‘Dead Celebrity’ chef and author Frank DeCaro says his series’s latest incarnation is about spreading the love for deceased entertainers through their favorite foods — with a holiday twist.  

The Protagonist does not shy away from dark and morbid content, which is why my ears perked when I heard about comedic entertainer Frank DeCaro’s Dead Celebrity Cookbook series.

DeCaro emphasizes, however, the series is more about promoting great performers than capitalizing on their deaths, a shock-value title or even the very recipes themselves.

DeCaro said he’s regularly frustrated at the younger generation’s lack of awareness about some of entertainment’s greatest deceased stars. He sees his project as a “spoonful of sugar” in making sure certain important names are remembered well after their time.

“I wanted to be able to pass along some pop culture history and so that was part of it,” he said, of the series’s origin. “You need to know who these people are — if Lady Gaga can know who Liberace is, so can you.”

“If a show meant a lot to me, I’d slip in a recipe,” he explained. “Even if it only had one deceased star.”

I asked DeCaro if including a recently deceased performer ever struck him as taboo or if his books garnered any negative reactions for their grimness.

“Once they go, I want to get them in the book,” he added, emphasizing it’s never “too soon,” especially since his series is all about paying tribute. The reactions from readers have been overwhelmingly positive as well. “Joey Arias was so happy I included Klaus Nomi,” he said. “Everyone in the book is someone I admire.”

Following the success of the original Dead Celebrity Cookbook, DeCaro is releasing The Dead Celebrity Cookbook Presents Christmas in Tinseltown: Celebrity Recipes from Six Feet Under the Mistletoe just in time for the holidays.

The holiday edition will feature recipes from stars who have passed, like Dick Clark, Robert Mitchum and several recipes from Miracle on 34th Street actors. DeCaro said the film was a jackpot in terms of celebrity recipes.

As evidence this book is largely about paying homage to entertainment greats and little else, DeCaro concedes some of the recipes are actually downright disastrous. A few of the recipes’ names are even a giveaway to this end, such as Lucille Ball’s “Chinese-y thing.” (Just because you’re a great entertainer, doesn’t mean you’re a great cook or culinary innovator.)

“The recipe I always make fun of is Isabel Sanford’s Boston Chicken,” said DeCaro. The recipe’s sauce calls for Russian dressing, onion soup mix, pineapple and apricot jam.

“We call it Chicken a la Barf,” said DeCaro. He assured me it didn’t change his love for Isabel Sanford.

If anything, hopefully DeCaro’s book can humanize these stars a bit for readers too.

“There’s a recipe in the new book that’s just downright creepy,” added DeCaro, describing something like jelly consomme flakes in avocado. He made a retching noise over the phone as he described the recipe, and I was right there with him.

“But I love me some Bea Arthur,” he continued. “Even if you don’t try that recipe, you certainly need to watch the bootleg Star Wars holiday special.”

Of course the series also has its major culinary successes. One consistent favorite is Katharine Hepburn’s brownies from the original book.

“You don’t really want to eat Elvis’s peanut-butter-bacon-whatever,” DeCaro pointed out, “but people always say ‘make those [brownies] again.’”

Check out Frank DeCaro’s books for yourself: www.deadcelebritycookbook.com

‘THE CHEW’ CO-HOST DISHES ON LED ZEPPELIN, TAKE-OUT MENUS AND HER SIGNATURE MAC AND CHEESE BUNDLES

By Angela Barbuti

If you turn on The Chew each weekday afternoon, you will see Carla Hall’s warm personality, which she can’t help but blend into all that she cooks. Therefore, it is not surprising that the name of her new cookbook is Cooking with Love. The Southern-born 48-year-old lives on the Upper West Side, so if you see her, be sure to say, “Hootie Hoo,” the catchphrase she started during her days on Top Chef.

