Posts filed under 'Five Questions'
Michelle Pfennighaus is a health and wellness coach and yoga instructor. She was featured in Lemonade, an inspirational documentary about advertising professionals who lost their jobs and found their calling. Unlike most of the Lemonade stars, when Pfennighaus was laid off from a major Boston-based advertising agency, she was thrilled.
Inspired by the personal experience of conquering debilitating digestion and anxiety problems through yoga and changes in diet/lifestyle, she founded Find Your Balance Health & Wellness Coaching. Her unique perspective has been featured on NPR, The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, ABC News, and World News with Diane Sawyer.
1) What was your latest project?
Most recently I’m working on my Reinvent Yourself: 21 Day Detox. It’s a spring cleaning for the body based on whole, real, clean food. It’s so funny - everyone thinks detoxing is about drinking juice with cayenne pepper or something like that. I’m all about creating a clean body by eating clean food. We are what we eat, right?
2) What is the one food or beverage ingredient that you cannot live without?
Kale. I swear! I went to Miami a few weeks ago and stocked our condo’s fridge with kale so I could at least get my dark, leafy greens in the morning with some eggs. The rest of the day…who knows what I was going to find at restaurants!
Kale has major nutritional value and the keeps my digestive system running properly. One of my favorite ways to get people to enjoy kale is by making kale chips! They are awesome.
3) Who is your mentor, professionally or personally?
I’ve learned so, so much from my yoga teacher, David Vendetti. His teaching re-introduced me to my body and inspired me to change my diet and begin teaching yoga to others.
4) What is your favorite food memory from childhood?
Oh, I always cooked as a kid. My mom and grandma taught me everything about cooking from scratch. There were no Pillsbury biscuits or Kraft Mac-n-cheese in our house! My favorite memory is making Christmas cookies with my mom. One year we made 10 batches of Strufoli (Italian fried dough balls in honey)!
5) What would be your ultimate meal?
My ultimate meal would be from farm-fresh ingredients (including tons of fresh herbs!) prepared together in a kitchen with great sunlight, laughter and a glass of wine.
FMI on Michelle’s program Reinvent Yourself: 21 Day Detox, click here.
April 16th, 2010
Carleen Haylett is the founder of La Pentola di Rame a unique company bringing top Italian chefs to America to share the culture and traditions of their regional specialties. After spending almost two years working and studying as a chef in Italy, she became determined to bring her experiences with the food and the culture of Italy back to the US.
What is your latest project?
La Pentola di Rame which brings the Italian experience to American epicureans through our visiting chef programs. Participants have the opportunity to interact closely with Italy’s best chefs while experiencing the incredible culture and cuisine right here in America. La Pentola di Rame hosts culinary courses, supper club dinners and private events with chefs that hail from Michelin-Starred and 5-star properties.
What is the one food or beverage ingredient that you cannot live without?
Roma plum tomatoes. I eat them every day for breakfast with a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Who is your mentor, professionally or personally?
Right now I would say it is Chef Giuseppe Mancino of the Michelin-Star restaurant Il Piccolo Principe in Viareggio, Italy. I had the honor of working for him while I was in Italy and learned so much. He is so young and so talented and has such a kind and gentle spirit which inspired me every day.
What is your favorite food memory from childhood?
My mother used to make up elaborate special Italian dinners for family celebrations complete with printed menus and historical background on each dish. It was always a big production that took days to prepare but they were so much fun and the food was always outstanding. My father swears there is Italian blood in our family tree but the reality is there isn’t.
What would be your ultimate meal?
I’m a simple creature. Anything that involves lots of laughter, good friends, good food and good wine makes me a happy girl. Oh and preferably Italy is in there somewhere too.
July 7th, 2009
Flavorista found Kathy Patalsky via Twitter and we couldn’t be more impressed. Kathy is the creator of The Lunchbox Bunch and the author of a vegan blog called Healthy. Happy. Life.
What is your latest project?
An amazing California-wellness themed cookbook. It will include vegan recipes, photos, stories and wellness tips. It’s based on my blog. I also continue to work on building awareness about my healthy kids brand, The Lunchbox Bunch. ‘Creating healthy kids’ is my mission. Vegan cooking and wellness is my passion.
What is the one food or beverage ingredient that you cannot live without?
Coconut water, fresh from a coconut. I’m a total addict. I have at least two servings a day. My favorite foods to cook with are sweet potatoes and avocados.
Who is your mentor, professionally or personally?
I adore Rebecca Woods, Marilu Henner and my favorite California-style chef, my mom.
What is your favorite food memory from childhood?
My special childhood birthday meal was fresh California-style guacamole followed by my mom’s amazing vegetarian lasagna. And a side of kale sautéed with olive oil and garlic. Yes it’s a strange menu, but I always requested it on my birthday.
What would be your ultimate meal?
100% vegan, with raw foods interlaced. I’d love to see a ten course tasting menu at Candle 79 or Blossom restaurants here in NYC. Lots of tempeh, seitan and tofu. Lots of fresh organic farmer’s market fare. And of course an amazing bottle of biodynamic red wine to go with it.
To check out Lunchbox Bunch, click here or on the logo below:
To visit Kathy’s gorgeous and inspiring blog, click here or on the photo below:
March 8th, 2009
I had the pleasure of interviewing Ana Patuleia Ortins, author of Portuguese Homestyle Cooking, when I was researching an article on Portuguese cooking. She is a first generation descendant of Portuguese immigrants from the Alto Alentejo region. Ana grew up with culinary traditions attached to the food of her ancestors and graduated from culinary school, fine tuning her skills.
