Introduction of Donte Allen, the Hot Zone Online’s newest writer!

Please allow me to introduce myself:

I was born in Cleveland, OH so from birth I was already off to a good start. Now, I was raised in Cleveland but I will also add to that NYC, as I spent many summers staying with my cousins in Flat Bush, Brooklyn. As well as Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba, Lithuania, Italy and Southern USA by extension of the friends and family that I grew up with. So, I was blessed with the chance to have a diversity of foods most of my young life to the present.

So, needless to say with all this to fall back on I have always been in the kitchen. I remember my first experience with real pepper was in my Auntie Fay’s kitchen. She was straight from Jamaica and so were all the ingredient in her pantry. Well, there was this one bottle that always intrigued me. I can still see it clearly to this day, the 32oz or so glass bottle filled with this yellow sauce with bits of red through out. The smell was sweet and mouth watering. Thinking about it now makes make me drool…lol Well my cousin convinced my into trying… getting me to eat something didn’t take much… I was a foodie from the beginning. Well a little was all it took, the flavor was amazing but then 2 seconds later my 12yr old mouth was a blaze… This was a hot unlike any that my young palette had ever encountered… I still think to this day its the hottest thing that I have ever eaten and I still have no idea what it was cause it was something my Auntie Fay made herself. I learned a few lessons that day, never eat something from a bottle that has no label without asking what it is first, don’t get hot sauce on your lips(i forgot to mention to it burn a small hole in my lip!!!) this is a rule I stick to today when eating sauces, and my cousin Shawn is an ass*#@#… That said this was were and when my desire of spicy cuisine began.

For now(the last 14yrs, in and out of) I have made my home in Slo-lumbus, Oh. Mostly due to the fact that I attended OSU. Otherwise my life may have deposited me some other location. Though, in the 14yrs that I have resided in Columbus has not been consecutive. I have lived a large part of my life outside the states. Large part hopping around Asia, the South Pacific, and Europe.  All helping refine my palette.

I spend most of my time at work. That’s life in the states, work to die. I am looking for a way to change that so that work is a hobby and living is and making the most of it is my life.

With my day to day grind, I need to have a heaven into with I can retreat. For my it either in the kitchen or at my other job at Curds and Whey in the Columbus North Market. Where I am manager/buyer. Its hard to find a place where you can say, “I love to go to work”. For me this is the place. Of course its work but we spend a lot of time talking about food and eating…LOL Sampling some of the worlds finest products…talk about a Foodie heaven.

In my spare time which is when I make it, I am constantly keeping myself busy (I am SO ADD/ADHD), either cooking, developing recipes, working on my farm and garden, working on my company, EATING, playing soccer, Rc building/racing,Traveling and most of all spending some great QT with my amazing wifie…