What was it like to write your first cookbook?
I knew it was going to be a lot of homework, and it was even more homework than I thought. When people used to come up to me and say, “Do you have a cookbook?” all I heard was, “Do you want more homework?” because I was already doing a lot of stuff. I had an amazing team. Genevieve Ko, the co-author, who I met through my literary agent, would always stick to the schedule and say, “just talk.” I would start talking, and all these memories would come back. It was really fun to do.

What are your favorite things about The Chew?
One of the things I love about the show is having certain celebrities come on and show skills that we don’t realize they have. And also, because there are five co-hosts, there are at least two different perspectives, sometimes five. I love it, because I think it empowers the audience, and shows there is not always one way to do something.

How was moving to New York?
I’m from Nashville, but live in D.C. My husband comes up every other weekend, and I’ll go home every other weekend. People forget how stressful it is to move. I had to find an apartment, my husband wasn’t here, and I had a new job— everything was changing. I like New York, but I think it can get a little busy for me. I make sure to not fall into the trap of doing something every minute, because there is something going on all the time.

What are you still getting used to here?
The thing about New York that I haven’t gotten into is that when I go to friends’ homes, they pull out a stack of menus. I can’t wrap my head around that, the delivery thing. It’s a culture very unique to New York. I have menus just to look through at home, then I’ll go out and get the food.

You were the executive chef in restaurants in Washington, D.C. Do you miss being in a restaurant setting?
You know what, I don’t. But I did a couple of pop-up dinners and I like going back to the kitchen—the buzz, putting out fires, the team coming together. But it’s hard—the daily grind and coming home smelling like onions.

Would you consider your break to be Top Chef?
Absolutely. I totally give all props, thanks and praise to Bravo and Top Chef. When I went on the show, I didn’t realize how popular it was; I was just going on for the personal challenge. I think I surprised myself; I’m sure I probably surprised the producers. For Top Chef All-Stars, winning Fan Favorite, I believe, was truly my big break. I think that’s when the executives from ABC saw me and suggested me for The Chew.

You are quoted as saying, “If you’re not in a good mood, the only thing you should make is a reservation.”
That’s just the way I look at life. My grandmother always told me, “Love what you do.” I was an accountant at Price Waterhouse. When I was working, I had this fear of being 40 and hating my job. I had modeled at Howard University and had met these girls who were going to Paris. So at 23, I quit my job and went. Some people would think it’s scary to go to a foreign country when you don’t even know the language, you have one phone number and you’re living in a hotel. For me it wasn’t scary, it was being 40, hating my job and being trapped. All my life, I’ve looked for the thing that makes me happy. I don’t care what you do—if you love something, you do a better job than someone who doesn’t want to do it.

THIS WEEKEND DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THE END OF THE LINE FOR THESE AUTUMN DELIGHTS

Thanksgiving is the last hurrah for the multitude of flavors that come together to spell “autumn” in our little lizard brains. Herbs like sage and rosemary, Brussels sprouts and squash, apples and ginger—soon we’ll say goodbye to all that and it’ll be all Christmas, all the time. Chocolate and peppermint will flavor absolutely everything—hell, they’ve already snuck their way into the Pringles can, once a bastion of salt. Orange and cinnamon will somehow find their way into the very air around you, like surplus oxygen pumped onto the casino floors in Vegas.

Some of this has to do with geographical seasonality—there’s only so much you can grow when there’s been 2 feet of snow on the ground for a month. But much more of it is due to the manufactured seasonality of holidays as consumer events. How are people supposed to go wild shopping for Christmas gifts on Black Friday if they still feel like it’s Thanksgiving, a time for being grateful for what you already have? How can you keep latte consumption running high without introducing a new limited-time-only flavor every three weeks?

Turns out seasonality means less and less these days, both from a meteorologic and a material perspective. Starbucks rolled out its holiday-branded cups weeks ago, along with all the eggnog/gingerbread/peppermint coffee-type beverages that go in them. And with a hurricane, massive snowstorm and mid-60s temperatures all within a week of each other, climate and season have only a passing acquaintance. So check out some of these autumnal flavors after Thanksgiving and assert your independence from the whole charade.

