Award-winning authors of BECOMING A CHEF, CULINARY ARTISTRY, DINING OUT, CHEF'S NIGHT OUT and the 2004 IACP Cookbook Award Finalist THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF

(Circulation: Our monthly e-Newsletter is read by 8,334 of the most passionate food and wine lovers across the United States and around the world. For a FREE subscription for your favorite food enthusiast, simply email CookbookRave@aol.com, or enter an automatic subscription at www.becomingachef.com. To contact Andrew and/or Karen, please email us at Dornenburg@aol.com.)

I. JUICY JUNE NEWS FROM ANDREW & KAREN

II. GET READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP: Andrew Masters Insider Secrets of Making the Camera Love Him (and You Can, Too!) from Chef Media Trainer STEVE DOLINSKY (Part 2 of 2)

III. ANDREW AND KAREN HIT THE ROAD: Our Travels to the Pacific Northwest

- DATELINE: Seattle
- DATELINE: Vancouver

IV. WHERE WE’RE HEADED NEXT: Toronto and Ottawa

V. I KNOW WHERE YOU SHOULD EAT THIS SUMMER: Our Reader Survey Results

VI. WHERE ELSE WE’RE EATING: Eleven Madison Park & Tabla in NYC

VII. STUFF WE LOVE: A Provocative New Film, and an Insider Wine Club

VIII. IN THE NEWS: Ink and Air Coverage of Our New Books, and What’s Next

IX. OUR READERS WRITE: From Across the U.S. and Around the World

Dear Friends & Colleagues:

Fresh strawberries are perfuming the markets, and the good life this month is a bowl of cherries -- literally. Corn and tomatoes are just around the corner, and soon neighbors will be forcing on you the zucchini that have overtaken their gardens. Summer is here!

In cities across the country, you can finally get a table at a decent time in a top restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night while natives flee to the beach. And the new NEW YORK TIMES restaurant critic Frank Bruni has written his first promising review to all the scrutiny of a federal investigation.

Gee, we're happy to be home in New York City after having spent much of the past three months on book tour for THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF. However, before any of us strikes a match to the grill for the salmon or uncorks a bottle of Pinot Noir, we’d like to share and celebrate some news since our last e-Newsletter.

As New Yorkers, we’re always blown away when we experience the kind of cutting-edge architecture, films, and (of course) food we did on our May trip to Seattle and Vancouver. You’ll find details below -– and, in fact, we’ll be distilling the highlights of our extensive recent travels on an ongoing basis on our Web site at BECOMINGACHEF.COM throughout the coming month. In the meantime, a few news briefs:

* E-NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS: Thanks for helping us spread the word about our e-Newsletter, which has been growing by 10-15% every month since it began monthly publication in February.

* TOP 1% OF WEB SITES: According to Alexa.com, BECOMINGACHEF.COM’s traffic currently ranks in the top 1 percent of Web sites. Our thanks to all of you who regularly visit our site and/or have shared reciprocal links, and to the journalists who have mentioned BECOMINGACHEF.COM to their audiences.

* UPCOMING KEYNOTES: We were delighted to be invited to deliver the keynote presentations at two upcoming conferences: the 2004 WOMEN CHEFS AND RESTAURATEURS Conference, which will be held November 6-8 in Louisville, and the 2005 FOODSERVICE EDUCATORS NETWORK INTERNATIONAL (FENI) Summit, the international gathering of culinary educators, which will be held February 26 in New Orleans. And after co-hosting the "Best Chow" competition aboard the Intrepid on May 30 (whose winners were featured on "Today" the next morning), we’ve already been invited back to host again during Fleet Week 2005!

* CULINARY ARTISTRY WOWS CANADA: On the heels of our recent visit to Vancouver, we learned from Barbara-jo McIntosh, owner of Vancouver’s leading cookbook store, that our book CULINARY ARTISTRY has "a cult following" among local chefs and foodies. CULINARY ARTISTRY, published in 1996, is one of the top 1,500 titles sold on Amazon.ca this year.

* WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT: Our food and beverage pairing epiphanies continue, when we’ve least expected them (even jet-lagged!). Who knew that ginger lemonade makes the perfect foil for pork curry, or that Prosecco does for Parmesan? Two of the Northwest’s top chefs, that’s who. (See Section III.)

