Category Archives: Uncategorized

Memories are the fuel that ignite and continually stoke this column. I have written in this space for over 20 years— approximately 1,000 words per week, 52 weeks a year— and have never missed a week, not one. I write mostly about food, but family and familial memories often enter the subject matter. Travel hasContinue reading “Memories and the Greatest Trick Ever Played on Kids”

Asparagus Casserole 1 Tbl Olive oil, light 2 Tbl Onion, minced 1 Tbl Shallot, minced 2 Tbl Celery, minced 1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Garlic, granulated 1/8 tsp Thyme, dry 2 cups Mushrooms, cleaned, sliced 1 1/2 cups Chicken broth 1/4 cup Butter 1/3 cup Flour 1/2 cup Whipping cream 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1Continue reading “RSJ’s Thanksgiving Feast”

The primary and traditional American holidays are Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. I enjoy each of them for different reasons. There are two that typically bring my family together, Christmas and Thanksgiving. We’ll cover Christmas in a few weeks. Today, I’d like to focus on Thanksgiving. Holidays look differentContinue reading “Thanksgiving and The Five Fs”

“Donuts are the funnest food.” That’s what my friend, co-collaborator, and business partner Wyatt Waters says. He’s right you know. I had never thought about it, but when we were in the recipe testing and development phase of our donut shop, he made that statement. After he proclaimed donuts to be the funnest food, IContinue reading “The Personality of Food”

There is a scene from my childhood that replays in my head often. It’s not of me crossing the goal line and scoring a winning touchdown in a championship football game or knocking a walk-off homerun out of the park to win a Little League championship game, or even rescuing a drowning puppy from aContinue reading “Dogs and Cars and Problems”

masochist | ˈmazəkəst, ˈmasəkəst | noun. (in general use) a person who enjoys an activity that appears to be painful or tedious: what kind of masochist would take part in such an industry? The restaurant business is a harsh mistress. I’ve made that statement for years. I was probably a little naive back in 1981Continue reading “50 Shades of Foodservice”

Several years ago, I was speaking to a group of high school students in the cafeteria of their school. On the surface, it looked like most school cafeterias I have known— the same tables, chairs, and walls with student posters hanging on them. Though on one side of the room there was a line ofContinue reading “How School Lunches Were Changed Forever”

NAPLES, ITALY— Wyatt Waters and I have just finished leading two tour groups through Rome, The Amalfi Coast, and Naples. In addition to filming season five of our television program “Palate to Palette,” Waters and I are also completing our fifth book, and the final paintings for that project have been done over the pastContinue reading “The Wind-Up”

SANTO STEPHANO DI SESSANIO— Wyatt Waters and I are the end of a four-day break between leading two Palate to Palette group tours through Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Naples. Our first group’s week went off without a hitch. Weather that promised to be threatening a few days before the start of the trip, endedContinue reading “A Place of Solitude”