If you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts, you’re not alone. If all you’ve ever had are Aunt Gertie’s boiled-while-the-turkey’s-in rendition, there’s really not much to love. Cooked plainly, the little guys’ crucifer heritage comes out loud and clear, packing all the stench of boiled cabbage into a tiny, bite-sized parcel. But roasting opens them up to a world of caramelized sweetness, a slight bitter edge and the delightful contrast of tender interior and crisp exterior. Eat these anywhere, but especially at Mile End Sandwich (53 Bond St., mileenddeli.com), where they’re halved and tossed with shredded radicchio and a bacon vinaigrette that nestles in all the right crevices. It’s just the right thing to cut the richness of their signature Ruth Wilensky sandwich (that’s fried salami for us non- Montréalers).

Sure, there’ll be apple cider till Easter, but that over-spiced, over-sweetened hooch doesn’t do the apple justice. Over the years, New York has been home to some of the most brilliant apple breeders, who created a multitude of varieties that coax bright tartness, honeyed sweetness, floral undertones and more from the fruit. Go straight to the source at the Union Square farmers’ market, which is open all year round (apples keep for months in the right cold storage!), or try some of the seasonal sandwiches at Num Pang (21 E. 12th St. or 140 E. 41st St., numpangnyc.com), the Cambodian sandwich shop whose creations defy borders. Roasted, spiced chicken comes with slices of pickled apple, turkey breast is topped with a very Thanksgiving cranberry-apple chutney, and glazed pork belly is accompanied by Asian pear (OK, not an apple, but just as autumnal!).

For a full-on one-two punch of fall, try Crispo (240 W. 14th St., crisporestaurant.com) and their butternut squash tortelloni with chestnuts and sage. The below-the-radar Northern Italian spot (no mean feat for a restaurant that sits right on 14th Street) serves a variety of soul-warming pastas in a romantically low-lit, brick-lined room, along with plenty of their signature ingredients: prosecco, prosciutto and parmigiano. But the handmade pockets of rich, dense squash sweetened by the street vendor favorite, roasted chestnuts, and made savory with browned butter and fried sage, take the seasonal prize.

THE FOODIE TALKS ABOUT CELEBRITY CHEFS SETTING HER KITCHEN ON FIRE, HER APPLE-ONION THANKSGIVING STUFFING AND MICHAEL J. FOX

By Angela Barbuti

Rachael Ray is an inspiration to home cooks everywhere, but the fact that she lives downtown gives New Yorkers a definite advantage. Neighbors go so far as to ask her what she’s cooking for dinner when they run into her. The 44-year-old has created a food empire encompassing a talk show, magazine, nonprofit organization and 21 cookbooks. Her newest book, My Year in Meals, hit shelves Nov. 13. When she is not writing recipes for her famous 30-Minute Meals, she is stirring up carbonara sauce for her husband, John.

What is a typical day like for you?
[Laughs] There are no typical days. But if we are taping the daytime show, I will get up around 5 a.m. and head to the gym, then start getting ready for the show. We typically tape between two to three shows during the day. At lunch, I will write some recipes for Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine or for an upcoming book. Then, after taping, I’ll head home and make dinner for John.

Walk us through the process of writing a cookbook.
I keep a notebook with me at all times, and when I have an idea or am inspired, I start jotting down recipes. Then I have to code them—“EDWRR” means it might work for the magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray, while “MYIM” means it would go in the new book My Year in Meals. I code them as the ideas come to me. For the books, I’m always working one or two concepts out so if a recipe doesn’t fit for this cookbook, it could roll over to someplace else. There’s always a home for it.

