When I decided to the pull the plug on my 30-year career in daily journalism last winter, my partner, Gayle Fee, suggested — with a straight face so I knew she was kidding — that I open a “kush bakery.” “It’s gold, Jerry, GOLD,” she joked, using one of our favorite and oft-quoted “Seinfeld” lines. […]
It’s unlikely you’re in the mood for a crisp Greek salad today with the Storm of the Century bearing down on us in southern New England. It’s really a day for hot lemony chicken soup. Brrrr. But Kevin Convey, a longtime customer of Christo’s — the Brockton landmark that closed its doors on New Year’s […]
This is an ode to onion dip that I wrote on Dec. 30, 2012 for the Boston Herald‘s food blog. I felt the need to re-post it here for two reasons: My grandmother, who died last April at 101, used to serve Lipton Onion Soup Dip to my little brother and me every New Year’s […]
It’s been awhile since my last post. But, you see, I’ve helped to start a business. Our new venture is called Goat Cottage Farm. It’s a gluten-free, dairy-free bakery in Westport. That’s right, gluten-free and me. I apprenticed at Flour for crying out loud. My partner in this adventure into the land of sorghum flour […]
Anytime I’m invited to wear my chef’s pants, flour-dusted clogs, kerchief and an apron, I’m happy, happy, happy! So yesterday I was thrilled to be back in the kitchen at West on Centre in West Roxbury where I – with some help from the Rose kids – assembled and baked off 25 apple pies for […]
Our waiter couldn’t believe it was my family’s first time at Wright’s Farm. “You’re kidding me,” said Dan as he scanned our table of 11 this afternoon. “You’ve never been here?” Nope. Guess it was about time! Wright’s Farm, located in the village of Harrisville, is a Rhode Island institution that has served up family-style […]
As a history buff and food lover, chef Will Gilson’s Puritan & Company in Cambridge is my new happy place. First off, it’s located in a building that housed the Puritan Cake Company‘s bakery from the 1930s to the 1950s. So, it feeds into my need to honor the past. And Puritan’s eclectic menu pays […]
High concept desserts may make people oooh, aaah and Instagram, but it’s the old school goodies that get gobbled up with glee. Case in point: Mrs. Lamb’s Apple Cake. I dug into my faded, hand-written recipe book the other day when I needed a fourth offering for our refreshments table at the Westport Historical Society’s […]
I’m a fan of East London baker Claire Ptak, the owner of Violet, a bakery in Hackney. I’ve never eaten any of her pastry; never made a pilgrimage to her shop. But I do follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. So, you know, it’s like we’re besties. A few posts ago, Claire – a […]
I’ve judged dozens of contests in my day. Whether it was choosing readers’ best Christmas cookies, the hunkiest bachelor or crowning that year’s “Boston Pride Idol,” it was always serious business for me. Of course, I also got a chance to be on the other side of the judges’ table as a contestant on the […]