When my dad—chef, storyteller, and picnic enthusiast extraordinaire—declared, “A meal always tastes better outside,” he wasn’t just talking about the food. He was talking about the experience. The laughter. The way a breeze carries the scent of fried chicken and cinnamon-spiced peaches through the air.   READ MORE

Summer in California meant more than just long days, golden sunsets, and backyard feasts—it meant picnic season. And no picnic was complete without a proper spread of cold fried chicken, three bean salad, fresh cucumber and tomato salad, and a cinnamon peach pie that disappeared before I could even get a second slice.  READ MORE

Summers in California meant one thing—picnics. Not just any picnics, but grand, sprawling, shade-under-the-oak-tree affairs. And at the heart of these Summer feasts, nestled between baskets of homemade cornbread, bright bowls of garden-fresh salads, and jugs of ice-cold sweet tea, was the crown jewel: my dad’s Southern fried chicken.  READ MORE

If you ever found yourself at one of our family’s Summer picnics, you’d quickly realize that my dad, a professional chef and an avid gardener, had a deep and abiding love for beans. It wasn’t just about the taste—though he certainly appreciated their versatility—it was about their power.  READ MORE

When faced with a Summer meal featuring crispy, golden-brown southern fried chicken—seasoned to perfection with a chorus of spices—one might wonder, “What salad could possibly hold its own next to this showstopper?”  READ MORE

It’s funny—growing up in the Sacramento Valley, I thought peaches came from there. At the simplest level, I wasn’t wrong. Sacramento peaches were, and still are, some of the best in the world. Juicy, golden, and sun-ripened to perfection, they were a Summer staple.   READ MORE