Alright, perhaps I’ve been working too much and sleeping too little. While eating breakfast today, I had a craving for a glass of chocolate milk. While sipping my drink, I glanced around the kitchen and noticed the bag of Rice Krispies sitting on the microwave (memories of marshmallow-y treats past and crisp rice brittle yet [...]

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Thanks for the opportunity to share a recipe with you!
Growing up with my grandparent’s was an amazing culinary adventure.  My grandfather was from Sicily and emigrated here back in the 1920’s.  He became one of the leading sales reps in the NY City area for Progresso Foods when these products were first being imported from [...]

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Chef Lia Soscia, Certified Personal Chef with the United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA) has taken top honors for Recipe Of The Year during the 2009 USPCA national convention in New Orleans, LA.
Chef Soscia’s winning recipe was a Brasciole (pronounced bra’zhul) dish that she created for her Personal Chef Service clients. “I am always searching [...]

Read the rest of Long Island Chef, Lia Soscia, CPC Wins Recipe OF The Year Award At National Convention

We all rely on chicken as a versatile, lean source of protein but often find ourselves looking for new and exciting ways to enjoy it.  This recipe is quick, easy and tastes deliciously exotic.  It’s perfect for a weeknight meal, so instead of putting a frozen pizza in the oven after coming home from work, [...]

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The weather is getting warmer and it’s time to dust off those outdoor barbeques. If you aren’t a diehard griller who has used the outdoor gas grill all winter, chances are you need to do a few safety checks before firing it up. A few simple steps and your on your way [...]

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Easter meals don’t need to be complicated to be fabulous.  Instead of a huge dinner, you can opt for a quick and delicious Easter brunch.  This meal is perfect for serving after your Easter Egg hunt.  Just be sure to prep everything ahead of time and you’ll have the meal done in a flash.  Serve [...]

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I’m frequently asked about various cooking tools during a private cooking lesson.  And I have to say that one of my most frequently used tools is the Rosle Garlic Press.  It is well designed with a separated filter area that easily detaches the garlic skins from the clove of garlic all in one motion.  It [...]

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I was very honored to be asked to be a judge for a great event in Philadelphia, which took place on Tuesday, April 14th. “Let Them Eat Cake” was a benefit for the City of Hope Cancer Center, and was held at the Loew’s Philadelphia Hotel.
If you’ve ever watched a cake competition on TV and [...]

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We’re happy to announce that Metro Chapter member and founding President Chef Mark Tafoya is now doing a short daily cooking tips podcast! Chef Mark has been doing the ReMARKable Palate Podcast, a long form weekly audio podcast about food and wine for almost 4 years, and many listeners have been asking for a show [...]

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Eating a simple raw carrot or celery stick may not be a flavorful experience for most. Dipping it in a mixture of hummus or avocado is an improvement, though the average person may find it difficult to maintain this habit for all three meals of the day. This is the notion most people have about [...]

Read the rest of Luella Semmes on “Eating in the Raw” posted in Canvas Long Island

It’s a New Year—a time for resolutions, setting personal goals, and starting a clean slate. Some people start as early as December to prepare for the New Year by cleaning their homes from top to bottom, getting rid of clutter and all the messy accumulations that invaded the house throughout the year. One likely household [...]

Read the rest of Chef Luella Semmes on The Natural Pantry from Canvas Long Island magazine

Lots of my cooking class clients have been asking for advice about saving money at the grocery store. I hope you’ll find the following helpful, too.
Chef Jonathan’s Top 10 Ways to Save at the Grocery Store, ESPECIALLY in These Tough Times  
1. Shop Smart
Make a grocery list and stick to it. Don’t shop when you’re hungry [...]

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The Winter 2009 issue of Westchester Home magazine has an article about the “quick comeback of the slow cooker” and features recipes from Chapter President Jennifer Urda and Chapter Treasurer Jonathan.  Here’s a link to the on-line version of the article:
http://www.westchestermagazine.com/Westchester-Magazine/Westchester-Home/Winter-2009/The-Quick-Comeback-of-the-Slow-Cooker/
 

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Long Island personal chef Glenn Burgess had two articles published in the January-March issue of Personal Chef Magazine. In “I.C.E. Cubes and the New York Metro Chapter” Chef Glenn, our Chapter’s Vice President, described his vision for an “Initiative on Culinary Education” and his hope to inspire everyone to learn more about their food.
 The same [...]

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A quick butternut squash soup that warms the soul!

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It wasn’t long ago, back in 2004, when I first met this wonderful group of personal chefs that are now the leading group of personal chefs serving the NY Metro area. We’ve grown to over 20 members since and are still growing as the Personal Chef industry gains a serious foot-hold in the NY, Northern [...]

Read the rest of NY Metro Personal Chefs Celebrate 5 Years – A Big Thank You to our Clients!

Winter can be a tough time for fruit lovers like me. I love simple desserts made with fresh fruits. In North America, most fruits are non-existent, or shipped in from the southern hemisphere and taste like cardboard, since they’ve been picked far from ripe and shipped in a dark boxcar for weeks. (And [...]

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