What is your latest project?
Teaching cooking, testing recipes and writing for hopefully another book.
What is the one food or beverage ingredient that you cannot live without?
Just one? This is difficult because it is the combination of flavorful ingredients that really bring a dish together. I’ll pick wine, garlic and fresh cilantro. I know that this is three but individually and together they are great as a marinade and as simple flavor enhancer.
Who is your mentor?
My father was the most passionate cook and the most influential person to me. He gave me the appreciation for the traditional flavors of Portuguese cooking.
What is your favorite food memory from childhood?
Again, so many! First, anytime I was cooking with my father and making red pepper paste . My favorite memory was eating the Acorda de Bacalau with my father. Even after I married, he would call me on a Saturday morning and ask in his broken English “you get the smell?” I would immediately tell him I will be right there. I knew just what he was making. Just the scent of fresh cilantro can bring that memory up.
What would be your ultimate meal?
I love so many things! We would start with a glass of vinho verde (green wine) like Joao Pires. Good Portuguese olives and fresh crusty paposecos rolls to accompany shrimp rissois (small shrimp turnovers) and codfish cakes (bolinhos de bacalhau) with fresh cheese with a zippy sauce.
A serving of the traditional version of Caldo Verde (green broth soup). One of my favorite main dishes, Pork with Clams Alentejo Style seasoned with massa de pimentão (red pepper paste), and served with potatoes and julienne green beans Esparregado (green vegetables sautéed briefly in garlic infused olive oil, seasoned and splashed with apple cider vinegar). Some good Portuguese red wine from the Alentejo, like Montevelho would match well with this dish.
For dessert my all time favorite is Farofias: Egg white meringue poached in sweetened milk and drizzled with custard sauce. Lenchinhos, a genoise type cake cut into squares and stuffed with a sweetened egg filling, runs a close second as do a few others.
Click here for Ana’s website.
PS: Reading through and cooking from Ana’s book delivers like a trip to Portugal minus the airfare and jet lag. The photography is stunning.
March 1st, 2009
As identical twins, Mary and Sara are flavoristas on steroids. I met them a few years back at the IACP annual conference in Dallas and was in awe of their energy and how they exude glamour, fun and food knowledge.
Accomplished cookbook authors, they have 7 published books and 2 more on the way. They are also restaurant consultants. One of their more beautiful books is the Bride & Groom First and Forever cookbook, which makes a wonderful wedding present. With 5 kids between them and a passion for food and passing along cooking tips, Mary and Sara have already accomplished a lot. I have no doubt that they will continue to amaze me.
What is your latest assignment?
Super Charged Smoothies, due out Spring of 2010. Growing Family Cookbook is also in the works.
What is the one food ingredient you can’t live without?
Lemons
Who are your mentors?
Julia Child, Ina Garten and Matthew Kenney
What is your favorite food memory?
Too many to count, but an awe-inspiring dessert that we had recently was a slice of RAW pumpkin pie, at Cafe Gratitude. It was better than traditional pumpkin pie which we also adore.
What is your ultimate meal?
Thai Food in Thailand with locals to help with the menu choices and the language barrier.
Recent article with holiday appetizers from the twins.
February 6th, 2009
My long time friend Adam, whom I met while living in Washington, D.C. is a restaurant critic and food writer for New York magazine. I have shared some wonderful meals with Adam and he taught me how to order sushi. He also makes a killer Chinese sesame noodle dish (we’ll have to talk him out of the recipe). As a child, Adam lived in Taiwan and Japan which helped to shape his sophisticated palate.
1) What was your latest assignment?
" New York magazine sent me to northern Italy to write about the famous white truffle of Alba. White truffles are hard to find and only flourish for a few weeks every year. They cost between $2 and $3,000 per pound, and are among the most expensive food stuffs on earth.
The idea was to find a truffle on a truffle hunt, then follow it as it was sold in the market, through various middlemen, all the way back to a restaurant in New York. I found my truffle and ultimately ate it, at great cost to the magazine, at a restaurant in Manhattan called Gilt. Of course, now the white truffle market has collapsed and I don’t think we’ll be publishing the story."
2) What is the one food or beverage ingredient that you cannot live without?
"Pringles Chips, Salt, Bacon Fat."
3) Who is your mentor, professionally or personally?
"I never really had a mentor. I think I’m too grumpy for mentors. But there are plenty of writers that I admire. I like A.J. Liebling and Joseph Weschberg of the old New Yorker. Calvin Trillin and Nora Ephron write wonderfully about food. Among the grand food writers of today, Jeffery Steingarten and Alan Richman are great; so is the LA restaurant critic, Jonathan Gold."
4) What is your favorite food memory from childhood?
"My father worked in U.S. embassies around the world, so I lived overseas a lot as a kid. My brothers and I used to have dumpling eating contests in Taiwan, which during the Sixties, was full of great chefs who’d fled mainland China. We had a cook who made this great dish called “Bombs on Moscow”. You have this mountain of hot Rice Crispie style rice. It’s poured with this hot, sweet spicy red sauce, which makes the dish sizzle and steam in a dramatic, theatrical way. It was fabulous."
5) What would be your ultimate meal?
"The ultimate opulent meal for me is Peking Duck. There’s nothing like that first crunchy, sweet taste of duck fat. For dessert, I like anything made with lemons. For everyday dining, it’s a tossup between a well cooked cheeseburger, and a summertime BLT. "
October 28th, 2008
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