Author Spotlights

Our favorites chefs and authors recount their best memories with mom for Mother’s Day, whether in the kitchen or out. See what they have to say!

Last fall, my Clarkson Potter co-workers and I went on a fascinating, educational, fun and delicious foraging field trip with the author of Foraged Flavor, Tama Matsuoka Wong. She took us on a guided journey of her expansive backyard and foraging garden, and showed us what we could pick, what it was, and how we could eat or prepare it.

The traditional first of the Four Questions, asked by the youngest at the Passover table, was particularly resonant for our family this year.
Our Seder took place for the first time in our house in West Cork, out on the headland of the village of Glandore, on the infinitely beautiful southwest coast of Ireland.

When packing my car for a long drive, I slip in a bag of odds and ends that make me feel at home in front of any stove. That includes a good sharp serrated knife; my own measuring spoons (a common cross-contamination point for households that aren’t allergy-aware); crushed red pepper flakes; and a box of Near East couscous (vaguely gourmet, yet ready in 10 minutes!).

Alana Chernila writes, cooks, sells fresh vegetables, and teaches cheese making. She created the blog www.EatingFromTheGroundUp.com in 2008 and has just released her first cookbook, The Homemade Pantry (Clarkson Potter, April 2012). Alana is a graduate of St. John’s College in Santa Fe and lives with her husband and two young daughters in western Massachusetts. The Recipe Club recently sat down with her to ask a few questions about making everyday grocery store items right at home.