This is my first post for ONE.org, an organization I’m honored to work with not only because of their humanitarian efforts, but also for the use of “hard-headed” in their tagline. The photo above is courtesy of my dear friend C.C. Chapman, who toured Ghana with ONE last year. *** I’ve had two women on my mind lately. They are counterpoints; polar ends of a spectrum whose very existence is difficult to reconcile. Each woman is fighting a battle — to the death — on her own end of the spectrum. And though one of them faces a matter of...…

Though I would love to be indulgently pampering myself with a spa day right now, the very thought of such a luxury seems sadly far off. Having said that, my soul and skin need a little rejuvenation every now and then to keep the stress at bay. For me, there’s nothing more sensually satisfying than baby-soft skin, and there are lots of ways to achieve this right at home. Here’s a little secret: Chefs swear by olive oil and kosher salt for exfoliating hands. In the same vein, but a bit more delicate, is a scrub I use for my...…

I’ve just received the first set of menu ideas for my first Sex on a Plate™ event, which will be part of a documentary called “Eat, Cook, Love” in which I’ll be featured as a food expert. The subject matter is the art of lost indulgence, so I think I’ve got this. As I review the flavor profiles, my mental mouth is hard at work to determine what I think will work, and what I might like to tweak. So I thought this was a good time to talk more in depth about this phrase to which I’m constantly referring....…

Without your genius and vision, I would not have created a podcast. Or the world’s first food podcast channel. On iTunes. The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world…are the ones who do. You did, and for that I thank you.…

…in the whole wide universe. July is ice cream month, so when I’m feeling overheated and need a little something, I break out my ice cream maker. This recipe was created during our first year of The Gilded Fork, crafted by Donna Marie Desfor. The basil and orange combination is like sunshine screaming in your mouth, so it’s the perfect taste of summer. NOTE: If you are gluten-free, skip the cinnamon tuiles. If you are lactose intolerant or dairy-free, you can substitute the cream with 3 cups of full-fat coconut milk (canned). recipe: basil & orange ice cream with cinnamon...…

Interestingly enough, celiac, fibromyalgia and food allergy awareness all happen in May, so I could technically do a trifecta post and cover all bases. However, as one of the bloggers contributing to A Blogger A Day, the Gluten-Free Way for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, I’ll stick with the gluten today. I know. Pun. One year ago I went gluten-free in an effort to get my fibromyalgia symptoms under a semblance of control. After asking my online community for holistic approaches, I’ve received tremendous support from NFCA and the gluten-free community at large. What a wonderful, loving group of...…

At 12:01 AM on January 1, 2010, I had no idea what was in store for the coming year. I chose to be open to whatever, and hoped things would largely work out for the better, but felt like I essentially knew where I was headed. 12 months later, I sit here with an entirely different existence than what I had envisioned. And for that, I’m grateful. This has been the most extraordinary, challenging, adventurous, soul-enriching year of my life to date, and with that has come catharsis. Since lots of people post their lists of things at the end...…

Yes, darlings, at long last, Zenfully Delicious is up and running! I’m so excited about this project, and extremely encouraged by the response we’ve gotten since our soft launch on Sunday during the Appetite for Awareness event presented by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness in Philadelphia. It has really struck me how many people there are in search of answers and relief, and I’ve pulled together a fantastic team to take on that mission. We are addressing a range of chronic illnesses, from Fibromyalgia and Celiac to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Diabetes and all of their siblings. We love that...…

I wasn’t at work that day. I had a doctor’s appointment. When I first heard the news I made a joke, saying “It’s a good thing I didn’t commute in.” My office was in midtown, but I knew the train schedules would be a mess. It wasn’t until I turned on my car radio that the gravity of the situation hit me. People were jumping from the World Trade Center. I backed out of my parking spot so fast I almost hit an oncoming car, and drove home with the pedal floored to see what in hell was happening. The...…

Gluten-free is everywhere. I saw it in every aisle at this year’s Fancy Food Show, which was encouraging, but made me wary at the same time. Tuesday’s Toronto Star echoed my thoughts. Remember that low-fat thing? Everyone thought fat was the culprit adding unwanted pounds to our tummies and thighs — until everyone realized that those products screaming “LOW-FAT” were filled with extra sugars, unhealthy carbs and glue-like substances to make up for the missing texture. Guess what’s going to happen to gluten-free when Big Food gets its hands on the genre? I’ve already passed over the “Wonder Breads” of...…

