Santa Monica Sun and Fun at Palisades Park and Weekly Farmers Market

Santa Monica Sun and Fun at Palisades Park and Weekly Farmers Market

I’m perched 100-feet high atop an eroding and landslide-prone sandstone bluff in Santa Monica, CA. As I begin my fitness walk on this late summer morning, I’m less concerned about the possibility of the ground collapsing and sending me tumblingRead more

London’s Historic Borough Market Beckons Food Lovers

London’s Historic Borough Market Beckons Food Lovers

Bundled against London’s late December chill, the woman staffing Kappacasein’s cheese stall at the Stoney Street entrance to Borough Market, London’s oldest food market, assembles our order of two toasted cheese sandwiches. For each, she begins with two thin, rectangular-shapedRead more

To Market, To Market

To Market, To Market

Posted from Glen Ellen, CA When it’s Saturday morning in San Francisco, the place to be is the farmers market at the Ferry Terminal at the Embarcadero. Within the Ferry Building itself is the Marketplace, an enticing array of largeRead more

Edmond Fallot Dijon Mustard “Cuts the Mustard” in Beaune, France

Edmond Fallot Dijon Mustard “Cuts the Mustard” in Beaune, France

Unexpectedly, a potent aroma – eye-watering, nose-piercing, heat-inducing – engulfs me. Next, the ground beneath me shimmies, accompanied by loud rumblings overhead. Fortunately, the shake-rattle-and-rolling gyrations are nothing like the undulating tremors that years ago startled me awake from aRead more

Beaune, France, Burgundy’s Wine Capital, is Rich with Ancient History

Beaune, France, Burgundy’s Wine Capital, is Rich with Ancient History

I’m walking along a promenade on ancient ramparts (La Promenade des Remparts). The pathway encircles the old town of Beaune, the celebrated wine capital of Burgundy (Bourgogne) in the Côte d’Or department in eastern France. This strategic fortification, with itsRead more

Molly Wilkinson Bakes Sweet Tastes of France in Virtual Pastry Classes

Molly Wilkinson Bakes Sweet Tastes of France in Virtual Pastry Classes

Dallas-born pastry chef Molly Wilkinson stands behind the butcher block counter in the kitchen of her charming, light-filled, 18th-century apartment in Versailles, France. She’s demonstrating how to make a simple puff pastry dough for a French apple tarte tatin. SheRead more

Goosecross Cellars Renews its Storied Wine Traditions in Napa Valley

Goosecross Cellars Renews its Storied Wine Traditions in Napa Valley

Our friends Jan and Art are already seated at a high-top table and sipping citrusy Sauvignon Blanc in the modern barn-style tasting room of Goosecross Cellars when my husband, Bill, and I enter. We’re in Yountville, tucked away on StateRead more

Ancient Walls, Outdoor Wonders, and Family Wines in Lucca, Italy

Ancient Walls, Outdoor Wonders, and Family Wines in Lucca, Italy

Standing on a broad, tree-lined pedestrian promenade in Lucca, Italy, we’re stories high atop 40-feet-tall red brick walls. Centuries old and remarkably intact, they measure an incredible 2.5 miles long and 100 feet wide at the base. These massive walls,Read more

Landmark Miller House Shines as Mid-Century Modern Icon in Columbus, IN

Landmark Miller House Shines as Mid-Century Modern Icon in Columbus, IN

Over the steady drone of lawnmowers tending to the 14 lush acres of surrounding lawn and garden, tour guide Dennis Orwin delivers instructions on how to conduct ourselves inside the Miller House in Columbus, Ind. “Don’t sit on anything,” DennisRead more

French Cooking with Chef Jean-Marc Villard in Provence

French Cooking with Chef Jean-Marc Villard in Provence

I watch in awe at the precision and speed with which Provençal chef Jean-Marc Villard peels and cores a Gala apple. The chef is demonstrating how to make a single-serving-sized tart tatin. He spoons granulated sugar into a ramekin toRead more