The mission of the Blind Grilling Experience is to provide encouragement, training, and tools to blind and visually impaired individuals; to become independent in the kitchen and on the backyard grill. While the podcast covers a wide range of topics and discussions, we are sure you will benefit from the techniques, tips, recipes, and resources we share. Topics include food handling, preparation and safety, knife skills, grilling and cooking techniques as well as the use of grills, smokers, and other accessible appliances. Not only do we hope this will be beneficial to blind and visually impaired individuals, but that everyone can take something away to help them with their food preparation. Accessibility and independence is what we are striving for.
I began losing my sight when I was 10 years old due to a hereditary eye condition known as Retinitis pigmentosa. RP is a degenerative eye condition that causes the peripheral vision to diminish causing night blindness at first; often leaving individuals with tunnel vision and sometimes total loss of sight. Within the first 6 years, I lost 80% of my vision. During this process of adjustments and frustrations, I refused to give up my passion of grilling and cooking.
My brother and his family traveled to visit my family and me for a week in 2004, and I was going to prepare a steak dinner. My brother watched as I felt my way around, preparing the Charbroil barrel smoker/grill. As the coals heated up, so did the metal grill. As familiar with my setup as I was, occasionally I would miss the handle and touch the grill, burning my fingers. I learned to be quick, but never cooked unscathed. Finally, my brother broke his own “don’t touch another man’s grill” rule and offered his help. He found it difficult to watch me find my way around and constantly touch the extremely hot metal surface. A few months later, my brother made the 3 hour drive back to my house with a custom built table he made to fit the new large Big Green Egg kamado cooker. We walked through all the parts as I familiarized myself with the new grill and table area. I went inside for just a moment and when I returned he told me to feel around the table and grill one more time to know where everything was located. I was ready to light the grill after feeling for the handle and touching the outside of the grill several times. Then Joe informed me that he had already lit the coals and we were up to 350 degrees. I was amazed how I could touch and even place my hand on the surface of the grill without burning myself. Since that time I have heard so many people talk about how life changing a ceramic grill has been for them and their cooking experience. But in the back of my mind, I'm thinking it doesn't compare to the way it has changed my life. Apart from turning out amazing food, I now do it without injury.
Then in 2014, I started filming cooking videos with my children - Jake, Sarah, and Grace. What started as a way to spend time with my children cooking and making videos for Facebook and YouTube turned into so much more. I began receiving messages and phone calls with encouragement and appreciation for what I was doing. Several blind and visually impaired individuals contacted me to thank me for the videos and the motivation to pursue their own dreams.