Sauce is Boss

What is American Gravy?

Sauce is boss. 

No need for flowery intros, you are here because you love food. Or you want to cancel me, either way, let’s make sure the end product isn’t dry and boring. 

I grew up in a microwave-based household. My parents worked full time, plus overtime; they lacked general culinary skill (although we had some great “barf chicken” every Sunday, recipe coming soon). As a result, my sister and I learned every hack out there, from sidewalk scrambled eggs, to cooking burgers in the microwave. I ate every version of fast food and pizza growing up in New Jersey. So it’s ironic that I became a chef (even with the last name Gruel). 

One could say I became a chef out of necessity, but truth be told, I fell in love with food for the same reason everyone else does - it’s a moment in the day you can find your own version of “zen”, take a break, and replenish. Food is culture, food is compromise, food is community, food is sex, and all the other cute cliches - something that stitches all Americans together. 

The one thing I learned early on is that, in the presence of a good sauce, even the worst food is edible. And if we take that a step further, in the presence of good food, even the most disagreeable people can get along (even if for only one bite). That’s my American Gravy - food as the great unifier. 

This substack will feature all of my recipes, dishes, and culinary experiences as I develop and launch new restaurants, cook with family and learn about new cuisines. You will also see that cooking is simple, satisfying, and - with a good sauce, hard to mess up. 

I am going to kick this first post off with two recipes:

Everything Sauce and Green Sauce

These are two sauces that everyone must have in their fridge at all times.

Everything Sauce

This recipe is fairly simple, combine the ingredients and stir until smooth.

1 Cup Mayo (Hellmans or Dukes)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

½ Cup Ketchup

1 Teaspoon Granulated Garlic

1 Tablespoon Black Pepper (ideally freshly ground)

1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

Green Sauce

Ideally, this is mixed in a blender at high speed, however, if you don’t have a blender, chop as fine as possible and combine with a whisk.

½ Cup Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Shallot (minced)

1 Bunch Italian Flatleaf Parsley (chopped)

1 Garlic Clove Minced

2 Tablesoon Honey

1 oz Dijon Mustard

3 oz Soy Sauce

1 Cup Avocado Oil or Virgin Olive Oil