Big Apple Life

A collection of posts on Life in the Big Apple along with interviews with foodie friends

Phenomenal Femmes Wine Dinner, Ritz, NYC

Marika Vida, wine director at Ritz-Carlton Central Park and a fellow Dame — member of Les Dames d’Escoffier — invited me to attend one of her Phenomenal Femmes Wine Dinners, part of a series highlighting pioneering women of the wine industry. This one featured Audrey Herd-Smith of Antinori, wine pairings by Marika and a four-course dinner created by Executive Chef Mark Arnao. Before being seated, we sipped bubbly Montenisa Franciacorta Rose, as we nibbled jumbo shrimp wrapped in shredded potatoes served with a scampi sauce. With each course and wine, Audrey Herd-Smith shared her wisdom and knowledge about the wines. We sipped the crisp Guado al Tasso Vermentino 2013, as [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:19:09-04:00December 20th, 2014|Other happenings, xyz misc|0 Comments
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Rita Jammet

Rita Jammet's name is synonymous with La Caravelle, now her line of champagnes, previously her and her husband André's celebrated iconic French restaurant, which sadly shut its doors in 2004. Rita is also what's referred to as a "Dame" — a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a philanthropic society of professional women leaders in the food industry. As a fellow Dame, I've gotten to know Rita and to sip her bubbly at many social and scholarship fund-raising events where she generously donated La Caravelle. I also had the pleasure of sitting with her husband Andrè at a Les Dames d'Escoffier brunch at ilili, her cousin's Lebanese restaurant that I truly enjoy. [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:26:10-04:00December 8th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Diane Kochilas

Diane Kochilas' publicist sent me a copy of Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity from the Island Where People Forget to Die, her cookbook just published last month. I knew of Diane — an  authority on Greek cuisine — but had never met her. I knew that her Glorious Foods of Greece had won the prestigious IACP Jane Grigson Award for Excellence in Research, and that she's the consulting chef at Molyvos, a NYC Greek restaurant near Carnegie Hall that I've dined at before I began reviewing. I learned recently — after reaching out to her to be our Guest Foodie — that she has the Glorious Greek Kitchen, [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:26:12-04:00November 24th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|1 Comment
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Anthony Dias Blue

I feel like I've known Anthony Dias Blue my entire adult life, as I always listened to his WCBS radio (NYC) spot about food and wine. I'd recognize that voice anywhere. In 2001, he received a James Beard Award for the radio spot. His The Blue Lifestyle Minute — as the spot is called — is also heard on KNX (AM) 1070. You might also recognize his name from either Food & Wine or Food & Wine magazines — he was the West Coast Editor of the former, Wine and Spirits Editor of the latter — or from The Tasting Panel magazine or The Sommelier Journal, as he's Editor-in-Chief of [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:28:28-04:00November 10th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Long Island (NY) Restaurant Week November 2014

Long Island Restaurant Week runs Sunday, November 2 through Sunday, November 9, 2014, featuring a variety of restaurants and prix-fixe three-course menus for $27.95. For additional information or list of participating restaurants, click here.

By |2017-08-31T14:10:59-04:00October 29th, 2014|Rambling, xyz misc|0 Comments
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Dorie Greenspan

I served Dorie Greenspan's decadent make-ahead chocolate-Amaretti torte for a couple of dinner parties after I had interviewed her about Sweet Times, her first baking cookbook. That was in the early '90s when that Fifteen-Minute Magic was her go-to recipe. Since them Dorie's written ten cookbooks and won six James Beard and IACP awards, including Cookbook of the Year twice (for Desserts by Pierre Herme and for Around My French Table). She also wrote the book Baking with Julia. When I spoke to Dorie recently about her newest book, I tried to get her to commit to one favorite from the almost 200 simple sweets in Baking Chez Moi: Recipes From [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:28:50-04:00October 27th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival

Bite of the Best recently attended the 13th annual Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival, at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York. The two day festival showcased a range of New York State wine and specialty foods, along with sample dishes from local restaurants and food trucks. While New York City may be the center of the restaurant world, the Hudson Valley is an epicenter for much of the locally grown food NYC chefs favor in their dishes, as well as a cottage industry of artisanal food producers. The Festival offered a peek at, tastes of and opportunities to buy many tastes of the region’s bounty, focusing on [...]

