When heirloom beans became trendy in the restaurant world a few years ago I was quite smug about it. My fondness for beans had long been the brunt of jokes among my culinary peers, and during job interviews it was embarrassing to give the honest answer when asked “what is your favorite food?” I am [...]

On episode 5 of this season’s Top Chef, contestant Chef Kenny Gilbert prepared a curried eggplant dish that won him first place in the challenge. The competition took place on a local farm in Virginia, and given that eggplant is in its peak season right now, he couldn’t have chosen a better ingredient to work [...]

My bookcase is lined more with cookbooks than anything else, yet still I can’t resist adding another new release to its shelves if its topic is contemporary and inspired. But I do have my collection of quirky, old favorites that I come back to every year because they hold a recipe that is tried and [...]

Arlington residents and commuters are known to line up expectantly around the Ballston metro every Thursday and Friday afternoon in search of authentic Neopolitan pizza. It is here that the Pupatella food cart would park two days a week and open up shop for half the day, turning out some of [...]

Virginia has the fifth highest number of wine producers in the nation. It is a state with a growing reputation for exceptional wine, and home to the oldest native North American varietal, the Norton grape. Maybe because it is a state “for lovers” or just that its good vino flows so freely, [...]

Two years ago this holiday weekend, the Washington Post chose me and two other local chefs to design, easy-to-make and good tasting homemade menus that could spruce up an intimate picnic.  In the article entitled “The Picnic Spread,” by Bonnie Benwick, I was given the challenge of doing the entire meal under $10 (a much [...]

Local farmer’s markets transitioned from a scant selection of burgeoning spring produce to full blown summer harvest in a matter of one or two weeks. While the summer season typically just gets rolling with the start of June, this year vendors are pulling all the big guns out early leaving little to the shopper’s imagination.
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The cupcake craze in this area has reached a frenzied pace, with shops cropping up in metro DC at neck breaking speed. Local publications seem to have no trouble finding an audience for their continuous stream of articles on the “cupcake wars” since every time a new bakery opens, the list [...]

Bangkok 54 off of Columbia Pike in Arlington has topped lists for the best Thai food in metro DC over the last several years. Touted among critics for its authenticity and contemporary decor, the restaurant has responded in turn with elevated prices for standbys such as Phad Thai and Chicken Satay. [...]

On a trip to Sicily my parents took a cooking class with an old Italian grandmother who taught them the most surprisingly simple and delicious recipe for tomato sauce. In our family it is now used on everything from pasta to pizza, and always as a topping on breaded Italian cutlets. True to the Italian [...]