Growing up conversations with my father were as likely to revolve around events hundreds of years ago as they were to what I did in school that day. A history buff, my Dad was often my primary source of reference for my elementary school history papers. I was probably the only kid in fourth grade who had a paragraph about the Lincoln-Douglas ( Read more... )

On a cold, blustery March evening most of us would rather order in Szechwan chicken or root through the dregs of the cupboard rather than brave the elements in search of sustenance. But after a day of organizing paperwork (me), writing a paper that just wasn’t coming together (Thom) and doing laundry (both of us) we really needed to get out of the ( Read more... )

Salem, MA was once a wealthy center of maritime commerce. Ships left from this port north of Boston for the West Indies and China, returning with spices and Canton blue china plates. Although the spice trade dried up centuries ago, Chef Antonio Bettencourt must have taken the slow boat to Italy, allowing plenty of time for the authenticate flavors ( Read more... )

The most overused phrase in menus is "to perfection."  When you read a menu these days everything is "grilled to perfection" or "roasted to perfection ( Read more... )

My memories of Valentine's Day as a child revolve around my mother creating a beautiful dinner of rich, elegant, winter foods - cream sauces, braises, roasts, seasonal root vegetables and desserts of rich red berries and white cream, heart shaped pavlovas and raspberry mousses. In short, Valentine's Day was a day to celebrate those who loved us ( Read more... )

Our apartment is cold. The walls are cold. The windows are cold. The radiators are cold. We are cold. With the city outside hovering around 30 degrees, it doesn't seem much warmer inside.

Unless the oven is on.

While in culinary school I made friends with a young woman from Massachusetts, Rebeccah. We were both in the Garnish Your Degree program, ( Read more... )

Like most of us, I have never been particularly skilled at dinner for one. Oh sure, I will purchase a single sized portion of wild salmon and cook it for myself or measure out a serving of pasta and add whatever vegetables are handy for a solitary lunch. But really cooking single serving portions is much more challenging than just cooking for ( Read more... )

When the days start getting shorter and the air gets colder many of us escape from the grim prospect of winter by thinking of the holidays and the delicious indulgences in which we plan to partake. We all have our favorites, often stemming from childhood and a long line of family and cultural traditions. Christmas happens to be my absolute favorite ( Read more... )

People who don't like candy, and chocolate in particular, are not to be trusted ( Read more... )

I awoke early this morning and quietly tiptoed out of the room and down the hall with my laptop. I typed away in the hotel lobby for a couple of hours until Jeff awoke. After a light breakfast and a shower we hit the road again in hot pursuit of Walla Walla wines.


( Read more... )