How former SU player Brendan Curry developed a passion for cooking

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A couple of minutes after follow ended on a Wednesday afternoon in late March, Brendan Curry stood within the Ensley Athletic Middle foyer and admitted with amusing that he typically will get “hangry”.

“I’m hangry proper now, to be trustworthy,” he mentioned.

Like many faculty college students, Curry — the four-time All-American and a future Premier Lacrosse League player for Atlas Lacrosse Membership — will get hangry. Tucker Dordevic mentioned Curry will get “pissed” when he hasn’t eaten.

“You possibly can mainly know if he’s aggravated or one thing, it’s like ‘Dude, are you hangry?’” his dad, former SU player Todd Curry, added.

Cooking has change into Curry’s resolution to his hangriness. It began out of necessity throughout his sophomore 12 months, however has since developed right into a passionate interest.

“My mates know that once I get hungry, it’s game-over for any form of dialog or I’m very snappy,” Curry mentioned in late March. “Often once I’m cooking, (it’s as a result of) I’m hangry, in order that they go hand-in-hand.”

The previous SU midfielder runs an Instagram account referred to as “the.hangrychef”, the place he posts photographs of assorted meals he created from scratch. The account has over 750 followers, although Curry is adamant that cooking is simply a interest, secondary to lacrosse. But it surely’s one which he enjoys and is de facto good at, these near him say. He mentioned it’s furthered his relationship together with his mom, Erin Curry, who additionally shares a love for cooking.

“I feel that the curiosity is real,” Todd mentioned in late March. “He likes it and I feel he’ll at all times get higher and higher at what he does.”

When Curry was youthful, the household was at all times within the kitchen — the centralized space of their home — whereas Erin cooked, Curry mentioned. Todd mentioned Curry’s ardour stems from his mom.

Curry started cooking whereas attending Calvert Corridor (Maryland) Faculty Excessive College, making an attempt to placed on extra muscle for lacrosse season, Erin mentioned. Primarily, he made his personal eggs and pancakes within the morning.

However cooking didn’t fill an even bigger function in his life till his sophomore 12 months at Syracuse whereas residing in a South Campus residence. For the primary time in his life, he had his personal kitchen. What started as a required activity for Curry, alongside his roommate and teammate, Owen Seebold, turned an exercise he grew enamored with, Todd mentioned.

Early on, when Curry got here residence for break, Erin spent a day instructing him how one can prepare dinner varied meals. They froze the objects so he may take them again to high school. At SU, he relied on Erin’s favourite recipes for easier-to-make meals: burgers, spaghetti and meatballs, scorching canine, macaroni and cheese and rooster and biscuits, as an illustration.

Slowly, Curry grew extra superior, experimenting with salads, fish, ribs and ribeye and tomahawk steaks, Todd mentioned. He realized to make his personal sauces, transferring towards “full-service form of cooking,” Todd added. Since he didn’t have a barbecue grill in his residence, he taught himself how one can reverse-sear steak by utilizing a cast-iron skillet and the oven.

“I don’t suppose he has one speciality, only a bunch of various issues he likes,” Todd mentioned. “He’s increasing his horizon by way of what he makes, and I feel he’s going to proceed discovering various things to prepare dinner.”

For items, Curry at all times asks for one thing cooking-related now, his dad mentioned. Erin acquired him an air fryer for Christmas one 12 months, and a cutting board engraved with “The Hangry Chef” in addition to a high-quality Cutco knife one other 12 months.

Throughout quarantine, Curry had extra time at residence to additional develop his expertise. He labored on marinating greens and making quite a lot of sauces — together with alfredo, rosé vodka, salsa and guacamole. And he realized to make bread and pizza dough, amongst his grandmother’s favorites, Erin mentioned.

Curry and his mom despatched recipes forwards and backwards for dishes they thought could be good. He’s adequate now that he doesn’t at all times want a recipe, Erin mentioned. Nonetheless, Curry mentioned his mom is the higher prepare dinner as a result of she is aware of so many recipes “just like the again of her hand.”

Once they prepare dinner collectively, one will take the lead whereas the opposite observes, helps and asks questions concerning the course of, Todd mentioned. Curry enjoys the entire expertise, beginning with going to the grocery retailer and choosing out elements, Erin mentioned.

“It’s one thing that these two can do and bond collectively about, so I feel she loves the truth that they’re each inventors and each nice cooks,” Todd mentioned.

Apart from studying from his mother’s recipes, Curry mentioned he watches a whole lot of YouTube tutorials from Sam The Cooking Guy and Joshua Weissman, his two favorites.

“That basically helped him change into a extremely good prepare dinner,” Erin mentioned. She mentioned her son is extra of a “video watcher” whereas she’s usually extra invested in Pinterest or on-line recipes.

Whereas in quarantine, the household had a cook-off contest that featured Curry, his girlfriend, his three youthful sisters and Todd. They broke off into pairs and every cooked a unique dinner, and Erin judged.

Curry made his steak with a chimichurri sauce, Todd’s favourite. The sauce makes it particular, Curry explains, and includes chopping up parsley, cilantro and garlic earlier than including oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and crimson pepper flakes. Todd recalled how his son at all times makes him stick his pinky within the inexperienced sauce to ensure it’s good. Letting the meat marinate in a single day is the place the flavors “actually come collectively,” Curry added.

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The previous SU participant had much more time to prepare dinner throughout the lacrosse offseason. In February, he did two drive-thru gross sales and bought out 50 bacon, egg and cheese bagels every time. Curry mentioned SU defensive coordinator Dave Pietramala — a bagel fanatic from Lengthy Island — had considered one of Curry’s bagels too, and favored it. The bagels had been Dordevic’s favourite dish.

This 12 months, Curry was the chef of his home of over 10 lacrosse teammates and roommates. He cooked whereas a couple of others had been “sous cooks,” serving to seize objects from the fridge along with cleansing up.

Todd laughed and referred to as his son “messy as sh*t”. Curry makes use of each utensil and vessel within the kitchen when he cooks, and even he admitted that he must work on his pan-cleaning expertise.

“It’s like a twister when he’s completed, however the meals’s nice,” Todd mentioned.

The roommates like his rooster parmesan — Curry’s private favourite — and his rooster wings, Dordevic mentioned. The method concerned some trial and error, however Curry mentioned his roommates are trustworthy when one thing doesn’t work out too.

Curry doesn’t know whether or not cooking will ever change into greater than a interest. Proper now, it’s a ardour, like lacrosse, the place he’s constantly working to enhance. However in the future, he may doubtlessly envision himself opening his personal meals truck or restaurant.

“It’ll be a severe interest for him,” Todd mentioned. “He’ll proceed to develop in his culinary talent set.”