The show features natural products of all descriptions, from supplements to cosmetics to household items but the largest category of all is food. This year, in the culinary realm, there were four clear trends: gluten free products, ancient grains, coconut oil products and vegan and/or raw foods. To be quite honest, the raw food category rarely excites me. It isn’t that I’m against vegan or raw food diets–I did eat raw myself for a time and I felt fantastic doing it. It’s just that the thing I enjoy about these diets is the fresh, seasonal produce. For me, so many processed vegan and raw products are pretty far from the exciting, bright flavors of the raw ingredients themselves. I did, however, get pretty excited by the Rawk Miracle Tarts from Hail Merry. Although nothing like a typical butter-based baked good, the tarts were satisfying, not too sweet and delicious in a unique way.

Of the trend categories, I think my favorite was the fact that coconut is on the rise. You couldn’t walk more than half a row of the showroom floor without running into at least one coconut product, mostly oils, but a few new ideas caught my eye. I particularly liked Kelapo’s organic extra virgin coconut oil sticks for use in baking. An increasing list of health benefits of coconut oil have been discovered in recent years. It is actually good for the heart and can be beneficial to the thyroid and metabolism. So I love the idea of pre-measured baking sticks as an alternative to butter. Yes, its flavor is mildly tinged with coconut but with practice it is easy to adjust to your personal taste.

My other favorite coconut product is Earth Balance’s new organic extra virgin coconut spread. I tasted it on toast, like butter. The effect was the same as a thick, rich pat of good butter… only slightly fruity, nutty. It is an incredibly complex product in a nondescript little tub.

Other products at the show that piqued my interest include:

CasCal Natural Soft Drinks Ripe Rouge
A faintly fizzy drink made from a blend of cherry rose and chocolate, its subtle flavor would make an excellent, non-alcoholic alternative to wine. (Now that I’m pregnant I find myself thinking about such things!)

Doctor in the Kitchen Flackers
I’m not generally a cracker person but these nearly paper thin flax and spice flatbreads make a perfect accompaniment to cheese, one of nature’s finest aphrodisiacs. (Although they’re also great on their own and they’ll probably keep you pretty regular–never overlook the aphrodisiac of fiber.)

Mario Batali Gelato & Sorbetto
Set to hit the market later this spring, these gelatos are made by traditional Italian machines to create an impressively fluffy texture for a prepackaged product.

Ayala’s Herbal Water
These subtly flavored drinks with aphrodisiac ingredients like cinnamon, lavender, cardamom and mint are available in equally thirst-quenching still and sparkling varieties.

iPlant
This environmentally friendly, temperature-controlled appliance allows you to grow sprouts right on your counter top in as little as five days.

Sprout Skin Care
Of the staggering number of skin care products out their, this new brand caught my eye. Everything in the line is edible, (think lickable) and made from organic, Fair Trade ingredients.

I’ve been assigned the unbelievably decadent role of official blogger for the 2012 Napa Truffle Festival. As Truffle Festival blogger, I thought it was important to address one of the biggest hot buttons in the culinary world since it involves the famed aphrodisiac of truffles, (or faux truffles as the case may be!) Although the blog post is specific to the Truffle Festival, the topic is one of interest to food lovers around the world:

The Napa Truffle Festival comes only once a year and I know most of you, (myself included), want to enjoy truffles the rest of the year. A few years ago, a product made it big on the gourmet foods market which allowed us all to indulge in truffles at home. But, as is the case with many good things, success spoiled truffle oil and the market became flooded with inexpensive products promising the essence of the rare fungus in a bottle.

It all came to light with the New York Times article “Hocus-Pocus, and a Beaker of Truffles” which exposed inexpensive truffle oils as, essentially, cheap knockoffs. Ever since then, chefs (including many who had previously happily doused their cuisine with the stuff) and most food media have turned up their noses at all liquid truffle essence.

I am writing this post to help clear up a little of the controversy and let you know that there are great products out there that can give you a little taste of truffle at home.

To understand genuine truffle oil, its important to understand the “Beaker of Truffles” the New York Times exposed. Many commercial truffle oils are made by combining olive oil with aromatic molecules manufactured in a laboratory. If you compare one of these oils with the aroma of a fresh truffle, you will immediately notice the difference. A truffle is much more subtle, delicate. Yet the taste of these manufactured truffle oils is similar enough that it fooled great chefs for years. And even now, great chefs, including Chicago’s Grant Achatz, still use a drop or two on occasion to enhance the flavor of truffle dishes.

