More than you ever wanted to know??

2009-05-02T08:39:00.004-04:00

What is FOODalogue?

FOODalogue: Meandering Meals, Musings and Travels is the inevitable collision of my life's passions: food, travel, photography and writing. I was a little late getting into the blogging community but that was remedied in July 2008 when I decided it was the perfect forum to meld my interests. And, I've been having a great time with it! In fact, I just celebrated my first anniversary.

I am a 'culinista'.

[Definition: one who obsesses about food...dreams it, cooks it, photographs it and writes about it.]

I earned that exalted title long before the Food Network penetrated the American conscious when I created "The Pleasure of Your Company", a full-service catering operation, as a part-time creative outlet. I customized party menus, shopped, schlepped, cooked and, yes, carted out the garbage at the end of the night. When I was faced with the decision to go 'full time', I chose corporate America and financial stability...back then when there was financial stability in corporate America!

My Culinary Point-of-View.

a little Flay

a little Ray

and a whole lot

my way!

Like Bobby, I'm all about bold flavors, particularly those from the Mediterranean and Latin & South America. Like Rachel, 30 minutes is enough time in the kitchen to get it all together. I almost never follow recipes, even my own. I also don't bake or fry. And...I really try to keep it healthy with lots of vegetables and fresh ingredients.

I am a desk-top publisher/writer.

I really enjoy desk-top publishing. Though I never had formal training when the medium was first introduced, I managed to create a brand and living from it. I still struggle with some of the technical aspects, but I've learned how to find an answer for almost any question (thank you, google) and/or to sidestep what I don't know. Oh, and thank you, Jim (see below).

The wonderful thing about life is you open one door and it leads to another. To promote the catering operation, I started publishing a seasonal 'good living' newsletter. That led to "The Finer Diner", a subsidiary from which I did some restaurant consulting, wrote a few restaurant reviews for local newspapers, and which ultimately led to "New Thoughts on an Old Business: an Rx for the Ailing Restaurant Industry" (an unfinished, unpublished, no longer relevant manuscript). I also self-published (very limited - mostly for friends) a humorous booklet called "The Happy Hour: An ABC Guide to Bar People".

However, back in my 'real' job with an investment bank, I developed a 12-page 4-color monthly newszine for employees. This project complemented the other internal communications activities I performed which included producing and marketing educational/motivational seminars for the employees, the company's annual meeting, and other special events.

In 1994, I moved to FL and was fortunate enough to take my job with me. That was a great opportunity that lasted 5 years until the company was acquired by a foreign entity and my reign as corporate historian was no longer relevant. Since then, I've been doing a little of this and a little of that.

I am a traveler.

I've been to about 20 foreign countries (some multiple times). I mean, really, who can go to Rome and not want to see it again...or not go back to visit Venice, Florence, or Tuscany?

I was on a real travel high during 2006-2008 when I visited Thailand for the first time, Greece (for the second time), Italy (for the 3rd time), Spain (for the 5th time), Puerto Rico (for about the 100th time), New Orleans (first time), Canada (first time), and New York (umpteenth since I moved). I also started The Traveling Sisterhood for a group of gal pals. I was their group organizer/leader and they were my travel companions on my most recent recent trips to Italy, Greece and Spain. But, with the state of the economy I've been sending more time in my kitchen and at the keyboard these days...I hope to remedy that real soon. These feet have been on the ground too long! I'm just itching to pack my bags.

I am a photographer.

OK, it's the point-and-shoot variety but I get some surprisingly good results -- and it's the perfect partner for travel, food and writing. I know I need to take it to the next level, but I have limited patience for things technical.

Our Family Food Fight (Jim's blog)

My son, Jim (my go-to guy for all things technical and the creator of all my myriad logos), my granddaughter, Cassie, and I challenge each other in the kitchen Iron Chef-style. It's the best way to spend a Sunday! We get creative, we have fun, and we eat!

About FOODalogue

More than you ever wanted to know??