Al Spoler
Host, Cellar Notes and Radio KitchenAl Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.
His most rewarding immersion in cooking came through his work as a television director at MPT. Spoler served as off-line editor and assistant director on two series featuring the legendary French chef Pierre Franey. He also worked with Mexican chef Patricia Quintana, and with Bed and Breakfast expert Gail Greco on her series "Country Inn Cooking". Al says traveling all over the US visiting country inns and taping recipes that they prepared in little makeshift television kitchens was an incredible education.
Spoler's tastes in cooking are influenced by regional tradition and contemporary casual French fare. Never slavish to recipes, he is never happier than improvising a Sunday dinner with whatever ingredients come to hand.
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When a major French winery decides to invest in California wine country, you know that something good is bound to happen. -
It’s been several decades since South Africa earned a place at the wine table, and now we look forward to new releases with great anticipation. -
Cooking is filled with all sorts of little tricks and hacks that can give you a better finished product. One of the most useful, but perhaps trickiest to master is using gelatin. So, we asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, what are some of the most important things to know about cooking with gelatin? -
Petite Sirrah is one of California’s oldest grapes, but it has fallen by the wayside. Al presents three arguments as to why it should be more appreciated. -
There always seems to be a lot of dinner parties and get-togethers in the winter months. People like to sit around munching on appetizers before dinner, and usually one of the most popular is a pâté of some kind. Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, as good as they are, they are something we can have fun making at home for ourselves. -
If you love big fruity, powerful red wine, then you should get to know the offerings of Australia, where big is always better. -
For those of us who love a good steak, our list of go-to cuts is pretty short: New York strip, rib-eye, and sirloin rule the roost. But Chef Jerry Pellegrino would encourage folks to try out a few of the less well-known cuts. Al has embraced them and has been happy to widen his repertoire. -
This time of year, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut with heavy stews, thick soups, and ponderous roasts. Much to the chagrin of many, salads seem to take a back seat, mainly because folks associate salad fixings with warmer times. But Chef Jerry Pellegrino reminds us that opportunities abound for winter salads. -
The world of food is often a world of fads, some of which actually stick around for quite some time One of the best and most welcome developments is the rise of Korean Barbecue, and Asian take on an All-American tradition. Chef Jerry Pellegrino, a fan of Korean Barbecue, wants to get the word out. -
Years ago, a group of boastful friends who lived in Federal Hill decided to put their culinary talents to the test. The task set down for them was to produce the best Cassoulet ever seen in Baltimore. And both Chef Jerry Pellegrino and I were there to witness the outcome.
