Intrepid OTM dodges the Times Sq. bomb threat to make the James Beard Awards!!  Nothing could stop OTM from attending the 20th Anniversary Awards & Food-Wine Bash.  We caught up with some old friends among the Winners, and some new friends too; Daniel Boulud, Daniel NYC, Best Restaurant; David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos CA, Best Chef-Pacific; Sean Brock, McGrady's, Charleston SC, Best Chef SE; Clark Frasier & Mark Gaier, Arrows, Ogunquit, ME;

A break from Beards for George Mendes, Chef-owner, Aldea Restaurant, NYC; 

Back to Beards; Timothy Hollingsworth, Rising Star Chef, The French Laundry, Yountville, CA; Marc Forgione, Invited Chef, Restaurant Marc Forgione, NYC; Wayne Kostroski, Founder, Taste of the NFL, owner Cuisine Concepts, Minneapolis;

And who better to wrap up the program than Thomas Keller, Ad Hoc at Home, who just happened to win the Beard Award for Best Cookbook of the Year.  Enjoy!!!

Tasting California's best Cabernet-Sauvignon in Napa's Stag's Leap District; Nancy Bialek, Exec Dir. Stag's Leap District Winegrowers; Wine expert Lesley Sbrocco with Winemakers Elias Fernandez, Shafer, Elizabeth Vianna, Chimney Rock, Jon Emmerich, Silverado; Russell Weis, GM, Silverado; Douglas Fletcher, VI of Winemaking, Terlato-Chimney Rock; Jim Regusci, Regusci Winery; Lorrie Ilsley. Ilsley Vineyard.  Tara Weaver, The Butcher and the Vegetarian.

A miscellany of cuisines & cookbooks.  Frank Stitt, Owner, Highlands Bar & Grill, Bottega Favorita & Cafe Fonfon, Birmingham AL, Frank Stitt's Southern Table & Bottega Favorita: A Southern Chef's Love Affair with Italian Food; Deborah Madison, Seasonal Fruit Desserts; Jose Pizarro, Brindisa Restaurant, Borough Market, London UK, Seasonal Spanish Food; Leticia Moreinos Schwartz, The Brazilian Kitchen.

Paso 3; Tablas Creek; Steinbeck Vineyard, Kevin Zraly - Windows World Wine Course

OTM in Paso Robles - Part 3.  Fascinating vineyard stories, Jason Haas, President, Tablas Creek Vineyard & President of The Rhone Rangers; Cindy Steinbeck-Newkirk, Owner, Steinbeck Vineyards; and to complete an all wine program, Kevin Zraly, Founder, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, Author Windows on the World Complete Wine Course: 25th Anniversary Edition.

Paso-Where to eat, where to Stay; an Abalone Farm, Hearst Ranch Beef, Hotel Cheval, Bellasere

OTM in Paso Robles - Part 2, what to eat, where to stay.  Brad Buckley, The Abalone Farm, Cayucos; Debbie Thomas, Thomas Hill Organics, Paso Robles - reference to Alex & Monica Villicana, Villicana Winery & Joeli Yaguda, Pasolivo Olive Oil; Jim Saunders, Cliff Garrison & Jeremy Leffert, Hearst Ranch Grass Fed Beef & Hearst Ranch Winery, San Simeon; Eva Peck, Hotel Cheval, downtown Paso Robles; Baxter Boyington, La Bellasera Hotel & Suites, Highway 101 @  Route 46.

 

Paso fWinemaker Trio Marc Goldberg-Windward, Stephan Asseo-L'Aventure, Terry Hoage

OTM in Paso Robles, CA - 1st of 3 programs.  Maryann Stansfield, Travel Paso Robles, an overview of the region; Christopher Taranto, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, Paso Robles wines & winemakers; a trio of friends & winemakers, Marc Goldberg-Windward, Stephan Asseo-L'Aventure, Terry Hoage-Terry Hoage Vineyard.  Tune in next week for more Paso Robles.