If you enjoy the flavor of these truffle imitators, then I say knock yourself out! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enhancing your food with a flavor you enjoy. (I’m not shy about drizzling a little on a well-salted pile of French fries!) Just don’t confuse it with the taste of real truffles, one of the greatest food experiences in the world.

There are a few honorable products on the market that make truffle oil with genuine truffles. They’re more expensive oils and their flavors are much more subtle than what you might expect. But there truffle notes are complex and like no other flavor sensation on earth. Check the bottle’s ingredients for one that lists oil and truffles as the ingredients like Chef Jack Czarnecki’s Oregon Truffle Oil. (I even recommend it in one of the recipes in my new book, Romancing the Stove.) Terms such as “natural truffle flavoring” or “truffle essence” are a giveaway that what you’re holding was made in a beaker.

The best way, of course, is to experience truffles in their natural state. Which is why, if you haven’t already, you should get your tickets to the 2012 Truffle Festival before its too late!

I’d forgotten how much I enjoy this event which showcases everything from vitamins to all-natural nail polish to, of course, food. I tend to stick mainly to the food hall (I just made the event sound like a Beer Fest, didn’t I?) But I admit to swinging through the lifestyle and beauty sections for a little change of pace.

I’m not going to lie, part of what I love about the convention is the people watching. Close your eyes and just imagine the types who attend a whole expo full of organic, vegan, preservative-free, fair trade products. Its a good picture, right?

But beyond the eye candy, the event magnifies many of the trends of the year in the upscale food world as well as those trends which will trickle down, over the next few years, to the masses.

This year, I was surprised to find an entire new category which was totally absent the last time I attended the event: freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. Sure, I’ve seen them at Whole Foods for years but there were at least 15 companies offering their take on this portable snack.

Another big trend was vegan and raw foods. The show was my first experience with vegan seafood. Although I have to wonder why, if you choose to eat vegan, that you would want seafood but it seems that people do. I did enjoy the “calamari” at Sophie’s Kitchen and would consider trying some of their other products. (The vegan seafood is made from a combination of Japanese yam, seaweed, and wheat.) Among the raw foods, I liked Sunfood’s simple, organic dried fruits and nuts (including hard-to-find organics like goji and maqui berries.)

Granola, granola bars, food bars, meal bars, snack bars, kid bars, cookie-shaped bars and protein bars were, as one would expect, a huge component of the show. I liked one of the relative newcomers, Love Grown granola (in part because of their “lovely” name but I also liked the people who made it, their vision and, most importantly, their products’ flavor.)

One of the show’s most unique foods came from Canada, Prairie Berries Saskatoon berries. If supply can meet demand, these little black fruits are poised to be the next “super fruit.” They are loaded, as you might guess, in antioxidants and fiber and their flavor is rich and intense.

Drinks were also big at the expo, from drinks to hydrate to energize to mellow to, shockingly, simply drink. I enjoyed the Activate and Hint waters but my favorite of the liquid refreshments belonged in the simply drink category. It was the oddly named Fresh Ginger Ginger Ale by Bruce Cost. The drink is made from 100% pure ginger with light effervescence and a pure but reasonably mellow flavor.

I brought home an impressive to-go bag of granolas, chocolates, popcorns, sodas, coconut waters and even kefir to taste later. Although some people think its eating all the health foods at the show is the gift you give your body, but lets face it, the goodie bag is the show’s gift that keeps on giving!

If you live in the U.S., many of these products can be found at Whole Foods (and if your store doesn’t yet carry them, ask!), as well as independent health food and gourmet grocers. A few have gone more mainstream. Check your local grocery store, Trader Joe’s, Starbucks or Jamba Juice for an expanded selection of healthy options.

First of all, I want to say that I think its sad that people are only interested in celebrating romance with this kind of intensity once/year. Shouldn’t Valentine’s Day be once a week or, ideally, every day. (Ok, almost every day.) But since we feel the social pressure to live it up on this one day of the year, I thought the best thing to do would be to put my choices bits of advice all in one place for all who want to be in the know.

1. Is and always will be skip the restaurant. Now, its one thing if you’re doing a romantic weekend getaway in which case the restaurant is pretty much a necessity. But at least, it is just one small part of a long and, hopefully, sexy experience.

