Carolyn Tillie

This is beyond serviceware -- this has become Modern Art. I'd like to predict that before long (perhaps before service begins), these pieces will be gobbled up by a Modern Art Museum and I still had curator contacts in that industry, I would heartily encourage them to snatch them up for an exhibit asap. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

It is true that this has been well-discussed here in the valley for some months. When Robert retired, several of the sons made attempts to run the business to no avail. There have been more massive hirings and then lay-offs in the past several years so this isn't a huge surprise. It is just sad.

From late last week: Robert Mondavi Announces Plan to Eliminate Class B Shares; Board Authorizes Share Repurchase Program; Company to Create Two Distinct Lines of Business And now the repurcusions: Mondavi giving up control of winery - Family's voting stake to drop to 40%; restructuring plans calls for company to be split in two Changes boost Mondavi's stock - Restructuring, dilution of family's control could presage sale There is a buzz here in the valley...

Carolyn - your thoroughness amazes me. Wow! Just a quick note, I am an Iyer and not a Lyer...honest! Thanks for liking the story. Sincerest apologies, Raghavan. Had I the skill to go back and edit my own data input, I would do so... Sometimes I'm typing these things on the sly at work and try to double check them before I post them. Appreciate the compliment though -- I liked your article... When I do this, it is hard to not write commentary on every story ('cuz ya all know how damned opinionated I am and it would be so easy to slam some of these!). But I found your's engaging and heart-warming. Cheers.

As if I needed a reason to open a bottle of bubbly, now I will just to toast your day! Cheers!

eGads, I just remember I promised to post pictures! Here is the link to the Brewing/Drinking page of the best site for Medieval food references and images: Godecookery.com

In reading your criteria, I think you might want to get reservations at Patina, which is actually only about 10 miles away (that is a relatively short distance in LA). It is the best restaurant you could get into within an affordable cab ride. Here is my disclaimer -- I used to work for Joachim Splichal so I like the food. He has had some bad press lately (spreading himself too thin), but I think his *new* Patina is becoming a destination restaurant in LA because it is in the Geery-designed Disney Hall. He moved into this building after I moved out of L.A. Also in downtown and of distinction is Water Grill. Outside the downtown area that others love are Josie, Lucques, Joe's in Venice, Spago (Wolfgang Puck's place), and Capanile. Maybe that is more encouraging?

I was in DC once when I was 14 years old. I remember being taken to a restaurant where I had an amazing Veal Cordon Bleu and a dessert that was flamed tableside, but the name escapes me (and it was a long time ago).

mhberk, I guess what we who know LA were trying to figure out is how ambulatory you would be -- unlike DC, LA is not really a cab-friendly city and everything is quite scattered. Sadly, Glendale is a town that has no restaurants that fit your criteria. To be utterly impressed, you need to travel to the westside of town which, with good traffic, could take an hour or more and, in a taxi, could cost upwards of a hundred dollars, round trip. The places that consistently have what you are looking for are in Santa Monica, Venice, Hollywood (and surrounding communities), and downtown. Take a look at this map to get an idea. Any chance you could rent a car? It would give you infinitely more freedom and you could really enjoy what the LA area has to offer. In the meantime, I will try to come up with some Pasadena restaurants that could fit the bill -- it is a shorter cab ride (perhaps a half hour) and that might work for you...

Go C.O.D. Make them pay up front until they have re-earned your trust. Then consider putting them back on account (maybe).

There is the key question, mhberk. Glendale is a bit of a culinary wasteland for haute cuisine but close by is Pasadena and Burbank which might offer more suggestions for you.

I gotta admit, when I lived a mile away from Cookinstuff, I STILL went to Surfas. Cookinstuff was just the local place to get things for me and Surfas was where I went for specialty cookware. I think, though, because mrsadm is looking for a molcajete, some of the Hispanic markets would be a better place to look. Although it might be easier to simply mail order it instead of trying to carry something so heavy with you during travelling!

