Three Meals and One Babka in Boston

I love babka, a proper handmade babka, and believe it is one of the most lovely bites of food on planet earth. Imagine something as buttery and rich as croissant dough, rolled out until it’s as thin as a bedsheet, brushed with warm chocolate ganache (cream and chocolate melted together), rolled into a thick cylinder, […]

My Farewell to the Woodlands Staff

For almost 30 years, Hiro Sone captivated enthusiastic diners at his Napa Valley restaurant, Terra. There was a time between the early 1990s and late 2010s when one could often find Chef Sone on the cover of Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, or any restaurant journal. I was a fan of his cooking, his […]

Hail King Shatner

It’s Mardi Gras season in my hometown of New Orleans.Mardi Gras is not one single day, rather an entire season beginning on Twelfth Night, the 12th day after Christmas and continuing up until Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. As the town draws closer to that Tuesday, the celebrations, parties, balls, and parades get […]

Merry Christmas

Many Christmases ago I spent 18 months at the Executive Sous Chef at Charleston’s glorious Mills House Hotel. I adored working there as I had a fabulous culinary team, there were occasional ghost sightings, our customers were global, and the hotel’s management was smart, clever, and also loved being a part of the Mills House. […]

Spices, Fruits, and Vegetables of Belize

This is a post I’ve made for my Greenville Tech Culinary students so we may discuss the origins of spices and the varieties of different fruits and vegetables.

Life with Buddy Clay

The dining room door burst open, and Buddy Clay bolted into the kitchen. His eyes practically jumped out of their sockets, and he looked like he had just seen a ghost.“Malik! Hanford! Get in here. We’re in deep shit!”Chuck and I turned off the burners, checked the ovens then joined Buddy at the bar where […]

Tin Roof Farm Podcast from Przemysl, Poland

Your favorite Chef recorded a few interviews with my fellow WCK volunteers and here there are in the latest episode of the Tin Roof Farm Radio Show. If you enjoy then please share with someone you love.

Yesterday’s Apples

The apples arrived in 18 wheelers and were unloaded with forklifts. Thousands of pounds of apples. When I arrived I asked how I could help. “Chef that group is cutting yesterday’s apples for applesauce. We bring it to the border and it’s a welcome treat for the Ukranian kids. Would you mind chopping apples?” “Make […]

“Only James Bond gets to Save the World”

That’s what my dad said to me, more than once. He usually responded with that after I complained about some rather large issue such as the war in Vietnam, or the condition of the roads in south Louisiana. And he always followed that up with “but you can save a small part of it.” Meaning […]