By |2017-10-24T12:14:51-04:00October 24th, 2014|Other happenings|0 Comments
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Amanda Hesser

It was at the famed Greenbrier Food Writers Symposium where I first met Amanda Hesser; we both were presenters. She was quite young— in her mid 20s — but had already completed her first successful book "The Cook and the Gardener." Since then, I've watched Amanda's career soar — as an author, reporting for the New York Times, as an entrepreneur co-founding Food52 and playing herself in Julie & Julia. Gourmet even named her one of the 50 most influential women in food. Her popular site — that brings together cooks to exchange recipes and ideas and to support each other in the kitchen — won both the James Beard Awards’ [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:30:47-04:00October 13th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Seamus Mullen

I bumped into Seamus Mullen at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City where he was part of Corningware's Fashion Kitchen, demonstrating recipes served in the new colorful CW bakeware. His roasted kabocha squash with pomegranate yogurt was my favorite, but had way too many steps and ingredients to share. I suggest instead you try cooking from Seamus Mullen's Hero Food or stop in at one of his restaurants, serving his inventive modern Spanish cuisine — if you're in NYC or London. There's Tertulia (West Village) or El Colmado (Gotham West Market) in NYC and the just-opened Sea Containers, the signature restaurant in the new Mondrian Hotel (London). This [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:31:06-04:00September 29th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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SHARE raised $450K at the Annual Benefit

Earlier this week, leading women of stove, stage, screen and publishing united to share their support for breast and ovarian cancer fighters and survivors at SHARE's 11th Annual “A Second Helping of Life” benefit. According to Beth Kling, SHARE's communications director, the event had about 850 attendees, and raised over $450,000. Their highest grossing event, enabling this organization to continue to support those affected by breast or ovarian cancer. Photo credit: Jean G. Bortner    

By |2017-09-02T16:17:36-04:00September 24th, 2014|Other happenings|0 Comments
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Joan Nathan

Like many other people who knew her, I just had to call Joan Nathan to be sure she hadn't missed the Sex and the City episode that included Charlotte using Joan's Jewish Cooking in America to prepare her first Sabbath dinner. You see, Joan is well-known for her award-winning cookbooks about Jewish cooking. In fact, Jewish Cooking in America won both the James Beard Award for the best American cookbook and the IACP/Julia Child Cookbook of the Year Award in 1994. She's still writing and testing, currently busy working on her eleventh book "King Solomon's Table" that will be published Spring, 2016. Joan's won many accolades for her work, including her PBS [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:33:46-04:00September 15th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival

Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival opens its gates at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck (NY) September 6 and 7 from 11 am to 5 pm for those eager to taste, test and learn about award winning wines, state-of-the-art distilleries and New York State’s food producers. Wineries, distilleries, craft breweries and food artisans will present their wares for other to enjoy wine tasting and food sampling as well as the demonstrations by well-known chefs. The celebratory atmosphere is enhanced by live music and the anticipation surrounding the judging of the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition. Founded 13 years ago by Hudson Valley-based Wineracks.com, the Hudson Valley Wine and Food [...]

By |2017-09-02T09:31:56-04:00September 1st, 2014|Other happenings|0 Comments
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Shari Bayer

I met Shari Bayer about a decade ago when we dined at a client's restaurant. That was soon after she founded Bayer Public Relations, her agency specializing in both culinary and hospitality. That was only the first of many meals together. Shari's latest endeavor is All in The Industry, a Wednesday afternoon live radio show on Heritage Radio Network dedicated to the behind-the-scenes talent in hospitality and restaurants. Since she's traveling, currently at the Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival, this week's broadcast on Wednesday will be the archived interview with Fried & True's Lee Schrager& Adeena Sussman; she'll be back next week to interview Ben Leventhal, co-founder of Eater. Shari's also making [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:33:48-04:00September 1st, 2014|Foodie Interviews|1 Comment
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A Second Helping of Life Tasting Event September 22, 2014

Over three dozen leading women of stove, stage, screen and publishing unite to share their support for breast and ovarian cancer fighters and survivors at the 11th Annual "A Second Helping of Life" benefit on Monday, September 22, 6 p.m., at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers. Individual tickets are $325, $500 and $750. Tables of 8 and 10 are priced from $5,000 up to $35,000. For information call 212-937-5581 or visit www.sharebenefit.org Participating Chefs: • Anita Lo, Annisa • Rebecca Charles, Pearl Oyster Bar • Alexandra Guarnaschelli, Butter • Amy Scherber, Amy's Bread • Alison Awerbuch, Abigail Kirsch Catering & Events • Einat Admony, Balaboosta, Taïm, and Bar Bolonat • [...]

