Bell peppers are the sweet, non-pungent members of the Capsicum annuum family, prized for their crisp texture, juiciness, and vibrant colors. Green, red, yellow, and orange peppers are the same fruit at different stages of ripeness, with sweetness increasing as they mature. In the kitchen, bell peppers are valued for their versatility—equally at home raw in salads, roasted for depth and sweetness, or sautéed as a foundational aromatic in countless cuisines.

Years ago I was competing in Erfuft, Germany with a CIA Culinary Olympic team. When the competition was over, we had time to walk around Erfurt (home of the famous poet Goethe). There was a man grilling German sausages on a small grill in the center of the town square. I joined the long line of locals purchasing delicious, grilled German sausage with onions-amazing!

When I was a student studying culinary arts at the CIA, preparing Caesar salad and fambéed desserts were competencies we were tested on when we were studying in the school restaurants. Caesar salad is delicious for a variety of reasons... croutons fried or toasted with olive oil provides great texture and is delicious, Caesar salad dressing is an 'umami bomb' of flavor... savory and deeply satisfying notes from anchovies, Worcester sauce, aged parmesan cheese and rich, creamy mouthfeel from the fat from egg yolks.. absolutely delicious.

Arugula is spicy! It's one of my favorite lettuces to make salads with. I like adding toasted nuts, cheeses and sometimes fruits and berries to arugula for great salads. I prefer an emulsified vinaigrette with honey, olive oil, mustard, lemon & herbs... these days I use a little mayonnaise instead of raw egg yolk for the emulsion.

One of my most memorable roast duck meals with in Lyon, France. I was in France with two other CIA instructors, cooking a dinner for expats with the local, French chefs. We dined at Paul Bocuse's restaurant one night and Chef Bocuse came to our table to greet us. He announced he would be roasting a duck for us in the hearth that evening! Can you imagine-the room fell silent and all of the diners looked at us (rather jealousy)...  Three of my favorite duck preparations, each showcasing a different culinary tradition are: Peking Duck (China) A highly refined preparation where the duck is air-dried, roasted until the skin is exceptionally crisp, and traditionally served with thin pancakes, scallions, cucumber, and hoisin sauce. The focus is on lacquered skin and precise carving. I had this meal several times in Beijing with some of the amazing Campbell Soup leadership team. Duck à l’Orange (France) A hallmark of French cuisine, this dish pairs roasted duck with a bittersweet orange sauce made from a gastrique (bitter, caramelized sugar), vinegar, citrus, and stock—highlighting the balance of richness and acidity. Confit de Canard (France) Duck legs are salt-cured, slowly cooked in their own fat, and then crisped before serving. Originally a preservation method, confit delivers deeply savory flavor and meltingly tender meat. I enjoyed duck confit many times with Beaujolais while in France.

My favorite shrimp are 16/20 tiger shrimp! I love the crunchy bite and visual appearance. I always get 'shell on' so I can use the shells for stocks and sauces. Shrimp are classified primarily by size, typically expressed as a count per pound (for example, 16/20 or 26/30), with smaller numbers indicating larger shrimp. For shrimp cocktail, larger sizes—such as U10, 16/20, or 21/25—are preferred for their dramatic presentation and juicy bite. Shrimp can be purchased fresh or frozen, head on or off, raw, cooked, peeled... Common types include white shrimp (mild and tender), brown shrimp (slightly firmer with a deeper, iodine-rich flavor), pink shrimp (sweet and delicate), and tiger shrimp or prawns (large, meaty, and visually striking).

My first professional cooking job was in a continental restaurant built on a large, docked ship. I was hired as the garde manger cook for my culinary school externship. During my externship I must have cooked and peeled hundreds of pounds of shrimp, opened thousands of clams and oysters and prepared gallons of tangy, cocktail sauce during that five month period. I can still remember the aroma of the chili sauce when I opened the number 10 cans...

One of the first thing students at the CIA learn to cook is vegetables. I suspect cabbages are not the most popular veggies in the United States but I'm certainly a fan!  I actually prepared braised red cabbage with a poached, sliced stuffing roll and roasted goose on the 10th and final day of the CMC exam. The CMC proctor made me julienne the core of the cabbage... Chefs know all about adding vinegar to keep red cabbage from turning blue!

I would consider stuffing poached in a napkin as a roullade or torchon (like a foie gras torchon). It is a European technique where seasoned bread stuffing is formed into logs, wrapped tightly in a damp linen napkin or cheesecloth (or plastic wrap), and then gently poached to create moist, cohesive, flavorful stuffing 'log', perfect for slicing and serving with gravy. I like to slice and gently toast in butter to serve with pork or poultry.  I learned to prepare stuffing, rolled in a cloth napkin and poached in chicken broth at the CIA. I actually prepared this and served this stuffing roll sliced with roasted goose and braised red cabbage on the 10th and final day of the CMC exam.

Butter, spices, and traditional family recipes bring us together in the simplest—and most meaningful—ways. This is a cookie my mother baked at Easter time. The lemon sugar crust is delicious... perfect with coffee or tea.

Butter, spices, and traditional family recipes bring us together in the simplest—and most meaningful—ways. Christmas cookies are more than nostalgic treats; they’re a celebration of childhood memories, and maybe cookies help to make us all a little more patient, thoughtful & friendly each holiday season. I remember driving with my father to the city each Christmas to pick up Aunt Flora. She would send us out with decorative plates of homemade, Italian Christmas cookies to deliver to the local relatives. It was always snowing-we would spend a few minutes visiting each family, have a few cookies and a glass of sweet wine or coffee. My mother and aunts began baking cookies the day after Thanksgiving. They filled the freezer with shoe boxes of cookies lined with wax paper for protection... frozen cookies are pretty delicious!