Los Angeles

by

A thoughtful gift that counts

It’s not the gift, but the thought that counts.

Christmas PresentsThat quote by American author and clergyman Henry Jackson van Dyke was something I grew up hearing, particularly around Christmas time.

It’s not surprising a clergyman would coin such a phase. Perhaps it sprang from the need to help assuage the anxiety, guilty and disappointment people customarily feel with when they can’t afford to buy lavish gifts for their families and friends. This pithy phase not only provided a pass, but gave permission to focus on what’s important when giving a gift: the earnest gesture of thoughtfulness. Continue reading →

by

A sweet beginning gets sweeter

Tené Harris, Sweet Beginnings

Tené Harris, Sweet Beginnings

Everyone has a food story.

While we don’t get many opportunities to share or tell our foods stories, we share it with every meal we make and serve.

Tené Harris, culinary artist and owner of Sweet Beginnings Desserts, is telling her story in an amazing exhibit at the William Grant Still Art Center in Los Angeles. This exhibit – open thru November 21, 2015 – tells her culinary story with photographs, letters, recipes and video of her great great grandparents, great great aunt, and much more. Continue reading →

by

A gem of a restaurant, a jewel of a chicken recipe

Hand written parton note

Mistral hand-written customer note

 

In French the word “mistral” means wind.

More specifically, the word is a noun used to describe a cold, dry, northerly wind that blows through the Rhône Valley and South France to the Mediterranean coast, mainly in the winter.

The neighborhood bistro

In Sherman Oaks, California, Mistral is the name of a warm and charming neighborhood French Bistro that settled down at 13422 Ventura Boulevard, in 1988. Continue reading →

by

A drought worthy ratatouille

Serious drought save waterThings aren’t so golden in the “Golden State” these days.

The majestic beauty of California, my home state, is eclipsed by shades of brownish-green.

California’s Drought

This is drought country. The signs you see entering the Golden State should be changed to steady visitors for the stark reality of the 50 shades of brownish-green they will see on this droughted landscaped. Continue reading →