By |2017-09-02T09:32:09-04:00August 19th, 2014|Other happenings|0 Comments
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Amanda Cohen

When I first sampled chef Amanda Cohen's take on candy from the earth (as she refers to veggies), she was being honored (and cooking) at a Star Chefs' rising star event the Mandarin Oriental in NYC. This past weekend, I again enjoyed her approach to veggies, including the unusual smoked broccoli dog on a homemade bun, while dining at Dirt Candy. That's her New York Times 2-star, 18-seat vegetarian restaurant closing its doors at the end of this month, and reopening this fall in a larger space at 86 Allen Street, NYC. That dining experience is not be be missed when it reopens. If you can't make it, live vicariously [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:36:43-04:00August 18th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Jacques Pépin

It was the early '80s when I first met Jacques. I was creating the New Haven (CT) Register's first cooking contest and contacted him — our local food celebrity — to judge it with me. He graciously accepted. That was long ago — before his dozen popular cooking series on public television, which included The Complete Pépin, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way, and Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home with Julia Child; before his cookbooks La Technique and La Méthode were inducted into the Cookbook Hall of Fame, before he was inducted into the Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America and before he received the James Beard [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:36:09-04:00August 4th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Michele Bernstein

Adorable Michele Bernstein (better know as Michy) is a James Beard Award winner (Best Chef South 2008), author of Cuisine a Latina (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008) and a Miami restaurateur. If you're ever in Miami, be sure to try her eponymous restaurant when it reopens (6927 Biscayne Blvd) sometime this fall. It's not to be missed. With the restaurant closed for renovations, Michy had the time to provide these enticing food responses to my Guest Foodie queries. Her answers might just might inspire you to cook. Recent Guest Foodie Lee Brian Schrager's go-to favorite dessert for entertaining is chef Michelle Bernstein’s  chocolate bread pudding, a recipe that we've shared.   Which [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:38:21-04:00July 21st, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Michel Nischan

Michel Nischan is a man of few words, yet lots of action. SONY DSC This two-time James Beard Foundation award winner is Founder, President and CEO of Wholesome Wave, Co-Founder of the Chefs Action Network, as well as Founder and Partner with the late actor Paul Newman of the recently closed Dressing Room restaurant in Westport, CT. A son of farmers who lost their land with the onset of large-scale agricultural practices, Nischan grew up with a deep appreciation for sustainable agriculture and those who work the land. His organization Wholesome Wave  advocates for a healthful, equitable, and more sustainable food system in underserved urban and rural communities. Introducing [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:40:37-04:00July 7th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Lee Brian Schrager

You might not be familiar with Lee Brian Schrager's name, but I'll bet you've heard about the festivals he created. He's responsible for both the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival (held yearly in February and October, respectively). He's also a cookbook author, recently announcing the publication of his second cookbook Fried & True: More Than 50 Recipes for America’s Best Fried Chicken and Sides (Clarkson Potter).  We asked Lee to respond to our Guest Foodie questions. His responses follow: Which food product or gadget would you never give up? My favorite kitchen tool is a mandolin that my parents [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:41:22-04:00June 22nd, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Antoinette Bruno

Antoinette Bruno is the CEO of StarChefs, the online food magazine that's been in existence since 1999. Her organization's advisory board consists of a who's who of our country's "chefdome" including  Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, Norman Van Aken, Todd English and Marcus Samuelsson. Antoinette created the Rising Stars Awards, recognizing a need in the industry for professional recognition. Each year StarChefs scours four cities for their top culinary talent — ones who represent the pioneers of contemporary dining in America. The StarChefs.com Rising Stars Revue is a major yearly event on the radar of the culinary who’s-who across the country. (Bite of the Best reported on one of those events) [...]

By |2017-09-03T12:45:16-04:00June 9th, 2014|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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