A Chat with Julia Child's Nephew

By APRIL LISANTE Philadelphia Daily News

For the Daily News

SHE WAS brining, roasting, kneading and sautéing when Emeril Lagasse was in diapers, and Rachael Ray wasn't even a gleam in her parents' eyes.

At a time when cooking wasn't cool - and certainly not on television - Julia Child single-handedly pioneered a new gastronomic course for the world. But the familiar, larger-than-life persona of her celebrity years had humble beginnings as a shy, awkward, sometimes inept culinary student.

Though she is known mostly for the television fame she gained late in life, her love affair with French cooking began as a lark, a thirtysomething's determination to learn a few dishes to please her new husband.

Some of her most intimate culinary experiences as a young woman are captured in the memoir "My Life in France" (Knopf, $25.95), based on Child's dictations to her great-nephew, Alex Prud'homme, in the days before her 2004 death from kidney failure at age 91.

Prud'homme also used old letters, photos and handwritten recipes from Child and her husband, Paul, that passed through the family for decades to recreate Child's years in France, from 1948 to 1954, when she learned to cook.

She went to France with her worldly husband, a U.S. State Department employee who was 10 years her senior. Child's efforts to remedy her ineptitude in the kitchen and her lack of knowledge of French cuisine sparked an obsession that produced, well, historical results.

Prud'homme's book, published in 2006, has just been optioned by Sony Pictures for a movie starring Meryl Streep as Julia and Stanley Tucci as Paul. Nora Ephron - no slouch in the kitchen herself, and writer/director of films such as "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Heartburn" - will write and direct the film, scheduled for a 2009 release.

We chatted with Prud'homme, a freelance journalist and novelist who lectured at the Free Library of Philadelphia last month about the book, the movie and life with Child.

Q: Julia sort of fell into cooking, and in the book she is almost like an alien landing on another planet when she arrives in France. Tell me about what that was like for her.

A: These are stories she'd always talked about - the five years of her life when she was living in France with Paul after the war. She arrives not speaking French and not able to cook more than pancakes. And in typical Julia fashion, she signs up for French lessons. She becomes obsessed.

After a year, she signs up at the Cordon Bleu [cooking school] and learns to cook and how to teach and how to shop in the French way, which means not just buying a piece of meat wrapped in plastic. It means talking to the butcher and asking him about the weather and his daughter.

This was an important life lesson for her and for me. There are lessons embedded in these stories. We try not to hit the reader over the head with them, but they are simple and they can be applied to life. Take time, do things carefully, and, above all, have fun. It's a simple statement, but profound . . . I think it's going to be one of her enduring legacies, this positive, rigorous approach to life . . .

Q: Why are only the years from '48 to '54 the focus of the book?

A: This was the moment of epiphany for her. She arrives as a blank slate in her mid-'30s, she doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up. She is with her husband, a sophisticated man, and he takes her to this important place at this moment in history.

Q: In the beginning of the book, she talks about her first meal in France when she arrives. It is bizarre to hear Julia Child talk about not knowing what a shallot is, or hearing about her shock that they drank wine at lunch.

A: She always referred to this meal [in the town of Rouen] in a dreamy way that she'd play in her mind over and over. One thing that was fascinating was how memory works. She was 91 at that point when she was talking about it, and her health was not great. Sometimes she could not remember what she did the day before, but she could remember specifics from 50 years earlier - the texture and taste of food and people and places she had seen.

Q: Did you get to know her well from this book-writing process?

A: I thought I knew her pretty well, but when you spend intense time going over things from 50 years ago . . . yes.

Q: What was it about French cooking in particular that drew her?

A: I could never get her to articulate what it was about French food that rang her bell. She loved Chinese food second best, but there was something about French food. We talked around this question, but she said it is the seriousness with which the French take the food - the ritual, the rules and the great pleasure in it.

Q: In the forward of the book, you mention that she and her husband talked about writing this book for a long time, and that you waited a long time for her to agree to do it. How did you finally convince her? Do you think it was her husband's death [in 1994] that convinced her?

