|
|
|
An artist since childhood,
Leslie Arwin's formal art training
began at Cass Technical High School in Detroit.
At the University of Michigan she studied History of Art
and taught anatomy and life drawing.
She earned a masters degree in Medical Illustration,
then studied medicine, receiving an MD in 1981.
Currently she practices occupational
medicine in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Leslie's vegetable illustrations
have been selected by the James Beard Foundation for their
Christmas show in New York in December of 1997.
In fall of 1995, Leslie and her long-time friend
Peggy de Parry began producing the
Back Alley Gourmet Greeting cards.
|
Passionate about all things gustatory,
food writer Brian Bannon believes
life is too short to have a wretched meal.
In 1994, Brian retired from 18 years on the Windsor Star masthead,
and this year he says farewell to
Le Bec Fin
(literally, "the fine beak"),
the Detroit-area fine dining group
he has organized for the last 15 years.
Le Bec Fin was originally organized
as a progressive wine-tasting club,
since Bannon organizes the annual
All-Canada Wine Championship,
which last year presented 457 entries from all over Canada to 15 judges.
"I am restless," declares Brian,
"I want to travel more, read, visit friends."
Brian's Gastronaut column is republished with permission.
|
David C. Bloom is a food writer and online
editor with
Factotem Inc.
His reviews and features have appeared in
Gourmet, the
Washtenaw Jewish News, and Michigan Monthly magazines.
From 1993 to 1998 he was the Restaurant Critic and Food Editor for the
Ann Arbor
Observer.
David studied music composition and conducting at Oberlin Conservatory,
and engineering at the University of Michigan.
He was a busboy at Detroit's Keros Coney Island,
and a waiter at the Roostertail Club.
While David dabbles feverishly in the Casa Bloom kitchen,
he also dines out frequently, posing as a customer.
He regularly sneaks into restaurant kitchens to
learn more about culinary craftsmanship.
|
When Lisa Davis-Craig entertains in her home
or takes food to events,
her guests often tell her that she is a good cook.
This is false.
Lisa is a terrible cook.
She does not understand even the
most basic chemistry of food.
When Lisa makes a dish from her own imagination,
it is usually average; sometimes it is actually repulsive.
She does, however, follow directions well.
Give Lisa a good set of directions
and she will make good food.
And, since good food is one of Lisa's true enjoyments in life,
she is an avid reader of cookbooks.
In non-virtual reality,
Lisa is a full-time mom and a part-time librarian.
|
Charmie Gholson
lives in Ann Arbor and has waited tables,
helped women give birth,
produced Public Radio,
provided unsolicited nutritional counseling
and choreographed a dance called "Cow Burp".
Now, she writes a food column for Current Magazine,
reviews events and authors features for the Ann Arbor Observer.
She can't believe people pay her to give her opinion.
She is the oldest of three daughters
and the mother of three sons,
none of which like her cooking.
Some day she will live in Key West and write a book.
Maybe several.
She hates broccoli but eats everything else.
|
Mike Gould is a computer systems consultant (Mac flavor) who spends his
days as a mouse wrangler for the
U of M School of Education.
Mike's evenings and weekends are spent recording stuff in his recording studio
(Cloud 10 Recording), and putting stuff on the Web for his clients (under
the nom-de-net
MondoDyne Web Works).
Periodically, his wife pries the mouse from his grip and drags him into the
woods for gourmet R&R. Mike writes a monthly column on the Internet for
"Business to Business", the A2 Chamber of Commerce Newsletter. He runs a
wok from time to time, and cooks a mean
hot and sour soup.
|
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a woman who studied art,
music, and astrology. She was somebody's wife and somebody's mother -
seven somebodies. When Johanna was born, the woman's life was forever
changed. Jo was so intense, demanding all things from all around her.
The woman became Johanna's mother. Her daughters became Johanna's
sisters. Jo would have it no other way. On March 17, 1993 Johanna was
killed by a hit and run driver, and the woman died with her. In the
process of building a new life and personality for herself, she
acquired a new husband - one who brought to the marriage a computer -
and she went online with a new name taken from Hindu mythology: Kali is pure primitive reality, formless void full of potential, "the divine creative and destructive aspects of nature".
|
Sonia Kovacs was the Ann Arbor Observer restaurant critic from 1987 to
1993. She still writes for the Observer occasionally. However, Sonia
Kovacs is actually only the glamorous pseudonym of a shy, anxious, and
mild-mannered woman who edits
archaeology books.
|
Lee Liming lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
He is a Webmaster at UMI,
one of the world's largest
archivers, publishers, and distributors of information.
After obtaining a degree in Computer Engineering from
the University of Michigan, he worked for several years as an
information technology manager at the University.
While on the staff at the
School of Information,
he became involved in early
developments on the World Wide Web, and created his first major Web exhibit,
A Tourist Expedition to Antarctica.
|
Joe McConnell is a long-term Ann Arbor resident and a veteran
of 20 years in the computer business. Like many geeks, he has
spent most of his career developing a set of tastes (some would
say "opinions") surrounding coffee,
beer, whiskey, and the
establishments that serve them. He has written for the Whole
Earth Review (RIP) and does an occasional electronic column on
politics, Ann Arbor, and the continuing spectacle.
|
Nelda Mercer is a Registered Dietitian and
Senior Community Nutrition Specialist
at the University of Michigan Health System.
She has written numerous professional articles, and
co-authored three books: The M-Fit
Grocery Shopping Guide,
High Fit - Low Fat cookbook,
and
Physician's Handbook of Nutrition Support.
