May-Lick or Mah-Lick?

Back in the summer of 2001, Fox & Friends was hosting a Labor Day Cookout show and they invited three chefs to prepare outdoor recipes and somehow or another I made the cut.  So I reached out to Bell & Evans Chicken and they wanted in so I went to NY and represented Bell & Evans Chicken.  I […]

Tonight’s Special is…

“Tonight’s special is a fresh flounder filet, served on top of a mix of Roasted Vegetables from Parson’s farm including Swiss Chard, Baby Carrots, Garlic Scapes, Napa Cabbage and Sweet Onions, finished with Bagna Cauda and Fried Leeks.” This week we received some amazing produce from Daniel Parson’s farm in Clinton, SC.   Dinosaur Kale, Baby […]

Lonely

My family is away for the weekend.  I get home about 11:15.  I lingered at the restaurant, looked for little things to do before leaving but eventually the boss chased me out.  I take my time driving home then have a slow drive through our neighborhood before I stop in front of my house.  I […]

Tonight’s Special is…

“Tonight’s special is Rainbow Trout, it’s two boneless filets of Sunburst Farms Trout with a Scallop Mousse filling, the mousse has been seasoned with shallots, garlic, parsley and chives then the filets are wrapped in two slices of Benton’s Ham and it’s oven roasted, served over stone-ground grits with sauteed morel mushrooms, local baby carrots, […]

Cream-filled Doughnuts

Jason asked me to make some banana cream filled doughnuts for a private party so I tried several different techniques.  I made a couple of batches of yeast risen doughnuts (recipe is in the back of my novel, Doughnuts for Amy) and also a cake doughnut recipe.  Cake doughnuts are leavened with baking powder and/or […]

Making the most of a Leg of Duck

Jason Scholz, Chef/Owner of Stella’s Southern Bistro loves a good fried green tomato, and we serve plenty of them.  It’s a year-round staple because it’s what the customers want.  Yet Stella’s also serves the finest charcuterie in the South.  You heard me, the South.  Charcuterie is the process and technique of grinding, curing, smoking and […]

Just what is para-normal?

“I’ve got to get you to the doctor.”  Amy was shaking her head as she read the thermometer.  “A hundred and three, damnit, come on John, can you get up?” I was drained, sweating and shaking from the chills and weak from two days without food.  My wife managed to stuff me into the front […]

The Ageless Appeal of Pinot Noir

Thomas Torrey, the web and video genius for Senior Living Communities, shot this video of me hosting a Pinto Noir tasting in the dining room of my former place of employment.  I loved getting out of the kitchen and doing fun events such as this.  My wine tastings always a big hit and a lot […]

Five Seconds

January 16th.  My birthday.  I turned 33 years old eight hours earlier and I’m going to celebrate by winning a NORBA sanctioned mountain bike race at Manchester State Forest near Sumter, SC.  Amy and I left the warm confines of our home at 6:00 am so she could watch me bang wheels with a bunch […]

Chicken Sausage Enchiladas

    Every day, every shift, we make a meal for the staff.  It’s usually made from scraps, leftovers and tidbits and it’s always delicious.  It better be because in a busy restaurant where teamwork is paramount, everyone needs to know that they are important to success.  One of the ways that’s done is through […]