A diner in a restaurant is sensitive to culinary presentations, very much like a viewer is sensitive to a piece of artwork. He or she responds to stimuli and psychological perceptions influenced by his or her background, education, trends, etc… Chefs can influence that perception by effectively...

A few weeks ago, I joined Twitter on the advice of super food bloggerJaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen. It has been great. The hardest thing by far is to schedule actual “twitter sessions” during my work day, or I’ll just produce absolutely nothing and tweet all day. But anyway, the point...

As an artisan, there is a time in life when you realize that your child is ready to participe in your activities, to share your passion and work with you. My son Julian is only 5, and I thought that I had a few years ahead of me to reach that point. But the recent “dinner in the organic garden”...

A few weeks ago, I posted about Padma Lakshmi’s very sensual commercial for Carl’s Junior. As a straight male, I reported that even though I wished she had used her good looks to sell artisan cheese instead of hamburgers dripping with sauce, the commercial was pretty pleasant to the eyes. Today,...

You don’t see, hear or notice them. But they are here and there nonetheless, all around you, discreet; incognito, even. They brush with illegality, potentially endangering their health and braving authorities for a good glass of milk, old-fashioned style, straight from the cow. They are raw milk drinkers.   The...

Just like your wardrobe, food is highly subjected to fashion and trends. I’m suspecting that most of us today wouldn’t normally dress in psychedelic outfits and platform boots to our next meeting in town, or go out to dinner dressed like this:         Or even like this:                   Likewise,...

When you think about a benefactor of Humanity, you probably think Mother Teresa, Gandhi, MLK, Nelson Mandela or the Dalai Lama. I’ll personally go with Louis Camille Maillard. Maillard is the early 19th century chemist who brought us the Maillard reaction, which is one of the first things you learn...

There aren’t many organic farms in Tampa Bay. There are, count’em, two. And on overcrowded Pinellas County, there’s only room for one: Gateway Organic Farm. Last week, I posted about the dinner at the farm that we did with other local chefs. It was a lot of fun. Chefs Tyson Grant of...

Q: Chef Gui, what exactly is a “consomme’”, and what is the difference with a stock or a broth? Also, I’ve heard of “clarification”. Could you elaborate on that? Maria from Austin, TX A: When all aromatics have done their job, have infused their flavors to the liquid...

Q: I want to be a chef. Any words of wisdom? (Paul from St. Petersburg, FL) A: Oh, sure… I’m not sure you’ll like the wisdom of my wisdom, but I’ll gladly give it to you. And please listen to me. Over the years, those who didn’t regret it. I’m not saying I know it...