(Roberta Deen) Simple in design and made from sustainable, quality solid hardwood, the Fonde (fon-dee) Ravioli Rolling Pin from Repast Supply Co. is touted as the tool to “create perfect ravioli every time with no mess and no fuss.” So we engaged Catering Chef and highly respected professional recipe tester, Roberta Deen, to...
Allow me to introduce you to pizza maven, Tonino Morra Is being honored by GOURMET magazine as “making the best crust in America” enough of an recommendation?Now Toto’s magnificent pies are at Tonino’s Place in Calabasas and in Westlake Village. He’s partnered with Tonino “Tony” Boniovanni, who adds his own...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) When we voted first-place for taste to the Drago chefs’ Mushroom Truffle soup recently, we didn’t know we could (try to) duplicate it at home with the new Sabatino Tarfufi’s new truffle zest seasoning. In fact, we found that the claim is true of “just a very small amount elevates any dish to [&hel...
We always knew that Italian food is healthy, even if it sometimes has a bit of sugar in it. And classic dishes are so well balanced in terms of all the ingredients, including sugar, that it doesn’t matter because “a very little bit goes a long way” to satisfy. Award-winning author and chef, Amy Riolo, […]...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) You’d never know it to look at these delicate, almost ethereal noodles that they are made of yam. We prepared them in a tomato-based cioppino sauce and dotted them with seafood and fish. Shirataki in Japanese means “white waterfall.” They are the House Foods American version of the tr...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Slow Food International and Slow Wine Editore debuted their new and updated edition of the Slow Wine guide during the 2016 Slow Wine US Tour. The show on the road for this fifth consecutive year world tour featured the Slow Wine editorial team, along with the winemakers recommended in the guide, with stops [&...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Arrive 15 minutes before the 11:00 AM opening and there is already a zigzag line of customers forming, eyeing new arrivals. The place does 800 covers a day during the week-end, and that’s a lot even considering the cafeteria style service. The phenomenal host and manager, Aron Celnik is alr...
It’s truffle season, not the candy modeled after the irregular, warty-shaped little gem but the original with it’s very own unique flavor, aroma and story, now served in local restaurants. Natural truffles are black, brown, white or gray. They vary from the size of a walnut to a man’s fist. Bulbs grow from 3 to [&helli...
A “star” baker as a relative with a closely guarded recipe automatically bestows bragging rights onto an immigrant family. The family of Marlo Gertz of Marlo’s Bakeshop in San Francisco is no exception. But unlike so many recipes that have disappeared (like my Viennese grandmother’s tissue paper strudel), Marlo not only...
Any excuse is good enough reason to write about Frank Sinatra for me. Mario Marino was recently tapped to host the Frank Sinatra-Audrey Hepburn exhibition at Bergemot Station to usher in the year of the Sinatra centennial, co-sponsored by KJAZZ and The Grammy Museum. He was already legendary when he became a long-time customer o...
Gerry Furth-Sides 
Barbara Hansen 
Chef-owner Alain Cohen 
Roberta Deen 
Jose Martinez 
Nivedita Basu 