Author: Tate Basildon

Tate Basildon is a private chef, writer, and podcaster living with sarcoidosis and heart failure. A Culinary Institute of America honor grad, he shares raw, witty reflections on illness, creativity, and resilience through essays, fiction, and his podcast Pan to Pen.
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Prednisone, Diabetes, and the CGM That Smiled While Lying to My Face

Prednisone and sarcoidosis have been in a long-term relationship with my body for years, and lately they’ve added a new plus-one: diabetes. So I tried a CGM for “easy” blood sugar tracking—because if I have to poke my fingers all day, I’m going to start charging admission. What I didn’t expect was a tech romance full of false reassurance, surprise pain, and numbers that looked comforting… until the lab results showed up with receipts.

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•Waiting Rooms, Rude Receptionists, and the Old Lady Who Had My Back

After twenty years of living with sarcoidosis, heart failure, and more hospital visits than I can count, I’ve learned one thing: healthcare workers can make or break your experience. Some are angels in scrubs; others act like you’ve ruined their day just by existing. Here’s a raw, unfiltered look at what happens when compassion gets lost in the waiting room.

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When Strangers Grab Your Phone: Realizing Just How Much of My Life Lives in This Glass Box

Ever had someone snatch your phone while you were just trying to show them a picture? Twice in one day, it hit me how much of my entire life—accounts, passwords, memories, even my brain power—now lives inside this little iPhone. As a chef with sarcoidosis and heart failure who once memorized entire bank account numbers and directions without GPS, I’m wrestling with the good, bad, and ridiculous sides of tech dependence.

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Why I Stopped Believing in Confession (And Why Being a Decent Human Shouldn’t Need a Reset Button)

Raised in a Catholic school from age five to sixteen, I once believed in the power of confession—kneeling in a booth, spilling sins, walking out with a “clean slate.” But over time, I realized many used it as a free pass to behave badly, gossip shamelessly, or worse. In this heartfelt reflection, a chef, debut novelist, and chronic illness warrior shares how religion, family expectations, and a gossiping “good Catholic” co-worker pushed him away from organized faith—and toward a simpler belief: just be a good human.

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