A geek in the kitchen

by Nikki M. Mascali
Weekender Editor

When most people want to learn how to do something better, they take a class. When John “Yogi” Yogodzinski wanted to become a better cook, he decided to tape his learning experience, and voila — the video podcast Cooking With Geeks was born.

“I just wanted to learn how to cook a little better — my only experience with food was working at McDonald’s,” Yogodzinski explains.

The Williamsport resident, who films the podcast with the help of his friends, had been a fan of the now-defunct podcast Ctrl+Alt+Chicken, where a clueless-in-the-kitchen couple would try to make dishes like beef stew and crab cakes.

“It was an entertaining show, and I was looking for something like that,” recalls Yogodzinski, a Harveys Lake native.

In Cooking With Geeks, which you can find online at cookingwithgeeks.com, you won’t see a state-of-the art kitchen, nor a well-rehearsed podcast. What you will see is an informal yet informative Yogodzinski preparing a meal and side dish in a kitchen that might not be that much different from his viewers’.

“It’s just a little efficiency — if I stretch my arms out, I could probably touch both walls,” he says. “I have a big metal table that I slide out, and the camera is about a foot in front of that, so it’s kind of cramped.”

The main cooking segment isn’t the only component to the podcast — it includes the “Tech in the Kitchen” and “Mix-o-logy” portions, homemade commercials, and bloopers. While Yogodzinski would like to have a new episode each week, due to his full-time job, he posts about once a month.

Over the course of five episodes, Cooking With Geeks has tackled the Reuben sandwich and broccoli and cheese soup featured in Episode 1, a cheesesteak omelet and home fries, and most recently, grilled pork tenderloin and coleslaw. There are also seven Halloween-themed installments.

“I had the most fun doing the vegetarian stuff just because I’m not a vegetarian,” Yogodzinski says. The meal consisted of homemade mushroom veggie burgers and a vegetarian pasta primavera.

With many episodes under his chef’s hat, has Yogodzinski become a better cook?

“It’s definitely improved,” he says. “If I have nothing in the cabinet, I can make a meal that’s edible and enjoyable.”

While Yogodzinski is a self-declared geek, his geek-dom does not spill over into kitchen gadgetry — he uses nothing too high-tech and sometimes even pokes fun at such devices.

“I spoof on the Magic Bullet … but it is a great smoothie maker,” he admits sheepishly.

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Watch Cooking with Geeks at cookingwithgeeks.com, myspace.com/cookingwithgeeks