The Spice Series – Ginger

Ginger comes from a tropical perennial plant and the part that we actually use is the root!   Ginger holds a very powerful aroma that is sweet and soothing. Dried ginger or ginger  powder lacks the strong aroma but maintains the wonderful...

Book Review – The French Laundry Cookbook

Thomas Keller, the author of this book and owner of The French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley, is a true believer that a meal is an emotional experience. He applies that philosophy to his restaurant and also to this cookbook. This cookbook provides...

Book Review – The Complete Robuchon

We thought it would be nice to provide our readers with some insight into some of the inspirations behind AYS. Here we are featuring an amazing cookbook written by Joel Robuchon.  Since THE COMPLETE ROBUCHON was originally written in French, Robin H. R. Bellinger...

Farmers’ Market

I know you have heard us say this before, but we can’t stress enough the importance of quality ingredients. We say it constantly because it’s true, and that is why we do all of our shopping at our local farmers’ market. The farmers’ market gives us the opportunity to...

A Relationship With Food

We all know that food is imperative to our survival, but how we eat and what we eat are simply bonus questions. Humans are the only species to put so much time and effort into eating, it’s like it has become a sport.  We associate food with memories, holidays, special...