Chef Paul Kirk, PhB, a charter member of the KCBS and member of the board of directors, operates the Baron’s School of Pitmasters. The author of six barbeque cookbooks, he has won more than 475 cooking and barbequing awards, among them seven world championships, including the prestigious American Royal Open, the world’s largest barbeque contest.

Marygrace Taylor, Kiwi’s staff writer and recipe developer, created the majority of these family-friendly recipes right in her home kitchen in Austin, Texas.

Melissa Hamilton co-founded the restaurant Hamilton’s Grill Room in Lambertville, NJ, where she served as executive chef. She worked at Martha Stewart Living, Cook’s Illustrated, and at Saveur as the food editor.

Mike is a proud member and representative of the Good Sam Club. He, along with co-author Mike Faverman, will be touring the United States presenting their live Ultimate Camp Cooking show to coincide with the book’s release.

Mike is a proud member and representative of the Good Sam Club. He, along with co-author Pat Mac, will be touring the United States presenting their live Ultimate Camp Cooking show to coincide with the book’s release.

A graduate of Johnson and Wales, chef Brian Sonoskus is attuned to the freshness of the season by being a farmer himself. Sunshot Farm, just north of Asheville, provides the restaurants with seasonal vegetables, berries, flowers, and herbs, while the restaurant partners with other area farms and farmers to create a true taste of southern Appalachia.

More than 80 percent of American households barbecue today and millions of backyard chefs attend a variety of major barbecue events. EGG enthusiasts from all over the world host EGGfests throughout the year. The biggest annual gathering occurs in October at EGGtoberfest, where EGG owners and fans come to share their new experiences and recipes. It is held on the grounds of the Big Green Egg headquarters, located in Tucker, Georgia.

Most of us grew up loving macaroni and cheese and I am no exception. But now that I am all grown up, I prefer a more sophisticated version than the one my mom made for me. I add a little truffle oil to kick it into another sphere. If you really like truffles and have some fresh ones on hand, chop them up and stir them into the casserole before baking for even more flavor. On the other hand, you could omit the truffle oil and still end up with an amazing mac and cheese.  Serves 4

3 tablespoons white truffle oil
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
¼ pound Swiss cheese, grated
¼ pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
¼ pound Fontina cheese, grated
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces elbow macaroni

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of the truffle oil, the breadcrumbs, and the Parmesan and set aside.
In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for about 3 minutes, or until the flour blends with the butter. Whisk in the half-and-half, bring to a simmer, and cook for 3 minutes.

Stir in the Swiss, cheddar, Fontina, and mustard. Remove the sauce from the heat once the cheeses have melted. Stir in the remaining truffle oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over medium heat and cook the macaroni for about 7 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta and add to the saucepan with the cheese sauce. Stir well.

Pour the macaroni and cheese sauce into a 1-quart buttered baking dish. (At this point you could refrigerate the casserole dish for up to 24 hours.) Top the casserole with the breadcrumb mixture and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling hot and the crust is nicely browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

He is an accomplished cookbook author with six titles to his credit, including Amuse-Bouche, which features the little bites Tramonto has become known for at Tru. He has been featured in USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Wine Spectator, and Condé Nast Traveler. He has appeared on the Today show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and most recently on Iron Chef and Top Chef. He lives in the Chicago area with his family.

To that end, McCoy created her blog, poorgirlgourmet.blogspot.com, where she offers up her insights alongside delicious gourmet recipes that are inexpensive to prepare. McCoy lives on a gentleman’s farm in southeastern Massachusetts.

Mary Mac’s Tea Room has been serving up classic Southern comfort food to the people of Atlanta, Georgia, since opening in 1945. The last of the city’s old Southern tea rooms, Mary Mac’s thrives today, serving more than 1,000 customers every day.

Shannon and Kelly’s nationally syndicated column ran in over 50 regional parenting magazines, capturing a readership of more than three million.  Shannon is also the author of award-winning parenting books, as well as popular books for American Girl. 

