Paella occupies a special place in my heart. It was the subject of the first food story that I ever had published. Determined to get the recipes from the dueling chefs that I interviewed right, I ended up making paella more than nine times in the course of three weeks. When I … [Read more...] about Recipe: Paella Valencia
Travel tales
Barcelona
Mike and I got engaged in Barcelona on St. Patrick's Day in 2004. Neither of us will never forget the date; newly engaged, we emerged from our hotel greeted by Spaniards in enormous Guinness beer hats. After I spent the morning writing, we headed straight for the Sagrada Familia, … [Read more...] about Barcelona
What does a guest chef do, anyway?
For this cruise, I’m contracted to put together two demonstrations and two hands-on classes. It doesn’t sound like much, but it's still a lot of work. The demonstrations make up part of the at-sea offerings aimed to keep the 1,981 guests amused while the boat lumbers onto the … [Read more...] about What does a guest chef do, anyway?
Working in the kitchen of a cruise ship
It’s difficult to explain the massive culinary operation that goes on behind the scenes of a cruise ship. The MS Noordam serves 11,000 meals a day from five separate restaurants, plus room service and special events. Behind the gilted mirrors and velvet wallpaper lies a maze of … [Read more...] about Working in the kitchen of a cruise ship
Monte Carlo, darling
Years ago in London, my chef friend Ted and I shared a Valentine’s Day dinner together since neither of us was seeing anyone. Over post-dinner Calvados, we concocted a bold plan – we’d spend the weekend in Monte Carlo! We rushed to my flat and drunkenly punched up Expedia to book … [Read more...] about Monte Carlo, darling
