I don’t remember growing up eating Ritz crackers, but since I’ve been testing recipes for the upcoming Tupelo Honey Cafe Cookbook, I’ve had the pleasure of buying and eating these golden rounds of buttery goodness. Chef Brian Sonoskus at Tupelo Honey Cafe in Asheville has lots of good tricks up his chef’s coat, including crumbling [...]

My friend, writer and roadster, Pableaux Johnson, recently offered up a taste of my childhood to me in Florida where I was teaching a writing workshop. He pulled up with pressure cooker, rice, red beans, and Jacob’s andouille in his travel kit. In exchange for a walk on the beach and a peach [...]

This is the best early morning street food I had all summer while in upstate NY visiting friends, Charlie Burd and Suvir Saran, at their American Masala Farm.
I wrote about King’s Donuts in Cambridge, NY a few posts ago but have since returned and wanted to share a few more photos:
James King, donut [...]

“INDIAN FOOD IS NOT ABOUT DRAMA OR HIDDEN RECIPES WITHIN RECIPES. IT’S ALL ABOUT SPICES, ADDED AT DIFFERENT TIMES DURING THE COOKING PROCESS, WHICH ADD LAYERS OF COMPLEX FLAVORS.” -Chef Suvir Saran
When Foodbuzz asked Featured Publishers for submissions for the August 24, 24, 24 [...]

Meet the hardest working man in the bagel business. At St. Viateur’s in Montreal, Sergio shows me how he makes bagels, boiling the dough in honey water so the sesame seeds will stick. “We make up to 500,000 a day.” Watch the video

A few of my favorite things…and some new flavors: chocolate sea salt tart and honeysuckle cream tart…
Peonies…my favorite flowers.

I am thankful
for airplanes and pilots and hot fried chicken
for open kitchens and French raw milk cheese.
For running water and electricity
for literacy and words and the dictionary.
For my notebook and my pen and the Mac genius bar
even though I would be more thankful if they served cocktails
like Lillet blanc or mad Champagne.
I [...]

One of my favorite sweet treats is the tres leches cake at Riomar Restaurant in New Orleans. This pure indulgence is easy, decadent, and rich with coconut. Watch Chef Adolfo Garcia make tres leches.
ADOLFO GARCIA’S TRES LECHES CAKE:
If you want to save time, use your favorite store-bought sponge cake.
For 1 (8-inch) Basic Sponge [...]

I promised some friends that I would make Thai Sticky Rice with Mango this weekend. Since I wasn’t able to find fresh, sweet mango I decided to slice ripe persimmons for this version.
STICKY RICE WITH PERSIMMON
I love to eat Thai curries with sticky rice–the nutty, glutinous accompaniment elevates the texture and flavor of [...]

I love to sit at the open counter here and watch recent James Beard nominee, Chris Hastings, and his talented chefs, Chris Zapalowski (formerly of Emeril’s and Peristyle in New Orleans), and Bill Schleusner (of Cafe Boulud) cook up everything from Henry Fudge’s pork trio to Shrimp and Grits. For a voluptuous dessert, they [...]

October morning at the Paseo del Pescador in Zihuatanejo where locals come for fish fresh from the catch.

Mexican Langosta

La Fonda Irma, a loncheria, at the mercado–the place for a counter lunch of mole, chiles rellenos, hot corn tortillas and salsa picante.

I’ve been craving agua sandia (fresh watermelon juice) and finally found it here, [...]

I’m teaming up with cottage living and myrecipes.com on a new series called Local Flavor with Kim Sunee. Click here to watch a Sneak Preview. The series will be available every Thursday at myrecipes.com