Last Sunday my son and daughter invited a group of their friends to spend the night. Our home was filled with the sounds of nine 13-year old girls and four nine-year old boys at play. My wife made potato soup and the kids had a blast. Early the next morning, I wrote a warmhearted column [...]

This is the best time of year for comfort food. After all of the leaves have fallen there is a small window of opportunity where one can share a quiet, peaceful, and hearty one-pot meal beside a crackling fire. To me, all of the best comfort foods are wholesome one-pot meals. They don’t require too [...]

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I have always attached a certain reverence to the day’s first meal. I am not sure why, possibly it’s fond childhood memories, maybe it’s that I’ve become a morning person as I have grown longer in the tooth, more than likely it’s because breakfast food is good. [...]

I eat out all of the time. One would think that a person who eats for a living might become jaded after a while. Restaurants come and go, trends fade, palates change, but good food is good food and I love the restaurant business. I enjoy the business behind the business and I certainly love [...]

Food has constantly evolved over the history of man, from barbecued mastodon over a roaring campfire to seared grouper cheeks with a pomegranate puree, crispy sweetbreads, and a beetroot foam. Food has always been sustenance, but it has also been used for other purposes. Through the ages food has been used as a gift, a [...]

Every December it has been customary for this column to publish an end-of-the-year list containing my favorite dining experiences that were enjoyed throughout the previous year. Typically, the list has been filled with restaurant meals enjoyed in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and the like. Sometimes the listings are white-tablecloth fine-dining establishments; sometimes I list [...]

While thinking about the upcoming holidays, my thoughts turned to food. That should come as no surprise to people who know me, as my thoughts often turn to food. Just about everything in my life is associated with some type of cuisine. Granted, my everyday work life is filled with food, but just about everything [...]

I can’t remember the last time I had to skip a meal because I couldn’t afford to buy food. In my past there were times when I was counting-change-in-the-sofa-cushions broke, but even then, I don’t know if I was ever in a situation where I needed a meal and wasn’t able to feed myself. That’s [...]

There are many expressions that are associated with food. When one eats something that tastes good there is a distinct “tell” that even the most astute poker player would have trouble masking. It’s a facial expression that is impossible to hide. A perfectly seared Prime New York Strip steak– there’s a look for that. An [...]

I know a man who never has to eat leftovers. He’s adamant about it, and his wife consents. He is a lucky man indeed. Though I have always suspected that after Thanksgiving he changes his philosophy, tiptoes into the kitchen while everyone is asleep, sneaks a few leftovers, and eats them by the light of [...]