However, if the restaurant is your special day event, don’t do it. Restaurants generally overbook, often understaff and, in the worst cases, squeeze in extra tables to accommodate the one day of the year some patrons decide to visit their restaurant. (Can you blame them?) So unless you want to spend your day of romance with the one you love, and 62 strangers, non of whom include an attentive server, stay home.

2. Don’t overindulge. And by this I mean don’t make the most decadent meal you can imagine to work your way into your lover’s heart through their stomach. Because that food will do nothing but sit in their stomach and you will be doing nothing after dinner and by nothing, I mean nothing! So, stay away from gorgonzola-smothered strip steak; oysters rockefeller; duchess potatoes and anything alfredo!

Oh, and watch out if you’re still insisting on doing the restaurant. They are notorious for assembling an anti-aphrodisiac feast for the senses on this most important of nights. I can remember consulting with one very well-known chef (who shall remain nameless) on his Valentine’s menu, insisting that an interactive sundae of 4 different house-made ice creams, hot fudge, caramel, candied nuts and whipped cream is something you absolutely cannot do to your customer. (In the end, we came up with a much more libido-friendly, ethereal ile flottante for two.)

3. Takeout is not a sin. If you’re going to treat your love to something special on V’day but you’re not feeling secure with your cooking chops (or you simply don’t have the time to go the distance after a long day at the office), feel no fear about picking up your favorite ethnic cuisine. Just think a little about how you can make it special. Try presenting it on your fine china instead of serving from a cardboard carton.

4. Its all in the ingredients. This is the area about which I get the most questions. What aphrodisiacs should I feature on Valentine’s Day?

Well guess what, folks? I created that handy dictionary of aphrodisiac foods on Eat Something Sexy for just this reason. Spend a little time browsing and you might find something to surprise or intrigue.

For those of you who need it spelled out in 140 characters or less, I recommend a Valentine’s meal incorporating ingredients that have an immediate, physiological effect. These include chile peppers; ginger; Champagne (and other forms of alcohol strictly served in moderation); seafood for sustained energy; for women, truffles; for men, vanilla; and for everyone, coffee.

As for recipes, we have some stellar, simple plans for sexy dishes on the site. Check out Diane Brown’s Diva Dish for a few full Valentine’s meals that work on almost any budget and for cooks of any skill level.

Of course, I’ve also written a new book on the topic, The Love Diet, with recipes that star all the aforementioned ingredients (as well as a bevvy of ingredients to keep your libido humming the whole year round.) If you want to get the book to check out red curry shrimp with ripe mango; cupid’s kiss champagne cocktail; black truffle lovers’ lasagna and pistacho affogato, for the special price of $12-its normally $14.95, just dm my twitter alter ego, @forkmespoonme for a bargain price link.

I bookmarked the story thinking a taste test of these crazy drinks would make a fun article for Eat Something Sexy somewhere down the road. But never did I dream that a brush with the promised land would be so near in my future.

Three days later bundt babe Chrysta Wilson of Kiss My Bundt Bakery and I stopped in a convenient store for cold drinks. There it was. Nestled between the Evian and Vitamin Water was a cherry red, rocket-shaped bottle emblazon with the name neuro gasm. Print propaganda emblazon on the bottle’s front promised a lightly carbonated nutritional supplement with “passion in every bottle.”

I grasped the bottles tapered, silver tip and lightly twisted to remove the lid (this thing was so obviously designed by a man) then imbibed the drink which begged me to, “play in the healthy way.” Were I to describe neuro gasm in wine speak I would call its flavor profile Hawaiian punch with a splash of 7Up and lingering, crushed multivitamin on the finish.

Although it would be illegal in this country for the manufacturer to say it outright, the drink’s proprietary blend of l-citrulline, taurine, caffeine, resveratrol, B vitamins, etc is meant to boost energy and sex drive. Did my neuro gasm work in the way it was intended? I suggest you get your own and find out. Just, please, don’t send me the details of your neurogasmic experience.

The theme for the menu was going to be food for rose Champagne. I planned some elements of my menu in advance, making a variation on the Blue Cheese Walnut Brittle from The Love Diet on Saturday (out of peanuts and parmesan with rosemary) as well as a chocolate chip and potato chip cake earlier in the week. (I used the vanilla cake from the Kiss My Bundt cookbook with chocolate chips and potato chips folded into the batter).