We hope to see some of you tonight at Citymeals on Wheels’ annual Tribute to James Beard at Rockefeller Center in New York City. As always, thanks for reading, and for your interest in our work. We look forward to hearing from you at Dornenburg@aol.com.

Delicious wishes,
Andrew & Karen

RECAP: Last month, Andrew ran through "Improving On-Air Performance 101" with James Beard Award-winning broadcast food journalist Steve Dolinsky, who has launched a new venture training chefs for television. While Andrew has extensive experience on camera –- from co-hosting our show "Chef’s Night Out" from 2002-03 to being interviewed by Matt Lauer on NBC’s "Today" show, he guessed he could learn some of the finer points of excelling on camera from a pro like Steve. He was right.

After reviewing tapes of TV segments featuring acclaimed chefs that included "the good, the bad, and the ugly" and learning Steve’s pointers for being a great guest, Andrew was ready to step in front of the camera to test them out.

TAKE ONE, TAKE TWO, TAKE THREE

At our training session in Chicago in April, Steve and I taped three different takes of a three-minute cooking demo. After each one, we reviewed it together on the DVD player of Steve’s laptop computer and critiqued it.

- While one of Steve’s biggest tips is to be passionate, I saw that I needed to watch my tendency to speed up my voice because I was so enthusiastic about the information I was sharing.

- I noticed how it helped to offer more vivid and enticing descriptions of the dishes I was demonstrating.

- It became clear how much better it looked when the host was involved with the cooking –- which is not easy for a control freak, as most chefs are (myself included). I realized that the more fun I had, the better the segment.

Shortly thereafter, I received my own DVD of one of the three segments, which I was able to include as part of my demo reel for TV producers to review. This is an invaluable take-away for any chef undergoing training with Steve, as TV shows are unlikely to book you unless they’re confident you’ll be able to shine.

After spending time with Steve, I felt like I definitely had more tools that would allow me to ace my next television appearance. Luckily, it didn’t take long to have an opportunity to try them out.

THE CAMERAS ROLL IN CANADA

A few weeks later, we were on the road to Vancouver, where I was a guest on three different television shows in a 24-hour period.

- Right away, I instituted a new routine when arriving at the television studio, based on my training: I got comfortable with the set. While our interview on "STUDIO 4" with FANNY KIEFER didn’t involve any on-camera cooking, we had a prepared dish ready to discuss during our segment. I rehearsed my movements before we went live so that I could make sure I had everything I needed within reach.

- On the set of "CITY COOKS" with SIMI SARA, I taped three separate 7-minute segments each demonstrating one recipe per segment from THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF. I reviewed with the producer and Simi what they were looking for and how much time we had. Then we walked through what Simi and I would be doing so there would be no surprises. I acquainted myself with where the cameras were, and where each of us would be positioned. (I even turned the burners on and off so I could get a sense of the stove’s "personality.")

I had a finished dish ready so that no matter how long or short the segment ran, there was always a visual of the finished plate for viewers to replicate at home. Viewers could see how beautiful the Cornish game hens looked when presented on a platter, ready for guests, and how easy it was to make an authentic gazpacho. They even saw how much fun Simi and I had using a blow torch to caramelize the sugar atop the Crème Catalana!

- I taped my last segment for BCTV NEWS ON GLOBAL with CAREN McSHERRY in the kitchen of the Opus Hotel’s Elixir restaurant. Executive chef Don Letendre graciously offered us space in his kitchen, with breakfast and room service still in full swing. We had just a few minutes to shoot -- in a two-foot work space atop an ice cream freezer. It turned out to be no problem at all: We did a quick run-through, then nailed the segment on our first take.

These turned out to be three of my most enjoyable experiences on television. What made the difference? I followed Steve’s "recipe for success" (in quotes below), and made it my own. Rather than being passive on the set, politely waiting for the host to ask me her next question, I learned to "take control" of the interview as the respectful but confident guest expert. I remembered that my job was to "make the host’s job easier." Knowing that "passion is contagious," before the cameras rolled I would center myself by thinking about not the size of the audience watching, but about the fact that I was a food-loving chef and author with a great chance to share some of my passion, knowledge and expertise. This allowed me to "be conversational," talking with excitement about whatever dish I was demonstrating. I always "included the hosts" at opportune times and made our segment together "a team effort." Plus, I made sure to "feed the host," and as well as the crew!

(CAMERA-)READY TO GO!

