“Top of the Valley” is what locals call Calistoga, the northernmost town and wine region in Napa Valley. During a recent visit to attend the annual Calistoga Harvest Table September 9-10 we had the chance to experience the town from end-to-end and sample many of the locally produced wines at a hosted wine tasting presented by […]
Read more
Category Archives: chefs
Turkish Delights- Chef Ana Sortun- The Connected Table LIVE! Sept 6
A side trip to Turkey while studying cooking in France was the inspiration for Chef/Restaurateur Ana Sortun, owner of three restaurants and cafes in greater Boston: Oleana featuring a menu inspired by her interpretative flavors of Turkey and rustic traditional cooking of the Middle East; Sarma, a cafe modeled ater the traditional meyanes of Turkey, and Sofra Bakery & Cafe. Born and raised […]
Read more
The Wake-Up Call That Changed This Chef’s Life – June 14
Many people have a wake-up call after experiencing a health setback. The call came to Chef Jean- Christian Jury after experiencing heart failure, not once but twice. Jean-Christian attributes his poor health to his erratic eating habits and relentless 16- hour day work schedule combined with the stress of running several restaurants and kitchens in London at […]
Read more
Meet the Founding Father of New World Cuisine July 6- The Connected Table LIVE! 2pm ET
We love celebrating America’s Independence Day and hope you enjoyed as well. We wondered what the Founding Fathers drank to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We’ve seen a number of references to Madeira. Founding Father and First President George Washington owned a large distillery.Patrick Henry owned a tavern. Thomas Jefferson collected fine […]
Read more
Voyage to Alaska- March 2, The Connected Table LIVE!
To be honest, we had to look up Tutka Bay on the map. FYI: it’s in Alaska. That said, it was with pleasure that we did so. For when “The Tutka Bay Lodge Cookbook” came across our desk and we started flipping through the pages of this wonderful tome, we knew that not only did […]
Read more
Chef Daniel Boulud Created Our Recipe for Love- The Connected Table LIVE Feb. 17
Daniel Boulud may not know it, but he is responsible for our marriage. Well, at least in part. Here’s our story: After meeting Melanie at a dinner party thrown by David’s ex-girlfriend (long story) and vowing to stay in touch, we got together for our first date in February 2003. It went something like this: Melanie: “I […]
Read more
Southern Y’All Tide Greetings with Virginia Willis Dec 23- The Connected Table LIVE
Count on one hand the ambassadors of Southern Cuisine, and Award-winning writer, chef, TV personality, and cookbook author Virginia Willis will invariably own one of those five fingers. Georgia-born and French-trained, Virginia has been the go-to expert for such chefs and lifestyle experts as Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, and Martha Stewart, and has appeared on numerous […]
Read more
Is This the Best Asian Food in Maine?
On a frosty March weekend we visited the tiny college town of Brunswick, Maine, for a family gathering that included one of the best and most creative Asian dinners we’d experienced in a long time. Cara Stadler‘s Tao-Yuan blends local ingredients, Chinese flavors and the chef’s French training […]
Read more
Joanne Weir: Kitchen Gypsy. Gobal Culinary Ambassador. Sept 30. The Connected Table Live!
Share Waiter! There’s a fly in my wine! This is just one of the serendipitous stories in Joanne Weir ‘s new memoir, “Kitchen Gypsy: Recipes and Stories from a Lifelong Romance with Food.” I particularly loved this story because Joanne ends up in her tender 20s as a guest at a famous Bordeaux Chateau as a […]
Read more
Happy 80th Birthday Jacques Pépin! The Connected Table LIVE! Sept 23
Share There are many well-known chefs in television thanks to the proliferation of cooking shows and culinary competitions. But Jacques Pépin, stands in a league of his own. He’s an Emmy Award and James Beard-winning host of 14 cooking shows series on PBS-TV and is author of dozens of acclaimed books, including his newest, Jacques Pépin Heart & Soul in the Kitchen, (Rux […]
Read more