Absolutely fascinating -- great pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Winter 2004, Volume 4, Number 1 Cover Supper (1902), by Leon Bakst. Owned by the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg. “Leon Bakst (Lev Samoilovich Rosenberg) was born in a middle class Jewish family in Grodno, Belarus, on May 10, 1866 and died in Paris on December 27, 1924. He was educated at the gymnasium in St. Petersburg and then at the Academy of Fine Arts. He started his artistic career as an illustrator for magazines but changed his mind when he met Aleksandr Benois. He travelled through Europe and came in contact with European artists. After his return to St Petersburg, he began to gain notoriety for his book designs and his portraits. In 1898, together with Benois and Serge Diaghilev, he founded the group World of Art (Mir Iskusstva). In 1906 he became a teacher of drawing in Yelizaveta Zvantseva's private art school where, among other students, he taught Marc Chagall.” http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~sasha/ag_dev.html From the Editor Food from the Heart by Darra Goldstein “If a dish resonates for us, then it should be considered authentic enough.” Contributors – Mini-biographies. Borborygmus To the Editor Ethnic Eateries by Paul van Reyk, Petersham, New South Wales, Australia. Wishing. Commenting on the Summer 2003 article “Why Ethnic Eateries Have Terrible Service” by Krishnedu Ray. Ray’s response to the complaint followed. Of Gluttony and Temptation by Beatrice Fink, Paris. Commenting on the Spring, 2003 article by Ray Boisvert, “Gluttony” indicating some errors by the author and offering first-hand information to the contrary. Raymond Boisvert thanks Ms. Fink for the clarification. In Memoriam: Estel “Ed” Wood Kelley by Lisa Heldke A eulogy of the entrepreneur that brought us such products as Tang, A-1 Steak Sauce, Cool Whip, Klondike Ice Cream Bars, Grey Poupon mustard, and Smirnoff vodka. A Cuppa Tea by Chitrita Banerji A review of a Summer 2003 installation exhibit “Yankee Remix” at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art by Calcutta-born Rina Banerjee who utilizes tea in the central theme. Info on the artist: http://www.engology.com/eng5banerjee.htm With a two-thirds page, full-color depiction of the artist’s installation Contagious Spaces/Preserving Pink Eye, 2003. The Pisco Wars by Daniel Joelson An interesting look at the dispute between Chile and Peru of ownership rights to a grape liquor, Piso. With a one-third page, full-color photograph of bottles of Pisco from Chile and Peru. The article includes a recipe for a Pisco Sour. Oxford Symposium Announcement of the subject matter for the 2004 Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery: Wild Foods. Berkshires Cuisine Announcement of the Massachusetts Institute of Contemporary Culture holding three one-week courses on the gastronomic richness of the Berkshires. The Iceman Cometh Announcement of an exhibit at the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor exploring the American ice industry. Orts and Scantlings Eat Your Words by Mark Morton Earthy, bawdy article on the erotic aspects of food language. With a half-page, full-color photograph depicting the mouth of an obviously young girl, with full pink lips, back-lit in orange, biting into a fluorescent green Popsicle. Feast for the Eye Delicious Deception – Wax Parlor Art in Nineteenth-Century America by Dorothy Moss History of and review of an art exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art depicting wax food. With a two-thirds page, full-color photograph of Wax Fruit and Dessert Arrangement. United State, ca. 1860-1880. Beeswax, paraffin, tempera, glass, and wood. Height 19 inches (48.3 cm). Wax Flower-Making Kit. United States, ca. 1860-1880. Colored paper and board, glass, powder pigments, wire, beeswax, gilded brass, wood, paper patterns, and hair. Poetry To Jacques Pépin by Shanna Compton Touch me with your impeccably clean hands. Go ahead: Say “beutter,” instead of “butter.” I can take it. Poem continues for another 14 lines. Rather erotic. Family History If This Is Wednesday, It Must Be Liver Loaf by Will Pritchard How a man in his mid-30s, discovered much about his 100-plus-year-old grandmother after inheriting her cookbooks. With a full-page, black-and-white photograph of William H. and Marion L. Pritchard, the author’s grandparents, in the Adirondacks in the 1930s. Religion Divine Liturgy by D. Wood Fascinating account of the Divine Tracy Hotel in Philadelphia, whose genesis was the Peace Mission Movement under the guidance of Father Divine early last century. With a half-page, black-and-white photograph of Father Divine’s Delicatessen, Grocery, and Vegetable Store, one of the dozens of businesses operated by the Peace Mission