"Down Mexico Way" - and not quite "Over the Border".  John Hanson, President, Tequilas Premium Clase Azul Tequilas, www.tequilaspremium.com; Marilyn Tausend, La Cocina Mexicana; Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, Veronica Gonzales-Smith & Vangie Soza, Muy Bueno: Three Generations of Authentic Mexican Flavor; Hillary Danner, Founder - Jenkins Jellies Hell Fire Pepper Jelly,  Author, Sweet Heat, www.jenkinsjellies.com; Scott Roberts, Co-Founder & Pit Master, Salt Lick BBQ, Driftwood TX, The Salt Lick Cookbook, also BBQ products online, www.saltlickbbq.com

Castles in Ireland - Luxury Accomodation, Fine Dining, Wonderful Scenery & History too!!  Paula Carroll, Director of Sales/Marketing, Adrian Bane, Sous Chef & Robert Bowe, Head Waiter, Ashford Castle, Cong, County Mayo, www.ashford.ie; Patrick O'Flaherty, General Manager & Xin Sun, Head Chef, Ballynahinch Castle, Recess, Conemara, County Galway, www.ballynahinch-castle.com; David McCann, Executive Chef, Dromoland Castle, Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, www.dromoland.ie. 

OTM in the Emerald Isle - Ireland that is - 1st Instalment; Fine Dining & Luxury Accomodation in Galway City.  J P McMahon, Aniar Restaurant & Cava Spanish Restaurant & Tapas Bar, www.aniarrestaurant.ie & www.cavarestaurant.ie; Sinead Cassidy, Sales & PR Manager, The G Hotel & Pauleen Reilly, Head Chef, GiGi Restaurant at The G, www.theghotel.ie; Fergus O'Halloran, GM & Campbell White, Chef, West Restaurant at The Twelve Hotel, Barna Village, www.thetwelvehotel.ie.

A GREAT Book about Root Crops, some you've never heard of...  Diane Morgan, Roots: the Definitive Compendium with More than 225 Recipes; The History & Modern Recipes for America's Favorite Comfort Food,  Ellen Brown, Mac & Cheese: 80 Classic & Creative Versions of the Ultimate Comfort Food.  A Doubly Sweet Ending just in time for the holidays; Hedy Goldsmith, Baking Out Loud: Fun Desserts with Big Flavors; Nancy Baggett, Simply Sensational Cookies: Bright Fresh Flavors, Natural Colors & Easy Streamlined Techniques, www.kitchenlane.com.

 

Two Very Different Chefs from Seattle, Young & Female vs. Veteran & Male; Maria Hines, Chef-Owner, Tilth & The Golden Beetle, www.tilth.com; Thierry Rautereau,Chef-Owner,  Rover's & Luc, www.thechefinthehat.com.  Followed by Two Very Different Secrets; Adam Roberts, The Amateur Gourmet, Secrets of the Best Chefs, www.amateurgourmet.com; Elizabeth Field, Marmalade: Sweet and Savory Spreads for a Sophisticated Taste, Who knew Maramalade was an Ancient Treat - 50 Secrets on How to Make Your Own.

Three Great Interviews about Wine Appreciation and Selection.  Eric Asimov, Chief Wine Critic New York Times, How to Love Wine; a Memoir & a Manifesto; Dwight Casimere, The Wine Doctor, on Wine Buying in the Age of Austerity, www.dwightthewinedoctor.com; Natalie MacLean, Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World's Best Bargain Wines, www.nataliemaclean.com.

Notorious Twitter "Mash-up" Ruth Bourdain talks about his "character", and his new Book, Comfort Me with Offal: Ruth Bourdain's Guide to Gastronomy; Exciting Young Swedish Chef Magnus Nilsson, Chef-Owner, Faviken Magasinet, Jarpen, Sweden, Author Faviken, http://www.faviken.com/; Ken Forkish, Baker & Bread Expert, Portland OR, Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread & Pizza, www.kenartisan.com; Kathleen King, Owner, Tate's Bake Shop, Southampton NY, Tate's Bakeshop: Baking for Friends, www.tatesbakeshop.com.

