Welcome to the Taste & Savor Blog
My New Red Hot Latin Love: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I want to introduce you to my new favorite spice. It's smoked paprika. Quite frankly, I have become a bit obsessed with this beautifully hued, smoky spice. It is most commonly used in Spanish cuisine and adds a deep, smoky flavor and a touch of heat. Smoked paprika...
Uncovering Healthy Recipes From The “Me” Generation: A Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I'll just go ahead and admit it. I am a cookbook junkie. At the rate I'm going, I may very well be buried alive under my collection of cookbooks and cooking magazines within the next year or two. Of course, my growing collection and lack of storage space did not...
Eating The Elephant, One Bite at a Time: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
We have probably all heard of the question "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer of course is "one bite at a time". This means that one should not focus solely on the big goal of eating the elephant, but to break down your ultimate goal into smaller more attainable...
Crock Pot Cucina- A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
With the official start of fall fast approaching and a break in the summer heat, I started thinking that it was time to dust off the ole' Crock Pot and start cooking up some cool weather comfort food. Coincidentally, as thoughts of my own Crock Pot entered my...
Respect Thy Mother Grain-A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I first heard of quinoa in culinary school. This word appeared as an answer on a multiple choice quiz. The question was, "What is considered to be the mother of all grains?" Unfortunately, I had never heard of quinoa, and evidently had not done my required reading,...
Don’t Be a Hater: A Guest Post, by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Last week, Chef Nancy and I were testing a recipe for a lighter Caesar salad dressing. The original recipe called for one anchovy fillet. We ended up using the whole can of anchovies in the recipe, in order to achieve a flavor we both agreed on. As we were cooking, we...
Why Orange You Eating Your Greens?-A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
My new favorite dark, leafy green is kale. It is not a vegetable that I had eaten often in the past, however, I do remember it being served with the Brazilian national dish, Feijoada. Kale is a member of the cabbage family and is low in saturated fat and cholesterol...
160 Years of Tradition Inspires a New Recipe: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Last weekend I went to Franklin, N.C. for the Siler Family Meeting. For 160 consecutive years, the Siler Family has been gathering on the first Saturday of August to enjoy family, fellowship and most importantly food. I began attending this meeting with my grandmother...
I’ve Never Met a Cheese I Didn’t Like: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Chef Nancy and I both share a fondness for cheese and often joke that we could easily become "Cheeseatarians". This is the one food that I crave more often than any other. So, it was with great pleasure, that I received a gift of several different cheeses, that were...
Flavorful Garam Masala Dip at Whole Foods!
Yesterday I did a FUN Cooks Warehouse Class at the New Whole Foods in Marietta. (Cooks is opening a NEW store in September - next to Whole Foods.) My intrepid helpers, (Brenda, George, Bobby and Suzanne), and I showed the class how to make a variety of delicious and...
Healthy Fare at the Health Fair: A Guest Post By Healthy Sous-Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
This week, Chef Nancy and I had the pleasure of participating in a health fair at the King and Spalding Law Firm. We had a great time meeting many people and giving them some healthy eating tips. After all of the meet and greets, book signings etc... that we have...
Recipe for Success: A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Last night, Chef Nancy and I had the pleasure of hosting a group of executives from The Coca-Cola Company for a hands on cooking class at the Cancer Wellness Center. This internationally diverse group of people were in town for meetings and of course a little fun....
Remembering Ignes-A Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Recently, I received news of the death of a dear woman, Ignes Pellis. Ignes was my family's housekeeper during my childhood in Brazil. Ignes did much more than keep our house neat and tidy. She took care of us by being a friend, companion, interpreter, babysitter and...
Bella Italia: A Guest Post By Healthy “Sous” Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I had the pleasure of traveling to Italy for the first time this summer. This trip exceeded all of my expectations. From the ancient history of Rome, to the rolling hills of Tuscany and finally to the glorious canals of Venice. It was all breathtaking and awe...
When a Salad is More Than Just a Bowl Full of Lettuce: By Healthy “Sous” Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Chef Nancy and I do the majority of our cooking at the Cancer Wellness Center, and like to provide the staff and sometimes a patient or two, to a salad for lunch on the days we are there. Most often our salads are spontaneous creations, built from leftovers and items...
The Ladies of Pink Heals Rock!
The first time I met Lisa Vingerling, was with Jimmy Rumba. Yes, that’s his name, Jimmy Rumba. He was teaching a party of twenty young, beautiful women how to Salsa Dance. Some women had long hair, some short and some none at all. But everyone was grooving and moving...
Out of Indulgence Comes Inspirationa Guest Post by Healthy Sous Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
I recently traveled with family to Chatanooga, TN for a weekend spring break getaway. As a good mother should, I dutifully followed my husband and kids to the Tennessee Aquarium, RockCity! and The Chickamauga Battlefield. Seeing with the new eyes of my children, I...
Friends, Poetry, Fun and Food
The Poetry Reading I attended at Cancer Wellness at Piedmont was wonderful. Each guest brought a poem they had composed, or one of their favorites. Some were funny, some sad, all the readings captured insight into the group of fellow survivors and friends. Vicki...
Celtic Wisdom, Irish Feast!
This Guest Post is by my colleague and wonderful pal, Dennis Buttimer. Dennis and his wife Angela are good friends special to not only me - but to many participants at Cancer Wellness at Piedmont Hospital. We had so much fun doing our class together a couple of weeks...
The Cook’s Warehouse Revisited By Healthy “Sous” Chef Partyologist, Lea Bowen
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of assisting Chef Nancy at two different cooking classes at The Cook's Warehouse. It seems like only yesterday, that I attended my first cooking class, at the then, new Cook's Warehouse on Amsterdam Ave. I was a single twenty-something...