A: The book is dedicated to Paul, and his photos illustrated her book. He had already experienced Paris in the 1920s as an artist. He really encouraged her [to learn to cook]. He pushed her. He was a teacher and important influence on her life. She was hoping to meet his high standards, but she took it and ran for it.

At first, I had a hard time getting her to tell me these stories . . . I'd say, "Julia tell me about your first building in Paris where you stayed." She'd say it was a building. It was odd because here's a person who spent her life on the stage performing, but she was actually a modest person who never talked about herself. She never got around to writing the book because she didn't want to toot her own horn.

Q: You were able to write the book mainly because of the letters Paul sent to your grandfather, his twin brother, during these years in France. How was it having all these letters to work with?

A: Paul was a wonderful writer, very descriptive. It was almost like he'd written these letters for us to use to write this book 50 years later. I felt like a pirate discovering a pile of gold coins. I was able to unlock Julia by reading her sections of Paul's letters and it would sort of transport her. . . . I think it was just luck that we were able to work on this thing together. Paul's stories got her going.

Once we got her ideas down on paper, I would go out to Santa Barbara and we'd do interviews in her little apartment from January 2004 to August for a few days each month. [Julia died two days after she and Prud'homme had met about the book for the last time.]

Then I took another year to finish the book and essentially be a ventriloquist. I had to take off my journalist hat and take on her voice. I just used stories she wanted to use. The tone we wanted to set was you [the readers] are sitting at a café table with Julia, and she is telling stories about her life.

Q: What do you think Julia would want the book to convey?

A: She was always modest and would downplay her evolution in American gastronomy. . . . She wants to inspire people. She wants people to love food and cooking and do it with others - to take food more seriously and to take the time to do it right. And above all, have fun.

Q: Are you excited about the movie?

A: Sony Pictures has optioned it and combined it with a book written by Julie Powell ["Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen," Little, Brown & Co.]. Powell spent a year recreating every recipe from Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." I am happy about that. I think Julia would be pleased. *

Second Helpings Celebrates 10 Years!

2008 marks the tenth anniversary of Second Helpings! Thanks to the great support of people like you, we are able to continue providing vital services to organizations in the Greater Indianapolis area. To celebrate our tenth year we are spreading the news about our mission of eliminating hunger and empowering people. Look for us in the following:

April issue of Indianapolis Woman magazine

Radio spots on 92.3 WTTS during the week of April 21, May 5, June 9, and June 23.

Television spots, in limited markets, during the week of April 14, April 28, June 2, and June 16 on the following networks:

History Channel
Discovery Channel
TBS
CNN

Don't forget to continue checking us out on the Web at ww.secondhelpings.org!

Taking "Customer Service" To a Whole New Level

TACOMA, Washington (CNN) -- At a time when she really needed a miracle, Annamarie Ausnes found one in an unusual place.

Last fall, Ausnes, 55, was one of nearly 75,000 Americans in need of a kidney. Today, she is recovering from a successful kidney transplant -- thanks to her local Starbucks barista.

Sandra Andersen only knew Ausnes as her upbeat morning customer who always ordered a short cup of coffee. What Andersen didn't know was that Ausnes suffers from a genetic kidney disease called polycystic kidney disease. When both of her kidneys began failing, she was placed on a kidney transplant waiting list.

"I was kinda losing a little hope," said Ausnes. Her next step would be dialysis.

"I'd read the statistics. People have been waiting on dialysis for many, many years before a donor comes forth. I felt like the control was being taken away from me," Ausnes said. "But I did have control over one thing, and I knew how to pray. And I just started praying for someone; for God to please send me an angel."

Andersen recalls one particular morning last October when her customer's normally cheerful demeanor had changed.

"I could tell that she just wasn't feeling real well," said Andersen. "So I asked her what was wrong."

Across the counter, Ausnes confided in her barista: Her kidneys were failing rapidly and no one in her family was a match. Without hesitation, Andersen said she would test for her.

