Foodimentary

Simplifying the family meal. by John-Bryan Hopkins Cooking for a family can be a huge challenge that leaves you feeling like you’re always making compromises. In Me, You, and the Kids, Too, Renee Elliott makes family cooking easy.  She shows that you don’t have to cook different recipes to please everyone at the table, and that… Read More

Out of print doesn’t mean out of reach. by John-Bryan Hopkins Want to learn how to cook like a master chef? Want a coveted “cooking” book considered THE cult classic of cookbooks? Well, I’ve  got a book for you—a book series, actually.  With Julia Child’s  The Art of French Cooking flying off the shelves, I… Read More

Food may really be man’s best friend. By John-Bryan Hopkins Come on guys, let’s get cooking! Most men who love food use their grill and a decent spice rack, but here’s that one book that has all the real food they love to eat and wish they could cook. Esquire food editor Ryan D’Agostino is here… Read More

Guilty as charged. by John-Bryan Hopkins Those of you who follow this column regularly could rightfully accuse me of being fixated on the subject of comfort food.  Guilty as charged. I, like most people, cook what I crave. Saveur’s cookbook, The New Comfort Food: Home Cooking from Around the World, is a new “must have”… Read More

It’s a good time of the year to try something refreshing By John-Bryan Hopkins My weeks always begin with a phone call from my Grandmother, “Nanny.” After asking how things are generally her conversation always leads to the weather and her garden. She always mentions the moon phase, what she’s tending in the garden, and… Read More

Cheesy good. by John-Bryan Hopkins Spring is here! In with the old and out with the new…or is that the other way around? Grilled Cheese, Please! 50 Scrumptiously Cheesy Recipes by Laura Werlin – one of the nation’s foremost experts on cheese and an award-winning cookbook author – shares 50 deletable recipes that promote the… Read More

Over 100 years of fine dining with Birmingham roots. by John-Bryan Hopkins Did you know that one of the most influential culinary institutions of New Orleans began its life here? Originally opening in Birmingham, Galatoire’s moved to Chicago before arriving in New Orleans around 1905. Jean Galatoire from the small village of Pardies, France, brought… Read More

Italy through the eyes of a Southerner by John-Bryan Hopkins In my exploration of all things food, cookbooks come at me in all directions. Professional cooks, food personalities, and the occasional “accidental” foodie—some of my favorites— land on my doorstep daily. I try my best to read through as many as I can. Here’s a… Read More