“So this isn’t a Cookbook?”
Recently I hosted a dinner and book signing at a friend’s restaurant in Charlotte. Me and Tom Condron, the Chef/Owner go way back. So after everyone had a glass of wine and a few hors d’oeuvre in them they sat down. We were all in a great mood, it was a Saturday night and a […]
Doughnuts for Amy now in Paperback
Click this link to purchase Doughnuts for Amy in six by nine paperback
Tell me again why I didn’t join the Air Force?
I’m not sure why I never became a fighter pilot because when I was a kid that is all I dreamed of becoming. From the ceiling that my brother Tommy and I shared hung models of every fighter plane imaginable dating from World War 1. P-51D’s shared airspace with Fokker Triplanes and F- 101 Voodoo’s. […]
Tell me again why I didn’t join the Air Force?
I’m not sure why I never became a fighter pilot because when I was a kid that is all I dreamed of becoming. From the ceiling that my brother Tommy and I shared hung models of every fighter plane imaginable dating from World War 1. P-51D’s shared airspace with Fokker Triplanes and F- 101 Voodoo’s. […]
A Doughnuts for Amy excerpt on Charles Dickens’ Birthday
“Nick?” “Yes ma’am?” “Do you have any news for us?” “Well, I’m concerned about Colonel Armstrong. I don’t think he is eating much of anything these days. Coffee in the morning and his meals often come back just barely eaten, although he claims that everything is fine.” “Nick would you like me to pay a […]
The Greatest Voice on Earth
When our restaurant was open, my cooks could listen to whatever they wanted to on the radio. Punk, Country, Speed Metal, Top 40, didn’t matter to me so long as they were happy and getting the job done. I never complained either, occasionally I may have commented on a certain lead singer’s ability to carry […]
“Braised Pork Belly courtesy Chef Colicchio”
As the plate was set in front of me I was stunned. Pork belly? Really? For Pete’s sake I was at the Gramercy Tavern, in New York City for an appearance on Sara Moulton’s Primetime and this Colicchio guy is sending me out a piece of pork belly? Gee, thanks Tom. Got any sweet tea […]
The Bacon Cake
As a young apprentice at the Culinary Arts program in New Orleans, I was fortunate enough to be hired by Chef Daniel (pronounced Dan Yell) Bonnot at the Restaurant de la Tour Eiffel. This was the original restaurant from the Eiffel Tower, the one in Paris, the restaurant was removed by French engineers because it […]
It’s Like Frosting a Cake, Right?
“It’s like spreading frosting on a cake then, right?” I heard myself thinking. I’m standing in the middle of I385 on a chilly, grey day as Mike Haynes, the operator of this enormous Guntert & Zimmerman S-850 describes how critical the mix of the concrete is to the finished product, which in this case is […]
The Work Space
I have a new job. It’s part-time, only three or four days a week and I’m cooking, actually cooking at a friend’s restaurant here in the burbs of Greenville. Even if I wasn’t working there I would tell you it’s my favorite restaurant in town; it’s Stella’s Bistro. Stella’s is very Southern, upscale Southern or […]