Meet Me at the Derby

On Valentine’s Day 1929, the Hollywood Brown Derby opened its doors at the corner of Hollywood and Vine in downtown L.A. Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons—Hollywood’s then quintessential gossip mavens—would sit at this landmark restaurant dishing about the famous personalities of the day. Greta Garbo, Clarke Gable, Mae West… everybody who was anybody made it his or her business to be seen at the Derby.

Raw & The Cooked: No Gaggle of Grease

Around this time of the year, people who like to cook and entertain begin to do the kind of fantasizing that leads some misguided people to climb Mt. Everest and, well…die. Since I long ago adopted a safer attitude toward holiday cooking, and my job here is to share with you some dubious pearls of wisdom, I will not be providing you with a recipe for turducken.

Dish: Visiting Marche'

We have viewed the future of gastronomy and it is in our back yard. The regional sourcing that we have seen taking over our eating and marketing patterns—buying local, slow food, farmers’ markets—means a more authentic connection to our food, and, typically, better ingredients with which to cook. Knowing where our food comes from provides us with a safer and more delicious way of eating—without thousands of food miles on our plate.