Honoring Chinese New Year, a fresh approach to Potluck Dinners, and Indian cooking tweaked American: Hsiao-Ching Chou. Food Journalist & Cooking Instructor, Seattle WA, www.mychinesesoulfood.com, Chinese Soul Food: A Friendly Guide for Homemade Dumplings, Stir Fries. Soups & More; Ali Rosen, TV Chef, Charleston SC, www.potluckvideo.com, Bring It: Tried & True Recipes for Potlucks & Casual Entertaining; Asha Shivakumar, Blogger, San Francisco, www.foodfashionparty.com, Masala & Meatballs: Incredible Indian Dishes with an American Twist.

This week – a Miscellany--a serial 2-Star British Chef, 5 Generations of Cheesemaking & a new bakery incubator in in Pittsburgh: Michael Wignall, embarking on a new Restaurant Venture after winning 2 Michelin Stars in Yorkshire, in Surrey and most recently at Gidleigh Park in Devon UK; Sid Cook Master Cheesemaker, Carr Valley Cheese, La Valle WI, http://www.carrvalleycheese.com/aboutus.asp; Phil Enck, Manager, The Bakery Society of Pittsburgh-First Bakery Incubator in the USA, www.tbspgh.com

Healthy Eating & Drinking: Mark Stevens, Author & Film Director, New Orleans LA, Cooking with Spices: 100 Recipes for Blends, Marinades & Sauces from around the World; Lee White, Mendocino Teas, Tuber Tonic, Chai & Fine Teas, https://mendocinotea.com/; Paula Shoyer, Chevy Chase MD, www.thekosherbaker.com, The Healthy Jewish Kitchen: Fresh, Contemporary Recipes for Every Occasion.

120 Years of Artisanal Grappa Distillation, Farmed Snails, a Great Book about Charcuterie, and Wines from Australia’s Mornington Peninsula (in honor of the Australian Open Tennis Tournament ending today):  Antonella & Elisabetta Nonino, Family Partners, Nonino Distillatori, Percoto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, www.grappanonino.it; Taylor Knapp, Founder, Peconic Snails, Fresh Snails & Snail Caviar, Cutchogue NY www.peconicescargot.com;  Meredith Leigh, Mereleigh Food, Ashville NC, www.mereleighfood.com, Pure Charcuterie: the Craft & Poetry of Curing Meats at Home; then Ocean 8 & Polpero wines from the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria Australia.

Baking with Metal Sheets, cooking with Woks & Special Treats – Belgian Chocolate & Napa Wines with a Southern Connection: Andris Lagsdin, Inventor of the Baking Steel, Boston MA, www.bakingsteel.com; Baking with Steel: The Revolutionary New Approach to Perfect Pizza Bread & More; Ching-He Huang, TV Chef & Inventor of The Lotus Wok, LA-London & Asia, https://www.chinghehuang.com/; Stir Crazy: 100 Deliciously Healthy Stir-Fry Recipes; Jean-Paul Hepp, Chocodiem Belgian Artisan Chocolate, Clinton NJ & Easton PA, www.chocodiem.com; Gustavo Gonzalez, Winemaker, Mira Family Estates, Napa CA & Charleston SC, Mira’s inaugural Merlot vintage, www.miranapa.com.

Super Sauces and/or Simple Meals:James Patterson, Brooklyn, www.jimcooks.com, Sauces: Classical & Contemporary Sauce Making 4th Edition; Vanessa Seder, Stonewall Kitchen, York Maine, http://www.vanessaseder.com/, Secret Sauces: Fresh & Modern Recipes with Hundreds of Ideas for Elevating Everyday Dishes; Amanda Cushman, Chapel Hill NC, www.amandacooks.com, Simple Real Food: Delicious Clean Food Prepared Simply; Cynthia Graubart, Atlanta GA, www.cynthiagraubart.com, Sunday Suppers: Simple Delicious Menus for Family Gatherings.

Very Merry Christmas Greetings to all OTM Listeners around the World.  And for this Week’s program  - Who celebrates the Festive Season Better than Italians – we bring you three of our Best.  Lidia Bastianich, Chef-Restaurateur & Cooking TV Celebrity, Queens NYC, www.lidiasitaly.com, Celebrate like an Italian: 220 Foolproof Recipes that make every Meal a Party; Gabrielle Corcors, Chef-Partner, The Tuscan Gun, Brooklyn, http://thetuscangun.com/, Super Tuscan: Heritage Recipes & Simple Pleasures from our Kitchen to Your Table; Lorenzo DeMonaco, Owner, Winemaker, La Segreta, Collazzonia, Umbria Italy, www.lasegreta.com, Fine Wines and Olive Oils;

Three outstanding contributions to the Cookbook genre: Karen Page, with Photographer Andrew Dornenburg, NYC, https://www.karenandandrew.com/, Kitchen Creativity: Unlocking Culinary Genius; Bill Esparza, Journalist & TV personality, Los Angeles, www.streetgourmetla.com, L A Mexicano: Recipes, People, Places; Julia Turshen, Upstate NY, http://www.juliaturshen.com/, Feed the Resistance: Recipes & Ideas for Getting Involved.

