About

Kitchengeist is the joint effort and collaboration space of two foodies, Ariane Holzhauer and Andy Beach.  If we cook something we like, we'll try and remember to write it up.  If eat a great meal, we might post photos of it.  And if we go to an awesome food related event, we'll try and tell you about it.

Ariane hails from the wet and windy Netherlands, which is why she feels very much at home in Portland, Oregon! Her French mother and Dutch father (who was born in Indonesia) taught her to appreciate both European and Far Eastern cuisines. Her Malaysian/English grandmother is definitely to be credited with her special love of 'rijsttafel'. The spirit of her mother's family inhabits her stews, casseroles and sauces.

Ari is on a lifelong and never-ending quest for the perfect steak-frites, with that special flavor from the brasseries visited on all those French family vacations back in the day. But there is no reason that search can't lead via Buffalo chicken wings and peanut soup. 

She is honored to have Andy name one of his cocktails after her; the Ari: moody, with a hint of spice.

Andy was delighted when the phrase "foodie"was invented so people would stop calling him "chubby eater." Despite the lack of accent, he's a Southern boy living in the Pacific Northwest. Even though he is better know for his video and technology background, his love of food and hooch started much earlier - sitting in the kitchen watching him mom cook.  During college he spent so much time working in commercial kitchens he actually considered a career in it but ultimately decided 60 hours weeks in a hot kitchen and working until 2am six days a week sounded less appealing than it really was.  

So now all of Andy's cooking passions get funneled into meals for friends and family and has branched out to include a wide array of cocktails along the way.  When he's not cooking, Andy can be found boring people to death about computers, online video, or rusty old cars.1