Movement in the 1930s and 1940s. also, a half-page, black-and-white photograph entitled; Marriage Feast of the Lamb, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Father Divine and his wife mark the eighth anniversary of their marriage. April 29, 1954.. Terroir The Spirit of Place by Lawrence Osborne Oddly meandering account of how the place where a wine is made – or the memory of where a wine is first experienced – determines the esoteric qualities in wine. With a page-and-a-half, full-color photograph of a woman climbing a hill, between grape vines, entitled; Sunset over mature vines at Chalone Vineyards. Also, a half-page, full-color long shot of Mature vines at Chalone Vineyards. Technology The Clockwork Roasting Jack, or How Technology Entered the Kitchen by Jeanne Schinto Great story about how a husband’s obsession with gadgets provided an investigation into one of the first technological advances in cooking after he acquired one for the author. Well-researched and annotated. With a two-thirds page, sepia-toned vertical illustration, The mechanics of a roasting jack. From Joseph Moxon, “Mechanick Exercises. Or the Doctrine of Handy-Works” (Printed for Dan. Midwinter and Tho. Leigh, at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul’s-Church-Yard, 1703), p. 38. Also, a one-half page, black-and-white image Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), “Kitchen at Newcastle Emlyn.” Lastly, a half-page, black-and white reproduction from a book, An eighteenth-century clockwork roasting jack. Frontispiece from Martha Bradley, “The British Housewife” (London, 1756). Taste Food Science and Consumer Taste by Alain-Claude Roudot I often get lost reading anything remotely scientific due to the jargon involved. This article is not an exception as I almost gave at the beginning of the first section because the author began quoting statistics (a real turn off). However, a header entitled The Nineteenth Century kept me going and reasonably interested. The illustration didn’t hurt: Full-page, black-and-white plate from Polycarpe Poncelet’s ”Chimie du gout et de l’odorat” (1755). From a facsimile edition published by Klincksiek in 1993. Investigations Chunky Soup – The “Sumotori” Diet by Jonathan Deutsch Warning: Your trusty editor cannot be remotely objective about her love of this article due to its subject matter… How Sumo wrestlers bulk up. That’s it in a nutshell. Beautiful, isn’t it? Complete with a recipe for Chankonabe, the meat or fish and vegetable stew steeped in tradition that helps these men of girth maintain their poundage. With one-third page, color photograph of a lower-ranked wrestler at Takasago-beya serves his “senpai” (elder) a steaming bowl of “chankonabe.” Also, a half-page, full-color photograph wherein sumo wrestlers gather for lunch after a hard day of practice at Takasago-beya in Tokyo. On the left is former Hawaiian wrestler Konishiki, because of his high rank seated in a chair in defence to his size and preference. Feeding Your Face – Fan Fare and Status at a Sumo Tournament by Merry White Exquisitely fascinating story on how and why the fans of sumo wrestling are fed. Who knew of the Edo-period dressed caterers who provide fare for hundreds of the most devoted fans in their boxed seats? Did you know there is a hierarchy of fandom? Guests of sponsor companies are treated and fed differently than simple long-standing fans (yep, there is a cool Japanese name to differentiate these groups). Damn, I want to go to a basho! Haunted Kitchens – Cooking and Remembering by Jean Duruz I like to know what an article is about before I start reading it – I don’t necessarily want to commit to reading a full article about something that may not interest me. In the case of this article, the title belies the hidden reference to a deeply philosophical, almost over-intellectualized concept of Rupert Sheldrake’s morphogenetic resonances as it relates to cooking. If you understand what I am referring to, you will understand the complex language in which this article was written kept me from finishing it. With three beautiful, full-page, full-color modern art pieces. I can’t tell you created them however. They don’t seem to be referenced. Americana Quick Lunch by Jan Whitaker Historically inquisitive account of the genesis of lunch rooms. Specific comments about the Astor House lunch and history of the “dairy lunch.” Well annotated. With a half-page, full-color photograph of the Interior of Demonet’s Lunch, on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Here patrons have a choice of standing at the central counters or sitting at a table. The presence of tables usually was a signal to women that they were welcome. Ritual Agni’s Flames by Raghavan Iyer First hand, story-like account of the food-related rituals which