An introduction to OTM's upcoming trip to Paso Robles, CA.  John Barricelli, Sono Baking, S Norwalk CT, The Sono Baking Company Cookbook; Tony Lufti, Founder, Green Wheat Freekeh, Adelaide, Australia; Neita Wiese, Neita's Vinaigrettes, Charleston SC.

A Lady's Day at OTM.  Elizabeth Falkner, Chef-Owner, Citizen Cake & Orson, San Francisco; Darina Allen, Owner, Ballymaloe Cookery School, East Cork, Ireland & author The Forgotten Skills of Cooking; Marnie Old, Wine Expert extraordinaire, Wine Secrets.

OTM at the 5th Anniversary Charleston Food & Wine Festival.  Frank McMahon, Executive Chef, Hank's Seafood Restaurant; Todd Garrigan, Executive Chef, Amen Street, Stephen Kish, CEO, 82Queen; Holly Herrick, The Charleston Chef's Table; Chris Hastings, Chef-Partner, Hot & Hot Fish Club, Birmingham AL; Farmer Lee Jones, Chef's Garden, Huron OH; James Peterson, author of 15 Cookbooks & Culinary Instructor, Brooklyn NY.

Chef Gui Alinat, The Chef's Repertoire; Cathy Erway, The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove; Michele Scicolone, Italian Slow Cooker. Previewing the Charleston Food & Wine Festival, March 4-8, and the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, May 25-29.  We'll see you there!!

Fine Dining in London for Valentine's - Part 2. Sam Hart, Fino Restaurant - great Spanish Tapas-style dining in Fitzrovia; Bernard Yeoh, Gourmet Chinese-inspired cuisine in classy Mayfair - new Meat & Fish treats, non-traditional Desserts, Great Wines too; Paul Merroney, Giaconda, Fine Tasty food on funky Denmark Street - go hungry! And a run-down on other Great Places we didn't have time for.

Fine Dining during our Valentine's London adventure - Part 1.  Richard Corrigan, Corrigan's Mayfair, Lusty, Flavorful dishes a la Lindsay House in fancy new quarters just off Park Lane; Peter Prescott, Boundary Restaurant-Hotel complex in Shoreditch, Fine-dining Restaurant, casual Albion Cafe & Bakeshop & 17 elegant rooms; Mohammed Bader-Alden Antabli, Al Waha, Westbourne Grove, Middle-eastern (Lebanse & Syrian) inspired menu. 

OTM wishes you all a Happy Valentine's Day!! In celebration a program dedicated to Food & Love, including Aphrodisiacs; Chef Janine Falvo, Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar, Sonoma CA, Annual Aphrodisiac Menu; how to make "Sweets for the Sweet", Peter Grewling, Chocolates & Confections; Michele Maisto, The Gastronomy of a Marriage; Patricia Mack, Delicious Grapefruit Recipes, yes it's an Aphrodisiac; Brianna Blue, Stemilt Growers,Wenatchee WA. the delicious Pinata Apple, honoring the very first Aphrodisiac!

Clifford Wright, The Best Soups in the World; from Portland OR, Steve Smith, Steve Smith Teas, ultra-fine teas & Matt Christianson, Chef, Urban Farmer Steakhouse; Simona Bunin, Gourme Mist, the Essential Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Spray Misters.  

OTM finds out "what & where to...." with Lessley Anderson, Senior Editor, Chow.com, "dedicated to food in all of its glory", discussion on Food Trends 2009 versus 1999; Robert Reid, US Travel Editor, Lonely Planet, The Best in Travel 2010 & 1000 Ultimate Ultimate Experiences; Sous Chef Matt Cleal, Simpson's Birmingham, UK, Peter's Birthday Treat; Talking to Experts on North American Whiskey at The 2009 Pittsburgh Whiskey Festival.

