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Susannah Chen — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:45:12 PST

How Much Do You Know About the Barefoot Contessa?

Susannah Chen — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:55 PST

Happy Birthday, Ina Garten! Today, the Food Network star and celebrity food personality turns another year older, ringing in her 64th.

The Barefoot Contessa, as her fans call her, is always cool and collected when it comes to elegant home entertaining. How much do you know about her interesting life and accomplishments? Find out when you take this quiz!

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Ruth Reichl: "American Food Is the Best in the World Right Now"

Susannah Chen — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:23:06 PST

This weekend, food artisans from around the country are being honored in the second annual Good Food Awards, which celebrate American food producers who enhance the country's agricultural landscape and help to build community. While the awards are relatively new to the gastronomic landscape, they're already backed by some of the country's biggest food influencers, such as Whole Foods, and seminal culinary figures, like Ruth Reichl.
Ruth is currently the editorial adviser at Gilt Taste, another cosponsor of this weekend's Good Food Awards. The author, former New York Times food critic, and final Gourmet editor sat down with me over dinner at Mission Chinese Food to talk more about good food and future projects.

YumSugar: Tell me about the partnership between Gilt Taste and the Good Food Awards. How did it come about?
Ruth Reichl: I've known Sarah [Weiner, the director] for a long time, and we've been talking about this for a long time. When I went to Gilt Taste, it just seemed like a seamless, natural partnership, finding and supporting food artisans in America.

YS: You're the keynote speaker at this year's Good Food Awards. What kind of a legacy do these awards create?
RR: It's hard for younger people to understand how bad things were in America, a time when all food was essentially industrial. There were no farmers markets. I have an interview with Wolfgang Puck that I did in 1982 where he goes, "Six years ago, there was no decent food in America." Now, there's this explosion of farmers markets, and while so much of the world is abandoning their food heritage, Americans are reclaiming theirs before it gets lost . . . We have these two completely parallel, simultaneous, and opposite tracks: on the one hand, people with money who eat organic, sustainable, handmade food. But if you're a poor person, you're stuck eating stuff that's cheaper than food and that will kill you. Food safety in this country becomes a worse and worse issue; we import more and more food; 80 percent of the antibiotics in this country go to perfectly healthy animals. We have a real crisis on the one hand - and on the other hand, we have, for the first time, an awareness of it. Which is quite stunning.

I really do think American food is the best in the world right now, because of the people making the kind of food that goes to the Good Food Awards. We have to nurture it, and make sure that it doesn't just stay with us in this little enclave.

YS: There's movement toward eating a plant-based diet. What do you think of that?

To find out her answer, keep reading.

Katie Lee Shares Her Secrets For Throwing a Simply Chic Holiday Cocktail Party

Lindsay Miller — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:00:34 PST

The holidays are always a little hectic, and there's definitely some added pressure for those of us who volunteer to play host for a Hanukkah celebration, Christmas dinner, or New Year's Eve party.

We caught up with entertaining expert Katie Lee as she toasted her role as Clos du Bois wine ambassador in LA, and couldn't resist asking for some advice on how to make throwing a successful seasonal soiree less stressful. Over a wine pairing lunch at the Sunset Tower Hotel, we snagged her tips on everything from whipping up the perfect deviled egg to her favorite unexpected spot for finding party decor - as well as her food trend predictions for 2012. Katie also dished on some of her favorite easy-to-make recipes for cocktails and appetizers and gave us ideas on how to simplify and save money when playing host for friends and family.

YumSugar: You've got so many great recipes for appetizers. What will you be serving at your house this season?
Katie Lee: On Christmas Eve, I’m cooking a really big dinner. I have 20 people coming, so for the appetizers I’m doing more assembly, because I’m focusing on the main course. So, I like to do multiple crostinis. I get a baguette, slice it up, toast it. One that is a big hit is gorgonzola cheese with a dollop of fig jam. It’s excellent. I also will do some fresh ricotta. I pick it up at an Italian specialty store, [and add] really good extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. And then, I’ll do just a store-bought olive tapenade on a crostini . . . The one hors d'oeuvre that I always, always make at every party are my deviled eggs. It’s not a party at my house without deviled eggs!