occur in an Indian household; from the birth of a baby boy to the death of the patriarch. Well written. Fashion Food + Clothing = by Robert Kushner An artist’s account of how “the juxtaposition of the nude body with food has always fascinated” him. Interesting that a relatively well-known artist Robert Kushner, had little or no information available online about this particular artistic endeavor. Illustrations include: A full-page, black-and-white photograph, Pretzel Decolleté with Collard Skirt, 1994 showing a well-muscled nude black man, wearing a skirt made up of collard greens and three large necklaces, one of pretzels and the other of what looks like onion rings. A half-page, black-and-white photograph of Pineapple Falsies, displayed at “Robert Kushner and Friends Eat their Clothes,” New York, 1972. A full-page, black-and-white photograph, Asparagus Vest depicts a nude woman with not only a vest of asparagus, but also necklaces of radishes and scallions, a necklace of sliced salami, and a headdress of parsley and radishes. Lastly, a full-page, black-and-white photograph of another well-muscled white man entitled Sourdough Epaulettes, 1994 where the model is wearing (guess what?) sourdough bread epaulettes, fringed with scallions, red cabbage leaf gloves, and a codpiece of eggplant. Shopping Fancy Groceries by Robert Kaufelt How the son of a grocer turned a local, neighborhood grocery store into a chain of gourmet shops. With a two-third page, black-and-white photograph of a grocery cart, from the pusher’s perspective. Also, a one-quarter page, full-color photograph of the closed, gated entry to Balducci’s, dated 2002. WWFOOD South Africa’s Rainbow Cuisine by Lannice Snyman An all-too-brief history of the development of South African cuisine with an overview of how different immigrants influenced the genre. The article SHOULD have been as long as that Haunted Kitchen thing… With a stunning, two-thirds page photograph showing gathering “waterblommetjies” at Voëlvlei Farm at Piketberg, South Africa. The beauty in the photograph is the striking colors of the gatherer’s purplish-blue boats and shirts contrasting with their emerald green waste waders. Absolutely a great photograph. Chef’s Page Pierre Hermé – Creating a Collection by Dorie Greenspan This author has collaborated on several Hermé cookbooks so it is a well-written account of Hermé’s haute couture-like presentations of seasonal collections of desserts including an analysis of the creative process. At The Movies ”A Love Supreme” and “Dim Sum” by Sukhdev Sandhu A review of these two food-related flicks. Funny, I don’t even remember hearing about them… but our author enjoyed them. With a half-page montage of nine black-and-white miniature screen shots from A Love Supreme. Review Essay A Journey to the West – Chinese Food in Western Countries by Yong Chen China to Chinatown : Chinese Food in the West (Globalities) by J.A.G. Roberts Shopping at Giant Foods: Chinese American Supermarkets in Northern California by Alfred Yee The Bookshelf Books in Review Pasta: The Story of a Universal Food by Silvano Serventi and Françoise Sabban Feast and Folly: Cuisine, Intoxication, and the Poetics of the Sublime (Suny Series in Postmodern Culture) by Allen S. Weiss Around the Table of the Romans: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome by Patrick Faas Bread and Oil: Majorcan Culture's Last Stand by Tomás Graves Refined Taste: Sugar, Confectionery, and Consumers in Nineteenth-Century America (John Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science, 120thno. 1) by Wendy A. Woloson Matters of Taste: Food and Drink in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art and Life by Donna R. Barnes, Peter G. Rose, Albany Institute of History and Art Eating Apes (California Studies in Food and Culture, 6) by Dale Peterson, Karl Ammann, Janet K. Museveni The Changing Chicken: Chooks, Cooks and Culinary Culture by Jane Dixon It Must've Been Something I Ate: The Return of the Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten Restaurant Empire Enlight Software, 2003 Bookends Early French Cookery: Sources, History, Original Recipes and Modern Adaptations by D. Eleanor Scully, Terence Peter Scully Feast Your Eyes: The Unexpected Beauty of Vegetable Gardens by Susan J. Pennington, Ann C. Easterling, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service Human Evolution Cookbook by Harold Lewis Dibble, Dan Williamson, Brad M. Evans Lagniappe Terms of Endearment by Karen Salmansohn Four pink-toned “postcards” of food-related endearments in four languages: Cupcake (small cake formation) in English, Zuckerschnecke (sugar snail) in German, whater the Cyrillic word for my little carrot is in Russian, and whatever the Brazilian phrase for my little coconut treat in Brazilian…