OTM Dedicates an Entire Program to a Great Event & a Great Cause, Chef's Collaborative's 2012 Sustainability Summit in Seattle , Sep 30-Oct 2.  Keynote Speakers Ruth Reichl, www.ruthreichl.com; Kim Severson, NY Times Atlanta Bureau Chief - a Stimulating Joint Interview; Two Great Sustainability Stories, One Meat - One Fish, Paul Willis, Niman Ranch, San Francisco & Iowa, www.nimanranch.com, Mark Tupper, President, Triad Fisheries, Bothel WA, www.triadfisheries.com; How to sample Oysters & Wine with Jon Rowley, Oyster Expert Extraordinaire, at Taylor Shellfish, Melrose Market, Seattle, www.taylorshellfishfarms.com, www.oysterwine.com; Sustainability stories from Cathy Whims, Owner/Partner, Oven and Shaker & Nostrana, Portland OR, www.ovenandshaker.com, www.nostrana.com, Bob Engel, Chef Liaison & PR, Gourmet Mushrooms, Sebastopol CA, www.mycopia.com;  Mimi Younkins, Owner & VP Marketing, R Murphy Knives, Ayer MA,www.rmurphyknives.

OTM talking Berlin, Great Museums, The Boros Collection, Gemaldegalerie, The Pergamon Museum, Ka De We, a Great Department Store, Checkpoint Charlie, a reminder of the Cold War era.� Exciting New Cookbooks on Asian Cuisine; Charles Phan, Owner, The Slanted Door etc., San Francisco, Vietnamese Home Cooking, www.slanteddoor.com; Nancy Singleton Hachisu, Japanese Farm Food; Linda Lau Anusasanan, The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from around the World http://TheHakkaCookbook.com

 

OTM tracks down excellent non-traditional Fine Dining in Berlin.  Wurst, Schnitzel.............. Restaurant Menus in the German Capital City are rather Too Similar for for Discriminating International Diners - such as you Dear Listeners.  We think we've found some of what you might be looking for!!  Tim Raue, Chef-Partner, Restaurant Tim Raue, http://tim-raue.com; Stefan Hartmann, Chef-Owner, Hartmann's Restaurant, www.hartmanns-restaurant.de; Partners Jeffrey Sfire, Manager & Kevin Avery, Chef, Little Otik, www.littleotik.de.

Two Different ways Ingenious Tools & Gadgets are making it to market. Baron Nagy, Quirky Inc,  NYC, "Social" Product Developers, www.quirkyinc.com; Star Baker Rose Levy Beranbaum has teamed with New Metro Design to create and market The Rose Collection of Baking-Assist devices, including the Mixer Mate, www.newmetrodesign.com, Duncansville PA; Rae Bernamoff, The Mile End Deli, Brooklyn NY, www.mileenddeli.com, The Mile End Cookbook: Redefining Jewish Comfort Food from Hash to Hamantaschen.

OTM heads far NW and NE to bring you Chef's Collaborative in Seattle and a Personal Love-story in Berlin Germany.  Then "Super-Bakers  give you their Recipes and their Secrets on how YOU can produce their results at home.  Melissa Kogut, Chef's Collaborative & its 2012 Sustainability Summit in Seattle, www.chefscollaborative.org; Luisa Weiss, My Berlin Kitchen, www.wednesdaychef.com; John Barricelli, Chef-owner, SoNo Baking, South Norwalk & Westport CT, The Seasonal Baker: Easy Recipes from My Home Kitchen to Make Year-round, www.sonobaking.com; Jim Lahey, Chef-owner, Sullivan St. Bakery & Co (Pizza) Restaurant NYC, My Pizza: the Easy No-Knead Way to Make Spectacular Pizza at Home, www.sullivanstreetbakery.com.

Dietary delights - Grains, Vegetables, Fruits - and Tuna Fish. Bruce Weinstein, Grain Mains: 101 Surprising and Satisfying Whole Grain Recipes for Every Meal of the Day; Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy: A Cookbook, Chef-owner, Dirt Candy Restaurant, NYC, www.dirtcandynyc.com; Laena McCarthy, Jam On: The Craft of Canning Fruit, Owner, Anarchy in a Jar, Brooklyn NY, Artisinal Jams & Jellies, www.anarchyinajar.com; Andrew Smith, American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food.

