Alex Metzger
My idea of a delicious . . .
Dessert – I am not really a dessert guy. Every year for a family birthday my dad made gingerbread cake which I love. Is that actually a dessert or abread?
Comfort Food – I love country ham, some sort of potatoes, and biscuits. If it is in the morning, I just go with a country ham biscuit and hashbrowns.
Place – Max's Brick Oven Café is a favorite. It is the most consistent restaurant I have ever been to.
Sandwich – G&O bacon cheeseburger with fries.
Dinner Date – My son James and I have "man meals" a few times a month. There is no better date in the world.
Book – At the moment it would be Llama, Llama, Nighty Night. I sometimes have to read it several times in a row, yet it still is just as exciting as the first time I read it.
Amanda Melton
My idea of a delicious . . .
Dessert: Homemade cinnamon rolls are my very favorite, and quite a rare treat considering how much time is involved in the making of them.
Comfort food: A pot roast with potatoes and carrots, complete with iced tea and, of course, corn bread soaked with butter.
Place: Sitting in my own backyard, either under the casbah (C-3 is her name) in the summer, or sitting in the Adirondack chair near the fire pit in the winter. What I love most about it is it's quiet, and my dogs are surrounding me.
Sandwich: Nothing is better than a BLT on homemade bread with a homegrown tomato. NOTHING!
Dinner Date: Dinner with all of my sassy friends. There's never a lull in the conversation and there's also no predictable way to know which way the conversation will turn. One must be well rested for these occasions so as to be sharp and able to follow along.
Book: For some reason, I like to read depressing books, like The Hours, or Revolutionary Road, or The Year of Magical Thinking. These are the type of books I almost can't put down. I read periodicals more than anything though.
Elizabeth Dorsey
My idea of a delicious . . .
Dessert: Creme brûlée with fresh berries. It's light and sweet and crispy and creamy and everything great about dessert!
Comfort food: There's too many. But when I'm feeling sick, the only thing I want is homemade chicken noodle soup with warm crusty bread.
Place: New Orleans! The creole cream cheese cheesecake from Dickie Brennan Steakhouse is life changing.
Sandwich: Dimartino's muffuletta with olive salad on it. YUM!
Dinner date: My husband because we never get to go on dinner dates and it sounds romantic!
Book: The Better and Homes Garden Cookbook it's my go-to staple.
Leah Rogers
My idea of a delicious . . .
Dessert: Two-layer chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream frosting. It's our new go-to special occasion dessert.
Comfort Food: Beef stew. My mom used to make it often through the fall and winter, tenderizing the beef in her pressure cooker. She has passed away, but I still have a tattered copy of the recipe in her handwriting, a personal treasure.
Place: Home, especially this time of year, as the days get shorter and cooler. I love the coziness of dinner around our own table.
Sandwich: Grilled cheese. It's probably boring, but I'm kind of a big fan of buttery, melted cheese sandwiches, especially on a rustic wheat bread.
Dinner Date: My husband Michael is my favorite dinner date, and together, we love dining with our neighbors down the street.
Book: Year of Plenty by Craig Godwin – it's a good read, reminding me to eat seasonally, locally, and as a Christian, to engage the culture in good stewardship of those things.
Buzz Smith
My idea of a delicious . . .
Dessert: Coconut pound cake made by Ruth McDowell.
Comfort Food: Salmon croquettes made by Ms. Lula Mae Davis, a great lady. They have to be oblong with three sides, not patties—croquettes!
Place: Flamingo Row—it takes a while to understand the menu because the items have names that don't necessarily jibe with what the item is—kind of like learning another language but well worth it.
Sandwich: Micheal's Super Sub. This place has no TV but the people there are so nice you don't need one.
Dinner Date: Flamingo Row again every Friday night with good friends. We've learned the language together through the years.
Book: Any presidential biography—yeah, I know—boring.
Lisa Thompson
My idea of a delicious . . .
Dessert: I love roasted figs drizzled with honey, especially in the summer when the figs are ripe. Adding the honey makes it a little bit of heaven kissed by sunshine.
Comfort Food: I prefer traditional, flavorful meals that are simple to prepare so you can make them a part of your everyday life.
Roasted chicken with garlic and lemons is probably my personal favorite along these lines.
Place: I like walkable historic neighborhoods with sidewalks, corner stores, front porches, public spaces and other features that create a sense of place and a feeling that a community is special and distinct from anywhere else. That's what drew me to downtown Paducah!
Sandwich: It's just hard to beat a pulled pork sandwich with a tangy Western Kentucky barbecue sauce.
Dinner Date: If I had a genie in a bottle, I'd wish for a 12 course, four-hour meal with the love of my life (who also happens to be my husband).
Book: Julia Child, Elizabeth David and Ruth Reichl, are famous food writers, but it’s M.F.K. Fisher’s collection of her most important gastronomical works, The Art of Eating, that I love the best. These ladies fill my kitchen with stories, recipes, and inspiration to become a better cook myself.
