My culinary journey began with a 9 a.m. flight to England. The long but comfortable trip (accompanied by an edible meal, but alas, one not worthy of mention in this story) gave me time to review and refine my presentation of the paper I had prepared for the Oxford Symposium […]

Sure, there’s pasta. But there’s also fresh-dug shellfish, asparagus, good wine and leisurely conversation as friends share a traditional meal. A month ago at this time, I was eating my way across Northern Italy. When I think about my trip, I get nostalgic for the food, the flavors and the […]

Through the years I have collected many cookbooks and books about food. No, not many – it’s more like a small truckload. My office is overflowing with books. The other day I looked around at my collection, pondering its variety and scope. As an exercise I started to categorize them, […]

Food stylist John Carafoli finds the Yucatan’s fish, fruits and vegetables are a feast for eyes and stomach. Va-ca-tion: 1.a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; 2. recess or holiday; 3. freedom or release from duty, business or activity. While […]

Desserts of Christmas Past Returning to the village of Sagamore, a food columnist finds cooks are still making the Italian sweets he remembers growing up. As the holidays approach, I long for the special seasonal desserts created by the Italian women in the small village of Sagamore, where I grew […]

Years ago, I noticed how many children show an early interest in cooking – usually when they are seven years old, or even younger. I thought children should have their own cookbooks, blending straightforward basics and step-by-step instructions with colorful and fun illustrations. So that’s what we came up with. […]

Breakfast of Champs Pre-dawn swimming team brings friendship, fitness and fine food My alarm goes off at 4:45 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Outside, it’s always dark at that hour. Sometimes it’s raining, snowing or sleeting here on Cape Cod. I don’t think about what’s next. I just do […]

Many years ago, I was personally responsible for a major restaurant disaster. As a student, during the summer months I worked as a lifeguard for the State of Massachusetts. Several of us had been working since the middle of June and as of July 1, we had not been paid. […]

The right recipes bring out the best in this delicacy which often gets a bad rap it doesn’t deserve . I’ve heard enough about the absurd, irrational, disdain many people have for anchovies. So I decided that, rather than trying to convince people verbally of the fish’s versatility, I’d write […]

It started two months ago when I noticed a buckle in my kitchen floor. This is the tile floor I put down three years ago when I remodeled the kitchen. At that time, I installed new wainscoted cabinets, new lighting above and below the cabinets, stereo speakers, an 8-foot granite […]