Okay so Chef Blackinton is why...

[Jenise]

...I came home from Costa Rica in December, though I was convinced I had a recurrence of the horrible infection that got me in L.A. last year, I waited for two days before seeking medical help. That's because Jared Blackinton was cooking dinner for my local wine group at my house the next day! So we had the dinner, we killed the bottles, I passed out blankets and pillows and in the morning made toast and coffee. As soon as they left, I was on my way to the hospital. But miss this meal? In my own house??? No way!

He's up for the James Beard award again this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KHjCgvAJF4&feature=youtu.be

[Jenise]

The worst part is that I couldn't hang out in the kitchen with the chefs. He made the most amazing beet I've ever had in my life. I know, just a beet. But he did some combination of low heat smoking followed by direct-fire roasting that resulted in slices not just the color of but the texture of a black-and-blue steak. And it didn't really taste like a beet anymore. Forget molecular gastronomy, THAT was magic.