Did everything go perfectly? Of course not. But it was comforting to notice when reviewing my segments that even my professional hosts sometimes stumbled over a word or two. I learned the important lesson that "the show must go on," and to roll with the punches on camera, no matter what the moment might bring. Without a doubt, I was definitely an even better guest chef after having undergone media coaching with Steve Dolinsky.

I’m already looking forward to my next call from a television producer to have another chance to demonstrate all I learned from Steve!

You can reach Steve Dolinsky of Culinary Communication 101 via his Web site at www.stevedolinsky.com, via email at me@stevedolinsky.com, or phone at 773/552-1377. (And, of course, Andrew is reachable at Dornenburg@aol.com, or 212/642-5870!)

- DATELINE: SEATTLE

ATHENIAN INN
Pike Place Market
We had breakfast with Karen’s cool cousin Mike Beck, whom she hadn’t seen in 25+ years, at this classic Seattle restaurant. The menu features seasonal and local favorites like Shad Roe with Bacon and Clam Hash. Andrew ordered the Kedgeree, a dish made with rice, lentils, onions, eggs, spices and smoked fish that is definitely not for the timid. We ended up dubbing Mike the "Mayor of Pike Place Market" for the fabulous insider tour he treated us to!

CAFÉ JUANITA (in Kirkland)
www.cafejuanita.com
On her Apperitif menu, chef Holly Smith has fun with food and wine pairings, offering a taste of Parmigiano-Reggiano with a glass of Prosecco, and a Foie Gras Crostini with a Lillet Blanc Martini. She also serves exquisite pasta in her lovely restaurant that features a view of its own backyard garden.

MACRINA BAKERY
www.macrinabakery.com
Chef Leslie Mackie does amazing things with flour! We’ll never forget her Croque Madame, her pizzetta with goat cheese and grilled asparagus and zucchini, nor her rustic plum tart. Macrina’s now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

SALTY’S (on Alki Beach)
www.saltys.com
We typically choose restaurants by their food, not their location or ambiance. But there’s something to be said for a fantastic view -- and Salty’s offers a breathtaking view of downtown Seattle. Copper River salmon had just come in to the market, so we ordered it at every opportunity. Salty’s, our last lunch before heading home, left us with a sweet memory of the salmon as well as the Seattle skyline.

SEATTLE’S CENTRAL LIBRARY
www.spl.org
The New York Times’ architectural critic Hubert Muschamp dubbed the new Seattle Public Library, which opened May 24, as "the most exciting new building it has been my honor to review" in his more than 30 years of writing about architecture. You can see us at the Library’s opening at http://www.becomingachef.com/news_and_events.php.

2004 CASCADIA CULINARY ARTS CONFERENCE
www.cascadiaculinaryarts.com
We loved the far-reaching topics taken on by organizer Michael Gallelli at this Whidbey Island gathering, where kicking off the conference with our Saturday morning keynote on May 22 was our honor and a pleasure. We were delighted to have a discussion with Café Juanita chef Holly Smith on the topic of "Have Chefs Become the Guardians of What We Eat and How We Eat It?" And it was great to get to meet so many committed culinarians, from some of the stars of Pacific Northwest cuisine (including Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of Marche in Eugene, who was honored during the conference) to Josh Silverman, a young cook off to an impressive start in his quest for the knowledge that will allow him to master his profession. We even tasted the best morels of our life, courtesy of chef Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place in Portland and his colleague Ken Forkish of Ken’s Artisanal Bakery in Portland (whose brioche crumbs enhanced the dish!).

- DATELINE: VANCOUVER

BARBARA-JO’S BOOKS TO COOKS
www.bookstocooks.com
Vancouver’s premier cookbook store hosted us for a special sold-out dinner event, featuring recipes from THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF prepared by four of Vancouver’s top chefs: Scott Baechler of MET, David Hawksworth of WEST, Montri Rattanaraj of MONTRI, and Vikram Vij of VIJ'S. For the dozens of lucky guests and ourselves, it was the ultimate chef’s table! We look forward to sampling more of the cuisines of each of these talented chefs on our next visit to Vancouver.