"Foreign Parts" - interesting people & products from the 4 corners of the globe.  Bruce Bailey, Co-owner & CEO, Mitsuwa Marketplace Japanese Supermarkets, Torrance CA, http://www.mitsuwa.com; Jay Rosengarten, President, Olisur Chilean Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Providencia (Colchagua Valley) Chile, www.o-liveandco.com; Skitz Fernando, Rice & Curry (about the Cuisine of Sri Lanka); Annette Garaghty, VP Sles & Marketing, Wusthof-Trident of America, Norwalk CT, Wusthof Classic Double Serrated Blade Breadknife; www.wusthof.com.

A Really "Boozy" Program with an Unusual Ending.  Marco Pasanella, Uncorked: My Jourmey through the Crazy World of Wine, Pansanella and Son, New York NY; www.pansanellaandson.com; T J Evans, Winemaker, Domaine Carneros,                 CA, Domaine Carneros Wines & especially the "Egg"Concrete Fermenter,  www.domainecarneros.com; Joseph Magliocco, President, Michter's Distillery & Chatham Imports (Crop Vodka & Farmer's Gin), Louisville KY, www.chathamimports.com; and the Surprise, in Honor of Julia's 100th Birthday, Susanna Reich, Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat.

Unusual Icons of the Food Business - 4 Personalities whose Business & Personal Endeavors are Making a Difference in Unique Ways.  Shawn Askinosie, Owner & Founder, Askinosie Chocolate & Chocolate University, Springfield MO, www.askinosie.com & www.chocolateuniversity.org; Claire Cretors, President, Cornfields, Inc. & G. H. Cretors, Hi I'm Skinny(TM)Popped Corn, Rice, Potato & Vegetable Snacks, Sister Company C. Cretors& co. makes 95% of Industrial Corn-popping equipment, www.cornfieldsinc.com; Thomas McNamee, The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat; Craig Claiborne and the American Food Renaissance, www.thomasmcnamee.com; Peggy Shannon, Owner, Queen City Cookies, Cincinnati OH, www.queencitycookies.com, "... I started the business as a way to give back to our community".

Flavor, Flavor, a Very Flavorful Program; Adam Perry Lang, Chef-Partner, Barbecoa London UK, Charred & Scruffed, www.adamperrylang.com; Angelo Sosa, Flavor Exposed: 100 Global Recipes from Sweet to Salty, Earthy to Spicy; Tama Matsuoka  Wong, Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients in Your Backyard or Farmer's Market, www.meadowsandmore.com; Renee Erickson, Chef-Owner Boat Street Pickles & Boat Street Cafe, Seattle WA, www.boatstreetpickles.com.

A Very Veggie Program, two New Books on Salads, a 35 year old Veggie Restaurant & a Young Star Chef with Veggie-Locavore Focus:  Mindy Fox, Food Editor, La Cucina Italia, Salads: Beyond the Bowl: Extraordinary Recipes for Everyday Eating; Tasha DeSerio, Caterer & Cooking Teacher, Salad for Dinner: Simple Recipes for Salads that Make a Meal; www.tashadeserio.com; Claire Criscuolo, Chef-Owner, Claire's Corner Copia, New Haven CT, www.clairescornercopia.com, Welcome to Claire's; Dan Kluger, Chef, ABC Kitchen, NYC, 2011 James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant (in the USA).

How to make your Food taste better - Ferment it, Salt & Season it, Sweeten it - OTM talks to experts on all 3.  And if you're in London you Love Chocolate, seek out Paul Young, a Superb Chocolatier with several Shops, and interesting views on the World of Chocolate.

Alex Lewin, Real Food Fermentation: Preserving Whole Fresh Food with Live Cultures in Your Home Kitchen; David Joachim, Founder ChefSalt, Makers of unique Salt-Spice combinations such as Tunisian Fire Chef Salt, www.chefsalt.com; Dori Ross, Tonewood Maple, Producer of Maple Sugar-based Sweetening items, www.tonewoodmaple.com, Burlington VT; Paul Young, Paul A Young Chocolatier, Maker of Fresh-daily Fine Chocolates, www.paulayoung.co.uk, London UK

OTM goes Hotel Dining in London, and you'd be Well Advised to Follow in our Footsteps.  Bristot Bruno Loubet (Chef-owner) at The Zetter Hotel  & Townhouse, www.bistrotbrunoloubet.com, www.thezettertownhouse.com; The Lyttelton at The Stafford by Kempinski, Ursula von Platon-Horande, Regional PR Director, Kempinski Hoteliers, Brendan Fyldes, Executive Chef; www.thelyttelton.com/,  www.kempinski.com/en/london/the-stafford-london/welcome; Alyn Williams at The Westbury, Alyn Williams (Chef-owner), www.westburymayfair.com/alyn-williams-at-the-westbury-,restaurent_viewItem_2-en.html; Sriram Aylur, Chef & Director of Operations, Bombay Brasserie & The Quilon Restaurant at 51 Buckingham Gate, www.bombaybrasserie.co.uk, www.quilon.co.uk, www.51-buckinghamgate.com/.

