May 2016: It doesn’t matter—what does matter is that for almost 30 years the Volunteers of Food Runners have been picking up excess food in San Francisco and getting it to people serving people in need. If you are an active part of this organization, THANK YOU!
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Aug 2015: First of all, thank you so much for all your notes and good wishes on learning that I closed Tante Marie’s Cooking School. I am very happy that Parties That Cook took over the space on Francisco St. and is now offering team-building cooking classes there. Also, I am really really happy to be back teaching evening and weekend cooking classes in my home kitchen on Broderick Street. Do check out my fall classes on www.tantemarie.com and sign up there to receive these Newsletter in the future if you don’t already get them. Thanks so much for all the great years of fun in the kitchen.
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Jun 2015: Okay, so Julia Child brought us French cooking in the 70’s; and Alice Waters has been an amazing inspiration to farmers, food producers, and cooks ever since; but even more important—in my opinion—is the current ground swell of passion about saving our country from the ravages of industrialized farming. Young people are advocating in many ways; including, documentaries about wasted food; hosting conferences about recovering edible food; and lots of online organizing about saving our farmlands, our resources—specifically water and oil—and preserving the earth; restoring jobs; and more important providing healthy wholesome food for Americans.
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Apr 2015: As March is almost over and April is coming quickly, many of us have masses of Meyer lemons still in our gardens. Here for you again a simple and delicious recipe you can make with you kids (store-bought lemons are fine too).
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Oct 2014: Hi Food Lovers and followers of Tante Marie’s! I am thrilled to announce that I am now back where I started 40 years ago—teaching in my home—and loving it! I am also excited to announce our updated website; please check it out and tell your friends – and I am back sending cooking advice in the hopes that you will cook with confidence and have fun!
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May 2014: The truth is that most food keeps far longer than we think! Here’s what good cooks do—if they don’t grow the food themselves; they shop once – maybe twice – a week for fresh ingredients. If you go early in the mornings you will see so many great cooks buying fresh ingredients in the local farmers markets. Then, they cook during the week with what they have on hand; and save the excess to turn into another dish later in the week.
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Sep 2013: Aren’t you getting tired of all the talk about organic? Last week the media was full of news about a report by Stanford analyzing 75 research reports on whether or not there is more nutritional value in organic foods. How silly!
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Sep 2013: Now is the time for educated Americans to STOP denying ourselves certain foods and rather START adding foods to our every day diet. Here are the facts: America is one of the richest countries in the world; most of us are making choices every day about what to eat - not worrying that we won't have enough to eat or to feed our children - we are very, very fortunate and yet we worry so much. Why then are we obsessing about not eating this or not eating that?
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Jul 2013: The most important thing about entertaining is to make the guests feel comfortable; it is they that should shine—not you. And, the best way to make them feel comfortable is to let them know what to expect. For instance, when inviting people, let them know the theme, if there is one; for instance, a western BBQ; or a Margarita Party; or a casual luncheon in the garden.
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Jun 2012: Fresh salmon is one of the most wonderful foods to cook and to eat - it is full of flavor and very versatile. However, it is not local, sustainable, and line-caught year-round.
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May 2012: There is so much being written about eating meat, that I thought I would give a brief summary of my thoughts. What we know is that most educated people in America eat too much meat and not enough fruits and vegetables. Yes, but what kind of meat should we buy and cook?
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Mar 2012: Every cook in America (and Canada) owes a deep sense of gratitude to Chuck Williams! It was he who brought us good French copper pots; it was he who brought us good French porcelain; it was he who brought us KitchenAid mixers for the home; it was he who brought us LeCreuset; and so much more good cooking equipment. Here is my interpretation of the history of Williams-Sonoma—mostly pieced together from what Chuck, himself, told me over the years.
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Mar 2011: The reason I admire him the most of all the traveling cooking teachers is that he always teaches original recipes. What he does is learn new recipes every year in his native Tuscany, teaches them at various cooking schools around the country, and then usually publishes them in a beautiful big cookbook with magnificent pictures.
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Feb 2011: by Margaret Hemley, Cooking Teacher at Tante Marie's It is bursting with the soft, pale yellow, sweet lemons. Their juice and zest find their way into pudding, tagine, lentil soup, beurre blanc and vinaigrettes. I always seem to have a half a Meyer lemon sitting on the counter waiting to be squeezed onto a resting hangar steak or in a glass of bubbly water. It's vibrant, sweet-tart juice and zest brighten many a dish in my winter kitchen.
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Jul 2010: I believe deep down that most humans want to help their fellow humans in need. And, nowhere is it exemplified more than in Food Runners. Food Runners, which has been going for over twenty years, is a grassroots organization in San Francisco of volunteers picking up food from businesses that have excess food and delivering it to the neighborhood food programs. These include soup kitchens that feed the hungry, food pantries that give bags of groceries to families, childcare centers, senior centers, drop-centers, and single resident apartment buildings.
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Jun 2010: Are you terrified that if you invite guests to the country, or the lake, that you will spend the whole time in the kitchen? Are you scared of not pleasing everyone? Are you afraid of deviating from recipes? Well, here are some great suggestions for getting rid of the anxiety and having fun!
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Jan 2010: My culinary journey started when I was nine years old! Each week my friend, Elizabeth Quisenberry and I would cook at one or the others house in Bronxville, New York. We usually cooked recipes found on the back of the Bakers Chocolate box, or the Swansdown Cake Flour box. Generally, the recipes on containers are very reliable. Elizabeth and I loved our fudge, chocolate brownies, and marble cakes.
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Aug 2009: Are we in the beginning of a renaissance of home-cooking? Do we really care where our food comes from? Is America going to change – that is – stop eating on the run and start buying local and sustainable ingredients to cook at home? Frankly, I don't have the answers. It seems to me that in our fast paced lifestyle, we have to rely on others to do the cooking once in a while; and we should take pleasure in cooking and eating with family and friends as much as we can. Here for you is a selection of some special "take-out food" and a fabulous salad to serve before a summer cookout.
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May 2009: I had absolutely no idea that hosting the 30th Anniversary of Tante Marie's Cooking School would mean so much to so many people! First of all, what we tried to do was contact all the past graduates of the Full-Time Culinary School to invite them to a dinner at my home on Saturday evening.
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Jan 2009: LEFTOVERS ARE GOOD! In fact, most accomplished home cooks plan to have leftovers in order to create totally different dishes. Think about the real Salad Nicoise—it is basically a salad of yesterday's cooked vegetables served with tuna. What is Ribolita? It is yesterday's minestrone, covered with bread and cheese and left to stand overnight.
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Oct 2008: My friend, T.T. never follows a recipe! She is one of the most naturally talented cooks I know and somehow she has to add something of her own to every recipe. That's okay with me. What T.T. did last night was prepare a warm, comforting dinner for Chuck and me in her home in San Bruno. And what a wonderful, well-thought-out meal it was!
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Jan 2007: Everybody — as we start 2007 all the classes and courses offered at Tante Marie's are full to capacity and everyone is having fun cooking together!
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