John Besh is deeply dedicated to preserving the best local culinary traditions and ingredients that multicultural New Orleans has to offer and encouraging everyone he meets to do the same. Seafood gumbo, crawfish étouffée, jambalaya, crab bisque, beignets, watermelon pickles, fried oysters, red beans and rice—these New Orleans classics Besh loves are joined by strategies for more contemporary dishes in the 200 delicious recipes found in My New Orleans: The Cookbook, written by a chef who knows everything about them and who loves to share.
My New Orleans: The Cookbook is a rich stew of Besh’s charming, personal stories of his childhood, his family and friends, and the unique food history of the city and its cooking. Throughout, Chef Besh is generous with the kind of cooking advice that ensures every home cook’s success with his recipes; the book is punctuated with informative sidebars. The photography goes beyond glorious images of mouthwatering food to portray the farmers and purveyors who raised the ingredients, always giving My New Orleans a sense of place and a sense of history, wonderfully told in archival black-and-white photos. John Besh makes you feel at home. As you experience his cooking through New Orleans’s seasons, My New Orleans will become your New Orleans.

Rick Rodgers is the author of over 30 cookbooks, including the best-selling Fondue and Ready and Waiting. A busy culinary educator, he was named Outstanding Cooking Teacher by Bon Appétit magazine.

Sur La Table

Culinary retailer Sur La Table is the trusted authority when it comes to all things cooking related.  Sur La Table entices aficionados and curious beginners alike with its amazing selection of cookware, tools, cookbooks, and cooking school programs designed to make any cook’s life easier.  The original store and headquarters are in Seattle, WA.

The Kendall-Jackson culinary team, headed by executive chef Justin Wangler and wine master Randy Ullom, provides exciting food and wine connections to thousands of guests who visit the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center each year. The team finds inspiration and the highest-quality ingredients from the winery’s 2½-acre culinary sensory gardens and the local food producers of Sonoma County, CA.

What trends do you see coming up?
Personalization is hot! Coffee consumers want more choices of colors, shapes and sizes, and flavors to reflect their personalities and preferences. New recipes and ranges of flavors are being  revealed that coffee enthusiasts may never have considered compatible before. Latte art is quickly becoming the newest trend, creating a fun opportunity for baristas to show off their skills and creativity. Also big right now are coffee martinis and flavored syrups, from super-caffeinated to sugar-free, carb-free, and calorie-free. And coming our way are cola-coffee hybrid beverages and canned coffees that have been sold in Asia and Europe for years.

Is it possible to make our favorite coffee drinks at home without breaking the budget?
Absolutely! Whether they own a simple stovetop espresso maker or a professional espresso/coffee machine, coffee lovers can create more than 100 drinks in the comfort of their own “kitchen-café.” It’s similar to cooking: Don’t be intimidated, and use the recipes and money-saving tips in I Love Coffee! as a guide.

About the Author
Susan Zimmer’s personal and professional relationship with coffee spans more than 20 years. She inherited her coffee culinary vision in European restaurant kitchens, where she spent much of her childhood. Susan demonstrates her innovative approach to the latest coffee recipes, educational tips, and techniques on television and at professional trade shows across the country, including appearances at the 2005 and 2007 International Housewares Association show. Susan lives in Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

Before Dos Caminos, Scott Linquist made his mark working with chefs in some of the top Mexican-inspired kitchens in the country. He was the man behind popular television chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger at Border Grill, the Santo Family Group’s Arizona 206, and Buzzy O’Keeffe’s latest project, Pershing Square. Now he is in the spotlight as the executive chef of Dos Caminos Park Avenue, Dos Caminos Soho, Dos Caminos Third Avenue, and the upcoming Dos Caminos Las Vegas.

Even though Scott has done his share of French and American cuisine, he has a natural affinity for Mexican ingredients. A Los Angeles upbringing only fueled the fires of his taste buds. As part of his Culinary Institute of America education, he externed at Border Grill and City restaurants in Los Angeles with Mary Sue and Susan. This was the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with the women who would eventually become the Too Hot Tamales. While an extern, Scott filled in as their chef, quite a feat for someone who had not yet graduated from culinary school.