From the farmers’ market I grabbed the best of late summer and early fall, combining apples, passion fruits, chanterelles, heirloom tomatoes and figs into the menu. The figs, one of the highlights, were a small, green, thin-skinned variety I’d never seen before, that I served simply with sour cream and brown sugar a la Fork Me, Spoon Me. (Yes, I do actually cook quite a bit from my own books.)

Along with the figs and the cake, I served a baked chanterelle, zucchini, arugula and truffle oil frittata, kale and apple salad with parmesan peanut “croutons”, heirloom tomatoes with rocket onions and chevre and a passion fruit mahi mahi ceviche (served with a side of kettle cooked potato chips). To finish the meal, one of the guests brought a delicious array of cookies from The Cravery (for whom she had worked on recipe development) which we washed down with espressos and more Champagne.

Passion Fruit Mahi Mahi Ceviche
4 passion fruits
juice of 2-3 limes
juice of 1 lemon
1 lb mahi mahi filets cut into 1/4″ pieces
1/2 ripe mango, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
salt to taste

Strain the passion fruits and add their juice to the lemon and lime juices. Toss with the fish, mango, onion and cilantro. Then stir in the remaining passion fruit seeds and pulp from the strainer. Add additional lime juice to taste and season with salt. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.

Baked Chanterelle, Zucchini, Arugula and Truffle Oil Frittata

1/4 lb fresh chanterelles
8 eggs
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp black truffle oil
1 small, Spanish onion, chopped
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 c fresh arugula
pinch of salt and pepper
1/4 c freshly grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Trim and roughly chop chanterelles and set aside.

Combine eggs, flour, milk and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a non-stick saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add zucchini, oregano, pepper and salt and saute for an additional 4 minutes before adding in chanterelles. Saute until chanterelles are soft, about another 3-4 minutes. remove from heat and stir in arugula.

Coat a 9×13 or other large baking dish with cooking spray. Spread vegetables evenly on the bottom of the dish then pour eggs over top. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until eggs are set but not firm. Top with parmesan and broil for 4 minutes.

Serve hot or at room temperature with sparkling wine and good company.

The first copies of the book arrived on my doorstep last Thursday, just in time for a private book release party in my Los Angeles test kitchen. We chose to hold the party on schedule despite the fact that my co-author, Juan-Carlos Cruz sat in the Los Angeles men’s central prison held on $2,000,000 bail.

The party was lovely, thanks to my friends Annette and Anne who prepared enough food for an army from recipes in the book. (I actually stuck them with the work of not 2 cooks but 5(!) because I had broken my foot and could barely lurch my way around the kitchen and the two culinary students I’d booked for the event to assist were no-shows.)

I am proud to say I only cried once, although I waited until the last minute to put on mascara because I found myself feeling weepy in the hours leading up to the big event. As I put on my little, red, Calvin Klein dress I remembered trying it on in the store two months ago thinking how perfect it will look not only with my coloring but standing beside Juan-Carlos’ white linen suit.

(I was also feeling the disappointment of having to lug around a clunky medical boot on my left foot instead of the saucy stilettos I’d paired with my dress. Not only did I have to lurch in my none too sexy footwear but I knew I was also inviting the unwanted attention of having to explain that I klutzed myself into a broken foot by stubbing my toe on a chair. Yes, I am vain and clumsy.)

As the guests arrived, I laced the boot with red turkey feathers in a ditch effort to make myself feel a little Love Diet lovely and they did add a little much-needed charm to my mood and my ensemble.

The evening, of course, invited the series of awkward questions to which I’m becoming accustomed. I get it. I would be dying to get the skinny if a friend or colleague was in my situation. The whole Juan-Carlos scandal is unbelievable. You can read the most extensive commentary at TMZ if you’ve been living in a blissfully gossip free world since May 13.

As you may have noticed, my blog has remained conspicuously un-updated in the past few weeks because my recent experiences have been more than a little difficult to share with my readers.

Many of you have reached out to me to lend your support and I so much appreciate you. I especially appreciate the fact that those of you who caught me on the Today Show chose to compliment me on my new hairdo rather than ask questions about my near-melt down on live television. (The dress I wore on the morning show, since many of you asked, was actually my great aunt’s and was, indeed, a vintage number.)

Once I recovered from the initial shock of learning of JC’s arrest (I was notified long before the mainstream media picked up the story), I became consumed by the public interest in the scandal. I am still baffled as to why people were so fascinated by what became the number one celebrity scandal in the country(!) for a brief time. I was hounded by the media for about ten days.

