The Omnivorous Epicure?

Although I like to think of myself as "primarily a novelist," I started out as The Omnivorous Epicure; I'll eat anything that tastes good. My first effort was a food column that appeared in eight daily newspapers. I started writing it while running a horse farm near Charlottesville, Virginia.

That was long before I published a prize-winning novel and acquired an MFA in Fiction Writing from Virginia Commonwealth University -- I started my career in journalism with a high school diploma from Onteora. I was a sports reporter on the Kingston Daily Freeman ... back in the Linotype era, when Charlie Tiano was the Sports Editor. I miss the buzz of working in a newsroom, though not as much as I have missed writing about food.

After teaching cooking and wine tasting, I reviewed restaurants in Richmond, Virginia for awhile. My favorite red wine is Morgon, though I like Pommard, and also Chinon. I might like California reds more if they didn't seem so over-priced; and since the left coast wine laws have no teeth, you never really know what you might be drinking.. I also love the Rheingaus and Moselles, though Mersault would get the nod if only they could be a bit more reliable; but nothing compares to Sauternes.

My first restaurant was so successful that I never got a chance to do any catering. I have worked in a number of kitchens and also as a restaurant manager. I know the business. Most of all, I know how hard it is.

My first cookbook, The Hundred Glories of American Cuisine, is almost ready for a publisher.

I rarely visit a restaurant alone -- what would be the point? -- but I don't always visit more than once before writing the review. I like to write about the whole performance, not just the food. Buffets usually bore me, but I love church suppers. And bake sales.

My favorite meal is the Thanksgiving feast. However, in the future I'm making grilled lamb, not roast turkey. When you come right down to it, I prefer a spit-roated lamb to a slow-cooked roast pig. I do love the barbecue burrito at the Blue Ribbon in West Newton. It may be impossible to improve on the cheeseburger at The Riverside in Charlottesville. El Parillan serves the best carne asada taco in Los Angeles. Real Texas chili is ambrosia. So is broccoli with Hollandaise, or a good porterhouse with Bearnaise sauce. I like to cook dinner with friends. Why aren't you here?

- The Omnivorous Epicure