From the moment I landed in Alaska, I have been overwhelmed by the abundant and majestic beauty of this other world, which explains why so many have come here from elsewhere and found a place to call home.
I was fortunate to spend the day with Sue and Paul–former Atlanta residents–who fell in love with this [...]

ALASKA. How do I get there? I keep thinking I need my passport. I keep dreaming it–coastal forests and low-flying planes, mountains everywhere, an old-fashioned letter of invitation to come.
And I do. I go from BHM to ATL with a brief stop in Minneapolis, where I meet some happy Wisconsin folks at the [...]

I love Seattle, love the water, the favas and morels on every menu this time of year, fresh crab and oysters…the markets. Spent 3 glorious days and dined at, among other places, Restaurant Zoe and Tom Douglas’ Serious Pie. (You can order the decadent triple coconut cream pie from the bakery next door [...]

Fried Chicken BLT, just one of the many Southern-inspired dishes you’ll find in the cookbook.
Those of you who have been keeping up with the recipe testing I’ve been doing for the forthcoming Tupelo Honey Cafe Cookbook know that I am almost finished and in need of a major juice cleanse (and some soul-soothing, body [...]

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 [...]