Empowering Women: Ina Pinkney and Denise Vivaldo

Ina Pinkney and Denise Vivaldo share their wit and wisdom while helping to empower women in the culinary industry.  These two are indeed a Dynamic Duo.  Ina Pinkney aka the “Breakfast Queen” is an iconic culinary leader, a former restaurateur, cookbook author, and a recipient of SBA Woman in Business Champion, and Denise Vivaldo is…

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Bollywood Kitchen with Sri Rao

“Bollywood is Hollywood in Mumbai,” Sri Rao, writer-director-producer and author of Bollywood Kitchen explains.  Everyone should experience a Bollywood movie!  The music, the dancing and the colorful array of fashion are unforgettable!  And I will never forget my Bollywood dance lesson with Sri Rao at Read It And Eat bookstore in Chicago. Sri Rao explains…

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The Art of the Pie with Kate McDermott

Ready to make the holidays easy as pie?  Kate McDermott, author of The Art of the Pie shares the secrets of making a successful and delicious pie. Recently, I interviewed this pie expert at Les Dames d’Escoffier Conference. McDermott’s first advice is to keep everything chill – including yourself.  Butter actually starts melting at 59 degrees,…

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The Royal Chef Darren McGrady

  Are you ready to cook, eat and entertain royalty?  The Royal Chef Darren McGrady shares recipes from Buckingham Palace and his home in Dallas.  As personal chef to Queen Elizabeth and the royal family for eleven years and to Princess Diana for four years, Chef McGrady has prepared feasts and comfort food for all…

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Grandes Dames Carol Brock and Lidia Bastianich

  What a delightful honor to become a member of Les Dames d’Escoffiers (LDEI) and to attend the annual conference and meet the founder, Grande Dame Carol Brock. LDEI is a philanthropic organization of women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage and hospitality with 40 chapters around the world whose mission is to…

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Chef Alice Waters: Queen of the Garden

Chef Alice Waters is a counterculture culinary hero who has helped pioneer the farm to table movement in the United States at her iconic restaurant Chez Panisse.  At age four, she won a costume contest dressed as “Queen of the Garden” that featured produce from her parents’ Victory Garden.  This win was just a mere…

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Kathy Gunst Shares the Comfort of Soup

During the cool months, create community and delicious meals with a soup swap.  Kathy Gunst, author of 15 cookbooks and renowned host of NPR’s Here and Now, shares inspiration served with a side of comfort with her newest book Soup Swap: Comforting Recipes to Make and Share. Gunst started a Soup Swap with six couples…

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Tastes of Morocco: Chef Joel Kazouini

Discover the flavors of Morocco with Chef Joel Kazouini, founder of Chez Joel Bistro in Chicago’s Little Italy. Moroccan food has many influences, including the cuisines of Spain, France, Africa and Arab countries. “Spices such as turmeric, cumin, ginger, paprika and saffron make the foods tasty and delicious,” Chef Joel explains. Essentially Moroccan food is…

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Chef Jacques Pepin: Cooking with the Family

“Food and conversation in the kitchen is the glue that holds the family together.” Chef Jacques Pepin, Kitchen Chat In his latest cookbook, A Grandfather’s Lessons: In the Kitchen with Shorey, Chef Jacques Pepin shares recipes and tips as he cooks alongside his granddaughter.  As he says, “The kitchen is the common denominator where we…

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Joan Nathan: Preserving the Taste of Home

“If you preserve the food, you preserve who your family is.” This poignant quote by Joan Nathan, an award winning author of eleven cookbooks including her latest King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from  Around the World, truly captures the essence of why recipes matter. It was an honor to meet Joan…

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