STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Growing up in a close-knit Italian family, food was at the center of most gatherings for Michael Barbiera. For as long as he can remember, late Sunday afternoon pasta dinners with meatballs and sweet Italian sausage were a mainstay.
“My great aunt and grandmother always had a way of making seemingly average food taste amazing,” he recalled. “Polenta cakes with parmesan cheese; braciole stuffed with ham, egg and breadcrumbs slow cooked in homemade tomato sauce; and tuna with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and white beans were just some of the dishes I looked forward to.”
These dinners showed him the importance of food, “and how it’s used not just for recreational activity, but also to build family memories.”
These experiences helped inspire Barbiera to discover the culinary world’s “best kept secrets.”
“I was curious, and it went beyond Italian cuisine. I wanted to know how to make a cream soup, pan fry a potato croquette and make a french butter sauce,” he said, noting this led to him obtaining a degree from The Culinary Institute of America.
Color Coded Kitchen was launched last year by Michael Barbiera. (Courtesy of Yimell Suarez)
“I loved great food, and I wanted to be part of the process. Along with my inspiration to pursue a degree as a chef, I grew up playing ice hockey as early as the age of 5. I loved the fast paced action the game of ice hockey brought. … My love for food and fast paced action influenced my final decision during my senior year of high school at Monsignor Farrell to pursue a degree at one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the world,” said Barbiera, known to many as “Chef Mike.”
Over the years he has taught culinary arts to school children, including those with special needs. During this time, Barbiera said he developed a color coded system for measurements.
This led to his creation last year of the Color Coded Kitchen, an approximately 1-year long curriculum divided into 12 units…
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