Ausnes remembers the moment vividly.

"She threw her hands up in the air. She said, 'I'm testing. I'm going to test for you.' And it was a complete shock to me."

Even more so because Andersen didn't even know Ausnes' name. Andersen can't explain it either.

"I just knew in my heart, I can't tell you why. I knew I had to find out as much info as possible," recalls Andersen. Watch Ausnes recall how she met her "miracle donor." »

After getting her blood tested, she signed a release to become an organ donor and began an interview process to move forward. Then the day came when she was able to break the good news to Ausnes.

"She walked in to get her short cup of coffee. I said, 'I'm a match,' and we both just stood there and bawled," said Andersen. "From that day forward we knew this was gonna happen."

On March 11, Andersen and Ausnes underwent a kidney transplant at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, Washington. The surgery was successful.

"We are doing well!" Ausnes said Monday night. "We're moving slower but we feel good. I talk to Sandie every day, and sometimes I sit here and bawl because of what she's gone through for me."Watch how Andersen's gift became 'A kidney named Rose.' »

Andersen says her kidney started working faster in Ausnes than the hospital expected.

"Annamarie is doing better than me! I'm just trying to do too much," laughs Andersen, explaining why she's tired. "We're just excited to get together for lunch sometime soon!" Watch Andersen and Ausnes describe the best kind of donor »

A New Disease To Watch Out For...

A woman calls her boss one morning and tells him that she is staying home because she is not feeling well.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"I have a case of anal glaucoma", she says in a weak voice.

"What the hell is anal glaucoma?"

"I can't see my ass coming into work today."

Comic (Hunger) Relief

Second Fridays, Second Helpings

Following the success of the Broad Ripple Music Festival, a series was put together with the purpose of combining music, raising money and awareness, and building new venues for music.

Come join Second Helpings as we celebrate the first Second Friday, Second Helpings concert series on March 14, 2008.

Chris Haskett will kick off the series, located at the Upper Room, along with PJ Christie and Lance Drake, at 10:00 p.m.

Date: March 14, 2008
Time: 10:00 p.m.
Location: The Upper Room, 929 E. Westfield Blvd. Indpls. In. 46220 (Above the Broad Ripple Steakhouse)
Cost: Free; accepting donations of cash and pasta for Second Helpings

Second Helpings, Inc
1121 Southeastern Ave
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-3946
www.secondhelpings.org

Happy St. Baldrick's Day

The Indianapolis Jaycees are sponsoring a benefit concert to raise money for pediatric cancer research through the St. Baldrick's Day Foundation.

100% of all donations will go to the St. Baldricks Day Foundation.

The St. Baldrick's Day Concert sponsored by the Indianapolis Jaycees will be held on Monday, March 24th at Indianapolis Fireman's Union Hall at 748 Massachusetts Avenue from 7pm until 10pm.

The evening will include Algren, a great band from the Chicagoland area, ComedySportz as the Master of Ceremonies, and the infamous head shaving ceremony.

The head shaving ceremony is an act of solidarity supporting children with cancer. St. Baldricks Day is an event to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

Algren can be heard online at http://www.blogger.com/www.myspace.com/algrenmusic.

In order to make this event a success, we need your support. The event is open and free to the public, but donations are welcomed. This is a 21 and over event.

For more information please call Traci or Michael at 490-9285 or e-mail msargent14@gmail.com .

"My" Chef is Up for Lifetime Award

Indy can be proud to claim several top chefs.

One such chef is Ralph Comstock, who teaches at Ivy Tech's Culinary Institute. He recently received the Central Regional nomination for the American Culinary Federation's Hermann G. Rusch Lifetime Achievement Award.

The accolade follows Comstock's 2005 induction as a fellow in the American Academy of Chefs, the foundation's honor society. The award recognizes chefs who, according to the foundation, have "advanced the culinary profession and ensured the enrichment of students, our members."

The winner will be identified in July at the group's national convention in Las Vegas.

