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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Not all California reds are labeled according to a single variety; many are fine blends of grapes that offer good flavor and good prices. -
Since most cooking is about applying heat to food, it’s sometimes beneficial to think about all the variations on that theme. Chef Jerry Pellegrino has boned up on this and can tell us what our options are when we haul out the old skillet? -
Santa Barbara is renowned as a premier source for Burgundian grapes pinot noir and chardonnay. Hugh takes a look at some of the leading pinots. -
When people travel, they not only dine in fine restaurants, but they also eat a lot of what we call “street food”. A few decades ago, visitors to Mexico discovered that the beloved taco had undergone some changes. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, it was a great decision to incorporate deep fried fish into the classic taco. -
Often overlooked, the wonderful white wines from the South of France offer a totally new take on white wine flavors, at affordable prices. -
Sometimes when I am peeling an onion, I play a little mental game: name one cuisine around the world that doesn’t depend on onions. The only one I can come up with, and I’m not certain about it, are the Innuits of the snowy north. Chef Jerry Pellegrino thinks it’s fair to say the onion is universally important. -
Every now and then, the boys end up with a bunch of tasting notes without a particular theme; hence a show called “Odds and Ends.” -
I haven’t been shy about chowing down on fresh Maryland corn this summer. Although I’ve been enjoying corn on the cob, I keep reminding myself that there are a lot of other ways to enjoy an ear of corn. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees, if you can scrape those kernels off the cob, there’s a lot you can do. -
Maryland’s oldest winery is entering a golden age, and their whites have never been better. Al takes a look at them. -
As summer enters the homestretch we can begin to look forward to a new phase of the harvest. This is the time when so many of our Maryland root vegetables come into play. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees, these sometimes-forgotten veggies deserve a little attention.