VIJ’S RANGOLI
www.vijsrangoli.ca
Before heading to Vancouver, we were very thoughtfully offered some restaurant tips from Hsiao-Ching Chou of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, who had noticed our travel schedule in our last e-Newsletter. She emphatically suggested that we not miss Vikram Vij’s food. Indeed, Claire Wilson, our ace author escort in Vancouver, thought to take us to VIJ’S RANGOLI between interviews. VIJ’S is a more formal restaurant open only for dinner, and his new spot RANGOLI is a more casual eat-in (or take-out) spot right next door. While we found the ginger lemonade a bit pungent to drink on its own, it complemented the pork curry perfectly and tasted milder by comparison -- a wonderfully eye-opening pairing. We had four opportunities to eat Vikram Vij’s food in the past few weeks (three in Vancouver, and one in New York City), and we are impressed indeed by his talent.

OPUS HOTEL
www.opushotel.com
We loved the hotel’s hip design (including floor-to-ceiling windows in the bathroom!), great service, terrific breakfast, and location (right near Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks).

WEST
www.westrestaurant.com
We made it to West for a few late-night appetizers, including chef David Hocksworth’s signature foie gras terrine, which shows off his flawless technique (honed in the kitchens of Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White). He’d already impressed us with his delicious rendition of Daniel Boulud’s short ribs at Barbara-Jo’s.

P.S. Our thanks to food stylist extraordinaire Adrienne O’Callaghan for making Andrew’s food look so good –- and to Kimberly Plumley at Publicity Mavens for packing our schedule in Vancouver!

We’d love to see you during our upcoming travels across North America. You can always find our most up-to-date schedule on our Web site’s "News and Events" page at http://www.becomingachef.com/news_and_events.php

* TORONTO, CANADA: THURSDAY, JULY 15th –- We look forward to signing copies of our books, speaking with the media, and seeing our friend actor-comedian Kevin Meaney on stage in "Hairspray"!

* OTTAWA, CANADA: FRIDAY, JULY 16th -– We’ll be hosted for a 6 pm reception and book signing of THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF and an 8 pm private dinner at the acclaimed Ottawa restaurant Beckta Dining & Wine owned by our friend Steve Beckta, who was named last month to OTTAWA LIFE magazine's 4th annual list of the "Top 50 People in the Capital." For more information and/or to purchase advance tickets to the reception or dinner, contact Steve at steve@beckta.com. (http://www.beckta.com)

* LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS: FEBRUARY 11th – 13th, 2005 –- Save the dates to join us for a special pre-Valentine’s Day celebration at KRIPALU, where we’ll lead an experiential weekend workshop on food as a medium of expression and the relationship between food and love.

What does "summer" mean to YOUR taste buds? We’ve gathered a slew of recommendations from some of our most knowledgeable and passionate readers for you to check out! Our thanks to this month’s contributors:

- One of New York’s top psychics (says NEW YORK mag) FAHRUSHA
- Executive recruiter extraordinaire MARILYN MACHLOWITZ, PhD
- Acclaimed fish monger of Wild Edibles JORDY ROSENHEK
- Food and travel writer MEEGHAN TRUELOVE
- Black Moon Theatre Company’s executive director LORI VINCENT
- James Beard Award-winning chef-restaurateur JANOS WILDER

* NEW YORK CITY

NYC ICY
21 Avenue B (bet. 2nd & 3rd Streets)
New York, NY
212/979-9877
"Last night, after dinner at MAX (51 Avenue B; 212/539-0111; where we like the pasta and the garden-like backyard with faux laundry hanging), we walked over to NYC ICY. The couple that owns it found that their teething toddler was lactose-intolerant, and started this dessert place where most flavors are water-based. Their cantaloupe tastes better than the fruit! In some cases, a little dairy would help (e.g. chocolate chocolate chip is too watery). The flavors with a slight dairy component are clearly marked and delicious (peanut butter Baby Ruth, caramel, rice pudding; the list changes all the time). Open only April-October." --Marilyn Machlowitz

CAFÉ PICK ME UP
145 Ave A (bet. 9th & 10th Streets)
New York, NY
212/673-7231
"If you enjoy people watching, especially unusual people watching, Cafe Pick Me Up is THE place. Here you will find a warm, friendly international atmosphere, great coffee drinks, and assorted light fare. The food is reasonably priced with an Italian accent. They do a brisk morning business with croissants and other baked delectables. The served-all-day lunch and supper menu features savory tarts (I prefer the mustard, tomato and white cheddar at $2.75), bruschetta ($4.00) made with filone pane pugliese (a regional bread from Southern Italy), and various sandwiches with side salad ($6.00 - $6.50). Additionally, there are daily pasta, soup, and salad selections. Wash it all down with my favorite Italian soft drink, Chinotto. In the tea department, there are some hand-blended herbal gourmet selections that should not be overlooked. But don’t come here simply for the food: Cafe Pick Me Up has huge open windows that look out on to Avenue A’s bohemian scene and the hip and lovely Tompkins Square Park across the street. Sit down with a friend, a magazine or your laptop (there’s free Wi-Fi broadcast around the Park), but keep one eye on the parade of interesting individuals outside, from old hippies to punk rockers and bikers to young parents and singles, dressed to the nines or (literally) in their underwear. It all passes by on Avenue A. (An added bonus is the Café’s convivial wait staff who always seem to be smiling.)" --Fahrusha

