Long long ago, in the distant utopia of SoCenLA, lived a little girl in a house with her Nana, Momma, and Granddaddy...there were a few pets as well, but they aren’t important to this story. Anywho, the women in this family spent a lot of time in the kitchen. The little girl was a fan of observing the hustle Momma and Nana put into the meals they created, but being apart of the process was hard for her. She was unable to keep still and stay focused for long periods of time. Thus, she would always miss a step in the recipe or forget an ingredient or two. This irritated and amused Momma and Nana, but it also gave them ideas on how to engage the little girl in creative ways.

Momma would put on the radio and allow the little girl to dance to the tunes of the day - R&B, jazz, gospel, maybe a little hip hop if Nana wasn’t around. She also put the little girl to work with busying tasks - chopping mostly, with some occasional stirring privileges. Over time, the little girl learned to get the tasks done and to take small breaks to release her extra energy as she slid around the kitchen to the beat. Momma and Nana also knew the little girl wasn’t one to follow directions - it’s a family trait, after all - so they allowed her to play around with recipes...a bit of improvisation so to speak. Lastly, Nana added the final part of the training: handing down her secret recipe for the Special Dish! It was so secret Momma didn’t even know the recipe and still doesn’t to this very day. Nana wanted her to have at least one memorized dish, thus, giving her the needed confidence to own the kitchen. These lessons all boiled down to one thing for the little girl: food is simply what you make it.  

That little girl, now very much a grown woman, realized with time that other little girls and boys did not enjoy the kitchen as much as she did. She was told “cooking is hard,” or “it’s too complicated.” So she made it her mission to help her friends learn to love the kitchen as much as she did...or at least not to hyperventilate when they see one.

As a means to this mission, I give you Status: Rogue. My name is Reignin and I am a lover of the magic brewed in the kitchen. Cooking is a centering mechanism for me because I feel most free - and, perhaps, most myself - in the kitchen. Status: Rogue is my way of encouraging people to open up a recipe, any recipe, and go rogue! I myself have rarely seen a recipe all the way through and others should experience the same unshackled joy. As an bonus, I will share the cost of the meal per serving because cooking shouldn’t break the bank. Oh, and every now and then, I will let you in on a few secrets - my favorite items that make #ROGUElyfe possible.

From living in LA, then Boston, and now the DMV, the kitchen is the grounded part of my uprooted life. I don’t know where my life will take me next, but I would bet everything that there will be a kitchen open to the magic of #ROGUElyfe.

Happy Cooking Y'all :)

Reignin

All photos on this site were taken by Reignin. The design, set up, and logo by Malisa Kuch. Editing by Danielle Allen.