Your daytime television show, Rachael Ray, launched in 2006. Who has been your most memorable guest?
I can’t pick the most memorable. We’ve had so many seasons of amazing guests. I would have to say it’s a three-way tie between Michelle Obama, President Clinton and Michael J. Fox, who is my personal hero. Oh wait … Hugh Jackman and Ringo Starr were pretty amazing!

Any funny set stories that stand out?
One day the turntable that our audience sits on, allowing them to rotate to different parts of the set, broke down, so all of them had to get up and help us spin it around. There was another time when Emeril and Bobby Flay both set the kitchen set on fire.

What is your favorite dish to cook at home with your husband?
Carbonara—hands down—it’s his favorite.

What area of the city do you live in? What are your favorite places there?
I live below 14th Street and love being downtown. I’m always at the Union Square market and stores like John Derian.

Do people stop you in the city to discuss food?
Yes, all the time. My fans come up to me in the grocery store and say, “Hey Rach, do you know where the canned tomatoes are?” or “What are you making for dinner?”

What are your favorite restaurants and food stores in Manhattan?
My husband and I like eating pizza at Motorino. I love shopping in Chelsea Market where the Food Network is, especially Buon Italia, where I get a lot of groceries.

Where were you during hurricane Sandy?
The daytime show was dark that week, so I was already home with my family upstate.

What was it like to help the victims by working the ABC telethon?
It was great to be a part of it. The folks we were talking to on the phone were so happy to help. It was really empowering to see how people come together in times like these.

You also run a nonprofit, Yum-o! Please describe this organization and let readers know how they can help.
Yum-o! is a nonprofit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships. Through our three core work areas of Cook, Feed and Fund, Yum-o! educates kids and their families about food and cooking by offering an interactive website that enables young cooks to get started in the kitchen and try out family-friendly recipes. We team up with partner organizations to feed hungry children, and fund innovative cooking programs in schools and give educational opportunities for kids who are interested in pursuing careers in the restaurant and food service industry. People can help by visiting www.yum-o.org.

You are known for your 30-Minute Meals. Which is your favorite?
That’s like picking your favorite kid!

What will be on the menu for your Thanksgiving dinner this year?
We usually make two smaller birds since they take less time to cook and we can sleep in. We make an apple and onion stuffing and mashed potatoes with parsnips.

You won the Outstanding Talk Show Emmy twice. Where are your awards?
Sitting in my office at the daytime show.

Who are your favorite celebrity chefs?
I can’t choose favorites. I love Mario and Bobby. Emeril is the greatest.

What are your future plans?
I haven’t planned anything to this point, so why start now?

Why do you think you have become so successful?
When you love what you do and work hard, it’s hard not to find success on some level.
To learn more about Rachael, visit www.rachaelray.com

By Angela Barbuti

Chef Masaharu Morimoto is most widely recognized for being an Iron Chef. So much so that people are known to start “screaming and giggling” when they see him around town. You don’t have to travel far to catch a glimpse of the celebrity chef—just visit Morimoto restaurant in the Meatpacking District and sit at the sushi bar. Between sips of sake and tastes of Crispy Rock Shrimp Tempura, you can see the Japanese native and sushi master behind his exposition kitchen.

On Nov. 5, chef Morimoto will be at New Taste 2012, sponsored by New York magazine.

How do you describe your cooking style?
Utilizing Japanese cooking techniques with not only Japanese ingredients, but also Western ones. I hate to call it “fusion,” but want to call it “global cuisine.”

What is a typical day like for you?
I wake up early and walk in the city as exercise. Then in the afternoon I go to my restaurant.

Your restaurant is known for its tasting menu, omakase, which frequently changes. Where do your menu ideas come from?
I usually think about seasonal ingredients and then come up with ideas using them. For Japanese cuisine, seasonality is very important. Even for fish—the same fish tastes different depending on the season.

Are you recognized in Manhattan now that you were on Iron Chef?
As I mentioned, I walk a lot in the city. Some people do recognize me as an Iron Chef and wave at me or sometimes ask me to take pictures with them. Some people’s reactions are funny, screaming and giggling.

