Carrie McCully, host of Food Network’s new show CHEF HUNTER, earned that dream gig not by building her television resume or going on casting calls, but rather, by a lifetime’s work as a chef recruiter — matching up restaurants with chefs who were out of work or looking for a new career challenge. She came to L.A. to learn more about the city’s burgeoning food scene, and wound up getting referred to a casting producer who created a show around her. It’s a lesson in how helping others can ultimately win big karmic payback.... Read More
There’s a museum for everything. Miniatures, bunnies, toilets, and even the Mob have museums across the globe dedicated to their very existence. But just as people are passionate about Burt Reynolds and his friends, they are passionate about foodstuffs like Pez, pasta, and SPAM. Throughout America and around the world there are museums that shine a spotlight on specific and unique culinary inventions, disasters, and histories.... Read More
Just in time for the holidays, Macallan has introduced a special edition box of The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 years old. Inside the beautiful box, your friends will unwrap a bottle of rich gold single malt scotch whisky.... Read More
Though producing just around 4% of the world’s wine, New Zealand has become an outsize powerhouse in the international wine industry. That’s why, when we heard Air New Zealand was hosting its 25th annual Air New Zealand Wine Awards in Auckland last week, we hopped a flight across the Pacific to see what they were pouring, which wines were winning the prestigious medals being handed out, and what we should be looking to buy in our own wine shops back at home.... Read More
Famed Speyside distillery The Macallan and legendary crystal maker Lalique are coming out with their latest highly-prized collaboration in time for the holidays. The Macallan in Lalique Curiously Small Stills decanter, the fourth in the covetable series of single malt presentations, contains an exceptionally rare 60-year-old whisky.... Read More
At the recent 11th annual Joy of Sake tasting event in New York City, attendees had the opportunity to taste more than 300 of the best sakes in the world. Showcasing all of the sakes awarded gold and silver medals by the U.S. National Sake Appraisal, a panel made up of the most notable sake aficionados in the world, the event is dedicated to highlighting the complex and defining flavors that make sake a drink worth savoring.... Read More
Wailea is going bananas for one of its newest additions: Monkeypod Kitchen. Award Winning Chef and Restaurateur Peter Merriman and Bill Terry bring the handcrafted fare to an island known for vibrant flavors, exceptional produce, and extraordinary local cuisine.... Read More
Once the poster boy for dotcom-era Bay Area expense account dining, Michael Mina has proven to have more tenacity — and a better ability to "diversify a portfolio" — than most of the flash-in-the-pan millionaires that frequented his first flagship restaurant, Aqua, in the late 1990s.... Read More
Wine and food tasting is one of the many pleasures of the life of a travel writer. Olive oil tasting is an art similar to wine tasting in terms of complexity. The Hill Team has been learning about olive oil tasting in Spain, Florida, and in California’s Temecula Valley wine country.... Read More
As nice as a traditional home-cooked meal is on Thanksgiving, the ordeal often leaves the cook out of the festivities. An average 16-pound turkey needs about seven hours to thaw, and four more to cook, according to the USDA. To circumvent this, many people have recently turned to restaurant dining in order to fully enjoy the company of family. Most fine dining establishments offer a Thanksgiving Day menu in one form another, be it a brunch, buffet, or tasting menu, so we compiled this cornucopia of attractive proposals from around the country.... Read More
Now that the weather is starting to cool off and sweater season is just around the corner, it's time to steer clear of the best restaurants for dining alfresco, and look instead towards those eateries that offer a warmer experience.... Read More
About a year ago on a TV show, I came across twin winemakers, 26-year-old Nick and Brian Davis and their refreshing pomegranate wine. Born and raised in California’s Central Valley, they’ve been farming most of their lives. They both graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with degrees in viticulture, enology, and marketing.... Read More
It takes a wealthy culinary patron to bring a dozen star chefs together under one roof, but a great patron to seek out foreign talents — who may not have star power but certainly have the potential — and supply a worthy stage. From the moment we met Chef Krairit Krairavee (or, as Americans call him, "Chef K"), we suspected he was a star in the making.... Read More
You cannot go to the South of France without lingering at least one midmorning at an outdoor café in the shade of a plane tree, reading Le Figaro or the International Herald Tribune while alternately sipping an espresso and a glass of pastis with a side of water. Pastis, I think, is the “soul drink” of the French Mediterranean, a part of its cultural DNA, even though it was invented only 80 years ago in 1932.... Read More
If he wasn't a chef, Masa Takayama might have been a poet. While English isn't his first language, the legendary Japanese sushi master whisks words and phrases together with the same quicksilver flair we imagine him using in the kitchen. His is a world of rarity, artistry and whimsy — and unlike his ultra-expensive table, thoughts from Masa are free to enjoy. We hope you will, as much as we did.... Read More
