Cars and noodles, Japanese style

Uncategorized By December 8, 2010

My husband disagreed. I needed a new car and he didn’t like my choice. I’d driven a fancy-schmancy two-seat sports car for 13 years. But with the birth of a grandchild, it was time for something more practical. A car with a back seat, four doors and fuel efficiency. I wanted a Toyota Prius Hybrid. My husband, Phil, hated the…

Azmin Ghahreman, chef-owner of Sapphire Laguna in Laguna Beach makes Harira, one of the best soups on the planet.

Cooking, Videos By December 8, 2010

Azmin Ghahreman’s dishes are a delectable marriage of aroma, flavor and texture. Often his unique spice blends play an irresistible role, adding a just-right amount of taste-bud bling. He was born in Iran and raised in Switzerland. His Harira, a Middle Eastern soup with garbanzo beans, lamb and angel-hair pasta, reflects some of the alluring spices savored in his youth….

Chef Thomas Keller’s Salt-Crusted Striped Bass

Cooking, Videos By December 8, 2010

It was as if President Obama was coming to my house for dinner. That’s how excited I was. (Yes, this was written during a different administration.) Thomas Keller, widely regarded as the top chef in America, was due at my Huntington Beach home to tape a cooking video with me. The chef-proprietor of The French Laundry (Yountville) and Per Se…

Chef David Slay – Pan Seared Tri-Tip with Heirloom Tomatoes and Blue Cheese

Uncategorized By August 30, 2010

Some restaurant critics have decreed his restaurant as best in Orange County. But David Slay, chef-managing partner of Park Ave in Stanton, doesn’t let accolades go to his head. He keeps his focus, turning out delectable, thoughtful American cuisine day after day. Many of his dishes showcase produce gathered from his highly productive vegetable gardens, which flourish just steps away…

Jacques Cooks at Cathy’s

Celebrity Interviews By July 25, 2010

OK, the technology was struggling to improve the quality of Web videos when I taped this segment with Jacques Pepin. Later I figured out that I looked better in a black coat that was tailored. But look at my mug; I look like a love-sick puppy. For decades I have admired culinary icon Jacques Pepin. I greatly respect his culinary…