Of all the food battles you participated in on the show, which one was the most memorable?
I should say it was the Tofu Battle because I got the perfect score.

What do you think of the fact that chefs are now celebrities in our culture?
I think TV is one of the reasons. Chefs appear on TV more and more and are treated just like other celebrities.

Morimoto plays Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell music. How would you describe the atmosphere you are trying to create there?
I want to create an atmosphere where customers enjoy our food—but each Morimoto restaurant has a different atmosphere depending on the location. For example, Morimoto New York plays music relatively loud because that’s what the customers expect in the Meatpacking District.

Are you planning on opening more restaurants?
A new restaurant, Tribeca Canvas, will open in early November in Tribeca. More to come in the next year.

You have some unique-sounding names for your dishes. Describe “Duck, Duck, Duck” and “Angry Chicken.”
Duck, Duck, Duck is Morimoto Peking duck, foie gras croissant, and duck egg. Angry Chicken is very hot as if the chicken was angry.

If you had to take your wife out to dinner in New York City, where would you go?
A nice four-star restaurant. I’ve already taken her to Daniel and Eleven Madison, so next will be … but actually, my wife and I like eating comfortably at home.

What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Ask Andrew Zimmerman!
Morimoto is at 88 Tenth Ave.
www.morimotonyc.com

By Angela Barbuti

Jacques Pépin was an original celebrity chef. He was sautéing and chopping when the title did not carry the prestige it does today. Immigrating to the U.S. from France in 1959, Pépin continued his culinary career in New York at Le Pavillon, which was looked upon as the best restaurant in the nation at the time. Known for his friendship with Julia Child, Pépin, now 76, was the first chef to review her cookbook manuscript and the last to cook in her kitchen before it was given to the Smithsonian. On Nov. 12, you can meet Pépin at the 92nd Street Y, where he will join Andre Soltner and Jean-Jacques Rachou for Three French Chefs: Conversations and Reminiscences. He will also sign his new cookbook, Jacques Pépin’s New Complete Techniques, which will be released Nov. 13.

In your book The Apprentice, you talked about coming to New York and working at Le Pavillon, which was thought to be the finest restaurant in the United States.
Yes, I started at Le Pavillon in ’59 and worked there for less than a year. It remained a famous restaurant for 20 years after Henri Soulé created it at the World’s Fair in 1939. In the middle of 1960, when Kennedy was running for president, Soulé had a problem with Pierre Franey, the executive chef, and the staff. He didn’t want to pay anyone. So we all left in support of the chef.

In your opinion, what is the best restaurant now?
At this time, there would probably be 10 best restaurants in New York alone. Remember that the Michelin [Guide] came at some point in the late ’60s and gave Le Pavillon a two-star rating, which was the highest in the United States. They didn’t even give another two-star rating, and now there are five or six restaurants in New York with three-star ratings.

You were asked to be the chef at the Kennedy White House, but declined the offer.
This was in the beginning of the spring of 1960, and what you have to realize is, the world of the chef was totally different then. At the time, I had been the chef to a president in France and I had never once been in a newspaper, magazine, on radio or television. No one ever came to thank you or call you in the dining room. Usually when they came into the kitchen, it was because something was wrong. When I was asked to go to the White House, I had no inkling of the potential it could have had for my career.

You were one of the first celebrity chefs.
Well I don’t know. Yes, I suppose, in retrospect, probably at that time. I mean it was a small world.

You said that in the early ’60s there was no food television. What do you think of the change?
It’s just an amazing thing. I was at the Food and Wine Festival in Aspen, and one of the lecturers said that there are 407 cookery shows on television. I don’t know whether it’s accurate, but still, it blows your mind.