YS: Do you have any tricks to making the perfect deviled egg?
KL: The secret to a good deviled egg is to not do too much to it. I just put mayonnaise and a little bit of yellow mustard in mine. Not Dijon. Yellow mustard - the cheap kind - and then I dress it up with the garnishes. So that’s where I get more creative, and for Christmas Eve or for New Year's, I’ll do a luxury deviled egg. I get some caviar, and it’s a good way serve a bunch of ingredients and stretch it. One small container of caviar can go on 20 deviled eggs, and then you save money on caviar and [don't have to] spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

Keep reading to check out the rest of Katie Lee's holiday entertaining tips.

What's Best About Thanksgiving? Chefs Tell Us on Twitter

Susannah Chen — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:30:44 PST

In a little over one week, all of America will collectively be cooking up a frenzy of comfort food. To get you psyched for the biggest foodie holiday of the year, we enlisted the feedback of none other than the world's greatest foodies themselves: chefs. Using our favorite social media device, Twitter, we asked everyone from Top Chef Michael Voltaggio to Cooking Channel's Kelsey Nixon to tell us about their favorite aspect of turkey day.

10 Celeb Chef Twitter Pics We Love

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:08:53 PDT

We featured some of our favorite celebrity chef Twit pics earlier this Summer, but we just can't get enough - and neither can these chefs! It also looks like more than a few Twitter stars have turned to the awesome app Instagram to share their photos, which has resulted in some very artistic shots. Hungry foodies: check out the delicious pics that made the cut this month. Who is your favorite chef on Twitter to follow?

Top Cooking Tips From Our Favorite Celebrity Chefs

YumSugar — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:06:36 PDT

With as many recipes that we make, we've learned plenty of simple tips from sheer experience. But over the years, we've also taken guidance from culinary celebrities, cooking demos, and restaurant chefs. Everyone from Michael Symon to Ming Tsai has played a role in how we cook and entertain at home. Curious to know the sagest advice we've gathered from famous chefs? Keep reading to find out.

Giada: From Pretty Cook to Full-Blown Celebrity Chef

YumSugar — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:42:11 PDT

Regardless of whether you think she hosts the best Italian cooking show, Giada De Laurentiis has made a tremendous mark on home cooking in America. Over the years, Giada's evolved from fresh-faced home caterer to full-blown celebrity TV personality - and today, the Food Network star turns 41 years young. To pay tribute to her influence, I thought I'd show you a glimpse of her best moments over the years. Check it out when you keep reading.

A Day in the Life of Lee Schrager

YumSugar — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:30:35 PDT

Lee Schrager is the mastermind behind the nation's biggest food events, including the upcoming New York City Wine and Food Festival. Here's what he did on Saturday, Aug. 20.
6:00 a.m.: I was up and ready for the day in East Hampton, waiting for my yoga instructor to begin our morning class. I’ve been doing yoga at the house for the last three Summers with Corey, who is the ex-boyfriend of my regular yoga instructor in Miami. I’ve been coming out to the Hamptons since 1980, when I worked in the cheese department of the first Dean & Deluca on Newton Lane, and used to spend my days at the beach with Edie Beale (of Grey Gardens fame). We've rented this same house for the past six Summers - it’s a gorgeous run-down farm house on a great piece of property, literally three minutes from the center of town.

7:45 a.m.: I headed over to Levain Bakery in Wainscott to pick up some goodies for our house guests. I try and keep away from Levain if possible, as it’s truly addicting. This morning, I waited in line behind Russell Simmons, who literally buys every one of the mini brioche I wanted. I ended up bringing home some scones, blueberry muffins, Nutella-stuffed sourdough rolls and, of course, some walnut chocolate chip cookies for later in the day.

10:00 a.m.: I went over to Bridgehampton for a meeting at the Gilt City Hamptons House regarding the afternoon’s Burger Blood Bath that Ben Leventhal, from NBC Feast, is producing. I am the Chief Lifestyle Advisor for Gilt City and the Hamptons House is a project I proposed months ago, that includes bringing out over 30 of the nation’s top chefs to cook at the house this August. The morning meeting was to discuss set-up, weather back-up plans, sponsorship fulfillment, and registration.

Keep reading to find out whose beach Lee goes to!

Play Our Chef Faceoff and Win!

YumSugar — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:17:05 PDT

Have you ever wondered who is the better chef? Would you rather eat a meal cooked by Rachael Ray or Giada de Laurentiis? Jean-Georges Vongerichten or Eric Ripert? Well, thanks to our new faceoff game, you can stop wondering! As with all the faceoffs, when you play Who's the Better Chef you'll automatically be entered for a chance to win a $500 grand prize! For more details on the prize, check out the official rules. Or just start clicking!