today

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Ai Monasteri in Rome.
 
That's where I bought Joyce Goldstein's bubble bath. 
 
1997 celebrity chef in residence.
 
San Francisco's Square One restaurant in snowy Stratford, Ontario.
 
Vivid Mediterranean flavours and a bright mind.

Having her run the kitchen for a week was delicious—and affirmative
 
***
 
Rome had been her home as a young woman on an art scholarship.
 
She'd sent me a list of classic restaurants and food shops. I still have it.
 
Pasta e fagioli at Costanza, cacio e pepe at La Campana, carciofi alla giudia everywhere, crema gelato from Giolitti. 
 
I spent four days following her lead. It was perfect.
 
Something nice for the bath was a small gesture of thanks. 
 
***
 
Claudia Roden and Paula Wolfert were her peers. So were Alice Waters, Peggy Smith, Lindsey Shere, Judy Rodgers. 
 
The chefs who shaped California cooking.  
 
There are recipes in The Mediterranean Kitchen I adore—it's a classic in my collection.
 
***
 
On the Saturday evening before her flight home, we had dinner at Avalon in Toronto. Chris McDonald's cooking—I stopped writing for a bit to recall his genius. 
 
The most beautiful thing was the respect he paid her. He knew the full measure of her talent.

Lovely courses kept coming through the kitchen doors—wines to match. 
 
I was a young woman. She was a great conversationalist.
 
Sharing that meal was something I'll never forget.

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2015