Actually, I appreciate you showing me the other one... it is one of my "projects" to get the maps fixed but there are so many producers, it is hard to find all of them. I phoned the ones you posted previously immediately and advised them to fix their map. Cheers!

Thats the problem? Hmmm, each to their own I suppose. I didn't take that as being that terrible a comment. After all, he prefaced it with "For me...". The mans entitled to his own opinion (for now, at least). Not trying to defend Mr. Nadeau, I have no idea who he is...I just fail to find anything really offensive about the article. I think the first sentence is off-putting: From there, as Jason says, it is a rather accurate account, but the tone from the beginning makes one question what the writer is going to say as many of us never saw Julia's contributions as limited in any way.

tempting, tempting....

I would seriously consider buying her book, Nancy Silverton's Breads from the LA Brea Bakery: Recipes for the Connoisseur. It is more than just a recipe, but an entire chapter of explanation and more. Much more complicated than a single recipe. But worth it.

I think it is season for it shows up here in California for a few months every year. Here is a very funny McRib site.

This has been terribly fascinating as it is a cuisine that is totally and completely alien to me. Don't worry about grossing anyone out -- I want to see it all!

I'm with you one this... as well as spicy foods, which I really do wish I liked - or wish I could eat. I know it is a matter of developing tolerance, but a little bit of spice kills my taste buds and I can't taste anything afterwards.

While I enjoyed the show as well, I'm not sure it was that much different than the one created by the Biography Channel (including the SNL skit). One day last year they showed a whole week's worth of culinary biographies: Julia, Escoffier, James Beard, and two others that are not coming to mind at the moment. Edited to add the link to the Biography Channel's version for sale.

4,365 - give or take a case...

This should do it... Napa Valley. The *small* problem with this (and a few other maps), is that we (Ladera) are still listed as Chateau Woltner on the map -- the guys that produce these maps are reluctant to fix them for some reason... and we changed names FOUR years ago!

Larger wineries, like Gundlach Bundschu, own and operate their own bottling line because they use it so frequently throughout the year. Here at Ladera, where we produce only about 5,000 cases thus far, we utlize a company that provides a bottling line in a large, mobil semi-truck: With amazing precision, they roll-out this production line where we run a hose from our tanks (where the wine was put just a few days before, from the barrels) to their bottling system. Here the bottles are being filled. As it runs around to get its label, capsule, and cork: While still in the truck, the bottles get put back into cases and run down a ramp to get sealed and labeled. They open a side door for air and you can see the image I have from my office window: The bottling line set-up late on Tuesday night, starting running and filling bottles early Wednesday morning, ran a full 10 hours on Wednesday and finished up another 8 hours on Thursday. We are bottling rather late, considering we have to get these barrels empty and ready for the upcoming harvest -- which will happen quite soon! I think we are getting our first shipment of Chardonnay grapes within a week or so!