Asked if he'd be gambling in Vegas, Comstock said, "I'd feel lucky to simply be there. I never dreamed in a million years I'd be recognized at the top of the chefs' association."

Padded Resume Costs Chef TV Show

New York -- Robert Irvine, host of the popular Food Network series "Dinner Impossible," has lost his job following allegations that he padded his resume.

Irvine had claimed that he helped design Princess Diana's wedding cake, worked at the White House and graduated from the University of Leeds. But an article was published in the St. Petersburg Times last week that cast doubt on his claims.

On Friday, the Food Network announced they were not renewing his contract with the show, and released the following statement:

"We looked into the situation and found that, as Robert has already admitted, there were some embellishments and inaccuracies in his resume. The few and minor incidents of the inclusion of these embellishments into 'Dinner Impossible' have been removed. The show is, and has always been, completely accurate in the depiction of the cooking challenges faced by Robert. We will continue airing both old shows and the new season of programs currently in production. We have not renewed Robert's contract for future seasons but will fulfill our contractual obligations.

We rely on the trust that our viewers have in the accuracy of the information we present, and Robert challenged that trust. We appreciate Robert's remorse about his actions, and we can revisit this decision at the end of the production cycle, but for now we will be looking for a replacement host."

At the same time, the network also released a statement from Irvine, who expressed remorse for his actions:

”I was wrong to exaggerate in statements related to my experiences in the White House and the Royal Family. I am proud of my work as part of the Guest Chef program in the White House, the opportunities I had on the Royal Yacht Britannia and my culinary accomplishments, and I should have stood on those alone, without embellishment.

I remain committed and enthusiastic about my work with Food Network and other future endeavors. I am truly sorry for misleading people and misstating the facts.To all my family, friends and loyal fans, I will work tirelessly to regain your trust and continue to use my show and life to benefit the less fortunate."

Chef Goes Green

From the TASTE section of today's Indianapolis Star:

Good greens
Nutritious collards, kale and chard are best when cooked quickly, gently
By Jolene Ketzenberger
jolene.ketzenberger@indystar.com

February 27, 2008

With spring still weeks away, the bright hues of classic greens can provide an appealing splash of color for winter-weary cooks. Plus, they're good for you.

From curly-leafed kale to red-stalked Swiss chard to classic collards, winter greens can add nutrition to a wide variety of dishes, said chef Carl Conway, director of training at Second Helpings, a local food rescue organization that also provides a culinary education program.

But these aren't your grandma's greens. Don't let the overcooked collards of the past keep you from using these versatile, vitamin-packed ingredients.
"In the South, greens are overcooked," said Conway, a Mississippi native. "It's just Southern tradition."

That's due more to convenience than technique, said Conway: Many home cooks would simply set a pot to simmering while they went about other work. Unfortunately, such long cooking times can simmer the best stuff right out.
"Once the color is gone, so are the nutrients," said Conway. "All of the nutrition and most of the flavor."

He and his culinary students recently created flavorful recipes for braised greens with andouille sausage and a cheesy greens casserole. He particularly likes the braising method. "I think it's the best way to cook them," he said of the classic technique. His recipe involves stirring greens into sautéed sausage, onions and garlic, and then simmering them in broth until tender. "They taste best the less you do with them."

In developing the dishes for Taste, Conway first considered favorite family recipes, he said. "Braised greens are one of the staples of my family, and I used the andouille just because we're used to having spicy stuff with our greens."
He then looked to classic dishes, "things we do that naturally have greens in them," he said. He noted that the casserole filling also could be used in other dishes, such as quiche.

Both dishes also include a bit of nutmeg, which enhances the flavor of any dark green, he said.

Conway encourages culinary experimentation, noting that greens could be added to most dishes that call for spinach.

"Spinach is something everyone is more familiar with," he said, "but any recipe that has 'florentine' in it you can pretty much substitute mustard greens for spinach. Mustard also goes really good with seafood, like scampi."

Warming to the topic, he suggested using greens in a classic white bean and greens cassoulet, an Asian stir-fry or a roasted beet salad with a side of sautéed greens.

