He introduced us to espresso before most Americans knew what is was, making bread in a wood-fired oven, buying fish off the dock from the guy who caught it, and the perfection of fresh, well grown produce.

 

He also models a cooking style I strive to emulate: relax and enjoy every part of the process of sourcing, cooking and eating. Don t stress, and don t hesitate to improvise. Can t wait to read his blog! My mind conjures up memories of eating strawberries with toddlers on the way home from buying produce from Chino s farm, and years later in New Zealand, sitting at his dining room
table, eating Caesar salad with my fingers from a shared platter, waiting for the fresh-caught main course to come off the grill.

I ve never met a more laid back, unassuming, better cook than Dean, and I
cherish the serendipity of how we met, more than 40 years ago.