How the USA won the celebrated Bocuse D’Or.  It took a big page-turner book by a winning chef to explain how, a captivating account.  OTM’s long time friend and popular PBS chef, Chris Fennimore, finally pens his first Cookbook; and Food Industry  Guru Andrew Freeman “crystal balls” what to expect in 2018:  Philip Tessier, formerly Executive Sous Chef, The French Laundry, http://www.philiptessier.com, co-founder and culinary director of Hestan Smart Cooking; http://www.hestan.com/newsroom/; Chasing Bocuse: Americas Journey to the Culinary World Stage; Chris Fennimore, many years Host of QED Cooks, http://www.pbs.org/food/ (with Chef Daniel Agurera), Simple Pleasures: Recipes & Memories of Real Food); Andrew Freeman, Restaurant & Hospitality Consulting Specialist, the af&co 2018 Trends Report https://www.afandco.com/.

A Mostly Liquid Program--Wine, Rum, Tonics and ……. Marshmallows (with cocoa); Christian Roguenant, Winemaker, Niven Family Wine Estates, Eden Valley – Paso Robles, California, www.nivenfamilywines.com, specializing in exotic grapes (Gruner Veltliner, Albarino) and True Myth, a glorious Cab with Butterflies all over the label; Tunch & Aylin Doker, Partners, Turquoiselife, Importers & Distributors of unique international Cordials – such as Parce Rum from Colombia, Chicago IL, www.turquoiselife.com; Rachel de Thample, River Cottage, Axminster UK, www.racheldethamples.com, Vital Tonics & Soothing Teas: Traditional & Modern Remedies; Lindzi Shanks & Kat Connor, Partners, XO Marshmallows, Chicago IL, https://www.xomarshmallow.com.  

Culinary Giants dish food: Darina Allen, Founder, Ballymaloe Cookery School, Shanagarry, E. Cork, Ireland, www.cookingisfun.ie, Grow Cook Nourish: A Kitchen Garden Companion in 400 Recipes; Joanne Chang, Owner, Flour Bakeries, & Myer+ Chang Cafe, Boston MA, https://flourbakery.com/,Myers & Chang At Home; Myron Mixon, BBQ Master, Unadilla GA, http://www.jacksoldsouth.com/, https://myronmixonsmokers.com/, https://www.mapleguild.com, Tailgating with Maple.

We wish Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  Based on recent information, even European Restaurants are beginning to catch on to demand for the USA-traditional Roast Turkey with Cranberry Sauce that will be on our Menu too!  But today’s program is mostly about Baking, plus a new source of cleverly designed, sustainable food & drink containers: Jim Lahey, Founder, Sullivan Street Bakery NYC, Miami FL, www.sullivanstreetbakery.com; The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook; Amy Emberling & Frank Carollo, Zingermans Bakehouse, Ann Arbor MI, www.zingermansbakehouse.com, Zingerman's Bakehouse; Jon Fox, CEO, Ecovessel, innovatively designed food & drink containers, Boulder CO, www.ecovessel.com

Dairy Stories!!  Alejandro Gomez, Founder, & Alexa Bell, Director Business Development, Buf  Creamery, Colombia & Charlottesville VA, Producers of Mozzarella, Burrata, Ricotta, etc, from the Milk of Grass-Fed Water Bufffalo, www.bufcreamery.com; Elaine Khosrova, Food Historian, Hudson Valley NY, Butter: A Rich History; Jim Richards, CEO, Milkadamia, Nut Milk made from Australian Macadamia Nuts, Byron Bay NSW & Burr Ridge IL, http://www.milkadamia.com/; Lisa Steele, Chicken Farmer, Maine; http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/, Fresh Eggs Daily.