"Buy your beets with the greens and use both parts," he said. "Same thing with turnips." But the key, he said, is simply to avoid overcooking. "Just sauté them in a little bit of butter," he said. "Quick cooking methods work best."

And don't forget the nutmeg.

Chef Carl Conway, director of training at Second Helpings, offers these recipes to make great use of winter greens.


What goes well with winter greens? Pair them with some classic comfort foods, said chef Carl Conway of Second Helpings, like a potato gratin and buttermilk fried chicken. Here are a few of his favorites.

“MEETING OF MINDS” BRINGS HISTORY TO LIFE ON STAGE

Galileo Galilei meets Attila the Hun, Charles Darwin, and Emily Dickinson for a lively evening of discussion at Steve Allen’s home in “Meeting of Minds.”

This family-friendly visit with these famous figures from history is a stage adaptation of the Steve Allen scripted popular public television series.
Performances are at the Freemason Hall Theater on May 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, & 18. The theater is located at 525 North Illinois Street, Indianapolis 46204. The play is produced by the Stage Actors Workshop.

Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 pm; and Sunday matinees begin at 2 pm. Tickets are $12 for adults; children 16 years old and younger will be admitted free with a paying adult. For reservations, information, or directions call 201-3436.

In the cast are Mary Hunt as the moderator, George Dokes as Charles Darwin, Glory June Greiff as Emily Dickinson, Tim Koponen as Galileo Galilei, and Carl Conway as Attila the Hun. World-conqueror Attila the Hun will face-off with Galileo and Darwin while the reclusive Emily Dickinson adds her thoughts.

The gathering of these historical figures is the brain-child of Steve Allen. The action of the play takes place at his home, in an informal setting.

What would these famous people say to each other if they met today? That is the clever premise of Mr. Allen’s family-friendly script, which had a successful run on PBS in the 1970s.

The Stage Actors' Workshop is a not-for-profit community theater acting company comprised of talented people who do theater for the love of it. Their mission is to bring to the public live stage shows that are entertaining and educational at a cost that will not break the family budget. Children 16 years-old and younger are always admitted free with a paying adult.

Bob Rini has served as the company’s artistic director since its inception in 1998. They offer affordable acting classes for adults and children. More information may be obtained by e-mailing them at saw_theater@yahoo.com

Who was Jesus REALLY?

There are three compelling arguments that Jesus was Black:

1. He called everyone brother
2. He liked Gospel
3. He didn't get a fair trial

But then there are three equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish:

1. He went into His Father's business
2. He lived at home until he was 33
3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his Mother was sure He was God

There are also three equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian:

1. He talked with His hands
2. He had wine with His meals
3. He used olive oil

Then again, there are three excellent arguments that Jesus was a Californian :

1. He never cut His hair
2. He walked around barefoot all the time
3. He started a new religion

But then there are three perfectly good reasons to argue that Jesus was an American Indian :

1. He was at peace with nature
2. He ate a lot of fish
3. He talked about the Great Spirit

Of course, there were three equally good arguments that Jesus was Irish:

1. He never got married.
2. He was always telling stories.
3. He loved green pastures.

But finally, we have the most compelling evidence of all, which proves that Jesus was probably a woman:

1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was virtually no food.
2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it.
3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was still work to do.

Serving up Second Chances

BALTIMORE, Maryland (CNN) -- "Heroin, cocaine, alcohol...whatever was on the table, I wanted it," recalls Baltimore native Tyrone Lewis, who struggled with drug addiction for most of his life.

His addictions made it impossible for him to hold a job very long. For a time, he was homeless.
"After a while you just feel ... alone," says Lewis. "That made me want to give up. "

But that all changed when he met Galen Sampson, a five-star chef who offered Lewis the chance to join Chefs in the Making, a culinary training program that offers jobs and education to people who've been homeless, or have struggled with addiction. For Lewis, it was the chance of a lifetime.