John Besh, Chef-owner Restaurant August, Besh Steak, Luke, Domenica, La Provence, etc., New Orleans, My New Orleans; then a "Cheese Course"; Allison Hooper, Vermont Creamery, In a Cheesemaker's Kitchen; Tom Slattery, Global Sales & Marketing; US Distributor for Collier's Welsh Cheddar, Fayrefield Foods Ltd; Crewe, UK.

Via Veneto, Rome at its swankiest!!  & a Great Book about Beer.  Michele Buono, General Manager & Barbara Legnani, Meeting & Events Supervisor, Grand Hotel Flora; Cinzia Fanciulli (then General Manager, since moved to new opportunity) Grand Hotel Via Veneto; Christina Perozzi, The Naked Pint: An unadulterated Guide to Craft Beer.

Rome at Christmas - the Eternal City still is - and we dined accordingly.  Massimo Tezulli, Sommelier & Marco Gallotta, Chef, co-owners, with translation by Cristina, Primo al Pigneto; Gianni & Chef Iole Cappellanti, Paris Ristorante; Silvia Sallorenzo, Chef-Partner Babette Ristorante; Frasca Leonardi, Da Sabatino, Cave San Ignazio.

Thinking of The American South, Foods & Destinations.  Matt & Ted Lee, Simply Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor; Sam Beall, Owner, The Blackberry Farm luxury Estate & Spa, Walland TN, The Blackberry Farm Cookbook; Chris Hastings, Co-owner & Chef, The Hot & Hot Fish Club, Birmingham AL, The Hot & Hot Fish Club Cookbook.

Cheese, Glorious Cheese!!  Max McCalman, Curriculum Director of the Cheese Education Program at Artisinal, NYC, Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoissership from a Maitre Fromager; Mike Gingrich, Co-owner, Uplands Cheese - Pleasant Rideg Reserve, Dodgeville WI; Sid Cook, Master Cheesemaker, Carr Valley Cheese, LaValle WI; Pat Ford, Owner & Cheesemaker, Beehive Cheese, Uintah, UT.

Sweets for the Holidays, or any other time for that matter.  Rose Levy Beranbaum, Rose's Heavenly Cakes; David Guas, DamGoodSweet - Desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth, New Orleans Style, planning to open a Pastry-Savory Bakeshop in the DC area; DeDe Wilson, TV Cooking Personality, Unforgettable Desserts.

Lidia Bastianich, Felidia NYC, Lidia's Kansas City MO & Pittsburgh PA, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy, with companion PBS series; Mark Peel, Chef-Owner, Campanile, Los Angeles CA, New Classic Family Dinners; The Great Grain versus Grass Fed Beef controversy: Chef Karla Contreras, Giant Eagle Market District & Chef Scott Popovic, Cetified Angus Beef, Wooster OH; John Wood, US Wellness Meats, Monticello IL.

Food & Dining Trends for 2010; Ree Drummond, "Pioneer Woman Cooks"; Denny Mike Sherman, DennyMike's BBQ 'Cue Stuff, York, Maine; Katya Popov & Olga Lenova, Fully Loaded Teas, Mississagua, ONT Canada

Soup, Pasta & Lebanese Cuisine.  Marti Wymer, Creator, Spoonful of Comfort, Care Packages featuring Chicken Soup; Anna Thomas, Love Soup; Giuliano Hazan, Thirty Minute Pasta Cookbook: 100 Quick & Easy Recipes; Kamal Al-Faqih, Classic Lebanese Cuisine: 170 Fresh & Healthy Mediterranean Favorites.

OTM Thinking of Thanksgiving.  Stephanie Beck, Meyer Corporation, manufacturers of the KitchenAid Roaster; Michael Symon, Chef-Owner, Lola, Lolita & Bar Symon, Cleveland & Roast, Detroit, Author, Michael Symon's Live to Cook, including invaluable tips to make your Roast Turkey a success; Lindsay Gifford, Gifford's Family Ice Cream, Makers of the "World's Best Chocolate Ice Cream" and many other flavors; Zora O'Neill & Tamara Reynolds, Forking Fantastic: Put the PARTY Back in the Dinner Party.