You met Julia Child in 1960 when you were asked to look at her cookbook manuscript for Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
I met Julia because I met Craig Claiborne, who was just starting at the New York Times. He introduced me to Helen McCully, the editor of House Beautiful. An older lady, she was never married or had children, so she became my surrogate mother. Helen told me to look at the manuscript, and I thought it was pretty good. She said, “The woman who wrote it is from California and she’s coming to New York next week, so let’s cook for her.” She told me, “She is a big woman with a terrible voice.” That was, of course, Julia.

What do you remember about meeting her?
You look at her size, her voice, and her exuberance. I remember that I spoke French with her more than English. Her French was better than my English at that time. We were friends for close to half a century.

You met your wife Gloria on Hunter Mountain, where you were a ski instructor.
She requested a private lesson with me and was actually in the ski patrol. Our first date was on Valentine’s Day; I cooked for her. Yesterday was our 46th anniversary. I cook for her every day, unless she cooks for me.

What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Oh boy. I ate a lot of strange things, from caterpillar and slug in West Africa, to raw fertilized eggs in China.

For information on Jacques Pépin’s event, visit www.92y.org/Uptown/Event/Three-French-Chefs.aspx

Before the official end of summer, savor this colorful and delicious recipe. Add in a touch of basil, and you have a wonderful salad your whole family will love!

Ingredients (serves 4)
1/2 lb. of baby heirloom tomatoes (about 2 containers); washed, with larger ones cut in half.
2 cups of chopped watermelon; seeds removed.
1 tablespoon fresh basil, washed and sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt

Directions
Place tomatoes and watermelon in a large mixing bowl or serving platter, add salt, and mix well with a spoon.
Sprinkle chopped basil on top.

Pour the balsamic vinegar and olive oil into a bowl and mix well with a wire whisk. Drizzle over the tomatoes and watermelon.

Serve and enjoy!

TIP
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days in the refrigerator and up to three months in the freezer.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

Today would have been, famed American chef and author, Julia Child’s 100th birthday. Child was most famous, perhaps, for introducing French cuisine to the American culinary scene, but she was also an endearing television personality and former spy. In honor of her birthday, we have featured a couple of Child’s more “garnished” recipes, remembering a life full of its own fascinating twists and turns.

1. Cassoulet

One recipe for Julia Child’s cassoulet, a native dish from the Toulouse region of France, says: [It’s] not really something that you should try to make entirely from scratch at home unless you have a day to spare to make the confit…and another day to make the cassoulet.” This is one of those recipes much tougher to pull together in America than France, where certain ingredients are pre-prepared. The cassoulet calls for an—approximately—astonishing 22 ingredients. Many think of cooking as more of an art than a science (we strongly agree), but this recipe calls for a whole lot of “exactly”s, leaving little room for error. Apparently it’s worth it though, and is one tried-and-true, delicious and hearty dish.

2. Soupe a L’Oignon Gratinee des Trois Gourmandes

Onion soup? Complicated? We know what you’re thinking. This recipe, which sounds way more complicated by its french title, incorporates about 16 different ingredients and takes a total of three hours and 15 minutes to prepare, from start to completion. The result, however, looks and sounds absolutely delectable. It’s probably even more fun if you sip the cognac as you go, just don’t go overboard and forget to replenish the recipe’s six tablespoons. (Child is all in favor of the heavily-boozed recipes.)

3. Supremes de Volaille Archiduc

What in the world is that, you ask? We thought you might. We picked this one partially for the incredible-sounding name, which translates in English to “chicken breasts with paprika, onions and cream.” Okay, a little more boring, but here’s how Child describes the wonder herself: “The flesh of a perfectly cooked supreme is white with the faintest pinky blush, its juices run clear yellow and it is definitely juicy.” Okay, that doesn’t sound as tempting as we’d hoped, but apparently this chicken breast is out-of-this-world tender, and the sauce, improbably mouth-watering. And the pictures, oh god those pictures.

Don’t even get us started on Child’s seductive desserts, you’ll have to check back next year for those. And with that, a tip of the hat to a master, and bon appetit!