From 1995 to 1997, Nelda wrote a weekly nutrition column for the
Ann Arbor News.
In the 80's, she co-taught an ACF-accredited nutrition course
as part of Schoolcraft College Culinary Arts Program.
Nelda was the Michigan Dietetic Association's 1994
Dietitian of the Year;
she was the 1998 recipient of the "Anita Owen Recognition Award For Innovative
Nutrition Education Programs for the Public";
and she is a Fellow of the
American Dietetic Association.
Nelda is an avid runner. Nelda has completed five marathons,
including the 100th Boston Marathon.
|
Elizabeth Méricas
is a restaurant reviewer for the
Ann Arbor Observer.
She loves cooking for crowds, the largest being her annual Covered Head Party (rather than a covered dish party).
There's an award for the best head covering and this year's grand prize will be a Viagra paper cup dispenser.
She has two cockers, Zoe & Emily who
inhale their food in 17 seconds flat.
(She timed them.)
Unlike her dogs, Elizabeth enjoys savoring flavors and appreciates good
food.
She is rigorous about eating slowly, probably because her zany Mexican
mother used to insist that she chew her milk, believing it would give
her daughter stronger teeth.
Elizabeth has never known when to stop chewing.
|
Laura McReynolds is a freelance writer
who has written for the Metro
Times, Nickelodeon, the Grosse Pointe News and the Ann Arbor News, for whom
she was the restaurant columnist from 1990 to 1997. Currently, she writes
the Marketplace Changes
column
for the Ann Arbor Observer.
Laura studied theater at the University of Illinois and finished her degree
in communications at the University of Michigan. When she was eight years
old, her most burning desire was to become a waitress with a uniform and a
frilly apron. She achieved her goal in 1976.
|
Dan Morris-Friedman
is a house-husband and amateur parent
of two grrlz, Greta and Abby. As soon as they
could sit still, Dan began to take them to area
restaurants, and document their exploits in his
monthly Food Fight! column for the
Ann Arbor Family Press.
When Dan and the grrlz aren't eating out, they're
eating his home-cooking. The Morris-Friedmans
eat out a lot.
|
Dick Scheer started in the wine business in 1964, establishing his present
modus operandi,
Village Corner,
in 1970. "VC" is home to 4000 wines, 600 spirits, 150 beers, and 350 cigars,
and a few ghosts.
The oldest ghost is the famous philosopher/educator John Dewey.
A student of philosophy himself, Dick has played Wine Educator
to many through programs sponsored by the University of Michigan
and Eastern Michigan University.
Another ghost is another Dewey, Thomas. Like Dick, Tom was a
conservative judge, though Tommy made law, Dick judges wines
as director of the Ann Arbor Tasters Guild and Ann Arbor Wine Club.
The last famous VC ghost was/is Robert Zimmerman, a.k.a. Bob Dylan,
who summered there in the 60's.
Dick writes, compiles, and edits catalogues for the Ann Arbor Art
Center WineFest and the Center for Creative Studies' Detroit
International Wine Auction. He also serves as Charges de Missions
Honoraire of the Chaine de Rotisseurs.
Dick and his 35-year-partner in life and business, Sally, stop to smell
the flowers on their 96-acre spread in western Washtenaw County.
|
Judy Stone has tried most every nutrition trend as well as most
every form of psychotherapy in a constant quest for the perfect mind,
body, spirit trilogy. The road to perfection has taken her to some
interesting places which she draws upon in her practice as a nutrition
consultant and a body oriented psychotherapist under the business name
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
.
Though perfection still eludes her, the quest makes for some interesting writing which she shares through two regular columns: Food Becomes You in Touchstone: a Journal for Conscious Living, and ArborFood's Eater's Digest.
Judy is currently writing a book about understanding the language of the body, tentatively titled, Talking to Yourself : If You Don't Listen, Who Will?
|
Spencer Thomas hated beer until he was about 25, when he spent 6
months living in Norway. "You mean beer can have flavor? Wow!" He's
been homebrewing for over a decade, is a member of the Ann Arbor
Brewers Guild homebrew club, and is a nationally-ranked beer
judge. Spencer has written for
Zymurgy
and Brewing
Techniques, and has a homebrewing
web site.
In real life, he's a
computer
geek,
so beer geekishness comes naturally.
|
After graduating from the U-M with a degree in Russian history,
Ari Weinzweig,
went to work washing dishes in a local restaurant
and soon discovered that he loved the food business.
So, along with his partner Paul Saginaw, Ari opened
Zingerman's Delicatessen on March 15, 1982.
Ari has served as a board member and president of
The American Cheese Society
and as a board member of the Retail Division of the
Association for the Specialty Food Trade.
Ari has written over 150 issues of Zingerman's newsletter,
and has contributed to such magazines as
ArborFood,
Fine Cooking,
Food and Wine, and
Gourmet Retailer.
He is the author of two books,
Zingerman's Guide to Good Olive Oil and
Zingerman's Guide to Good Vinegar.
"Ari's food writing," says the Atlantic Monthly's Corby Kummer,
"is amongst the most engaging...in the country."
|
Margaret Yang
lives in a too-big house on a too-small lot.
She compensates by growing basil and hot peppers
in patio pots and using them to make homestyle Chinese food.
In the future, she will be a full-time writer, but for now,
she's a full-time Mama to two small children.
She is currently a food critic for the
Ann Arbor Observer.
Luckily, she has better taste in food than she does in television.
Margaret spends her miniscule free time watching
silly science fiction shows, like Star Trek and Andromeda. |
|
|
|
Credit 
