cook. I don’t get a chance to when I’m touring so when I come home I’m like…”
She growls and paws at her stovetop. The noodles and peas have simmered. Storm turns off the heat.
“Let that sit for a little while. Rice noodles are pretty starchy… The best thing on rice noodles in a savory broth is toasted sesame oil. Mmmm.”
She begins hunting through the condiments on her counter—past Egyptian mint sauce, three different types of Tabasco, and her favorite, Crystal Hot Sauce. She realizes with great disappointment that she’s all out of toasted sesame oil.
What would you cook to seduce someone?
“Okay, if I’m trying to seduce someone, they definitely eat meat. I would probably do slow food—something that took a long time to cook. I would do an artichoke heart salad tossed with some spearmint leaves; arugula; a heavy, sweet balsamic; and some crisped pancetta.”
She pauses.
“Or maybe just artichokes. Artichokes are hot. They’re usually with a drizzly, drizzly sauce. For dinner… I like the idea of eating with your hands, so maybe Cornish game hens. For dessert: flourless chocolate torte with tangerine or coconut sorbet.”
She opens her freezer.
“Coconut Bliss. I LOVE THIS ICE CREAM. I don’t know what I have done until now. So amazing.” Grabbing one: “This is the chocolate hazelnut fudge, for when I’m feeling crazy, but just the plain with some of the raspberries from the backyard on top is my absolute favorite.” She moans.
Storm closes the freezer, returns to the stovetop, and pours her noodle soup into a bowl. She lifts noodles from the bowl, blows on them, and then begins to eat.
On Thanksgiving?
“We do Thanksgiving in town, or we’ll have stragglers over here. It’s an orphan’s Thanksgiving, where it’s kind of like: you bring a side dish or a salad and I will cook the turkey. My favorite way to make a turkey, hands down, is brining it for 24 hours; it makes the biggest difference in the texture and flavor of the bird. But you also have to cover it with butter before you cook it.
“Once, I sat next to this little old lady on a plane. I was coming back from my grandfather’s funeral, and she was eating—it was right after Thanksgiving—a deep-fried turkey sandwich. She was like: ‘Why aren’t you eating? You’re a young girl. You need to eat something.’ I was like, ‘I don’t really feel like eating plane food. I promise I’m fine.’ Then we were talking and she found out that my grandfather had just died. So she tried to give me half of her sandwich. I was like, ‘I can’t take your sandwich, ma’am.’ And she said, ‘You ain’t taking it; you’re gonna accept it. It’s deep-fried turkey. It’s good, and it’s good for you. I ain’t gonna hear nothing else.’ I’ll say, it was pretty good. She had some cranberry jelly sauce and mayonnaise on there, all on white bread. God, what a sweetie.”
Any television in your future?
“I love to be all hammy on TV, but I want it to be good for someone. Do you know what I want to do? A show for people about how to feed their families healthily without a lot of money. People respond to glamorous TV shows. Maybe: Eco-Challenge in the Kitchen?”
In an announcer’s voice: “’How are you going to feed this family of six in fifteen minutes for less than fifteen dollars? GO!’ I would love to host that kind of show. I know: It’ll be like ‘Iron Chef,’ but called ‘Aluminum Chef.’ ‘Tinfoil Chef!’”
October 13th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
While you are waiting for the T.V. show to materialize, why not write a cook book:
“Large culinary creations”
just sayin