Remember to turn back your timepieces. This program is our report from the StarChefs 12th Annual International Chefs Congress held recently in Brooklyn--3 FULL days meeting Chefs and Exhibitors, and despite how busy it was we captured some interesting sound bites: Eduardo Jordan, Chef-Owner, June Baby & Salare, Seattle, https://www.junebabyseattle.com/, http://salarerestaurant.com/; Hari Cameron, Chef Owner, a(muse) & Grandpa Mac, Rehoboth DE, http://www.amuse-rehoboth.com/, http://www.grandpamac.com/; Luis Arce Mota, Chef-Partner, La Contenta NYC, http://lacontentanyc.com/; Max McCalman, Maitre Fromager, NYC, http://www.max-mccalman.com/; David Sasuga, Fresh Origins, Exotic Edible Flowers & Plants, including Wasabi Leaves & Stems, San Marcos CA, www.freshorigins.com; Michael Fabro, VP North America, ORA KING, King Salmon from NZ, www.orakingsalmon.com, NYC; Gabriele de Foresta & Elliott Pierron, CNI Brands, Importers of Pisco from Chile, NYC, www.cnibrands.com; Emma Charron, www.mbws.com, Ft, Lauderdale FL, Templeton Rye, http://www.templetonrye.com/, Templeton IA

Cooking, it’s all about the temperature--how to measure it and how to control it: Tim Robinson, Founder, ThermoWorks, Cooking  Thermometers and Timers to make sure your Thanksgiving Dinner turns out just right, American Fork UT, www.thermoworks.com.  Then there's the Slow Cooker--how to use it successfully & creatively: Phyllis Good, Lancaster PA,  http://fix-itandforget-it.com/blog/about-phyllis/, Stock the Crock:100 Must-Have Slow-Cooker Recipes, 200 Variations for Every Appetite; Sarah DiGregorio, Brooklyn NY, http://sarahdigregorio.com/, Adventures in Slow Cooking.

A Modern Jewish Cookbook, a Book devoted to “Real Cheese,”and, finally, a Serious Slice of Culinary History: Tracey Fine & Georgie Tarn, Creators of the Brand “Jewish Princesses”, London, https://www.thejewishprincesses.com/, The Modern Jewish Table: 100 Kosher Recipe from around the Globe; Bronwen & Francis Percival, Bronwen – Cheese Buyer, Neal’s Yard Dairy, London, Francis  Percival, The World of Fine Wine, London, https://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/, http://www.londongastronomyseminars.com/, Reinventing the Wheel; Milk, Microbes, and the Fight for Real Cheese; Culinary Historian Laura Shapiro, NYC, https://laurashapirowriter.com/, What She Ate; Six Remarkable Women and the Food that tells their Stories.

Cooking French, a well-loved veteran chef “passes the torch” to his grand-daughter, a young Chef-Owner launches 2 Restaurants right in our neighborhood, a Cookbook Author inspired by the Food Scene in NYC, & recipes packed into instructions that are “Twitter length.  Listen to: Jacques Pepin, legendary French Master Chef & TV Personality, Madison CT, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques Pepin, a Grandfather’s Lessons: in the Kitchen with Shorey; Andrew Garbarino, Chef-Partner, Bar Frenchman & The Twisted Frenchman, Pittsburgh, http://thetwistedfrenchman.com/; Tracey Ceurvels, Creator, The NYC Kitchen Blog, NYC http://newyorkcity.kitchen/, The NYC Kitchen Cookbook: 150 Recipes Inspired by the Specialty Food Shops, Spice Stores & Markets of New York City; & Andrea Stewart, Fouder, Ingredients Matter, Toronto, http://recipeshorts.com/, Recipe Shorts: Delicious Dishes in 140 Characters.

A “mixed bag”, some “Fun” Products and another fine book about Fish:  Kim Cassar, VP Marketing, Kayco, Organic Beet+Fruit Juices, Bayonne NY, www.kayco.com; Robert Jakobi, BOU – the Bouillon Cube reinvented, Boubrands, NYC, www.bouforyou.com; Ron Mancini & Jacki Baker, Owners, Mother Myrick’s Confectionary, Manchester VT, www.mothermyricks.com; Matthew Dolan, Chef-Owner, Twenty Five Lusk, San Francisco, www.25lusk.com, Simply Fish: 75 Modern & Delicious Recipes for Sustainable Seafood.

Chef Christian Frangiadis, back in Pittsburgh, talks BBQ at Spork Pit, plus his flagship Garfield restaurant, Spork, and his future Pittsburgh ventures. Also, importantly, he discusses local chef-planned Fund Raisers for hurricane victims in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, www.sporkpgh.com. Then: David Downie, A Taste of Paris: A History of the Parisian Love Affair with Food, www.davidddownie.com; and Deepa Thomas, Deepa’s Secrets, http://www.deepassecrets.com/, updated traditional Indian dishes with at eye to keeping diabetes at bay. (Who knew India is the diabetes capital of the world?!)

