My entire life, I’ve wanted a dog. When I was about nine, my 19-year-old sister surprised me with a pale Labrador puppy. We’d recently moved away from the farm where I’d grown up , and all of my brothers and sisters were away at college. “He’ll keep you company,” she said. She … [Read more...] about The reclining Buddha and our lost dog
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Cheatin’ Cheese Sauce
If you fall off the diet wagon get jump back on agin. But... having fallen so spectacularly off the diet wagon, why not wallow. A good wallow, back in the grass, feet in the air, maybe a snort or two. Why not make macaroni and cheese? Climb back up into the diet wagon … [Read more...] about Cheatin’ Cheese Sauce
Taxes and nostalgia
I'm sitting at my kitchen table today, sifting through strewn credit card statements and dog-eared receipts attempting to reassemble our life in 2008. I'm surprisingly nostalgic. Ah, that dinner at Le Trois Cochons in Paris, that great lunch with mom in Sarasota. Some shocking … [Read more...] about Taxes and nostalgia
An outside view on IACP
For those who missed it, Westword restaurant critic Jason Sheehan wrote a series of insightful, sometimes scathing and invariably funny posts about the IACP conference. Maggie, Lisa and I hung out with him a lot. In fact, when restaurant owner Jesse Moreales couldn't get hold of … [Read more...] about An outside view on IACP
IACP in Denver
A year ago, somehow I was crowned the chair of the Food Writers, Editors & Publishers section of IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals). It's the largest membership section of IACP, with more than 1,100 members in 26 countries. But even so, it's still a … [Read more...] about IACP in Denver