"He was offering me a free education," Lewis says. "What he was doing gave me hope."
For many years, hope has been in short supply in parts of Baltimore. While some areas have been revitalized, much of the city is plagued by crime, poverty and drugs. According to the Census Bureau, nearly 23 percent of residents live below the poverty line and the city has an estimated 60,000 addicts.

As a chef at one of Baltimore's elite hotels, Sampson often saw his employees struggling with these problems in their own families. When he met his wife, Bridget, a writer who ran literacy programs in the city, he got involved with her work and wanted to do more. "I was a chef; that's what I was good at," Sampson recalls. "How could I apply what I did to help?"

Sampson had always dreamed of having his own restaurant. So in 2005, he and Bridget decided to create a socially responsible business that could address some of Baltimore's problems. They decided that part of their restaurant would be a training program, and Chefs in the Making was born.

In many respects, Chefs in the Making is run like any other culinary school. Apprentices take classes four hours a week and the rest of the time, they work at The Dogwood, Sampson's restaurant, which also includes a deli and catering business. Students not only earn a living and learn a trade, but they also build a job history.

The program has partnered with other programs to give apprentices additional support; there's even a counselor on staff who meets with them every couple of weeks. For Tyrone Lewis, the restaurant itself is a refuge.

"Here there are no secrets," Lewis says. "Most of us just know we are people who are trying to get our lives back together. "

Sampson admits this unorthodox approach had its skeptics. "A lot of people think we're crazy. We've pretty much put everything that we have into this project," he says. But for Sampson, it's well worth the risk. "To see what our apprentices have been able to do here has been very rewarding. I think we're setting the foundation for something good," he says.

In 2008, Chefs in the Making intends to provide training/jobs to more than 30 people. Apprentices make up about 25 percent of the restaurant staff and Lewis' own situation suggests what potential the program has to change lives. "Ten years from now, I see myself owning a home, maybe owning my own business," he says.

It's a future that he wouldn't have dreamed was possible before meeting Sampson. "A lot of people say they want to help," says Lewis. "Galen actually makes a difference."

Do It Anyway

This poem is engraved on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta. It was written by Kent M. Keith, who at the time, was a 19 year-old young man from Indiana. How Mother Teresa came upon the poem is still unknown, even to the author.

DO IT ANYWAY

People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centered;
forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and true enemies;
succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
be honest anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.

"Pay What You Think It's Worth" Scheme Pays Off In Germany

Ernest Gill, dpa Hamburg

The latest trend in the European restaurant business is the pay-whatever-you-think-it's-worth gimmick, and enterprising eateries in Germany say it pays off big time.

Taking a tip from the rock group Radiohead, which offered its latest album via the Internet for whatever buyers were willing to pay, restaurant owners in Germany say the idea of letting customers decide how much their dinner is worth to them is great for business.

Until a few weeks ago an Iranian ethnic restaurant called Kish in Frankfurt was empty most nights. Then owner Pourya Feily posted a sign out front saying "Pay What You Want" for entrees. Beverage prices are fixed, but everything else is up for grabs.

"Now we're full every evening and the amazing thing is that people are quite reasonable in paying a fair price," says Feily. He concedes that the patrons tend to pay less than the fixed prices he used to charge. But the difference is made up in the increase in trade.

"People pay about 6.95 or 7.95 euros (10 or 11.80 dollars) for an entree, which is quite acceptable," he told RTL Television.

He and Radiohead are not the only ones. Across Germany, wine bars, hotels, hairstylists, gourmet food shops and even some cinemas have taken up the "Pay Whatever You Want" slogan.

"Admittedly, it's a gimmick," Frankfurt marketing analyst Martin Natter told RTL. "Everyone knows it's a come-on. But it's a way of making customers feel they are in control. And it offers them a chance to be gracious and to feel they aren't being ripped off, but rather that they are doing their favourite restaurant or pub or hairstylist a service. Customers like to feel needed and appreciated."

The Iranian restaurant in Frankfurt has made headlines nationwide, and television news crews jostle with customers to report on the phenomenon.

