Welcome to the Taste & Savor Blog

Chicken For Julie, Julia and Us!
This August, almost 50 years after the book was published in America, Julia Child's ode to the food of France, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was number one on the New York Times Bestseller list in the “How To” category. How amazing is that? Because of the fun...

Tea for Two
When I looked at the beautiful women gathered last Saturday at Cancer Wellness - I got choked up. What a incredible group of survivors, each with their own story of perseverance and bravery. How lucky I am to get to work and share with them! And not only are they...
Turning Point Dinner
Last night I was off to the suburbs – to the lovely land of Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. Yours truly, a couple of super assistants, a generous family and fun guests all participated in a benefit dinner for Turning Point, a women’s healthcare center in Alpharetta. The...

Taste Club South America
Too much fun at the Taste Club last night! That's my monthly wine and food pairing dinner held at Cooks Warehouse Brookhaven. We tasted 9 wines from South America and ate like cowboys - Churrasco style Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Peruvian Potatoes. Here's a...
Couples Retreat
We had a grand time at the Wellness Center's Couples Retreat last weekend - including making our own lunch! I provided the recipes and a little assistance, and everyone just jumped in. How much fun it is - to cook and eat together. Thought I'd share our dessert...

Piedmont Auxiliary Makes Things Happen!
I had the pleasure of catering a brunch for the ladies of the board of the Piedmont Auxiliary last week. How much fun to hear about all their activities for the hospital and Cancer Wellness at Piedmont. It took them over and hour just to report back in on the projects...

Seasonal Delights – Eat Like There’s No Tommorrow
My friend and fellow chef, Hans Rueffert appeared on the Cooks Warehouse Stage at the Decatur Book Festival today. Hans loves fresh, seasonal food and his demo did not disappoint: beautiful fresh zipper peas and fennel. His book, Eat Like There's No Tomorrow is a...

Life’s A Beach!
Last week, Cancer Wellness at Piedmont hosted their annual "Life's a Beach! Party". What fun to see flip flops and beach wear on the folks that were dancing and rocking out. A fabulous band, "Just Friends" made waves with the music of Motown, Jimmy Buffett and Marvin...

It’s Been a Pink Week!
For those of you that see me often without a chefs coat on - you'll know that I love the color pink. And this week I had so much fun being "in the pink", with lots and lots of beautiful women. The week contained the Pink Carpet Gala, a fun evening celebrating breast...
Delicious Home Made Pita Chips for Dipping!
Easy, Flavor Filled Chips You Can Make Yourself:6 Whole Wheat Pita Pockets¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice½ Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper1 Tsp Ground Cumin1 Tsp Curry Powder (or Garam Masala)1 Tsp Turmeric1 Tsp Kosher or Sea Salt½ Tsp Garlic...

Go To Gluten Free Cooking
Cooks Warehouse Decatur was the venue for a fun Gluten Free Cooking Class. I first became aware of Gluten Free Eating when I worked on the morning show "Everyday with Marcus and Lisa". Marcus had Celiac Disease, and so I always tried to provide something in my cooking...

White County WOW!
How great is it when you can name your organization: WOW? That’s the group I visited this week, the Winegrowers of White County. Many of you may not know where White County Georgia is located. Up north of Atlanta where hills and mountains and greenery abound – that’s...

Walking on the Dark Side
This is what the parking lot at the entrance to the Chattahoochee walking/jogging trail looked like on Friday morning. It's dark AND early. But we didn't mind as my friend Beci and I chatted, shared and laughed for a 6 mile power walk. I love getting up early and...

Lawyers Who Cook!
Cooks Warehouse at Midtown hosted The Iron Chef: CUMIN battle that took place on Friday night. What a fun bunch from a local law firm. Great team work, cooking and super food styling. Great use of banana leaves for presentation. Gives all the plates a real boost. Take...

Plan Your Escape
The women of Pink Heals had another party on Thursday night - to plan fun vacations and learn how to document their trip with pictures. What a beautiful group! “Maintain a Sense of Humor, Develop Outside Interests, and Learn to Let Go”, were some of the gems of...

Oh What Treasures You Will Find…
I don’t know about you, but there always seem to be a few bottles of wine that keep getting pushed to the back of my wine cabinet. Bottles that someone has gifted when invited to dinner, or bottles that looked interesting on sale – but never quite interesting enough...

Some Assembly Required
We needed a grill for our octopus. (That sounds really funny – but check out the blog from July 27th.) So we went to the local hardware store in Rock Hall, Maryland. No Home Depot, Lowe’s or even an Ace in this little town. But the great news is the store had a Smoky...

Octopus for Dinner
I always have to hand it to my sister – she is fearless in the kitchen. Pat picked up some octopus in DC and we invited a good friend over for an adventurous dinner, lots of wine and stories.Well, lets start with the very good news. Our briny buddy was cleaned at the...

BLT Steak
That’s not Bacon Lettuce and Tomato – it’s Bistro Laurent Tourondel, a restaurant from a charming and celebrated chef with an empire of New York restaurants. What fun to have a chance to indulge in a dinner at a much-lauded spot like this one. I’m sharing our...

Kinkeads – A Delicious DC Institution
If you’ve been to Washington DC in the past fifteen or so years, chances are you have eaten at – or at least heard of Kinkeads. Located close to the White House, State Department and the Mall, here’s where you’ll often find the movers and shakers in DC. We popped in...