Sittin' in the Kitchen

I first met Susur Lee more than 30 years ago when he and chef Michael Stadtlander were newcomers to Canada. His idealistic philosophy about food struck me as ahead of its time; as it turns out, he was. Now the high-profile owner of five successful Toronto restaurants, his Asian fusion food is refined, elegant and delicious.

Helen Antonopoulos owns and operates a Toronto food truck called Food Cabbie with her husband Spiro. Her version of the famous Greek egg dish called Strapatsada caught the attention of celebrity chef Nigella Lawson who used a rendition of the recipe in her book: Simply Nigella. It made the perfect lunch when Helen cooked it for me in my kitchen.

John Catucci and his fork travel far and wide boosting the popularity of local eateries on Food Network's "You Gotta Eat Here". He's funny, endearing and - what can I say? - you gotta listen!

I highlight a few of my favourite places to eat in the culinary melting pot of South Beach Miami: Haitian food at Tap Tap, in particular goat tidbits; a Kobe burger at the Delano Hotel; pigs' feet stew at Puerto Sagua and people watching at the News Cafe.

Lidia Bastianich came to the USA at age 12 with her family as a refugee from the former Yugoslavia. Her heritage is Italian and so is her cooking. I chatted with her at Felidia, the flagship restaurant she opened 35 years ago. Lidia's Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine is her 10th and most recent cookbook. Don't miss her description of cooking for the pope.

Tim Everett, prepared foods team leader at the Yonge and Sheppard Whole Foods Market in Toronto, explains their popular hot and cold food bars. I enthuse about this - my favourite way of eating. Although self-serve food may have a bad rap, I point out the virtues of choosing what, how much, when and where I eat.

Nigella Lawson has bounced back better than ever after much-publicized personal troubles. She was recently on tour to promote her 10th cookbook and accompanying BBC TV show, both called Simply Nigella. I spoke with her in Toronto. It turned out we have a bond in our shared passion for food and cooking. In particular we both take a casual approach to recipes allowing for experimentation and even failure.

Cooking, eating, and sharing food can be deeply therapeutic. Ruth Reichl takes that to heart in her new book My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life. She is a renowned restaurant critic, author, and editor. She was editor-in-chief at Gourmet Magazine for a decade until it was abruptly closed in 2009. Her latest book was born out of the crushing day when she lost her job along with a part of her identity. I spoke with Ruth about her book and our shared path as food journalists in Toronto.

Roger Mooking is a Juno award winning hip-hop artist - and when he turns his talents to food, the results are no less entertaining. He is a star of Food Network and Food Network Canada who appears on Man Fire Food, Heat Seekers, and Chopped: Canada. He co-created Everyday Exotic and penned a cookbook by the same name. Between writing, TV, opening restaurants, and recording music - he is a very busy man.

Peter Neal and his brother Chris started their food company making croutons by hand in their mother's Aurora, Ontario kitchen. Now they distribute salsas, chips, salad dressings and more around the world. I had fun tasting Neal Brothers kettle chips at All the Best Fine Foods in Toronto.