Four months ago I was in misery. My fibromyalgia pain had reached epic proportions, I couldn’t think straight, and I was attempting to put on a brave face so the rest of the world would not know there was something “broken” within me. After all, I was an entrepreneur and world traveler — a connoisseur of life’s decadent pleasures. But that facade was crumbling before me, and I knew I could not accept another invitation to travel until I got this situation under control, because my body simply could not handle it. So I outed myself. It was the best...…

Whilst I was running amok at Peru’s La Mistura culinary festival, I grabbed Chef Maricel Presilla to help me learn the secrets of picarones, a fried dough dessert that had me addicted from the first bite. Every culture seems to have a fried dough, and that’s as good as street food gets. I thought from Maricel’s description that these were gluten-free, but alas, they do have flour. This presents a fabulous challenge for me to come up with a substitute — I bet tapioca flour would be ideal. Light and fluffy, and slathered with sugary syrup, picarones are made from...…

I'm bringing this show out from the archives in memory of K. Dun Gifford, who passed away very suddenly on Sunday. I have many happy memories of working for him, and know he will be missed.…

During my trip to Rias Baixas, Spain, I sat down for a post-dinner chat with Chef José González-Solla, owner of Casa Solla in Pontevedra. He likes to play with food, too.…

During my trip to Rias Baixas, I snuck into the kitchen with Chef José González-Solla, owner of Casa Solla in Pontevedra, to watch him prepare our main course. This chef likes to play with his food, and he treated us to an inspirational twist on traditi…

Chef Mark speaks with Mathieu McFadden from Chocosol Chocolate, a "Pedal powered & Horizontal-trade" chocolate company, which sources all their chocolate direct from growers in Mexico and Central America, and processes it by hand in Ontario.…

Chef Mark and I head to Ontario to taste the culinary delights of Toronto. …

On my visit to the Condado do Tea region of Rias Baixas, I spent the afternoon with renowned winemaker Cristina Mantilla, and learned about the relationship between color and flavor from wine expert Marnie Old.…

If you have any preconceived notions about coffee, this is a good time to cast them aside. Brian Franklin, owner of The Double Shot Coffee Company in Tulsa, OK, has changed my whole world.…

CMN Travels has been nominated for a Tasty Award in the Best Food Travel Series: Web category!…

My tasting tour of Rias Baixas led to a wonderful discovery: The female winemakers in this region have made an indelible impression upon the quality of the wines and the respect Albariño grapes have earned internationally.…

There's a whole lot happening in this episode, from my trip to BlogWorld & New Media Expo in Las Vegas to my journey through the Cotswolds in the UK. …

This summer I was invited by Wines from Spain and the Rias Baixas wine region to explore their viniferous offerings. I came away from the trip with a lot of new thoughts on white wines, as they hadn’t held much excitement for me — until I disc…

During our trip to Scotland, I sat down with Chef Jason Henderson from Knock Castle to talk about his approach to fine dining. I posted my initial impressions about Knock Castle, but this takes a little behind-the-scenes look at how Jason thinks about foo…

This is what happens when I drink first thing in the morning. We stopped in at the Penderyn Distillery, the only working distillery in Wales, which is working to revive the Welsh Whisky tradition. Keith Tench gives me a lesson in cuddling and properly sni…

Our kooky day with Chef Tom Lewis of Monachyle Mhor continues, as we pay a visit to his Mhor Fish location, which combines a fish n chip shop with a seafood diner, including a cooking school upstairs. We’ll have some of his cooking demos coming up l…

We go out into the woods with Chef Tom Lewis of the Monachyle Mhor Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland, to forage for mushrooms. We met him in New York, and now we’re at his place in Scotland to discover how he uses the produce that grows wild around him …

Our trip to Scotland starts off the right way with a tuck in to a good traditional Scottish Breakfast in Inverary. We’re here to learn a bit about Jennifer’s family heritage, and we’ve brought along her Mum! A production of the Culinary …

In honor of National Tequila Day, I’m reposting our On the Tequila Trail video series. Cheers! Join Chef Mark and Jennifer as they explore the Amitatan Valley of Jalisco, Mexico to discover the true soul of Tequila, from harvesting agave plants to q…