Celebrating James Beard: America's First Foodie

On May 1st, The James Beard Awards will once again be in Chicago!  And I have some exciting news to share….. Kitchen Chat will be on the Red Carpet interviewing your favorite chefs and nominees, and my dear friend, Chef Jaime Laurita will be my special co-host.  For live feeds of the evening, follow #jbfa…

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The Queen of Breakfast: Ina Pinkney

Ina Pinkney is the “Queen of Breakfast” and she will help you change the landscape of your breakfast table, just in time for the holidays. On a personal note, Ina Pinkney is truly a kind and delightful person. I first met her while attending the Women Chefs and Restauranteurs Conference in Los Angeles in April 2016.…

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Pastry Perfection with Chef Sherry Yard

What’s the secret of a perfect mousse? The highly acclaimed Chef Sherry Yard shares stories from her heart and tips from her kitchen.  It was a delightful honor to recently sit down for a kitchen chat with Chef Sherry at Women Chefs and Restaurateurs conference in Los Angeles.  Thank you, Barbara Lazaroff for introducing us! Chef…

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Finding the Flavors We Lost: Patric Kuh

Are you ready to find the flavors we lost?  Patric Kuh,  a James Beard award winning writer and restaurant critic for Los Angeles Magazine, shares insights on how “America’s food artisans are hard at work sharing their craft with us by producing food with integrity based on the past.”   How did we lose the flavors? Patric shares…

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Chicago's Culinary Scene with Bill Daley

Chicago’s culinary scene is hot even in the cold weather.  Bill Daley, an esteemed food writer at Chicago Tribune, chats about trends, favorite pizza and fun foodie events.   Spring in Chicago will be breezy and cheesy.  On April 3, bring your appetite to Chicago Pizza Summit where twelve Chicago eateries will serve delicious creations.   (On a…

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Chef Art Smith and The Martian

It’s Oscar Season!  Let’s celebrate by pairing Oscar Nominated films for Best Picture with Kitchen Chat Nominated Best Recipes that deliciously capture a pivotal scene in the movie. For The Martian, I chose Chef Art Smith’s recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup.  As you may recall, Matt Damon’s character, Astronaut Mark Watney is…

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Kitchen Chat with Rochelle Trotter

Rochelle Trotter is gracious, courageous, vivacious and sagacious.  It was an honor to interview her at the beautiful Langham Chicago.  During our kitchen chat, Rochelle shares heartfelt stories along with life lessons she learned from her husband, the iconic Chef Charlie Trotter. Chef  Charlie Trotter’s legacy continues through the Charlie Trotter’s Culinary  Education Foundation that provides…

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Julia Child's Legacy and Lessons

Julia Child epitomized “joie de vivre.” She celebrated life and taught the world how to bring the techniques and tastes of French cuisine into our homes. Her meticulous approach to teaching the culinary arts was engaging and welcoming to all who joined her on this journey.   It was an honor to interview Eric Spivey,…

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Oscar Nominated Boyhood and Chef Art Smith

Favorite line in movie:  “You know how everyone’s always saying seize the moment? I don’t know, I’m kind of thinking it’s the other way around, you know, like the moment seizes us.” Have you seen Boyhood, one of the 8 nominees for Best Motion Picture of the Year?  This wonderful movie was filmed in increments…

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