On the Menu reprises London coverage on the occasion of the Olympic Games.

London's Great Art Museums & Very Special Exhibits; Lucien Freud Portraits at The National Portrait Gallery, www.npg.org.uk/freudsite/; Yayoi Kusama at Tate Modern, www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/yayoikusama/tickets.shtm; Picasso & British Art at Tate Britain, www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/picassoandbritain/default.shtm; Turner & Claude at The National Gallery AND the just purchased Titian "Diana & Collista", www.nationalgallery.org.uk/. 

A First Instalment of London Dining - British Chefs Cook French & a Great French Chef opens a New London Dining Destination; Philip Howard, Chef-Partner, The Square, Mayfair, now open 21 years, www.squarerestaurant.com, Mentor for "a Generation of Modern British Chefs", and STILL in the Kitchen; Joel Antunes, a Native of Southern France, previously a "Superstar" in London & Atlanta GA, now at recently opened Kitchen Joel Antunes at The Embassy, Mayfair, embassymayfair.com/restaurant/; Henry Harris, Chef-Owner, Racine, celebrating his 10th Anniversary of "Distinctly French Cuisine" in Knightsbridge, www.racine-restaurant.com.  Three fascinating stories & three sensational meals!!!  Tune in next week for More on London Dining.

Dining in Firenze (Florence) - Modern and Traditional; Two More Great Places to Dine in Umbria.  In Firenze, Matteo Fantini, Owner & Nicolo Baretti, Chef, IO Osteria Personale, www.io-osteriapersonale.it; Alessandra Pieralli, Manager & Giovanna Verni, Chef (and Alessandra's mother), Trattoria Armando, www.trattoria-armando.com.

In Orvieto, Lorenzo Polegri, Chef-Owner, Zeppelin, Ristorante & Cooking School, www.ristorantezeppelin.it;

In Perugia, Claudio Brugalossi, Chef-Owner, La Taverna, www.ristorantelataverna.com.

 

OTM Loves Umbria!! Umbrian's themselves gave us the message loud and clear - STAY in Umbria, don't just pass through on the way to Toscana.  We taste great wine, we eat great meals, and we agree!!  Chiara Lungarotti, CEO, Lungarotti Group, Cantine & Le Tre Vaselle Resort & Spa, Torgiano, www.lungarotti.com; Marco Caprai, Arnaldo-Caprai Enoteca & Vineyard, Torre di Montefalco, www.arnaldocaprai.it; Gianfranco Vissani, Chef-Patron, Casa Vissani, S.S. 448 Todi - Baschi Km 6.600 (near Orvieto), www.casavissani.it

On the Menu's Italy trip - Umbria and Eastern Toscana - Overview of our Itinerary, then a very special adventure with Strada del Vino Terre di Arezzo.  The Tenuta Setteponti Association; at Il Pino, Castiglion Ubertini, Terranuova, Veronica Maragon & Bianca Bisaccioni, Il Borro, www.ilborro.it; Duccio Roni, Agriturismo Campodelmonte, www.campodelmonte.it; Loretta Lalli, Il Pino Bioagricoltura, www.ilpino.com; Gianluca Baldi, www.vinibaldi.com; Antonio Berlingozzi, Agricola Berlingozzi & Fattoria di Montelungo; Giandomenico Gigante, Fattoria La Traiana, www.fattorialatraiana.it; In Arezzo, Cappelli Bacci Frescos, www.pierodellafrancesca.it/piero_gb/index.html; Lunch at Ristorante La Lancia D'oro, Marzia & Maurizio Fazzuoli, www.lanciadoro.net; Francesca Vignali, Villa I Bossi, Gragnone; www.villaibossi.com; Antonio Bernardini, Agriturismo Santo Stefano, Pieve di Chio, Castiglion Fiorentino; www.agriturismosantostefano.com.