I love food. I have always enjoyed an intense relationship with food. It has taken four decades to realize that my passion for food has its roots in my heritage. My maternal great grandfather was a pastry chef from southern Italy. He moved to the United States and pursued his career at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee followed by the Vicksburg Hotel on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi River where he settled and our family still has claim. My mother and father met in Vicksburg and I was born there. My sister was born there and still lives there. It has changed so much over the years but the simple “Farm to Table” concept that has become so vogue of late was the way of life for us. My paternal grandparents lived south of town and we would spend every Sunday gathered around the table enjoying plates full of fresh from the garden tomatoes bursting with flavor, plum and fig preserves on homemade biscuits along with fresh peaches on deliciously creamy hand churned vanilla bean ice cream. We had no idea how good we had it. The simplicity of it all. That is the way I still enjoy food today. I love to feed my boys, all three of them, the freshest the season has to offer. So, here are a few of my favorite dishes featuring fresh ingredients for this season. From Mississippi to California there is quite a diverse array of produce but as the last days of summer roll out, fall brings in even more exciting flavors. I hope you enjoy.
Today, I will start with a basic. The Best Bread.
