As you will see from the video I am a ‘Culinary Advisor’ for ‘The Sow Project” which was founded by Ben Vaughn. Fellow culinary advisors include Andrew Zimmern, Sophina Uong, Simon Majumdar, Dr. Audrey Elion, José Mendin and more. We are all about helping educate, feed and employment. Please see…
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TREASURE BOOK, ‘CHEZ NICO’
If one were to take a guess naming a chef operating in England as one of first ones to receive the ultimate Three Star Status by the Michelin Guide, I would bet very few would know it was the person I’m featuring today. Many might guess or know Marco Pierre…
A TREASURE BOOK, “JOE BEEF, THE ART OF LIVING”
Even the subtitle is appropriately renegade, ‘A Cookbook of Sorts’. The Canadian trio of authors on this book are David McMillan, Frédéric Morin and Meredith Erickson. Their restaurant has been hailed by many including my occasional travel buddy the great, late Tony Bourdain. You need to go to or be…
EATER NAMES ORLANDO’S ‘TOP 38!’
Eater 38 is out with the top honors. “Legendary Florida chef Norman Van Aken continues to navigate the restaurant’s direction along with chef de cuisine Carlos Robles Molina at the helm. Even in its third incarnation, the menu’s original Latin-Caribbean DNA is still intact, though flavors from Japan and Southeast…
“Culture and Cuisine”. The Seeds of Fusion!
I purchased this book at a shop on Fleming Street in Key West in February of 1988. I was part owner of my first restaurant. It was called “MIRA”. I was also in the middle of a huge amount of culinary self-analysis as to what I was going to do…
’90 at 90′ Galas for Chef Jacques Pépin!
The Director of Operations for the Jacques Pépin Foundation, Marissa Ain and the foundation’s Culinary Producer, Susan Wilbur invited me to head up two major dinners in Florida for the program titled, “90 at 90” to celebrate the life of the amazing Chef and Educator. The ones I am helping…
Treasure Book: The Essential Cooking of Michel Bras
It was not originally on the itinerary at all, but as the months drew closer to our going Charlie came to one of his famously resolute decisions and told Steve Greystone, “We’re going to add in Michel Bras. Norman can’t go to France without dining there!” With that he pulled…
Treasure Book, “The New James Beard”
As I have told the story before the very first cookbook I bought was, “Theory and Practice of Good Cooking” by the one and only James Beard. That was in 1978. Four years later he released, “The New James Beard”. It is of note that his editor was the superb…
When Rita Moreno met Leonard Bernstein
True story. I was approximately 38 years of age. It happened at ‘Louie’s Backyard’, (the beautiful restaurant). My editor, Risa Kessler was down from NYC. I never dined in/at the restaurant then as I was too busy cooking. BUT she was my editor and a force of nature and delight….
CITY CUISINE, A TREASURE BOOK
Way back before the two dynamos named Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger became nationally known as ‘The Too Hot Tamales” they were still somewhere pre-California. I want to go from just memory land here ‘pre Google’. The folks who were affecting the industry had to do it from a…
LULU’S PROVENCAL TABLE
1998 April 1st: Janet, our son Justin and I flew to Paris. We met with our great friends Proal, Connie and the children Rebecca and Matthew. A Family Vacation!! The first night we dined at ‘L’ Ami Louis’ on the 2nd. It was coming down in sheets when we arrived and…
A TRIO OF SAVEUR COOKBOOKS
A few months ago I covered one of the Saveur books in the series of three. I so loved that particular one I went online and bought the other two. So now I have the trifecta of Saveur America, France and Italy! I believe it was in 1994 that Saveur…
My Treasure Books: James Beard
When people see my cookbook library I don’t think many realize how humbly and singularly it began. But I recall it with crystalline clarity. The year was 1978. I had been cooking for seven years. But … I had not gotten what you would call serious about it as a…
The Science Wizard of Cooking; Harold McGee
During the mid 80’s blossomed a time when almost every serious chef in the land about whispered the genius of the man who wrote the book titled above. While I can’t claim to being a science nut one did not have to be in falling in love with this book…
“PEPPERS” (The HOT kind)! A TREASURE BOOK
I was given this big, lavishly illustrated book for my birthday in July of 1987. It was quite different than most of my books in that this was a fantastic merging of artwork, (done by the author Jean Andrews), food history and recipes. Her painting and drawings are reminiscent of…
The Essentials of Cooking: A Treasure Book
This ‘Treasure Book’ by James Petersen takes on us on a family route more than many. For it was in this book that I helped our son, Justin. Backstory. He grew up in the business as do many of the children of people I share this industry with. He was…