* WILLIAMSBURG (BROOKLYN), NEW YORK: THE WILLIAMSBURG CAFÉ (170 Wythe, near North 7th), 718/387-5855: "Just want to tell you about a great chef in Williamsburg. The food is yummy, and the atmosphere is quite beautiful. It’s super!" --Lori Vincent

* CONEY ISLAND (BROOKLYN), NEW YORK: "Go to NATHAN’S for a dog (you have to have some of that salty greasiness while at Coney), and wash it down with a Coke. It's perfect: the beachside equivalent of a nice Sauternes and some stinky blue cheese. Then head down the block to DENNY’S ICE CREAM (on Surf Avenues, with a pink façade) for a pistachio soft-serve ice cream cone. And there's always pizza at TOTONNO’S -- thin charred crust, delicious sauce, spicy sausage -- no slices, just the full pie, and no other distractions like salad or any of that nonsense." --Meeghan Truelove

* AN EAST COAST ROAD TRIP:

- BENNINGTON, VERMONT: Blue Benn Diner (on Route 7, nestled in the mountains):
"People jam into this tiny retro diner to eat huevos rancheros, fluffy apple pancakes with real maple syrup, homemade soups, lentil burgers and the like. Hank Williams, Bob Dylan and other great stuff on the jukebox." --Meeghan Truelove

- OXFORD, CONNECTICUT: Rich's Dairy Farm (on Route 67): "Big, beautiful working farm that makes its own stupendous ice cream during the summer. You buy your ice cream cone at the little ice cream shed and then can wander over to the barn to peer in on the old girls, chewing their cuds and swinging their tails." --Meeghan Truelove

- BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: Cross Street Market (Cross Street, bet. Light and Charles Streets): "Thursday and Friday afternoons at Cross Street Market is one of several old but still-functioning covered markets in Baltimore. There's a seafood bar at one end that sells crabcakes, mounds of steamed shrimp and draft beer. Always a lively scene, and a great place to kick off the weekend." --Meeghan Truelove

* MONTREAL, CANADA

GIBBYS
298 Place d’Youville
Montreal
514/282-1837
www.gibbys.com
"Don’t miss this steakhouse in Old Montreal for dinner. It located on a cobblestone street inside a 200-year-old stable with wooden beams and offers caleche (horse carriage) rides out front. This is not a ‘culinary wow’ place, but a simple, great steak served by wonderful French-Canadian women. There are two particular dishes you’ll want to order: Start with a shrimp cocktail, which is served with the biggest shrimp I’ve ever seen in my life -- then, while they offer many cuts of steak, order the Rib Steak, Gibbys Cut." --Jordy Rosenhek

SCHWARTZ’S DELI
3895 St-Laurent
Plateau Mont-Royal
Montreal
514/842-4813
"On any visit to Montreal, the other not-to-miss food is ‘smoked meat,’ which is brisket similar to corned beef. You want to order it ‘medium,’ which relates to how much fat is in the meat, on rye bread with mustard. It is best enjoyed with a Cott black cherry cola. The best place to go for smoked meat is Schwartz’s, which is in the old Jewish neighborhood. It is located on St-Laurent, which is the main drag separating the French and English neighborhoods. A typical Montrealer would have lunch here, then go for a walk to check out all the great shops nearby." --Jordy Rosenhek

* PORTLAND, OREGON: Wildwood (1221 NW 21 & Overton, 503/248-9663): "If you are in Portland, definitely do not miss Wildwood. This restaurant always blows me away. James Beard Award-winning chef Cory Schreiber’s flavors are very pure and clean. I was recently there and had fantastic mussels served with grilled bread, and a chicken dish that was over the top!" --Janos Wilder

