Food Network chef Anne Burrell got a thumb’s up from First Lady Michelle Obama Monday at the White House’s Easter Egg Roll, which drew 30,000 people to the South Lawn for fun that went far beyond eggs. “A little love in your food makes everything taste better,” Anne told Mrs. Obama, prepping pasta with broccoliRead more »

I’m a noncompliant chili chef. I spot a chili recipe, break out the stockpot and handily ignore most of the instructions, unable to keep myself from throwing anything and everything into the mix. Thank goodness food writer, cookbook author and sometime Iron Chef America judge Melissa Clark has come along with a recipe to showRead more »

The trick of October is for the monster mishmash of kids’-soccer watching, family apple-picking and pumpkin-patch prowling to lead up to a calm, cool finale: Halloween. For months my three boys, ages nine, seven and three, have plotted their costumes: a Harry Potter Quidditch player, a wizard — not Harry! — and a superhero dinosaurRead more »

Baby, baby oh: Ice sculptor Randy Finch, star of Ice Brigade, chips away at massive blocks of ice with cool tools and an artist’s hand. His latest subject? Pop star rock star teen star everywhere Justin Bieber. Happy 17th Birthday, Justin! Nice haircut, Biebs. Up next: Selena Gomez. Maybe. Never Say Never. Tonight at 10Read more »

Young at heart, or just too cool for school? The cool kids will be on the small screen at the Oscars this weekend. In a Best Picture field crowded with serious films and old-school subjects, two movies stand out for their youthful appeal: The Social Network and Toy Story 3. All week The Dish isRead more »

Connecticut friends stuck in Los Angeles. Manhattan friends stuck in Texas. My three kids, my mom, my husband and I (or is it me? delirious, clearly), very much stuck at home. Warning, Florida, Arizona and other sunny outposts–this post may not be for you. Here in New York City, a snowball fight is sounding likeRead more »

At a random moment tucked between November 10 and November 17 I started dreaming beyond turkey. The buildup of birds every which way, and sides upon sides all homey and comforting, simply got to be too much of a cornucopia. So Black Friday for me is Red Sauce Friday. While everyone else is grabbing leftovers–Read more »

Just three years ago Michael Symon sat where Chefs Marco Canora and Marc Forgione are today, battling for a permanent place on the roster of Iron Chef America. Now he frequently dons his jacket and defends chefly honor in Kitchen Stadium. He also serves as a judge on The Next Iron Chef, hosts Food Network’sRead more »

No matter how you slice it, this is an exciting moment for New York City restaurateur Donatella Arpaia. Doors opened this past week to her eponymously named pizzeria, Donatella, and Sunday starts her reprise run as a judge on the new season of The Next Iron Chef. “Donatella is my most personal project to date–it’sRead more »

The afterparty is on. You heard it here first: Bubbly Next Food Network Star winner Aarti Sequeira will shoot her second season of Aarti Party in Los Angeles in October, with 13 all-new episodes to premiere in December. Just a few weeks into her debut season’s run, it’s clear that her crowdpleasers-with-an-Indian-feel are resonating—her BombayRead more »