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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Ahhh.Feel that chill in the air?Remember how blazing hot it was just a few weeks ago?Autumn is here and we’re all feeling refreshed and invigorated and ready for a change of pace.I recommend that perhaps you should go rummaging through the basement and dig out that relic from long ago, the fondue pot, because the time has come for a little bubbling cheese and a cold glass of wine. -
It’s one of those transitional times of the year, and the white grape viognier makes a perfect wine for the season. Here’s three to contemplate. -
When I go shopping at the farmers market I almost always drawn to the stands that have the eggplants, because these days they come in such an amazing range of colors and shapes. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino told me, it used to be that people shied away from cooking eggplant, but we seem to be making some progress on that front. -
One of Sonoma’s older wineries, Marietta has been putting great wine in bottles at a very fair price for decades now. Hugh looks at some recent offerings. -
If we’re talking “entry level” proteins, it’s hard to get more basic than ground beef. It’s one of those products that exists as an after-thought; it’s what you get after all the other good stuff has been cut up and packaged. But Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, ground beef is still a worthy subject for discussion because it is so versatile. -
Once a source of cheap jug wine, Lodi is now gaining respect for the quality of its zinfandels, a long-time favorite of Al. -
One of my favorite meat dishes is pork chops, often with sauerkraut and sautéed apples. Now as much as I love them, pork chops can be a bit tricky because of all the meats I know, they’re one of the easiest to dry out. -
Beaujolais the classic easy going, easy drinking wine, and quite easy to understand. -
Of all the vegetables out there, few are as essential as the good old carrot. Simple, basic and indispensable, the carrot is often an unsung hero in thousands of recipes. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino reminds us, carrots may be Bugs Bunny’s favorite snack, but they’re incredibly useful for the rest of us. -
There are times when big heavy reds just don’t seem quite right, so that’s when you turn to lighter red wines for refreshment and pleasure. Al takes a look at several.
