Foodie For life.....“Sophisticated accessibility for food lovers” Tony Wilkins
Comfort food. It conjures up fond memories of my childhood. My earliest memories of food were of my mother frying chicken (or catfish) in the kitchen as Cannonball Adderly played on the stereo. Men of a certain generation didn’t do a lot of cooking (if any) because it was considered “women’s work”. Silly I know but there it is. I remember the first time I watched Julia Child on PBS ,immediately fascinated by this tall funny looking (and funny talking) yet entertaining woman. She was soon followed by equally fascinating shows like The Frugal Gourmet and the Galloping Gourmet which featured (gasp) men doing the cooking. Who knew? It was the golden age of culinary TV and I was there to witness it all. Fast forward some years later when I was old enough to actually turn on the stove, I remember preparing my very first meal ….chicken soup from scratch. Although I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen to cook (I could wash dishes, however) I did spy on my Mom as she prepared our daily meals. Years later I found out that although a fantastic cook in her own right, Mom hated the process of cooking. Yikes!!!! It’s the reason that she and my sister (who also hated cooking and over salted everything) spent so many hours in the kitchen together (so that she could one day take over as second in command). Of course what Mom didn’t realize was that I had a knack and passion for cooking. I mean really inventive dishes which left her confused since she never actually taught me how to cook and certainly not with ingredients like olive oil and butter. Southern Moms are funny like that (deep fried lard- laden everything). And so my first dish was the aforementioned soup which to my (and Mom’s) surprise not only turned out well but better than hers (her words not mine).
To my surprise I come from a long line of great cooks, and not all of them women. And while I had no intention of becoming a chef (cooking is just for fun after all) I did earn a living as a caterer for a very brief period. This led to the publication of my second book The Single Person’s Cookbook http://www.amazon.com/Single-Persons-Cookbook-Lessons-Life-Love/dp/1463721064 which led to several TV appearances and now this magazine.
Which brings me to the publication of FQ (which is my second online magazine after Small Business Forum Magazine) and tells the story of food in all of its incarnations. FQ is about unpretentious meals, everyday cooks and chefs and meals made in minutes. FQ takes a look at some of the best (and often unsung) culinary establishments and “foodies” from around the globe. FQ is for people who love food-all kinds, not just the dishes in overpriced restaurants that take months to get into. FQ will show you where to eat, how to eat and what to eat. It will show you the latest trends and best tricks to shed pounds while eating well. We’ll examine the medicinal benefits to food and tackle dietary issues like creating dishes for diabetics. If you’re like most of us and want a meal prepared quickly but are often too tired to cook, we’ll show you some short cuts for feeding your family without spending hours in the kitchen. Want to throw a party for 100 people? Get expert tips for serving a crowd without having a nervous breakdown. We’ll even share tips to get your next holiday meal on the table in less than an hour. We hope you enjoy FQ and look forward to sharing our love of food with you.
Tony Wilkins
Editor in chief