Cook More, Talk Less Sometimes it's a good idea to cook more and talk less. I find this is particularly true when I'm feeling overwhelmed, burdened, stressed or sad. I ...
Narrative
My first article, a history of Sonoma County’s legendary radio station KVRE FM, was published in 1984.
In March 1986, my first article about food, “Try Lamb for Easter,” was published in the Sebastopol Times and News. Since then, I have written hundreds of columns, essays, feature stories and blog posts for local and national publications. “Serving Werner Herzog’s Shoe” won a 1997 James Beard Award for Magazine Feature Writing.
In this section, you’ll find new work weekly, along with treasures—think of them as my greatest hits—from my archives.
Narrative
Cook More, Talk Less Sometimes it's a good idea to cook more and talk less. I find this is particularly true when I'm feeling overwhelmed, burdened, stressed or sad. I ...
Article
Polenta is so easy to prepare in a slow cooker; you'll find the basic recipe here. For breakfast, it can be started before you go to bed and finished in ...
Fresh
Posole means two things, the hard corn also known as hominy and the soups and stews that call for it. Many Mexican restaurants, including in Sonoma County, offer it, typically ...
Narrative
From Maine to California, chefs and sommeliers are recognizing what certain cultures have understood for centuries, that fermented grain-based beverages flatter and are flattered by cheese, which is itself a ...
Narrative
My sole memories of food until my fourth birthday have to do with watermelon, which was the only thing I remember wanting to eat. Then we went on a vacation, ...
Opinion
I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and increasingly, it is a topic that comes up in conversation. “Oh, I can’t cook for you,” I am ...
Opinion
Potato salad is one of those incredibly personal things, like spaghetti sauce. Most of us ate it when we were kids, imprinting on our mother’s versions no matter how ...
Drink Pairings
A lovely quaffer with potato salads of all kinds. If potato salad will be part of a barbecue or picnic, it is a good idea to offer a selection of ...
Narrative
We made the first World’s Biggest BLT at the Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival in 2003. It was timed to coincide with the publication of The BLT Cookbook. At about 14,976 square ...
Narrative
Note: When I wrote this article in 1994, there was an excitement about the connection between Sonoma County and Provence that blossomed quickly. Shortly after the article appeared, it was translated ...
