My guest this week is Karen Page (and photographer husband Andrew Dornenburg) with their new book “KITCHEN CREATIVITY – Unlocking Culinary Genius with Wisdom, Inspiration, and Ideas from the World’s Most Creative Chefs.
In this groundbreaking exploration of culinary genius, the authors of The Flavor Bible reveal the surprising strategies great chefs use to do what they do best. Beyond a cookbook, Kitchen Creativity is a paradigm-shifting guide to inventive cooking (without recipes!) that will inspire you to think, improvise, and cook like the world’s best chefs. xxx
Great cooking is as much about intuition and imagination as it is about flavor and technique. Kitchen Creativity distills brilliant insights into these creative processes from more than 100 top restaurant kitchens, including the Bazaar, Blue Hill, Daniel, Dirt Candy, Eleven Madison Park and the NoMad, Gramercy Tavern, the Inn at Little Washington, Le Bernardin, Oleana, Rustic Canyon, Saison, Single Thread, and Topolobampo.
xxx
Based on four years of extensive research and dozens of in-depth interviews, Kitchen Creativity illuminates the method (and occasional madness) of culinary invention. Part I reveals how to learn foundational skills, including how to appreciate, taste, and season classic dishes (Stage 1: Mastery), before reinventing the classics from a new perspective (Stage 2: Alchemy). Einstein’s secret of genius-combinatory play-pushes chefs to develop unique creations and heighten their outer and inner senses (Stage 3: Creativity). Part II’s A-to-Z entries are an invaluable culinary idea generator, with exercises to prompt new imaginings.
You’ll also discover:
- experts’ criteria for creating new dishes, desserts, and drinks;
- comprehensive seasonality charts to spark inspiration all year long;
- how to season food like a pro, and how to create complex yet balanced layers of flavor;
- the amazing true stories of historic dishes, like how desperate maitre d’ “Nacho” Anaya invented nachos; and
- proven tips to jump-start your creative process.
The ultimate reference for culinary brainstorming, Kitchen Creativity will spur your creativity to new heights, both in the kitchen and beyond. Get a copy NOW xxx
The married couple, whose website is KarenAndAndrew.com, lives in New York City, and posts on Twitter @KarenAndAndrew, on Facebook and on Instagram @theflavorbible.
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2014 Tiat Family Winery “The Ball Buster”
75% Shiraz, 14% Cabernet and 8% Merlot hand harvested from old vines in the Barossa Valley. Classic vinification, 100% basket pressed and aged in oak. Deep Black Purple. Intense aromas of black current, Stewed plums, Cherry, and chocolate. Full bodied berry palate with a sweet long lasting finish. ABV15.5% – leading to a BIG, BOLD wine i.e. the name 🙂
2014 Tiat Family Winery “The Ball Buster”
75% Shiraz, 14% Cabernet and 8% Merlot hand harvested from old vines in the Barossa Valley. Classic vinification, 100% basket pressed and aged in oak. Deep Black Purple. Intense aromas of black current, Stewed plums, Cherry, and chocolate. Full bodied berry palate with a sweet long lasting finish. ABV15.5% – leading to a BIG, BOLD wine i.e. the name 🙂Critical Acclaim
WS91
Wine Spectator – #36 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2017
Bold, with dense notes of dark chocolate—covered coffee bean, plum paste, wild blackberry, cigar box and date bread. Expressive and generous. The velvety tannins linger. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2027.
xxx
RP90
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 The Ball Buster Proprietary Red offers pronounced plum preserves, blueberry pie and blackberry tart notes with underlying licorice and dark chocolate hints. Medium to full bodied with a solid backbone of ripe tannins and lively acid cutting through the concentrated black fruits flavors, it finishes with persistent pepper, anise and spice box notes.
xxx
Grab a bottle of this wine or many others from the Wine Spectator Top-100 display at
Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road here in Wichita
Jacob Liquor Exchange on North Rock Road here in Wichita
Richly photographed and authentically local, L.A. Mexicano showcases L.A.’s famously rich and complex Mexican-food culture, including recipes, profiles of chefs, bakers, restaurateurs, and vendors, and neighborhood guides. Part cookbook, part food journalism, and part love song to Los Angeles, it’s the definitive resource for home cooks nationwide, hungry Angelenos, and food-loving visitors. Features a foreword by Taco USA ‘s Gustavo Arellano and more than 100 photos by Staci Valentine.