—Alissa Fleck

Photo Courtesy of Alissa Fleck

Famously perky chef and TV personality Rachael Ray made an appearance at a Barnes & Noble in Union Square last night to speak and sign copies of her 20th cookbook, The Book of Burger, named for the musical Book of Mormon (coupled with a love of burgers), which reportedly “made [her] fall off [her] seat laughing.” Ray fans from as far as Arizona, but probably farther, started filling bookstore seats hours in advance.

“Rachael Ray is so inspirational, it’s like listening to a StairMaster. I don’t think she’s ever had a down day…in public,” said one fan, Patrick, who showed up two hours early to the signing for a front row seat. He had flown in from Ohio for the day to see Ray. “I don’t actually cook, I’m not a practitioner. I just watch for pleasure,” he said. “I’m going to have her sign ‘I love you’ in my book.’” A woman nearby added: “I’m going to have her address mine ‘to my best friend.’”

Others in the audience affirmed their fondness for Ray’s bubbly demeanor as well. When she finally hit the stage to speak after a half-hour publicity delay, wide smiles and glazed eyes pervaded the room. The flicker from cameras never dimmed.

Another Ray fan in attendance was the 150-pound Chewy, a “famous” NYC therapy dog, whose owner claims he has 2,000 Facebook friends, though I failed to find anything about him on the internet. “Rachael has done a lot of work in the dog community,” said Chewy’s owner, patting the massive, slobbering animal. Other nearby audience members appeared distressed at how many second row seats the dog required.

“If I could ask her anything, it would be: how does she keep going?” said Patrick. “What is her center? How does she stay on all the time?” When pressed further, he said: “I’d ask if she dreams about food. And what are her nightmares like? Does she burn something?” Patrick had done his research. He surmised a low point in Ray’s life was having to move back in with her mother after a string of break-ins at her New York City apartment. He was proud of how she bounced back.

There was a consensus among crowd members that, with everything she does, Ray is an immutable multitasker.

And Ray brought the charm. Calling out to one fan during the Q&A, she shouted: “You’re like the Noxzema girl! You’re just so pretty!”

She also brought the burgers. Every customer who purchased Ray’s The Book of Burger, which the event manager continually touted as “Rachael’s best cookbook yet,” received a free Brooklyn Beer Chili Slider from a truck outside. Several people reported they were delicious. Patrick showed me a number of before-and-after burger pictures on his camera as evidence. The “after” pictures were of a styrofoam plate.

In Ray’s address to the crowd she said The Book of Burger is her first cookbook on a single “topic,” though the book boasts recipes for far more than just burgers, and some of those burgers are pretty out there. There is, for instance, a Bloody Mary Cheeseburger (pretty much what it sounds like), but often the burgers don’t involve beef at all. There are also options for vegans and vegetarians. Ray said she went all out to make a book with something for everyone.

“I love what burgers say,” said Ray. “They say everyone’s welcome. They say laughter.” She said if she ever opened a restaurant it would without a doubt be a slider bar, but with two “R”s, like her name.

Ray admitted it was hard to whittle her favorite recipes down, despite the book’s monolithic size. “Everything is fantastic between a bun,” she said.

“The book is also smart, it’s smarter than me,” she said, between giggles, explaining the book is literally a Smart Book, meaning it has codes you can scan to get more recipes online.

“No one’s smarter than you!” shouted an audience member in reply, with an edge of anger.

Ray said her next book would be a co-authored project with her husband. “It will be my year in meals and my husband’s year in cocktails,” she said. “He’s probably finishing up his second Scotch right now.”

During the Q&A, audience members had more comments than questions for Ray:

“Your voice was the only one that could make my baby stop crying!” said one fan. “Thirty-Minute Meals saved my relationship!” said a front-row man, his hand on a woman’s knee. A third girl was too breathless with excitement to get her question out and had to be seated. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m just so nervous.”

Then someone in the audience said: “Rachael, you’re such an inspiration, how do you do everything?”

