Inspired by food grounded in comfort and family-and cooking to a rock 'n' roll soundtrack-Chef Kasey Rivers brings the heat every day in the kitchen at our Nordstrom location in Jacksonville, Florida.

Case in point: Her recipe below for Spicy Squid Ink Pasta with Pickled Dilly Beans and Octopus. Seriously, try it at home. You will never to make a bland puttanesca again.

And lest you doubt her rockingness: she named her son after John Bonham from Led Zeppelin.

Shop: Pop-In@Nordstrom Eats

Nordstrom blogs: If you were stranded on a desert island-a desert island which happened to have knives, fire, a stove, pots, pans, etc.-what would be the five most essential ingredients you'd want with you?
Kasey Rivers: Garlic, salt, oil, an herb-thyme, most likely-and hot sauce.

If you could cook for any person living or dead, who would it be? Why and what would you make for them?
My grandma Nora Mae Anderson. I would cook her linguini and clams with broccoli. She was my inspiration to become a cook. She had over 15 grandkids and treated us all like her own. She is my inspiration in life.

Which culinary specialty from your region do you love the most? What's another one that you think most outsiders don't know about?
I'm going with two from Bazille, our restaurant at Nordstrom in Jacksonville. First, the tomato jam jar. It's tomato jam, pesto and ricotta layered over each other in a canning jar-you spread it on crostini. We feature it as a special appetizer every day, and it's a massive hit. It has that sweet and salty combination, and it makes people want to be together while having a great conversation. As far as unknown specialties, I don't think most outsiders know about our pizzas and how we make them. To me, using Lamonica's NY Pizza dough from NYC is key. I am from the Northeast and know you cannot replace the water and how it makes pizza dough the way it does. Using this dough specifically makes our pizzas so special, and how we take so much time to prepare the pizzas makes them so delicious.

What's your single favorite vegetable?
Cauliflower.

Sweet (food, not ingredient)?
Pistachio ice cream.

Savory (food, not ingredient)?
Our tomato jam jar.

How about your "I'm having a bad day, I deserve this" go-to comfort food?
Ambrosia apples and a lot of peanut butter.

Please detail for us the best meal you've ever had and what you loved about it.
I dined at Le Bernardin in NYC back in 2010 and got the five-course tasting menu. It was not only the food that made this meal so spectacular, but the service, ambiance and decor. A meal is not only about the food, but your atmosphere while you enjoy that food. So yes, the merguez-stuffed squid and escarole was to die for. But the hostess who sat us, the maître d' who greeted us, the sommelier who enlightened us and chef Eric Ripert, who glided around the dining room checking on his guests, made that meal. It was truly the best experience I had ever had.

What's on your perfect playlist for cooking at home?
A little bit of everything. I like the Beatles, Pink Floyd (my daughter loves them), Led Zeppelin (my son is named after John Bonham), AFI, Ellie Goulding, Lindsey Stirling and maybe some Tiger Army. I know, it's pretty random, but that's our house!

What inspired you to become a chef?
My mother was not the best cook growing up, but with three girls she had her hands full. She made us become very independent at a young age, and my chore was to cook and clean the house. I took a liking to it and remembered how delicious my grandma Nora's meals were, so it made me want to go to culinary school. My first day at school I was a deer in headlights and did not know what I just got myself into, but after getting my first restaurant job, I was hooked on the adrenaline and excitement that came with working the line.

And now it's time for the recipe...

SPICY SQUID INK PASTA WITIH PICKLED DILLY BEANS AND OCTOPUS
1 pack Italian Harvest squid ink pasta
2 cansJose octopus in olive oil
2 tablespoonsItalian Harvest Calabria hot pepper paste
2 cups La Reinese puttanesca sauce (or your favorite red sauce)
1 cupMcVicker Pickles spicy dilly beans, sliced into bite-size cuts
1 cup Pulse spicy lemon zest roasted chickpeas, crushed
Squeeze of lime to taste

1. In a large pot, season water with salt to taste like the ocean, and bring to a boil.
2. Once water boils, add pasta and cook until tender then strain and reserve.
3. While pasta is cooking, warm a medium sauté pan and add octopus, Calabria pepper paste and puttanesca sauce. Adjust Calabria pepper paste based on how spicy you like things.
4. Once your red sauce is simmering, add in your cooked pasta and toss well.
5. Portion your pasta into individual bowls and top with sliced dilly beans, crushed chickpeas and a squeeze of lime.
6. Enjoy.

Note: The dilly beans are best served at room temperature.