It was difficult for me to make the decision to speak to the media. After about three days of saying no, I finally agreed to speak with Nightline. I felt comfortable with the show’s integrity and their plans for how they would present the story. Then, when I was asked to do the Today Show before Nightline aired, I realized that I wanted to speak out to mainstream America and ask them not to dismiss my friend and celebrity chef as a closet psychopath.

I was grateful that Today was going to give me the opportunity to help humanize JC and talk about his talent, his giving nature and his apparent happiness with his present and future. I’m not going to deny it, I was also going on that show to help save The Love Diet, whose imminent release was becoming overshadowed by an ugly scandal. Not only was I the book’s co-author but also the publisher. So yes, I wasn’t going on the show just for JC but also for both my own peace of mind and, frankly, to help protect my investment. (Keep in mind that JC benefits nearly as much as I will from book sales, so as far as the financial reasons for going on the show went, that was for us both.)

After the two shows I also agreed to an interview with the AP in which I had the opportunity to explain why I thought the whole story was insane by sharing what I know of JC’s relationship with his wife Jennifer. Juan-Carlos has been my friend for almost six years. I do not really know Jennifer–we only met in person one time. But I do know her in that way you know friend’s spouses and was so glad to have the chance to tell the AP reporter how lovingly they acted as a couple, how dependent on one another and how secure they were together.

I thought perhaps a few media outlets that had been covering the story closely, like TMZ and the Huffington Post might pick up bits of my AP interview. But I was shocked and appalled to wake up the next morning to see quotes from the story printed in nearly every major newspaper in the country from the Boston Globe to Washington Post to the LA Times blog. How could the nation care that much about my interpretation of my friend’s horrendous situation?

This brush with fame has been a freakish and soul-draining experience. The worst part is knowing that through it all, my friend and colleague sits in jail while I rest in the comfort of my home office allowing the media to use my perspective to make sense of this crazy, alleged crime. The guilt of throwing a party without him threatened to overtake my pleasure in the experience but my core needed to toast our hard work with our friends, colleagues and a glass of Champagne Perrier Jouet.

I haven’t yet visited Juan-Carlos in lockup. I did arrange to have money put on my phone so that he could call me, though I haven’t heard from him yet. I plan to visit him this Friday but don’t be surprised if I don’t blog on the experience. Although I did allow the media into my life for a short time, I still believe that some moments should be kept private.

Tcho Chocolate: this was my first experience with Tcho, although the company is already huge with the tech heads. Tcho was founded by the publisher of Wired magazine and takes an approach to chocolate that is sure to be a hit with millennials. Bright, savvy packaging and flavor profiles described as “fruity” “earthy” “nutty” etc make the company stand out from the crowd. But the flavors also stand up to the taste test. Tcho is making some darn good chocolate.

Pigtale Twist: LOVE the name (although I’m not so sure what it has to do with the product). The company makes flavorful caramel sauce and salad dressings without the added fat, sugar and preservatives of your average grocery store product. Flavors are tasty and clean without lingering salty or sweetness.

Le Foam: This is one of those “about time” products. Delivering dressings, sauces and mmmm… chocolate in mousse cans, Le Foam is perfect for quick and fuss-free presentations at dinner parties and cocktail soirees. Sure, it isn’t at the top of the all-natural list, but the flavors are good, sophisticated even, and it really provides a neat fix for those moments when presentation counts.

Bread Armor Artisan Bread Bags: I think practically I’ve waited my whole life for a product that will keep my baguette tasting fresh for more than half a day. Haven’t tried mine out yet, but I’m very excited by the prospect!

Sence European Rose Nectar: Talk about an aphrodisiac in a bottle, Sence takes the flavor of rose water and makes, well, a bottle of water! Although the flavors of this pink drink are relatively subtle with a pretty, light sweetness, on its own the nectar tastes a bit like chewing on a bouquet. However, as a base for delicate and lightly sweet cocktails, I think the drink has almost endless potential.

The Winter show, held each year at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, is one of the most interesting and most repulsive culinary experiences. It is an opportunity to discover new food products, see how manufacturers have pushed the envelope and taste all those things you see at Dean & Deluca, Whole Foods and other gourmet retailers but aren’t sure you want to shell out the cash just to sample.

It is the place where new trends in food are made.

