Hi All,

Wow! Is this my “new normal”?

I’m on what could be called an emotional roller coaster, but I am trying to live in place of calm and centered peace. Sometimes I am successful, and sometimes I am not!

Comfort food! Polenta with Mascarpone.

This past Friday was the Memorial Service and Celebration of Life for my sister-in-law, who passed away too young, followed by my cousins wedding in DC on Saturday night, my daughter’s birthday in Brooklyn on Sunday and another funeral on Monday morning for a friend’s mother. When we returned home this weekend, our dog Maggie, was very sick, so last night we had to put her down and we buried her this morning next to Guinevere, our dog who passed away 10 years ago. So many happy and sad moments, all together, hand in hand.

Stuck in a cereal box, with nowhere to go!

Maggie had quite a life, as a dog of a chef! There was always good food around, and she learned quickly that the best food was not found in her doggie bowl! She thought nothing of helping herself to anything left out on the counter within jumping up range, or diving into the garbage can for a delicious plastic bag or bottle cap! Anything was game for my lab! The doctors were amazed at what she could pass! I know I’m going to have to sweep the floor more often, now that she is gone, but I will not miss coming home to the garbage pail knocked over and spread throughout the house! Rest in Peace my friend! I love you!

Maggie garbage diving, without taking the lid off!

My guest on my radio show this week is Amie Hamlin. Amie is the Executive Director of New York Coalition for Healthy School Food (NYCHSF). NYCHSF is a statewide nonprofit that works to improve the health and well-being of New York’s students by advocating for healthy plant-based foods, comprehensive nutrition policy, and education, to create food and health literate students. Next Wednesday is their annual fund raiser, which is always a wonderful event, filled with delicious Vegan delicacies and a worth while cause. I will be there, along with my staff, serving up a Japanese Stir Fry with Sesame Rice Noodles. I hope you can join us for both the interview and the event!

Next week I will be interviewing Sandor Ellix Katz, a self-taught fermentation experimentalist and author of Wild Fermentation – which Newsweek called the “fermenting bible.” Katz has taught hundreds of fermentation workshops across the country, sharing his knowledge to demystify home fermentation. His new book, The Art of Fermentation, takes it one step further, sharing stories and history, while guiding anyone willing, into the wild arena of fermentation.

Roasted Crinkle-Cut Potatoes.

September is over, and Halloween is looming! This month is the Slow Food International Conference called Terra Madre in Turin, Italy. My tickets are bought and I’m already making plans for our community service Thanksgiving, which will take place this year on November 20th. I know I will return from Italy, and Thanksgiving will be here before I know what hit me! Please keep us in mind for donations of food, turkeys, and children’s gifts, as we move through the season.

Thank you all so much, and have a wonderful week!

In peace and love,
Bhavani