The South is Rising Again: The 2013 James Beard Nominees

In the culinary world, the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize or the Oscars comes down to the James Beard Awards. This year, the list of nominees includes a large number of Southern chefs, restaurants, and other food-related entities. What’s so fascinating about this list lies in the evidence of increasing diversity – it’s not all … More The South is Rising Again: The 2013 James Beard Nominees

And to Think it all Started with a French Cookbook: Forty Years of Chez Panisse

Alice Waters often said that Elizabeth David’s  French Provincial Cooking started the whole thing, meaning Chez Panisse the restaurant. And of course, the ensuing local foods movement. The following excerpt comes from a review I wrote, published today on the Web site of The New York Journal of Books: The many talented cooks and chefs she … More And to Think it all Started with a French Cookbook: Forty Years of Chez Panisse

The Weird, Different, and Just Plain Interesting Restaurants of Paris: A Photo Gallery

Like many of you, I dream about being in France. A lot. And, of course, I daydream about eating in Paris, in spite of naysayers who point their compasses at other, more culinarily au courant corners of the globe. I’m already making lists of culinary adventures in preparation for my grant-sponsoredjourney this fall, doing research … More The Weird, Different, and Just Plain Interesting Restaurants of Paris: A Photo Gallery

If Salvador Dalí Dreamed Ferran Adrià

In honor of Gourmet magazine of dear and cherished memory (and my Danish father-in-law, who would have scoffed loudly and asked for more roast beef, mange tak), I present this link to a video of a multi-course meal (“The Alchemist”) in a futuristic restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark, Bo Bech at Restaurant Paustian. Gorgeous music, accompanied … More If Salvador Dalí Dreamed Ferran Adrià

Cooking in Italy

Instead of forking out thousands of lire for a cooking class in Italy, take a look at these videos. Buon appetito! Cooking  Sicilian  with Mamma Agata Amalfi Coast with Mamma Agata (Looks like somebody got into the wine a bit early on) Lezione di cucina dl ristorante La Finestra a Padova (Italian Cooking Class at … More Cooking in Italy