Weekly Column

50 Shades of Foodservice

masochist | ˈmazəkəst, ˈmasəkəst | noun. (in general use) a person who enjoys an activity that appears to be painful or tedious: what kind of […]

How School Lunches Were Changed Forever

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 […]

The Wind-Up

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 […]

A Place of Solitude

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, […]

A Gratitude-Filled Amalfi Morning

PRAIANO, AMALFI COAST, ITALY— “I believe that God lives on the beach, but only at sunrise. In the heat of the day, when the sun […]

Of Friends and Wandering

ROME— We are back in this city by popular demand. We are not a film project or a theatre production, but we are actually here […]

The TV and the Meal Ticket

The only thing stronger than the appetite of a teenage boy is the appetite of several teenage boys. In my son’s last few years of […]

Squashing Recipe Development

Recipe inspiration comes from many places. Sometimes it’s a thought out of thin air. Many times inspiration comes while dining in another restaurant while traveling. […]

New Orleans Favorites

Two years ago, I spent several months eating my way through New Orleans to compile a four-part series of my top ten New Orleans breakfasts, […]

One Thing

I believe the key to creating great communities starts with one thing. We have our careers and family lives, but the people who make the […]

A Letter to My Son His Freshman Year of College

Exactly 40 years ago this week I began my freshman year of college. My entire life was ahead of me and I felt as if […]

Vacation Foods

Food tastes better on vacation. I don’t know the psychology behind that premise, but it’s true. In the days before I opened my first restaurant, […]