Bill Esparza is recent winner of a James Beard award for his coverage of the L.A. taco scene in Los Angeles Magazine . Considered one of the country’s leading experts on Mexican food, the L.A. native curates the annual Tacolandia festival in Los Angeles; writes about Mexican food for Los Angeles Magazine and others; appears regularly on CNN, KCRW’s radio show Good Food; and appears on such television shows as I’ll Have What Phil’s Having , Bizarre Foods , and Top Chef . A noted saxophone player, Esparza has traveled and eaten extensively throughout Mexico, Latin America, and, of course, Southern California. 
In the second half I’ll be talking to Lawrence Wu founder and mastermind behind WUJU, a producer of unique hot sauces.
Hot sauces have traditionally been red, vinegary, and boring – but he wanted to create something different – he wanted to create the Dijon Mustard to the Ketchup in the hot sauce world. Something that would change the world of hot sauce forever. Using that recipe as a baseline, he set out to develop a mustard-based hot sauce with a sweet side, blending ingredients like agave nectar, mango, curry, and Thai inspired spices & flavors.
Freixenet blends Carta Nevada Semi Dry sparkling wine to perform as an individual star, but gives it just enough versatility to use as an inspiring aperitif in anticipation of a delightful meal. Bridging the gap between dry and sweet sparkling wine, Freixenet Carta Nevada Semi Dry is also a suitable partner in sparkling wine cocktails. This wine has a residual sugar level of 3.7 percent, giving it a brilliant balance of sweet and dry. The toasty aroma and fruity, flavorful palate deliver creamy, sweet peaches with smooth custard flavors. Just the right touch of acidity keeps it lively.
Scotto Cellars is a 5th generation family owned and managed wine company who treats team members not only as collaborators but as family members that are encouraged to think creatively with a can-do attitude. Everyone at Scotto Cellars is an innovator who learns more while we listen than when we talk but doesn’t shy away from expressing our positivity, enthusiasm, passion and honesty in ourselves and more importantly our wines.
Bradley Gray is the Public and Media Relations Manager for the Scotto Cellars organization. He joined Scotto Cellars in May of 2013, and oversees publicity for the Scotto Family’s 40-plus brands of premium wine, hard apple cider and mead. Like everyone at Scotto Cellars, he wears many hats, so if he’s not courting wine journalists, he may be on a sales trip promoting Pacific Coast Hard Apple Cider, creating advertisements for wine magazines or shooting photographs at a wine gala in San Francisco. Bradley Gray is a 20-year wine industry public relations veteran based in Sonoma, California.
The world may not need another Chardonnay, but wine lovers who covet bright fruit flavors, creamy vanilla oak accents and the softer, more elegant flavor profiles that come from malolactic fermentation wish that every Chardonnay could be RICH & CREAMY!
In the second half I’ll be talking to Martin Ervin he is the Dad – C.E.O. responsible for 9 Lazy Kidz soon to be 10. He is a hard worker and very attentive Father. His hot sauce will knock your socks off! Literally. . . “Now don’t you be lazy….. pick your socks up at least when they get knocked off.” The first edition of this energetic new family run company is “Q’s Spicy Mango Sauce” (Q for Quintin) and I can attest to the great flavor of this fine sauce. It needs to come in a bigger bottle so it can be consumed like soup!
flavors and healthful ingredients. Handcrafted in small batches, the uniquely American syrups and extracts reflect the flavors and sensibility of the region.
2014 Marietta Cellars Angeli Cuvée 
First up is Chef Lisa Palacios Mistress of great food and owner of the 
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week: