On Your Left!
I heard them coming. The crunch of rubber tires on dried leaves, the click of a rear derailleur, the gentle whoosh of spokes beating the air; there was no need to look over my shoulder because I knew I had company. I held my line and waited. Surely one of them would offer up […]
My Underwear was Showing
Rob’s face held no secrets. His last six days had been sleepless, full of pain and suffering, tears and anguish and it showed. His brother, just 34 years old, lay in a linen-draped casket just an arm’s reach away. What must have been going through Rob’s mind? Perhaps visions of the two of them […]
Blondie in The Water
I love salt water. I love being tossed about by the wave and I love feeling the tug and push of the tides. I find it mesmerizing. I can’t think of a better example to describe our planet’s forces of nature. Get into the salt water on an East coast beach and you won’t need […]
Operation #Cronut
By now the entire food world has heard of and salivated over a Cronut. It’s a doughnut made from croissant dough, says Chef Dominique Ansel, owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York’s SoHo district. Now Chef Ansel is no flash in the pan; for many years he was Daniel Boulud’s pastry chef and if […]
Flours for Amy
I love the aroma of butter and flour, eggs and sugar, gently mixed together then properly baked. These four simple ingredients offer so much possibility, especially in the hands of my wife. Breads and biscuits, cookies and cakes, scented with vanilla bean or cinnamon, orange or chocolate. As a young culinary student she tempted me […]
My 2nd Liebster Award
This one comes courtesy of my good friend KJ Waters. KJ is the author of the upcoming mystery Stealing Time. The Liebster is an informal award given to a blogger/writer as a sign of admiration and it comes with a significant cash award. KJ has promised me that my check is in the mail. 1 […]
Hopping that Blog
My dear friend Shaunda Wenger invited me to participate in a blog hop titled “The Next Big Thing” which is meant to showcase a writer’s work in progress. If you ask me that sort of sounds like a lead-in to an old Godzilla movie. So imagine if you will: Police Commissioner in thick glasses speaking […]
The State of the Market
When we moved to Greenville in 1994 I had embraced the idea that great restaurant food should have a sense of place. In short order I ended up as Chef at a recently opened bistro that featured a New-American style menu and I set about creating a regional focus. I sought out local farmers […]
Doughnuts for Chapel Hill
Months ago I convinced Marilyn Markel, the director of the cooking school at A Southern Season to host me for a demonstration class. Amy and I decided to celebrate our 25th at the same time so we turned it into a long weekend, sans kids. I surprised her by trading favors with a friend and he […]
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 […]