OK, bad pun (sorry Robin Leach) but being in (if you’re Jewish) or going into (if you’re celebrating Christmas or Kwanzaa) the holidays, it’s important to have a few wishes to go into the New Year and I have a few that bridge the personal and professional twain. So, in no particular order… I wish in 2010 that…

The reality TV thing for chefs dies down. Iron Chef, Chopped, Hell’s Kitchen, Top Chef… enough already. Cooking should be about sharing, nurturing, and giving and not about all things smackdown. Let’s get back to showing people the pleasure in food and how to go about creating it themselves and not cooking competitively against a clock, our peers, or both. Continue reading »

A tough question to answer. First off, the period that starts essentially around Halloween and ends just after that long brunch on New Year’s Day is probably the most important time of year for anyone in the wine (and spirits) biz as more than a disproportionate amount of sales and consumption happen in this time frame. When you hear your trade friends toss out that end of the year phrase OND what they mean is October/November/December- the holy trinity of wine sales quarters! Continue reading »