It is also place where otherwise civilized members of the food community allow themselves to be herded like cattle into convention center halls to stuff their faces with everything from duck confit to truffle butter to hand-made marshmallows, one after another (whiskey chocolate truffle followed by oil-free pesto next smoked pork then gluten-free scones then buttermilk ranch then more chocolate) while shuffling from booth to booth to booth of the world’s greatest decadences.

Today was my annual visit to this mecca of gourmet manufacturing. Countless miles in my black leather boots later, I feel, although I most certainly did not see it all (that would take days), I have a pretty good handle on what we can expect to see from the food world in the year to come.

Show organizers sent out a report that the big trends this year were “functional” foods; pickled things; yuzu and other exotic citrus and – BIG buzz word – gluten-free. In fact, manufacturers are rolling out gluten-free so fast that its almost as though the whole country has developed intolerance to the big G, its just that some of us didn’t get the memo. Now, I don’t know about you, but I love me some gluten. I did, I am surprised to report, find one gluten-free product at the show that I absolutely loved: Zix ravioli cookies. (Zix makes both regular and gluten-free but I have to say that, in this case, gluten-free is better!)

Other highlights of the show included Icio water, which offered both creative packaging and interesting flavors. Icio makes waters in lemon basil, peppermint and lemongrass cucumber and the bottle? a big, clear, plastic hip flask (old school, yet sleek – nice!) In other beverages, Coffees of Hawaii offers coffee berry tisanes. Though they’re made from from coffee’s husks, they have less caffeine than decaf but they still have all of coffee’s antioxidant benefits. The taste? I am a huge herbal tea fan and I loved these teas, nicely bodied but not heavy. The flavors come from natural, Hawaiian ingredients like Papaya Vanilla and Ginger. Another functional food I thought was cleaver and pretty well made was the Goji Gourmet’s new, preservative-free cookies, which use goji berries like raisins (only healthier) in cookie flavors like chocolate chip and almond oat.

From healthy to heavenly, the show proved that pork products are not dead. Bacon is everywhere, from bacon pretzels to bacon cakes to bacon-flavored salt, yep salt. There was also no shortage of cheese – in fact, I think it was the most cheese I’ve ever seen at the show. But believe it or not, even among the 526 cheeses upon which I feasted eye and taste bud, (no, I did not actually taste 526 – but I could have), there was one major standout. The Promontory Cheddar from Utah’s Beehive Cheese Company is the best smoked cheese I’ve ever tasted. The smoke flavor is subtle and beautifully balanced with the cheddar’s sharp notes, salt content and creamy texture. Yum!

Even among the thousands of temptations the show had on offer, I can pick out one product that was my favorite of the day: the Corks and Cookies from CookieZen, a brand new (as in founded last June) cookie company based in Washington DC. Baker Leah Kuo has created a full line of cookies that will pair with wines. Flavors are traditional, but slightly more subtle, less sweet than typical over-the-top confections and include double chocolate peanut butter chip; iced lemon sugar; oatmeal raisin and even a peanut butter with chocolate ganache. The cookies come with pairing recommendations by, as the cookie brochure puts it, “a professional sommelier.” I’ve yet to taste the cookies with wine myself – I’ve requested a set of samples to be sent to me at home so that little pleasure will be next week’s tasteriffic task – but having tasted the cookies, I think the potential is certainly there to spark a new, culinary trend of fine wine and down home baked goods. My fingers are crossed that the wines and cookies work as well as I think they will and that CookieZen will be able to get the cookies out there on a national level. (Currently they are only available online and in the DC area.) If they can, THAT will be the fancy food trend I have been waiting for all of my life!

My mind immediately started planning my dream roster of contestants. Of course, Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame headed the list. But he would never do the show… would he? I had no problem with coming up dozens of participants, the fun was in mentally shuffling the personalities to come up with individual show casts of people I’d love to see trying to cook in the same room. Here are some of my fantasy episodes:

Anthony Bordain, Rocco DiSpirito, Nancy Silverton, Jeremiah Tower

Bradley Ogden, April Bloomfield, Suzanne Goin, Todd English

Grant Achatz, Lidia Bastianich, Jose Andres, Alan Wong

Charlie Palmer, Pilar Sanchez, Charlie Trotter, Nitzi Rabin

Masahara Morimoto, Michael Mina, Johnny Iuzzini, Daniel Boulud

Marcus Samuelson, Eric Ripert, Ken Oringer, Alex Guarnaschelli

Who would star in your dream episode?

And who is your Master?