Cameron House on Loch Lomond and Chef Rohan Wadke
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
Welcome to a very special edition of Kitchen Chat, where we meet an award-winning U.K. Master Chef and delve into his legendary world of luxury, history, and hospitality. I'm your host, Margaret McSweeney, and I'm delighted to take you on a spectacular journey to Loch Lomond, Scotland. Today, we're visiting Cameron House, a historic baronial stone castle nestled on the shores of Loch Lomond. This renowned resort has a rich history, hosting dignitaries and royalty over the centuries. Join me as we explore its luxurious amenities, appointments and ambiance from its...
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Caryn Antonini and the Language of Food
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
"The table becomes the bridge to our cultures." Caryn Antonini My dear friend, Caryn Antonini is a culinary ambassador who reminds us that food is what connects us around a global table. Influenced by her father and worldwide travels, Caryn has launched Cultivated by Caryn, a podcast and radio show to share her love of cooking, dining and bridging cultures. She also did a TedX Talk about the Language of Food. After being introduced by our mutual friends, Max Tucci and Jennifer English, Caryn and I met in person last summer while we were both in the South of France. We explored...
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Thaao Penghlis: How Kourabiedes (Greek Wedding Cookies) Changed His Life
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
Emmy Award Winning Actor and Daytime TV's favorite villain, Thaao Penghlis, recently released his cookbook: "Seducing Celebrities One Meal at a Time." This Australian-born Renaissance Man has traveled the world and hosted memorable dinner parties in his Hollywood Hills home with high profile celebrities. While this cookbook imagines the perfect meals for celebrities he has met, his actress friend Doris Roberts once wrote a thank you note praising his meticulous detail to the ambiance, food, and presentation. Kourabiedes literally changed his life. While Thaao was working as an apprentice at an...
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Celebrity Chef Dave White Sets Sail with "Salted"
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
Celebrity Chef Dave White recently released his first cookbook "Salted:A Recipe Book with a Story to Tell." This new book spotlights 50 of his favorite recipes and adventurous travels (photos included) around the world. Before he was the chef on Bravo's "Below Deck Mediterranean," Chef White cooked in some of the finest kitchens in London and Paris and was a top competitor skier. In the book's endorsement, Captain Sandy Yawn writes that Chef White "was the best chef on Below Deck Med." With mountaintops and valleys in his life, Chef White shares how cooking saved him. He is a big...
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Monica Rothgery: Lessons from the Drive Through
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
Monica Rothgery, former COO of KFC US, part of Yum Brands, shares inspiring lessons about excellence along with surprising insights into fast food kitchens. Monica's recent book, "Lessons from the Drive-Thru: Real Life Wisdom for Frontline Leaders" goes beyond optimal team management practices and provides great advice for everyone who is pursuing excellence in their lives. A great tip to attract and retain loyal employees and to create an environment where team members feel valued is to invest both monetary and relationship capital. Engagement is essential. Take the time to learn about...
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A Taste of Luxury, History and Hospitality at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
Kitchen Chat Host and Founder Margaret McSweeney is joind by Executive Pastry Chef Riccardo Menicucci for "A Taste of Luxury, History and Hospitality at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel". The Beverly Wilshire is a sweet destination, especially during Oscars Week. This year's amenities included a film projector made of Valrhona Manjari, a luxury chocolate, in addition to a thoughtfully designed and braided croissant representing the team of talented people required to create a film. And of course it was topped with gold! Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel, has a long history within...
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ENCORE: Alice Waters Queen of the Garden
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
As we await the beautiful produce that will soon be arriving at our Farmer’s Markets, I thought it would be a good time to celebrate Spring with this encore piece featuring Alice Waters. Always remember to take a moment and Savor the Day! is a counterculture culinary hero who has helped pioneer the farm to table movement in the United States at her iconic restaurant At age four, she won a costume contest dressed as “Queen of the Garden” that featured produce from her parents’ Victory Garden. This win was just a mere glimpse into her future as an award winning chef, cookbook...
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Sandra Gutierrez: The Julia Child of Latin American Cuisine
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
"Latin American Cuisine is like a house. I see Mexico as the front door with all the dishes we are most familiar with. But once you open and walk through that door, you can see twenty other kitchens full of food, vibrancy and amazing ingredients." Sandra Gutierrez. Sandra Gutierrez and I met in the White House Garden in 2015 during an International Association of Culinary Professionals conference. We have become dear friends throughout the years on our respective culinary journeys. Sandra has written four cookbooks and is an award-winning journalist. In 2019, her work was recognized as...
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Chef Florian V. Hugo: A Passion for Notre Dame and French Cuisine
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
“Everything changes. The only thing that remains immovable across the centuries and fixes the character of a people is cooking.” Victor Hugo holds a special place of legacy for Chef Florian V. Hugo and for me. Chef Florian is the great great great great great-grandson of the literary maestro Victor Hugo, author of Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables and many other great works. He is an accomplished French chef who has lived and worked in New York City for two decades and he is author of “Les Contemplations Gourmandes” a biographical cookbook inspired by his...
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Wyatt Russell: Savor the Sip with Lake Hour Sparkling Cocktail
Kitchen Chat® – Margaret McSweeney
"Savor the Day" is the tagline of my life. It's a reminder to find and live your joy while connecting with family and friends. The multi-talented exemplifies how to "Savor the Day" and savor the sip with his approach to life and work. In addition to his athletic and acting careers, Wyatt is an entrepreneur as co-founder of a line of ready to drink Sparkling Cocktails evoking the fond memories of “real leisure” and “sit-back-and-sip” camaraderie of a day on the lake with family and friends. We had a fun Kitchen Chat at the finale of the fifth annual at . Congratulations to...
info_outline"And to the reader, I dedicate this book to you, with hopes that it will inspire you to celebrate life with elegance, grace, laughter, love, and intentions - in the spirit of the Delmonico Way." Max Tucci
Hospitality is a way of life for Max Tucci, the grandson of the late Oscar Tucci, owner of the famous New York restaurant Delmonico's. The Delmonico brothers opened their first establishment in 1827, in 1926, Delmonico's became a part of Tucci's family. All were always welcome at the table in Delmonico's and that is a legacy that Max continues in his own life. He is intentional about making sure people know that they are seen, heard, appreciated and that they matter. In his book, The Delmonico Way: Sublime Entertaining & Legendary Recipes From the Restaurant That Made New York!, Max Tucci spotlights the incredible food and fame of Delmonico's. Above all, however, Tucci shares the beautiful love story of his family whose legacy continues to define hospitality. You will be inspired to create your own traditions around food and entertaining and to celebrate life in "The Delmonico Way."
How special to realize that my late father was inspired by the delicious legacy of Delmonico's to create a special family tradition. My fondest childhood taste memory is that of Eggs Benedict. Each Saturday my father would meticulously prepare the hollandaise sauce and pour it over this special breakfast dish. Eggs Benedict was actually invented at Delmonico's in the late 1860s by Chef Charles Ranhofer who named this dish after Mrs. LeGrand Benedict, a frequent diner at the restaurant.
What a delight to have recently met Max in New York City during the International Association of Culinary Professionals Awards at the Middleby Residential New York Showroom. Our mutual friend, Jennifer English connected us. Max is now a very dear foodie friend, and I look forward to many conversations and delicious meals with him. Please order a copy of his book as a gift for yourself or for a foodie friend.
What are your special food and entertaining traditions?