Patience was not something that came naturally to me, but in cooking it is the quintessential skill.

I am a glutton for a beautiful hotel. I am so easily smitten by high thread counts.

I cook mostly vegetarian vegetable and bean stews. Quinoa salads. I make my mother-in-law's recipe for chicken and barley stew all the time.

I have a mantra in my head that there will always be another meal. I can put my fork down, knowing there will be good things in my future!

Like baseball, food will never go out of style; we will always need to eat and we will always find it entertaining. I think of food TV this way - all the fun and none of the calories.

I had decided I wanted to write about food, and I knew the only way to do that is to speak with authority, which meant learning the language and knowing what that experience is like.

I always want my guests to be happy and impressed.