I was lucky enough to have grown up in some of the most beautiful beach towns in So. Cal—Malibu, Pacific Palisades, and Laguna Niguel. My folks loved cooking and entertaining on the weekends and always had a wild time in the kitchen. Unfortunately my dad only knew one flame setting in the kitchen and that was full blast...which made for a lot of fire extinguished foods and scraping char in order to identify the food groups. I inadvertently adopted this method of torturing food until I got so skinny (from not eating my own food) that I had to learn to cook with patience and restraint, preventative measures, to not burn my food. This took years to master...really!!!...and honestly, I still burn food.
At 17, I spent an unforgettable summer in France: Claude Terrail, Paris' most elegant host and owner of the world famous La Tour d'Argent restaurant, introduced me to true fine dining. After meeting Claude, my food sensory world exploded. He taught me everything he knew about the world of dining, entertaining, hosting and life in Paris.
I came back to Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California. To pay tuition, I always had at least three jobs—catering, waitressing, modeling, commercials, book keeping for my modeling agency—you name it, I did it. In the middle of all of this, at 21, I launched my own production company, producing national television commercials and large still campaigns for clients that included Wells Rich Green Advertising in New York, Merrill Lynch, Mazda, Le Batts Blue and Marlboro. After I graduated with a degree in communications with an emphasis in business, I partnered with chef Jean Francois Meteigner, formerly the Executive Chef at L'Orangerie, and opened La Cachette, a fine dining French restaurant. We took a tired, dirty, old, and considered jinxed location—and we created a fresh, elegant and timeless restaurant that has received the highest praise and awards. 13 years and it's still thriving.
After two years, I sold La Cachette to my partner and moved on to my next restaurant, The Beach House in Santa Monica. This time, I took a condemned 1930's location across the street from the beach that had pigeons and homeless people living in it and resuscitated this "old girl" back to life after everyone said it was, once again, a jinxed location. With vision (once I see it, I can't be stopped!) and hard work The Beach House came to life. It was instantly a smashing success with mega lines around the block to get in, a four—month waiting list for a reservation and bouncers to keep the peace. We entertained and served the who's who of Hollywood's "A" list. We served politicians, major moguls, and everyone in—between. We threw great parties, celebrated holidays, we had rocking New Year's Eve bashes, all—night dance parties, and served delicious American Bistro comfort food. I had an absolute blast! Meanwhile, all of the fantastic media attention the restaurant was receiving opened my world to television and I was asked to make appearances as a food, wine, and entertaining expert for ABC, NBC, Fine Living, and Style Network. I discovered a new passion: Television. Then, in November 2003, at 5:30 in the morning, a drunk driver drove through the restaurant at 85mph. From the outside the restaurant looked almost untouched. But when you stepped through the new entrance made by the car it looked as if bombs had gone off in all parts of the restaurant. The damage was so bad that the entire building was actually pushed off of its foundation. Thank God no one was hurt, not even the driver. With the timing of expecting my first child, I sold The Beach House and said a difficult good—bye to the restaurant world to start my family and to devote more time to my work in television.
Now my life of cooking and entertaining has a whole new twist, without the staff of the restaurant behind me (to help clean up the dishes) and having a family of two small children, I have less time and more demands. I have also spent this last year (so far) fighting cancer. Needless to say, with my plate full (excuse the pun) my approach to cooking is all about being quick, easy, tasty, and healthy. My goal is to make "fast food" at home that can be easily duplicated so anyone can do it. And that goes for entertaining as well. I didn't want my life to stop just because I was a working Mom and have a family of two small children. I want to pass on my love of food and entertaining to my children just as my parents did for me, except without the char! I have been sharing my tips, tricks of the trade, and latest and greatest discoveries with viewers now for the last five years. My family and kids are a big source of my inspiration to continue to create new ways to be a more efficient host leaving more time to spend with the ones I love.
Hospitality, warm sociability...I'll show you how to become an expert host using a combination of insider tips and tricks of the trade hard-learned from being a professional host, party planner, restaurateur, and mother. In no time at all, you'll be prepared to host any social event with your own blend of charm, sass, and confidence!
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Here's a mix of clips and articles about my previous adventures, including reviews about the two restaurants I owned, The Beach House and La Cachette.