* NOGALES, MEXICO: La Roca (Calle Elias 91, 011-52-631-2-08-91): "You can walk across the border from the U.S. into Nogales to get to La Roca, a very cool place. The restaurant is literally carved into the rock of the mountain. There are two dishes not to miss: One is the ‘mochombos,’ which is braised beef that has been shredded and fried. It is served with tortillas, guacamole, salsa and onions from which you make little taquitos. The other dish is a side dish of ‘Potatoes Wilson,’ which are potatoes that are sliced very thin and cooked with cheese and onion." --Janos Wilder

* VENICE, ITALY: Il Gelatone: "Stop by and order both the best and cheapest watermelon sorbetto (name sounded even better in Italian). To die for! After extensive research in Rome (Il Giolitto) and Florence (Vivoli) this past week, I do know of what I speak." --Marilyn Machlowitz

That Danny Meyer! Is there anything he touches that doesn’t turn to gold? New York’s most winning restaurateur (Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern) keeps opening one hot spot after another. We were happy to recently dine at the newer pair of his original "quadrinity" of restaurants:

ELEVEN MADISON PARK
11 Madison Ave. (at 24th Street)
212/889-0905
The night after the James Beard Awards last month, we had a reservation to celebrate a friend’s birthday at Eleven Madison Park. Little did we know when we’d booked the reservation days before that the restaurant would take home the 2004 James Beard Award for Outstanding Service. Danny Meyer has long been a standard bearer for offering outstanding hospitality in all his restaurants, and we were delighted to see his partner Richard Coraine and chef Kerry Heffernan accept this honor on behalf of Eleven Madison Park. But in addition to outstanding service and ambiance (the restaurant is housed in one of the most beautiful restaurant spaces in Manhattan), Heffernan and his crew consistently serve excellent cuisine night after night. We look forward to our every visit.

TABLA
11 Madison Ave. (at 25th Street)
212/889-0667
We’d had the pleasure of learning more about chef Floyd Cardoz’s approach to New Indian cooking when we’d interviewed him for our book THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF. Floyd’s photograph opens the book’s chapter on Indian cooking -- and the extraordinary June 7th event at Tabla celebrating "New Indian Cooking in America" chronicled this new chapter in the cuisine’s evolution. Floyd’s guest chefs included some of the brightest shining stars of Indian cuisine: Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur of DEVI (which opens this fall), author/chef Madhur Jaffrey, Thomas John of MANTRA in Boston, Vikram Vij of VIJ’S in Vancouver, and pastry chef Jehangir Mehta of AIX in New York City. We salute Danny Meyer’s vision in helping to raise Indian cuisine to an haute level, and Floyd Cardoz’s leadership in orchestrating such a delicious demonstration of his talents and those of his colleagues.

For a photo from the event, visit http://www.becomingachef.com/news_and_events.php

Aren’t there things you love that you wish you could let the world know about? Us, too. So, this month we thought we’d tell you about a few more of them:

* "WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW?" We were surprised by all the local buzz we heard in the Pacific Northwest about a hot new indie film made there, which we saw with our author friend Barbara Stanny at a tiny cinema in Port Townsend, Washington. The mind-expanding "What the Bleep Do We Know?" starring Marlee Matlin is destined to become the first film to hit the mainstream on the intersection of quantum physics, brain science, and spirituality. It's as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. Definitely keep an eye out for it. (www.whatthebleep.com)

* WINEOCEROS.COM: Want to enjoy some lovely hard-to-find wines made by small family-run wineries located in California's premier wine growing regions (Napa, Sonoma, Carneros, Santa Barbara, etc.)? Send a monthly gift to a friend -– or to yourself! Andrew is crazy about the 8-page Wine Country Insider newsletter included with every box, profiling the winemakers and vineyards behind each month's featured wines. More importantly, we admire Wineoceros.com’s palate, and the fun of tasting a wonderful new wine or two every month. (www.wineoceros.com)

* The June 9th VANCOUVER SUN prominently featured THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF in Mia Stainsby’s article on "The New Global Cuisine," which ran under the tagline "Authors Excel in Cherrypicking the Top Culinary Minds in North America."

* In the June 2nd OAKLAND TRIBUNE and SAN MATEO COUNTY TIMES, Jill Silverman Hough took a thoughtful look at the same topic in her article "On The Global Table, It's All Fusion Food: Is globalization changing the way the world eats?", which also prominently featured THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF.