OTM on-site at the Music City Food & Wine Festival in Nashville TN, conversations with 3 of the city’s top Chefs, an exciting new Hotel Concept, and a half-dozen of the Top Toques who participated in the Festival--And, to wrap up, a NC Farmer/Che/Restaurateur. First, from Nashville: Christopher Anderson, Chef designate, at a yet-to-be- named Restaurant, opening in November, in the Hutton Hotel, http://www.huttonhotel.com/; Brandon Chavannes, Executive Chef, Moto, https://www.mstreetnashville.com/moto/; Tandy Wilson, Chef, City House, http://cityhousenashville.com/; Sarah Robbins, Chief Hospitality Officer, 21 C Museum Hotels, https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/nashville.  Then: Hugh Acheson, Athens & Atlanta GA, https://hughacheson.com/; Jimmy Bannos, Chicago, http://www.heavenonseven.com/jimmy.html; Andrew Curren, Austin, http://www.elmrg.com/; Cassidee Dabney, Walland TN, http://www.blackberryfarm.com/about/; Marcus Samuelsson, NYC, London, etc, http://marcussamuelsson.com/; Alon Shaya, New Orleans, http://www.shayarestaurant.com/alon-shaya/, (note as per recent news, Alon is leaving this position). Finally: Jamie Dement, Partner, Piedmont restaurant, Durham NC & Coon Rock Farm, Hillsborough NC, http://piedmontrestaurant.com/, The Farmhouse Chef.

New Products of note & their backstories: Scott Fry, Loving Earth Chocolates, Melbourn,e Australia, made with Cacao from Amazonian Peru, www.lovingearth.net & www.lovingearth.com (in USA); Ignacio Saez de Ibara, CEO, Espuna, Tapas Essentials from Spain (some made in the USA). Toronto Canada, www.espuna.es; Henry Miller, Founder/CEO, Henry Humdinger’s Spiced Honey, Burlington WA, ww.henryshumdingers.com.

It’s a “Fishy” business this week – and – news of a new dining option right in our neighborhood:  Langdon Cook, Forager extraordinaire, Seattle, http://langdoncook.com/, Upstream: Searching for Wild Salmon, from River to Table; Susan Schadt, Memphis TN, http://www.susanschadtpress.com/, Reel Masters – Chefs Besh, Link, Currence Share Recipes & Fishing Stories….. And welcome to our Pittsburgh Neighborhood to Justin Rosenberg, Founder & CEO, Honeygrow, https://www.honeygrow.com/east-liberty.

Top Nashville Chef Levon Wallace, of Gray & Dudley restaurant in the 21c Museum Hotel, www.grayanddudley.com, reviews some of the highlights of the 5th Annual Music City Food & Wine Festival (happening September 15-17, www.musiccityfoodandwinefestival.com). Join OTM at this great event! More Beverages, both non-alcoholic & intoxicating: Sharelle Klaus, Founder & CEO, Dry Soda, Seattle WA, www.drysoda.com; Ely Key, Co-Founder, Up Mountain Switchel, Bushwick, Brooklyn, www.drinkswitchel.com; Yvonne Niami, Founder, Viva XXX11 Tequila, Joven & Reposado, Miami FL, www.viva32.com; Fred Minnick, Spirits Critic, Prospect KY, www.fredminnick.com, Rum Curious: The Indispensible Tasting Guide for the World’s Spirit.

Food Now & in the Future: Stephen Ritz, Food Educator & Advocate, Bronx NY, www.greenbronxmachine.org, The Power of a Plant: A Teacher’s Odyssey to Grow Healthy Minds & Schools; Nick Barnard, Rude Health, London UK, www.rudehealth.com, Eat Right: The Complete Guide to Traditional Foods with 130 Nourishing Recipes & Techniques; James McWilliams, Austin TX, @the_pitchfork, Eating Promiscuously: Adventures in the Future of Food.

Interviews for imbibers, special stories about Wine & Spirits: Bruce Tyrrell. Chairman, Australia’s First Families of Wine & Managing Director, Tyrrell’s Wines, Pokolbin NSW Australia, www.australiasfirstfamiliesofwine.com.au, www.tyrrells.com.au; Lior Lev Sercarz, Owner, La Boite spice emporium, NYC, & Adam Quirk, Founder, Cardinal Spirits, Bloomington IN, www.cardinalspirits.com, Distillers of Terra Botanical Gin, available nationwide from www.mashandgrape.com; Scott Harris, Co-Founder, Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, Distillers of “Double Gold” winning Rye Whiskey, Loudon Valley VA, www.catoctincreek.com.