Author Archives: Robert

For the 22-plus years I have written this weekly column I have focused mainly on food and travel. Occasionally I have ventured into family stories, especially when my kids were young and there was a lot of material to mine. I have written often about something I call the Five Fs. The Five Fs areContinue reading “The Class Reunion”

Recipe inspiration comes from many places. In the early days of our first restaurant, I ended up in the kitchen after our opening chef was fired on the first night. The extent of my cooking ability at that time was that I had asked for, and received, and Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. After firingContinue reading “Recipe Inspiration”

My 45-year working career has been varied and full. The first official paying job I held (after three years of mowing lawns) was in the summer of my 15th year when I worked as a janitor at my school stripping and waxing floors. That fall I started working full time as a disc jockey atContinue reading “It’s Good Work If You Can Get a Hobby”

When I was a child there were several absolutes growing up in my mother’s home. There were the obvious good-manner requirements of saying, “Yes ma’am,” “No ma’am,” “Please,” and “Thank you,” along with the typical mom demand to, “Make sure and wash behind your ears. Brush your teeth,” and, “Make sure and use soap whenContinue reading “Breakfast for Supper”

NEW ORLEANS— Every day of my life I wear a small button on my shirt, jacket, or vest— sometimes all three— that reads, “Eat Local.” It’s a professional philosophy and an outward statement of personal conviction. I have dozens of Eat Local pins. They stay on my jackets and suits that don’t go through aContinue reading “Eat Local”

For the past 20-plus years, my final column in December is always a list of the top dining experiences I enjoyed throughout the previous year. In a typical pre-2020 year, I spend a few months working in Italy and a good bit of time travelling across the United States doing research and development for ourContinue reading “RSJ’s Top 10 for 2021”

As a child I started thinking about what I wanted for Christmas around the Fourth of July. I reached a certain age where I was old enough for my mother to take me to her friend’s houses when she went for cocktails, but not old enough to stay home alone and trusted not to wreckContinue reading “The Wish Book”

My neighbors a few doors down started decorating their yard for Christmas a couple of decades ago. At first it just started with a small display in front of the house. Over the years they added new pieces, several new characters, scenes, settings, and festive holiday elements. This isn’t some cheap Clark Griswold-type Christmas yardContinue reading “Radio Days”

It is book season. For many people, that’s the time of year when summer paperbacks are released, or the holiday cookbooks hit bookstore shelves. For me it’s the time of year when I take to the road on an always interesting, sometimes grueling, book-signing schedule. The coffee table art book— and companion guide to theContinue reading “Wake-Up Call at A Gift Shop”