Perhaps it is Alex Elman's joie de vivre that impresses me, or is it her poise and strength of character that draws me in? Whatever it is - Alex has inspired me. Spend an hour listening to Alex weave her story - her Brazilian chef- Mom, her oenophile Dad and step dad, her career in the wine business and her loss of sight to juvenile diabetes when she was 27. WOW!
Alex has just launched her very own wine label - Alex Elman Wines. And trust me, Alex resembles her wines as she truly has a sense of place. Her goal is to sell wines that offer terroir, that are organic and sustainably produced and are accessible so you too can sip a lovely glass of wine over a homemade meal with friends and family!!
By the way - Alex will be blogging on some Saturdays for me - Saturday Evening "Toast" as we explore collaborating on our mission to get people back to the dinner table!!

And for those of you who need a quick french lesson, Terroir (according to wikipedia) "was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon particular varieties. Agricultural sites in the same region share similar soil, weather conditions, and farming techniques, which all contribute to the unique qualities of the crop."

While Becky Sue Epstein's culinary heritage is quite interesting, it's her handy reference, "Substituting Ingredients" that is a MUST for all cooks - aspiring or seasoned!! Host, Carole Murko, navigates the listener through Becky Sue's upbringing - she had a catering grandmother, lived overseas in Switzerland where kids brought bread and chocolate for lunch, and ended up as a restaurant reviewer for the LA Times before becoming a wine connoisseur, food writer and consultant. Substituting Ingredients is truly a great tool for the home cook - it will solve any missing ingredient disaster and provides some very sage advice and tips. Thank you Becky Sue - this one's on my Christmas list for all my friends!!

Can you imagine growing up on a farm and learning the skills to feed yourself and your family? Shannon Hayes shares her memories with host, Carole Murko. Shannon is an advocate of pasture-raised and grassfed meats in addition to sustainable and bio-diverse agriculture. Her advocacy is clearest through her 2 cookbooks, "The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook" and "The Farmer and the Grill" where she wants the consumer to understand how to cook with the variability of grassfed animals and the robustness of flavors and taste that result in knowing how to prepare them. It's a lively and interesting discussion on our food system and the importance of small biodiverse farms.


(This is a taped copy of the show as the computer in the studio was not working - I will try and upload the show next week - it starts 10-15 minutes into the show and goes longer so you can stop listening when I end the show.)