"We could never have paid for such publicity in a million years," says Feily. "At lunch we used to close early due to lack of customers. Now we have up to 150 people, and we can only seat 90, so people have to wait. And that's just for lunch."

If nobody is required to pay a cent, then why do people still pay about what they would pay anyway?

"Basically, people are honest," he says. "They know what their lunch is worth and they are willing to pay that. Most people wouldn't want to cheat anybody any more than they would want to be cheated themselves. And because they set the price themselves, they feel it's a bargain, even if it is just as much as they would have paid anyway."

Congratulations To Class #48!!

Class #48 of the Second Helpings Culinary Job Training Program graduated on Friday, February 15, 2008. CONGRATULATIONS to the graduates!


Pictured above (front row, left to right) Robert Lawless, Courtney Walls, Kenneth Cannon, Stacy Beaty, Angeleka Davis. (back row) Chef Conway, Sergio Rojas, Brian Caldwell, Kevin Taylor, Edward Primm, Teddie Jones, and Sean Jones

For Valentine's Day

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY? (written by kids)

You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-- Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
-- Kristen, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
--Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
- - Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
-- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
- - Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is........

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck.

-- Ricky, age 10

Student Chefs Dig Into Their Field

Marty Meitus, Rocky Mountain News

Joan Brett has no interest in buying raspberries out of season. The cost is too high - and she's not talking about the price at the store. She's referring to the environmental impact of bringing in those berries from places like Chile.

"The fact that we're screwing up our planet, I don't need those raspberries," she says. "It's only six to eight months of the year (when you don't have them) and it makes them special."

Brett is doing more than paying lip service to the cause. Owner of the Culinary School of the Rockies in Boulder, she has added what may be the first outside-the-classroom program to incorporate the concept of farm-to-table training for would-be chefs. Students will spend five weeks outside the classroom, first in the North Fork Valley, then working at Leroux Creek Inn Bed and Breakfast and Winery near Hotchkiss, then going to Sustainable Settings, a 250-acre nonprofit center and ranch in Carbondale that teaches sustainability.

When Brett took an exploratory trip to the North Fork Valley, "I was met with such excitement and enthusiasm about moving the farmers' vision into the restaurants."

Students will help with winemaking, cheesemaking, learning about soil and composting, harvesting and preparing menus from what they've gathered.

"We're a cooking school, not a farming school, but the experience is going to make these students aware of where the food comes from. (They'll gain) an in-depth knowledge of soil and what it takes to put those ingredients on the plate."

Back in Boulder County, they'll "get steeped in where food comes from" at various farms, with a community dinner at the end. Brett says the program will have lasting benefits.

"It's multilayered because it's going to affect consumers and the community, and I think these students will wind up being ambassadors for dealing respectfully with food."

The local push helps farmers who at one time might have had to abandon their livelihood because they weren't able to produce enough for the wholesale market. But, she says, "by selling to restaurants and the public, a lot of them have turned around."

Not so many years ago, "eating local" meant heading out for McDonald's up the street. But now consumers are tuning in. "It's not going to be overnight, but it's exciting to be part of it."


Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)

From Today's Correspondence...

Subject: How My Day Started


I rear-ended a car this morning and we both pulled over.

So there we are alongside the road and slowly the other driver gets out of his car ... and you know how you just get sooo stressed and life-stuff seems to get funny?

Yeah, well, I could NOT believe it . . he was a DWARF!

He storms over to my car, looks up at me and says, "I AM NOT HAPPY!"

So, I look down at him and ask, "Well, which one are you then?"


... and that's when the fight started!

Black Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade

This simple, but delicious, recipe makes enough to serve 12 people as an appetizer or dip with crackers, chips, or crudité.

3 cups of pitted medium black olives, drained
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
¼ cup Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

In the bowl of a food processor, add the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and the olive oil it was packed in.
Pulse until combuined, but still chunky.
Add more extra-virgin olive oil if mixture is too dry.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon into a serving bowl.
If not serving immediately, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days.