SUMMERS END............ The work of summer's garden done, the geese fly south, the leaves are gone........ The morning air is crisp and clear with traces of sea salt; while the afternoon light streams gloriously golden and evening brings the smell of woodsmoke waifting through the air. The grapes have been harvested for this year's vintage and the apples and pumpkins are ripe for the picking. Inside, the soup pot is on the back of the stove and the warmth of the hearth welcomes us home at night............ Thanksgiving is on the way...........a time to pause and give thanks for all we have recieved and all we look forward to. May the simple pleasures of hearth, home and family give us hope for our future...... and for our next generation: to leave a legacy of love and respect for ourselves, our families, our communities and our country.

"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness!" by Elsa Schiaparelli"

Wow........have I been busy so long in the kitchen that I must make a real effort to re-connect with the rest of the world once again? How amazing that I can lose myself in the all the chopping, sauteing and stirring of the pot. I'm stunned by the colors of the summer fruits and veggies and the intense pleasure of the aromas that keep me prodding through the cooking process until finally I have the finished product. The table is set to perfection, soft music is playing, and smells waifting from the kitchen are gloriously delicious. Everyone is seated, the wine is poured and the first course begins. I listen to the dinner conversation and I learn something new. Maybe a political fact I didn't know; maybe something about a celebrity, a charity, or a country. Maybe just a secret about personalities and the people connected to them, which is maybe life's finest lesson in itself. Soon the table is deep in conversation or laughter is erupting around the table. The group is connected on a very deep level now.........eating, drinking and sharing the camaraderie of the table together. Nothing else seems to really matter.... who you are, how much money you have. People are relaxed and enjoying one another and this special moment in time of the particular evening. This is the magic of the table at it's best that I know....... The sounds of chatter and happy laughter and oneness of spirit centered around the table are what keep me in the kitchen through it all.

Summer in The Hamptons

Ok it's really summer in the Hamptons. Place is brimming............. no it's positevly overflowing with people everywhere. Not a parking spot to be found. Friday afternooon and every Hamptons village is bulging at the seams........ the markets, restaurants and pubs are filled to capacity. By private jet and helicopter they come. Trains and buses and stretch limos and luxury cars line Rt. 27 in a parade of bumper to bumper traffic. From hedge fund managers to rock stars to big biz moguls they are all here for one reason. They come from the cities to decompress from a week of stress. They want a swim, a walk on the beach or to sail the waters of Gardiners and Peconic Bays. With the weekend comes the flurry of entertaining....... be it thousand dollar a plate benefits to attend or charity balls or dinner party invitations. There is shopping on the Main Streets of the villages in the designer stores after a leisurely breakfast in a cafe, maybe a stroll on the beach or a swim in the pool and then the whirlwind of evening entertaining begins. Only the finest of foods and wines..........fresh fish from Montauk, caught in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, local farm fresh veggies on all the roadside stands, wines from the local vineyards....... and for those of us who provide the food for the fun, we spend our afternoons dashing between the markets, gardens and wineries before we head into the kitchen. I like to create a simple yet elegant menu to ensure success for any gathering. Fresh fish from the boats is always my first choice for the grill. My herb pots are handy next to the cooking area, add some fresh veggies and salad greens and a fresh fruit dessert to finish. After all is said and done and I return home maybe all I want to do on a clear summer night is sit outside and gaze up into the night sky, breathing in the heavy smell of salt that's all around me like the sea.

Some of my experiences as a Private Billionaire Chef

As a private chef I have had some exciting experiences. On a given day I could be swimming in the blue blue waters of the Carribbean Sea at 9am in the morning; grilling mahi mahi with pineapple/pepper salsa for lunch on an open patio overlooking the ocean and then flying on a Gulfstream enroute from the French West Indies to New York. Next, shopping on Madison Avenue by 6pm for a cozy fireside dinner served by 9pm. All in a day's work for the private chef. I learned to go through the steps of my work in my mind ahead of time not only in making a menu, but also including a detailed list of all the ingredients needed to prepare the meal. There's no time to run out at last minute for a forgotten spice or herb. For dinner to be an hour behind schedule just won't do. Cooking on a yacht requires a huge block of time for laying in the stores and if I forget a critical item, you can bet I'll be changing the menu. I see myself preparing each dish as I'm walking through the open air markets choosing the vegetables that are available for that location-if they have been flown in from Europe or USA that day. If not I might have to grill mangos instead. I've lingered at the checkout area and bent my ear to the local womens conversations about what and how they were cooking that day. I might have to barter with a fisherman directly from his boat in a language I don't understand or shop with currency that I did not convert into dollars in my mind quickly enough. No doubt that is how I have gotten some incredibly great deals. By the time I actually get to the kitchen and fire up the grill it's like I've already cooked and mentally tasted the meal ahead of time so I can relax and enjoy the view, the guests, the night. Like I said, it's all in a day.........................

Welcome to my blog...my introductions!

Welcome! I should find my manners and introduce myself and how I arrived here. I grew up in East Hampton, which is considered the crown jewel of the Hamptons, on the eastern end of Long Island, NY. When I was growing up here, there were still hitching posts on Main Street and everybody knew each other by name. I have fond memories of fresh produce from the garden and fish straight from the sea left on our doorstep by local fisherman. Dairy cows grazed in the lot behind our backyard and clothes hung outside drying in the salty fresh air. I remember warm blueberry muffins and strawberry shortcake with real cream in late June and apple and cherry pies that Mom and Aunt made from fruit trees on our property. My mom says that as a little girl I "cooked" in the sandbox and would "feed" our dog while he would pretend he was eating whatever I "cooked". I guess I was destined to be a cook.............and gee, thanks Mom for letting me play chef in the sandbox.

Many years later I apprenticed as a private sous chef and learned many techniques and secrets of grand cuisine. I took my little show on the road and began cooking in places far and away to learn the lore of foods unknown to me. Spending time in the southern United States and the remote islands of the West Indies in the Carribbean Sea, I became enchanted with warm weather foods, so different from the foods of the North for a Yankee girl. Today I cook in the kitchens of billionaires, on their yachts and on their travels to far and fabulous corners of the world.

I will be sharing with you recipes, stories and secrets from Hollywood to the Hamptons and we will never know who will sit down to dinner.