Tag Archives: Mendocino

Great Storm!

What happens when you wash your car? It rains. What happens when your 15th floor windows have just been cleaned on the outside on a 1X per year plan? Bingo.

We have 12 floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of Lake Michigan. Now I can’t see anything and it’s the 2nd or 3rd round of lightning and thunder. Dog and husband are asleep and safe, I just love watching storms.

Yes, they both went to sleep at nine and awoke at 7 a.m. while I braved Hurricane Ike alone. The Mayor told us to stay put and all the skyscrapers 1/4 mile away had their windows blown out. Ours was the only loft of 140 that was not damaged.

We were across from City Hall so must have had some special powers in the electrical department as our power was only off for several hours. We had no water for five days, and no food or water to drink.

I wanted to stay in the bedroom but as long as we had power, I wrote, I blogged, and watched the hurricane’s force. Know that as we took in the haggard refugees of Katrina (New Orleans), that city didn’t offer a finger, much less a hand in friendship over those dark days.

Many years ago I underwent a month-long culinary apprenticeship in Mendocino CA and one of the waiters wanted to sublet his cabin. No heat, a wood stove, broken windows, privy lock on the front door. He left a mattress, sheets and a blanket next to the wood stove.

I had windows all around and no coverings so when a big storm came up I sat up on the kitchen counter and watched it. Nothing like a good storm. Cheers, Dee

Simone “Simca” Beck

One of the historic trio that propagated French cooking in America (a trio that included Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle), her recipes were taught to us in cooking school. I loved her lettuce timbale and chocolate cake. My favorite teacher, who went to Gourmet and after the magazine closed, where?, was Paul Grimes who used to spend summers in the south of France with Simca and neighbor Julia Child.

When I took on my one-month unpaid culinary apprenticeship in Mendocino, CA, I was working with chefs Margaret Fox and Chris Kump (son of the cooking school owner). I’d spent all my savings on cooking school and renting a car and luckily a waiter had a sublet for me for the month. It was very cold at night and my cabin had no heat, broken windows and a privy lock (hook and eye) for security. My funds were spent on $5 a day for wood for the stove that burned out around 2-3 a.m.

My solace was one book I bought at a used bookstore in Ft. Bragg for $8, Simone Beck’s “Simca’s Cuisine.” That’s what I read when it was light enough to read. Now it’s in storage but I looked it up for a reader who commented on Cassoulet (because that’s in the book) and new, it’s going for $817.19 on Amazon!

Let’s all try to make a version of cassoulet before Spring. How about it? I’m willing if you are. There’s a site that provides all the traditional ingredients online, or make up your own. As for me, Simca’s Cuisine is in storage a half a country away so I’ll have to punt. Happy cooking, Dee