Tuesday, December 30, 2008

2008 – A Year of Culinary Types

Whether one cooks or not, the kitchen connects all of our lives. In 2008, I was drawn even more closely to the miraculous bond between people and food. The journey introduced me to an uncommon assortment of “Culinary Types.”

Along the way, we encountered Bonnie Slotnick and her charming West Village shop, filled to the rafters with antiquarian cookbooks. We tasted the heirloom recipes of Chris and Helen Junda at Junda’s Pastry, Crust and Crumbs on the North Fork of Long Island, and embraced the hand of friendship of John and Diane MacPherson, innkeepers at the Foster Harris House in Little Washington, Virginia.

We celebrated the brilliance of Chefs Patrick O’Connell and Daniel Boulud and learned the techniques of French country cooking with legendary culinary instructor Anne Willan. We paid homage to The King of Paella and chatted with Kelly Alexander, the woman who revived forgotten food writer Clementine Paddleford.

We sampled the pioneering spirits of the Whisky Master of Rappahonnock County, and savored the simplicity of roast chicken. Culinary excursions took us from Jackson Heights, New York to Sonoma Valley, California and even a stop at Miss Polly’s in Memphis, the home of “Love, Peace and Chicken Grease.”

Together, we experienced the joys of sustainable organic agriculture in the fields of Sophia Garden, perfected Tapas and endured the rigors of Cheese Boot Camp. Retro Cakes were both whimsical and surreal, and food historian Francine Segan confirmed that pie is “the next big thing.”

And, as always, there were faithful food blogger friends to comment and complete the story, be it the celebratory Louise, the intriguing Cakespy, Kathy the collector, the methodical Veronica or the prolific Lydia of the Perfect Pantry. Someday, I’d like to meet Lydia in person. Perhaps that’s a story for 2009 …

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year to All!

©2008 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved

10 comments:

~~louise~~ said...

It's been a wonderful journey T.W. and I've enjoyed every last "bite".

I look forward to another "tasty" year of wandering junkets @ Culinary Types...

Happy! Healthy New Year T.W.!

Kathy said...

Thanks for a wonderful year of interesting and fun posts T.W. I look forward to more in the coming year. Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

May all your dreams come true in 2009! Wishing you a happy new year filled with even more Culinary Types, with thanks for introducing us to so many fascinating people and places in 2008.

Anonymous said...

I've greatly enjoyed reading you this year, T.W. and I look forward to more of it in the year to come! Best wishes for 2009!

Anonymous said...

What a great year you had! Full of culinary explorations. Have a great New Year and I look forward reading more of your journeys of the gastronomic kind!

Maris said...

What a great post! I can't wiat to check out some of these bloggers!

Cakespy said...

What a wonderful tribute to a very sweet year!! It's been sweet getting to know you better through your food adventures and AMAZING cakes (especially that haunch--brilliant!).

Happy 2009 to you, T.W.!

Anonymous said...

A very Happy New Year to you :)

Kalyn Denny said...

Great end of year post, and wishing you a happy 2009!

Tiffany said...

It is nice to look back at the year and see what we have learned with you. I look forward to learning more from you in 2009!

Happy New Year!