After graduation, Scott worked at Boulevard in San Francisco with Nancy Oakes and at Lutece and Gotham Bar and Grill in New York. When Mary Sue and Susan asked him to become chef of Border Grill and help them expand their restaurant empire, Scott went back to California and stayed for two years. He then became chef at the groundbreaking Southwestern restaurant Arizona 206 in New York and spent two years creating upscale dishes using Mexican and Southwestern ingredients. From there he took a teaching position at the California School of Culinary Arts, returning to a restaurant kitchen when Buzzy called from Pershing Square in New York.

Scott received favorable reviews for his contemporary cuisine but felt it didn’t define him as a chef. He missed the vibrancy and flavors of Mexican ingredients. As luck would have it, Stephen Hanson was looking for a chef to take over the stoves at the newly opened Dos Caminos, and through mutual acquaintances the two men met. Now Scott feels he has a home and a vehicle to showcase the food he loves. Vibrant flavors and colorful ingredients presented simply and beautifully are what diners can expect when experiencing Scott’s cuisine at the most exciting Mexican restaurant in New York. For more about Dos Caminos, see www.brguestrestaurants.com.

Scott’s flair for flavor has been praised by Food & Wine, The New York Times, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, New York magazine, and more. He has appeared on CBS and CNBC.

Award-winning cookbook author Joanna Pruess has written eight cookbooks and is consistently praised for her clear prose and well-tested recipes. She lives in the Bronx, NY.

About Cindy Mushet
Cindy Mushet is the author of The Art and Soul of Baking, which has received glowing reviews and was chosen by Gourmet magazine as a book club selection. She has been a professional pastry chef and baking instructor for over twenty years. Her recipes have appeared in numerous publications, including Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, Country Home, the National Culinary Review, the New York Times, and The 150 Best American Recipes (2006). Her first book, Desserts: Mediterranean Flavors, California Style, was published in 2000. Inspired by her daughter Bella, Cindy has taught baking to many children, both in school classrooms and in summer baking camps. A fun and engaging teacher, Cindy has also taught thousands of adults nationwide. She makes her home in the Los Angeles area.

Nancy Ross Ryan served as the writer for The Berghoff Family Cookbook. She is the founder of Fresh Food Writing in Chicago, Illinois, and specializes in food writing and recipe development.

Kimberly Toqe was the Assistant Test Kitchen Chef at Lawry’s before starting her own culinary consulting company, La Toqe Blanche, in 2005. She has worked as a recipe writer and developer as well as a culinary educator, teaching at the Le Cordon Bleu California School of Culinary Arts.

Located on the Big Sur cliffs 808 feet above the Pacific Ocean, Nepenthe Restaurant boasts sweeping views of the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains and the wild south coast of Monterey County. Angular mountains plunge into the crashing surf below, and on a clear day there is no limit to the scenery, unspoiled and immense in nature. Opened in 1949 by the Fassett family, the restaurant is nestled among native oak trees and a historic log cabin (now faced by brick) that was once owned by Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth.

About the Romney Steele

Romney Steele is a writer, cook, and food stylist, and the granddaughter of Bill and Lolly Fassett, creators of Nepenthe Restaurant. Nani, as she is known to family and friends, grew up at the family restaurant and opened Café Kevah, an outdoor café on the Nepenthe grounds, when she was twenty-six years old. She later served as a pastry chef at Sierra Mar Restaurant at neighboring Post Ranch Inn. Her writing has appeared in various print magazines, including Gourmet, and online at MSNBC. She currently lives in Oakland, California, with her two children.

In 1998, Chef Robert Landolphi’s wife, Angela, became increasingly ill. After a battery of tests and consultations with specialists, and with the quality of her life on the line, she was finally and correctly diagnosed with celiac disease. And so, with a lifelong love of cooking, a culinary arts degree from the prestigious Johnson and Wales University, and the desire to keep his wife healthy and happy, Robert started experimenting and developing unique and flavorful gluten-free dishes.

