Food & Wine

  Q & A with Nanette Berning-Pate (Pictured above at Wynn, Las Vegas) What inspired you to pursuing the culinary arts?  Being raised in a family that loved to eat great food, I have always been fascinated with all aspects of cooking.  I began baking at an early age with my Grandpa. We baked cakes and cookies. I moved on to making meals for my family as a teen. Pleasing family and friends with my culinary creations has always been a source of pleasure for me.   After culinary school I began my career as a hotel chef before moving...

  Most wine drinkers know that wine bottle shapes are loosely related to the elixir inside, but the exact meaning behind that connection is rarely understood. Burgundy, Bordeaux or Alsace — the vessel shapes are familiar. How and why they became that way is less known. In ancient times, wine was fermented and stored in earthenware jugs coated in beeswax, or in amphorae. As the Roman empire expanded and amphorae proved too delicate to bounce in wagons over good Roman roads, wooden wine barrels were used both for the making and transport of wine. Thus it remained for millennia, until...

Quick and easy Sheet Pan dinner just in time for the busy season of the year. Have company over? Just double or triple the recipe and it will guarantee to be a delight. Pair with our Greek wine. Serves 2Ingredients:Salt and black pepper1 teaspoon dried oregano1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs, trimmed 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 2 inch cubes3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided1 large lemon, cut in 4 thick slices4 large garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half lengthwise 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, rinsed and roughly chopped1 tablespoon capers,...

Following family tradition, PR Bottle Shop's founder Christina Coulourides has been involved in the wine industry for over 40 years. She shares her expertise below and her approach to wine as an essential part of life. Q & A with Christina Coulourides What is your favorite wine quote and why? “Wine is one of the agreeable and essential ingredients of life.” Julia Child. Julia Child continues to be an inspiration, teaching Americans how to enjoy food and wine thereby enhancing lifestyle. Often her message is delivered humbly, seasoned with humor. What sparked your interest in wine? In the 1980s when the California...

This old world fruit has become all the rage over the last couple of years. Now that products made from this fruit are being imported, this exotic fruit is becoming more readily available. One reason we love quince so much is that its season picks up where figs leave off. It can be difficult to find figs to add to our cheese plate after late summer. Luckily, autumn is when the quince is at its peak and its jellies, jams and pastes pop up in all sorts of markets around town. Our cheese plates can go on without feeling incomplete....