Welcome to 100 Miles, an exploration of sustaining life by going no further away than 100 miles to gather the things we need to live. This web log is my journal of food-based experiences, memories, thoughts, and recipes. I hope you enjoy reading it. To subscribe, so as not to miss each new edition, please enter your email address.
I took my prom date to dinner at the French Laundry. No, really, I did. In 1977. Granted back then it wasn’t the French Laundry it would grow up to be. The French Laundry now owned by uber-chef Thomas Keller. The world renowned French Laundry; a place where everyone who knows good food wants to [...]
Une tarte à l’oignon, or onion tart, quickly became a favorite dish to eat when I lived in the Alsace region of France. In the late ’70s I spent a year there working for a French family as an au pair, or mother’s helper. The region is fairly wet and cold for a good portion [...]
Preserved lemons remind me of places I’ve yet to visit: Tunisia, Morocco, North Africa, Turkey, and some I’ve already visited: Greece, and France. Primarily known as a condiment used in North African cooking, preserved lemons, or variations of them, are used in many other cuisines. They appear in Greek, Turkish, Cambodian and even East African [...]
Open and become a part owner in a restaurant in Italy? Sure, why not? That’s exactly what happened several years ago when chef Jeremiah Tower and I decided to try our hand at operating a ristorante in a small hill town in Umbria, Italy. What no one tells you [...]
I have a confession to make: I actually like sitting down at a table to eat and drink just a bit more than I do cooking. Okay, a lot more. There’s something so wonderful about plopping down at a beautifully set table, laying a cloth napkin across one’s lap and waiting for that first plate [...]