Jeannie… About The Author
Plucked from the bounty of Los Angeles’ Farmer’s Market and gourmet shops to become a cheechako (newcomer) on Kodiak Island, Alaska, I soon learned fresh ingredients--like raspberries or even milk--were commodities to covet. Weather permitting, food arrived in Kodiak only by air or ship (which translated into many dinner parties minus salad lettuce and often desserts that had to be cooked with powdered milk as the fresh counterpart hadn’t arrived). But while many ingredients, like fresh lemons, were often scarce, liquor, wine, beer and liqueurs were readily available (did I mention at that time Kodiak was a Navy/Marine/Coast Guard base!). So began my culinary journey to substitute “spirited ingredients” for those locally lacking: limoncello for lemons; curaçao for oranges; Cherry Heering for cherries…you get the picture. Eventually, substitution segued from a necessary challenge to fun experimentation. Soon I was adding spirited pizzazz to recipes even when the original ingredients were available! Dinner guests heartily approved, so the experiments continued…even after I'd moved back to the “lower 48,” where fresh ingredients were plentiful. My Mom claimed I must have been a “foodie” en utero. As a toddler, I happily snacked on limburger cheese and pickled pigs’ feet with my Aunt, heartily slurped my Polish Grandma’s duck blood soup (czarnina) or sat on my French Grandpa’s lap as he gave me bites of steak tartare and sourdough crepes. While my family preferred American-inspired chop suey at Chinese restaurants, I insisted on Szechuan dishes…the spicier the better. As a teen, with no opportunity for global travel, I sought out recipes from other parts of the world as a substitution for those exotic locales. Bless my Dad, for after Mom had declared my first attempts at too-spicy curry and too-much-Tabasco jambalaya "inedible", Dad not only downed them but asked for seconds! While food is my passionate avocation, my vocation has been shaped by the entertainment industry: a fresh-out-of-college Plain Dealer columnist and entertainment feature writer, then Hollywood publicist for stars like Frank Sinatra, “Laugh-In,” Joey Bishop and Bob Newhart (yes, I AM dating myself); marketing director positions for a major rock promoter and theater-in-the-round, and on to my current position as Marketing/Publicity Manager for Cleveland’s gem, Playhouse Square (the nation’s second-largest performing arts center and the world’s largest theater restoration project). While in my present position, I wrote the book Playhouse Square - Cleveland: An Entertaining History, 1810 to the 21st Century (ISBN 0970894201). Throughout the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with many famous performers…some of whom are avid cooks and have shared their recipes with me, and others who have sampled some of my dishes. (From time to time I will share these celeb dishes, along with my own recipes.) Restaurant reviews were also a part of my Plain Dealer reporter days, and I continue to write reviews for the newspaper in the village where I live with my husband/recipe-guinea pig, Tim, and our feline ”kids”….Buddy (a Tonkinese) and Mischa (a Russian Blue). |