* In Vancouver, we had great fun speaking with fellow food and wine lovers Anthony Gismondi and Kasey Wilson, hosts of "The Best of Food and Wine" on CFUN.

Don’t miss upcoming features in the July issue of MORE magazine and the August issue of GLAMOUR, not to mention upcoming issues of ALL WOMAN, Epregnancy, MANHATTAN USER’S GUIDE and SPAIN GOURMETOUR. You’ll find more in the "Media Room" of our Web site at: http://www.becomingachef.com/media_room.php

We love hearing from our readers with comments, questions and ideas! Please feel free to write us at Dornenburg@aol.com. In the meantime, here’s a sampling of the responses we received to our May 2004 e-Newsletter:

"I definitely would like to continue to be included on your e-Newsletter mailing list. I eagerly devoured your books while attending culinary school. You make quite a team. I look forward to continuing to informed brilliantly by the ink from both your pens!"
—Pat Berry, Foods, Flowers, & Designs

"Andrew, I was driving along yesterday and heard these two foodies on ‘The Ronn Owens Show’ -- and could not believe it when Ronn said his guests were you and Karen. You guys were great! In fact, I just pulled my flank steak marinated in miso paste off of the grill and it is divine. I am so glad to hear you are doing so well and are so accomplished. I will definitely buy your books."
—Julie Fernandez Cooper / San Francisco Bay Area, CA

"Noticed that Ottawa, Canada, is on your upcoming list of places to visit. We have very few great dining establishments and Beckta Dining and Wine is one of, if not the, best. Hope his place is on your itinerary as you will not be disappointed." [Thanks, Vic –- in fact, Beckta is hosting us on July 16th. Hope to have the pleasure of meeting you there!]
—Vic Harradine, Director, Sommelier Certificate Program at Algonquin College and Governor, National Capital Sommelier Guild / Canada

"This is simply the best. I feel like I travel with you and eat with you, too!"
—Rikki Klieman, legal analyst, Court TV and "Today" / Los Angeles, CA

"This is my first time reading your e-Newsletter. I love it! I found it very informative. I look forward to your next issue!"
—Hanna Lee, Hanna Lee Communications / New York, NY

"I really enjoyed reading your e-Newsletter. Just returned from NYC where I taped some shows and had fabulous meals at Gallagher's and Felidia. She is incredible!"
—Connie Martinson, host, Connie Martinson Talks Books / Los Angeles, CA

"Can't believe that you were here at the Fort Bend [Texas] gig, half a mile from my house, and I missed meeting you!"
—Eric V. Orange, www.LocalWineEvents.com, "The World's Leading Wine Events Calendar"

"Just bought your book through Amazon. I am not a professional cook but started cooking when I was 7. It is hard to believe that was 51 years ago (before cooking was cool). I guess even though I am a guy, I'm kind of a ‘Grandma’ cook: biscuits, pies, cakes, breads, et al, from scratch. I even make my own sausage and smoke it myself. I have over 100 cookbooks and am registered at about two dozen cooking sites. Chef2Chef.net is like a fantasy camp for amateurs like me, getting to hang out with greats like you folks. Thanks for sharing your skills."
—Dennis Prah (aka Silvercliff), www.chef2chef.net

"I wanted to thank you guys for coming down. I have admired what you guys have done and really enjoyed being able to talk with you both. I remember my dad giving me your book BECOMING A CHEF when I was thinking about culinary arts…Sorry it has taken me a while to write this email, I just finished up school last week, so I am home free until I get a job! Bless!"
—J.B. Royer, chef, Round Top Café / Round Top, TX

"Thanks for the e-Newsletter...It was good to see you in Philly [at The Book & The Cook] and I enjoyed your book. I like the idea of knowing what restaurants to go to in New York. Do you have a preferred list?" [Gary, this month’s e-Newsletter is for you!]
—Gary Shenfeld / Philadelphia, PA

"Karen, your newsletter says you're coming to Seattle. I’d love to see you! Any chance you have a free moment? I'm really struck by your whirlwind schedule...and I'm always applauding your well-deserved success."
—Barbara Stanny, author, SECRETS OF SIX-FIGURE WOMEN / Port Townsend, WA

"Thank you very much for sending your e-Newsletter. I enjoyed reading it and hope you will keep sending your news to me."
—Jeanne Willensky, Public Relations Director, The James Beard Foundation / New York, NY