The Gluten-Free Chef was born.

Andy Pforzheimer has worked as a chef, consultant, and restaurateur in France, California, and New York City alongside such chefs as Jeremiah Tower, Anne Rosenzweig, and Martha Stewart, before opening the Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar. He is in charge of the menu selection for all the Barcelona restaurants.

Since 1996, co-owners Sasa and Andy have been entertaining people at their wine and tapas bars—warm, welcoming places with great wine lists and small plates of tantalizing food that can be eaten as easily at the bar as at a table. Their guests know they will laugh, have great conversation, and enjoy terrific food and drink.

Today there are six locations in Connecticut: South Norwalk, Greenwich, Stamford, Fairfield, West Hartford, and New Haven. Andy and Sasa search for the best ingredients at the local markets and from nearby farms, as well as rely on imported Spanish spices, olive oils, vinegars, cheeses, olives, and cured meats. All of this bounty is used in dishes that are cooked simply so that the flavors burst into life. See www.barcelonawinebar.com.

A round face, a ready smile, and the ability to “multitask” long before it became trendy in cubicles and cars across America define Lovina’s life. It is this calm sense of simplicity, this living connection to a time when life wasn’t so fast-paced, that has endeared Lovina to millions of readers of “The Amish Cook” column.

The column is not something Lovina had expected to be juggling along with her many other daily duties. Running a household of ten people can sometimes leave little time to spare as is. But Lovina stepped up to the task of writing the column under some very difficult circumstances, and in the process really grew into her role.

—K.W.

Renée and her husband, Carl, purchased the originalSur La Table store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1995. Her retail background and her lifelong passion for food and cooking, paired with her husband’s business savvy, have made a dynamic partnership. Renée was the President of Sur La Table from 1995-2004, and her travel opportunities buying products took her around the globe. Today she is the president emeritus of the cookware mecca that has grown to over 75 stores nationwide and 22 cooking class programs. She is on the advisory committees for the International Housewares Association Show and the Gourmet Products Show. She also works with foreign agencies to organize food tours in countries such as Spain, France, Italy, India, and Vietnam.

Writer Cynthia Nims is a lifelong northwesterner who reveled in growing up surrounded by great food. Cynthia studied cooking at Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in France where she received the Grand Diplôme d’Etudes Culinaires, and worked on numerous cookbooks with the school’s president, Anne Willan. She is the author of ten cookbooks and was previously editor of Simply Seafood magazine and food editor of Seattle Magazine. Currently, Cynthia is a contributor to Cooking Light, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Seattle, Sunset, and other magazines.

Seattle-based Sur La Table has kept its finger on the pulse of America’s cooks since opening its doors in 1972 at Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Since then, chefs and home cooks with a taste for adventure have flocked to the culinary mecca. A destination for iconic chefs like Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Martha Stewart, and Mario Batali, Sur La Table entices aficionados and curious beginners alike with its amazing selection of cookware and tools. With a successful catalog, Web site, cooking class program, and stores from coast to coast, Sur La Table continues to share its passion for the traditions and tastes of the world with people who love to cook and entertain. For more about Sur La Table, see surlatable.com.

About Cindy Mushet

Cindy Mushet has been a pastry chef and culinary instructor for nearly 20 years, beginning her career at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA.  She has since headed pastry kitchens in restaurants and bakeries from Napa to San Diego and has taught professional training courses at Le Cordon Bleu, the Culinary Institute of America, and the New School of Cooking, among others. She has also taught hundreds of recreational classes across the country.

For five years she wrote and published the highly regarded Baking With the American Harvest, a quarterly baking journal with subscribers nationwide. She also is the author of Desserts: Mediterranean Flavors, California Style and was a contributing writer to The Joy of Cooking, The Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies, and The Baker’s Dozen Cookbook.  Cindy’s recipes and articles have been featured in magazines and newspapers across the country, including Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, Gourmet, Country Home, and The New York Times.  In addition, her recipes were among the few to be chosen for The Best American Recipe books.

