Thank you, Pebble Beach and Macy’s DeGustibus!

Well, the first Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival was a rousing success from my perspective.  Attendees seemed to have a great time, there was some seriously good food served by a dizzying array of the country’s best chefs, too many winemakers to count, and well, it was at Pebble Beach.  As my friend Sherry Yard said, “It’s God’s golf course.”

Guess what?  We are headed for Pebble Beach again, in April of 2009.....

I also want to send a big thank-you to Arlene Feltman Sailhac and the entire team at the DeGustibus Cooking School at Macy’s Herald Square,   My demo, part of the part of the Spring 2008 Great Chef’s Series, was great fun, and I really enjoyed being in that gorgeous kitchen.  (I now covet a deep fryer built into my countertop, too).  Thanks also to the kind folks who came to see me.  I wish you all happiness and lots of Chocolate Salami in your future.  For more information and the upcoming chefs in the series, visit  DeGustibus.

Remember to check my weekly blog posts on Serious Eats!

I’ve taken a little hiatus, but you can check out some of my favorite posts:

1. ✴ Follow me on a long weekend in beautiful, unspoiled Abruzzo
   

2. ✴ Discover the Ten Reasons Why I love Shopping In Italy
   

3. ✴ See how telling people to “hammer” their asparagus aroused some controversy
   

4. ✴ Check out a great way to serve young spring carrots: glazed with Marsala
   

5. ✴ Visit one of Trastevere’s oldest pastry shops for some authentic Roman torrone

An Invitation To The Delights of Piemonte:

On the heels of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Piemonte is capturing an increasing amount of attention as a tourist destination.  My good friends Diana and Michael Baur have known the delights of this idyllic Italian region for years; and they chose the ancient Roman city of Acqui Terme in Southwest Piemonte as the perfect spot for their inn, The Baur B&B.  A painstakingly restored 400-year old house on the site of a former Moscato vineyard, this is not your ordinary Italian accomodation.  Diana, a talented artist, has given every inch of this glorious property her special touch with handmade mosaics, sculputure, ceramics and paintings in every room, and her husband Micha is passionate about sharing Piemonte’s wine and cusine with their guests.

Diana and Micha have just finished an amazing renovation project, turning their old barn into a beautiful, inviting professional-quality kitchen, with the same inviting warmth and personal touches found in the main bulding. I will be exploring the best of Piemonte’s cuisine in this gem of a barn kitchen next year.

If you are interested in spending time in Piemonte with Diana and Micha, drop Diana a line!