A private chef who spends up to 7 hours a day cooking says America's restaurant obsession has changed the way we treat food - and it explains why there's no millennial-era Martha Stewart
- Natasha "Tash" Feldman is a Webby-nominated private chef who has appeared on Food Network's "Chopped" and stars in a YouTube cooking show, "Nosh with Tash."
- She said America's obsession with dining out is raising our standard for food, and people think they can't match that standard with home cooking.
- The average American millennial aged 25-34 spends about 6% of their total spending on take-out and restaurant food, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- On her YouTube show, Feldman showcases her own recipes that are easy to make with tools likely already in your kitchen.
When she's not cooking at a private residence or creating recipes, Natasha "Tash" Feldman is working on her YouTube show "Nosh with Tash."
Feldman has appeared on Food Network's "Chopped" and is a private chef living in Los Angeles. After cooking professionally for up to seven hours a day for two and a half years, she said TV-worthy meals should not be a dinner-at-home goal.
America has an obsession with dining out. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey found millennials spent an average of $3,416 on take-out and restaurants in 2017, while Gen Xers spent an average of $4,249.
"I sort of become disenchanted with this idea that food TV and food culture is making people feel like their food isn't good enough," Feldman said. "I think it encourages people to want to go out and eat. Because, well if I can't make that thing I'll just go and have somebody else make it for me."
Feldman cooks for successful tech entrepreneurs and established LA families. She said the problem with constantly dining out is knowing what delicious food looks and tastes like, ultimately holding made-at-home meals up to the same restaurant standard. It's also costly.
"We've basically put restaurants in this role they are just this thing that feeds us" rather than an experience reserved for celebrations, Feldman said. "It's really become this 'what are we going to eat tonight' and that's problematic."
In a big city like Los Angeles or New York, Feldman said it's easy to eat out several nights a week because long days mean no energy to cook - which really means grocery shopping, recipe following, and cleaning.
Feldman created "Nosh with Tash" to showcase her own recipes that are easy to make with a quick trip to the grocery store and tools likely already in your kitchen. Feldman wants her recipes to help home cooks make simple meals that match restaurant quality.
"There are reasons why there isn't a 2018 version of Martha Stewart, because those are no longer our aspirations or goals," Feldman said. "We need to readjust the idea of cooking at home and really think about why it is that we do it, you know, work towards an attainable system."