Cindy lives in Los Angeles, where she is a patisserie chef-instructor in Le Cordon Bleu program at the California School of Culinary Arts, and she consults regularly with restaurants and bakeries on menu development and staff training.  Cindy is a regular guest on KCRW’s Good Food radio show. She has been a spokeswoman for the American Butter Institute and a guest chef at food conferences across the country.

Seattle-based Sur La Table has kept its finger on the pulse of America’s cooks since opening its doors in 1972 at Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Since then, chefs and home cooks with a taste for adventure have flocked to the culinary mecca. A destination for iconic chefs like Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Martha Stewart, and Mario Batali, Sur La Table entices aficionados and curious beginners alike with its amazing selection of cookware and tools. With a successful catalog, Web site, cooking class program, and stores from coast to coast, Sur La Table continues to share Sarah Jay its passion for the traditions and tastes of the world with people who love to cook and entertain. For more about Sur La Table, see surlatable.com.

About Sarah Jay

Sarah Jay was the executive editor of Fine Cooking magazine before becoming a freelance food writer and editor. She is now a contributing editor to the magazine. A former newspaper reporter, Sarah has published articles in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Saveur magazine. She received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and is a graduate of Brown University. Sarah’s passion is Spanish food, and she maintains a small side business importing paella pans and other products from Spain. She lives in New York City with her husband, two daughters, and a drawer full of very sharp knives.

Seattle-based Sur La Table has kept its finger on the pulse of America’s cooks since opening its doors in 1972 at Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Since then, chefs and home cooks with a taste for adventure have flocked to the culinary mecca. A destination for iconic chefs like Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Martha Stewart, and Mario Batali, Sur La Table entices aficionados and curious beginners alike with its amazing selection of cookware and tools. With a successful catalog, Web site, cooking class program, and stores from coast to coast, Sur La Table continues to share its passion for the traditions and tastes of the world with people who love to cook and entertain. For more about Sur La Table, see surlatable.com.

About Marie Simmons

Marie Simmons is an award-winning cookbook author, popular cooking teacher, and food writer. Her recipes and food articles have appeared in hundreds of magazines. For more than 15 years she wrote a monthly column for Bon Appétit magazine and a weekly column for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. She currently writes a bi-monthly column, “Simmons Sez,” for the Contra Costa Times and the Bay Area News Group.

Marie has written 18 cookbooks, including Fig Heaven; Fresh & Fast; The Amazing World of Rice; The Good Egg, winner of a James Beard Award; and Lighter, Quicker, Better, written with Richard Sax and winner of Julia Child and James Beard awards. She also wrote Bar Cookies A to Z, Puddings A to Z, Muffins A to Z, and Pancakes A to Z. One of her first cookbooks, 365 Ways to Cook Pasta, has more than 500,000 copies in print. Marie, a native New Yorker, lives in Richmond, CA.

Award-winning journalist and author June Naylor has covered food, dining, and travel for more than twenty years. She is a frequent contributor to a number of Texas newspapers and magazines, as well as to national periodicals and Web sites. With Grady, June wrote The Texas Cowboy Kitchen. A native Texan, she lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

Tim Porter is a photographer and a writer with an extensive background in newspaper and magazine journalism, with work appearing in The New York Times, San Francisco Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the American Journalism Review. Tim, an editor-at-large for Marin Magazine, is a former assistant managing editor for the San Francisco Examiner and the co-author of News, Improved: How America’s Newspapers Are Learning to Change. He lives in Corte Madera, CA, and Oaxaca, Mexico. timporter.com

Farina Wong Kingsley is a culinary instructor at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco and a consulting chef for San Francisco’s Center for Culinary Development. She has written and contributed to numerous cookbooks, including The Essentials of Asian Cooking, The Aqua Restaurant Cookbook, and Food Made Fast: Asian. She lives in Tiburon, CA.

Marin Magazine’s mission is to create community while celebrating the people, places, and events of Marin County, from uncovering local history to exploring organic farming and discovering innovations in health, fashion, and home design.

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