Ray got more serious. She urged the group to find something special to look forward to each day, even if it was just making dinner. She said food has the power to take you somewhere you want to go, as well as somewhere you might want to remember.

She had less expected advice too: “I was raised by people who did not look for balance,” she said. “Balance is a bummer to look for.”

When the Q&A ended, people rushed the stage with their children, hoping to sneak a forbidden posed photograph with the star.

A survival guide to summer food fests

This past weekend, The Great GoogaMooga, the chefs-as-rock-stars food festival that had many bemoaning the end of civilization and the rise of the foodie monster, took place in Prospect Park with some 75 vendors and 40,000 attendees. The first day of the two-day event ended with chefs, critics and hungry parkgoers alike making Woodstock ’99 comparisons, bemoaning long lines, ill-prepared vendors and a Byzantine beer system that left people cranky and thirsty.

The truth is, though, what happened in Brooklyn is no different from what happens at every food festival—it just took place on a larger scale under closer scrutiny. Lineups? You can’t get into these chefs’ brick-and-mortar restaurants without waiting in line; why would a limited-edition outdoor version be any different? As for scarcity, consider that they can only serve as much as they can carry into the middle of the park—no walk-in coolers, no pantries, no back-up supplies. It comes with the territory.

The real problem was one of expectations. An outdoor food festival can be one of the greatest joys of the summer or an absolute hell on earth—the only difference lies in how you’ve prepared yourself, both mentally and materially. Here are a few tips to make sure you’re never left stranded, sweaty and starving surrounded by an ocean of food.

Decide why you’re there. For many, the draw of food fests is the fact that they gather a dozen or more top chefs/purveyors in one convenient spot. Rather than having to trek from borough to borough (or beyond) to sample each, you need only walk across the parking lot. Others, however, see the all-day fest as a test of endurance, the chance to eat as much as possible. This is especially true at events where the price of entry gets unlimited tastes; they are bound and determined to get their money’s worth.

Figure out which of these camps you fall into before you arrive and you’ll save yourself the awkward realization that you’ve filled up on hush puppies at the first stand before you’ve even reached the main course.

Recon. There’s nothing worse than having your heart set on a specific vendor or food item, then getting to the party and realizing you can’t find it. Heavy crowds and the landscape limitations of venues like Madison Square Park mean some stalls end up tucked away in a corner, signs obscured by trees or hat-wearing hipsters. Most events post detailed vendor lists online in the week before the big day or provide maps at the entry; don’t be ashamed to spend some time studying before you go barreling into the fray.

If there’s no guide, take a lap of the venue. Turn down every alleyway and make mental notes of the important spots to hit, as well as essentials like washrooms and drinks. While you’re at it, you can plot out your “must-eats” to make sure you hit all of the highlights.

Water. Seriously. It sounds like the advice your mom would give, along with use the bathroom before you leave the house (come to think of it, you probably should do that, too. Outdoor venues + overindulging attendees= porta-potties you don’t want to have to use). But trust me. Those long lines are a lot easier to wait in if you’re not dehydrating as the minutes tick by, and the sun is a lot less sweltering.

Bring the biggest water bottle you can comfortably carry with you; if it’s a closed venue with no outside containers admitted, make the drinks table your very first stop. If it’s especially crowded, get two bottles at a time and keep one in your back pocket. It’ll keep you cool and keep you from having to interrupt the fun to go back later.

When all else fails, corn. It’s the outdoor food fair’s great equalizer. At the lowliest of tube-sock fairs and the swankiest of charity fundraisers, somebody will be grilling corn on the cob. It may be called elote or topped with crème fraîche and caviar, but it’s always the elemental essence of summer, all fresh, sweet produce and smoky fire, so messy can only be eaten outdoors. If you can’t find your friends or the heat is getting to you, stop, breathe deeply and find the corn—it’s impossible to stay crabby with greasy fingers and a soot-smeared chin.