While Irvin Lin is a relative newcomer to food blogging, having launched Eat the Love earlier this year, he has quickly been embraced by bakers, cooks and food lovers. He's extremely talented as a baker, having won various competitions, including the Food Wars:Pie or Die, also this year. Lin does it all with a sense of joy and humor that is positively delicious.

"There is something slightly schizophrenic about being a home baker.

It�s a soothing zen-like solitary experience where precision measurements are needed to ensure a perfect end result. It�s a bit magical, when you put that batter or dough into the oven, at the correct temperature, and it comes out a baked good, something worthy of sharing with the people you love. Baking may be a lot of science (as well as a lot of art � don�t let anyone tell you any differently) but it�s also a magic that everyone can access. Few things in life create the warm happy feeling I get when I smell something baking in the oven.

But baking is also an act of social engagement, as all my baked goods are meant to be shared with friends, family and loved ones. I enjoy cooking, but to me, cooking is something I do to survive. Everyone needs to eat, and cooking is one of the ways that I provide sustenance to my body. But baking�baking is about pleasure. It�s about providing an experience to not only for yourself but for others as well. Cooking is a necessary. It�s a need. Baking is special. It�s a want.

I bake because I love to give joy to others. I love to watch other people eat. I love to watch their reactions when they take a bite of pie that I�ve made, or break off a piece of cookie and put it in their mouth. I love watching their eyes light up as they see the dessert placed in front of them. I love to see their eye roll to the back of their head as they savor that rich butter and sugar that I use in my sweet baked goods. I love hearing about how a specific dessert reminds them of their trip to France, or their wedding day, or of their childhood kitchen. I love talking to them about desserts and baked goods, because inevitably, every single person has a story about their favorite cookie, their favorite cake, and/or their favorite pie.

It is not everyday that people eat desserts. However, every time someone bakes, a normal occasion is turned into a special occasion. I strive to have as many special occasions as possible. I bake because baking is a way to connect with others. Baking is a joy. And we all need a little more joy in our lives."

Today's Special opens up in theaters around the US tomorrow. I got a chance to see a preview of it a few months ago at the International Food Blogger Conference and found it to be utterly charming, funny, and a bit of a tearjerker at times. You may recognize the lead actor Aasif Mandvi from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. You will certainly recognize cookbook author and actress, Madhur Jaffrey. She's great in the role of the mother of the central character, a chef in the midst of professional and personal crises.

I don't want to give away too many of the details, but the movie is about a chef, Samir, who impulsively quits his job, is pressed into service at his family's restaurant, finds his cooking mojo and of course, the approach to food is really an approach to life. I was disappointed that the filmmaker did not accept Madhur Jaffrey's offer to help with the food scenes, because some of them lack authenticity. It's a shame, because in every other way this film is such a pleasure.

The story is completely predictable and formulaic, but with a film this enjoyable, who cares? Sure, it includes many cliches of dating and family strife but somehow there is a sweetness that tugs at your heartstrings anyway. The supporting cast of veteran Indian actors are just a joy to watch, especially Naseeruddin Shah, who was in Monsoon Wedding. You don't have to be Indian to appreciate the culture clashes and modern drama that the lead character finds himself in; the story has a universal appeal. Overall it is sweet, romantic, sentimental and will make you want to go out for Indian food, so plan accordingly.

Campton Place the restaurant at Campton Place Taj Hotel San Francisco has an illustrious history. Many celebrated chefs have passed through the kitchen including Laurent Manrique, Jan Birnbaum, Bradley Ogden, Daniel Humm, Todd Humphries and Peter Rudolph. The restaurant added an Indian flair to the menu when the Taj took over the hotel and Executive Chef Sri Gopinathan took the helm. The restaurant has flown a bit under the radar for the last few years, but now it's back in the spotlight. Michelin just awarded Campton Place a star in their 2011 guide.

Chef Sri Gopinathan hails from Southern India, trained at the CIA Hyde Park and apprenticed in the kitchen of Raymond Blanc and Gary Jones at the famed Le Manoir aux Quat� Saisons, in Oxford, England, a Michelin 2 star restaurant.
Since Campton Place is sure to be on the list for local and visiting foodies, I checked in with the chef to learn more about him and his cooking.

How would you describe your food?My style of cooking is French California with a subtle Spice Route
influence.

What is your signature dish or dishes?Most of my dishes have my signature-  a subtle use of spices- but I have an emotional attachment to one dish in particular.  It is butter poached lobster with basmati crisp, a coconut curry sauce and cilantro. This preparation reminds me of home; it has typical southern Indian flavor but a French cooking technique.

How has your cooking been influenced by San Francisco and California?I love the produce available here-  really some of the best produce in the world is from here!  Also there is a really great group of chefs in the Bay Area and the area offers a wonderful, and challenging, culinary platform for me.  The area is full of amazing farmers, artisans in baking and cheese-making, vintners� and the list goes on and on of people who are very influencing, inspiring and motivating.

What are your greatest sources of culinary inspiration?This is really simple:  I�m inspired by fresh, seasonal produce�and there�s nothing like what is grown here in Northern California.  And secondly, my 90-year old grandmother�s cooking.

What do you like most about living in the Bay Area?I�ve never lived in a part of the world that has so many people interested in food and wine.  It�s a dynamic influence on me�really everyone is so passionate about what they literally bring to the table.

What are your 3 favorite Bay Area restaurants?Oh, and now a hard question to answer!  SPQR, Yank Sing and, of course, The French Laundry.

Thanks chef!

Vegetarians, avert your eyes, now! This year there are several cookbooks dedicated to cooking meat. If you are like me, you are eating less meat, but being more particular about what you consume. I no longer buy meat at the supermarket. I am too haunted by images of factory farming. But I am still eating meat and while it makes up less of the plate, the few days a week I do cook it, I want it to be as deliciously satisfying as possible. Each of the following books are written by James Beard award-winners who know their stuff. Their recipes work, their writing is clear and their knowledge unassailable.

James Peterson is an experienced cooking teacher, he not only knows how to cook, but knows how to explain it clearly to just about anyone. Meat, A Kitchen Education is his latest book. All kinds of cooking methods are covered in it and it's worth pointing out his book includes chicken, turkey and fowl. Step-by-step photos show how to carve, make dishes like salt pork and veal chops in papillote. The book focuses on classic dishes like Irish Stew, and Beef Wellington but also has more creative ones such as Oxtail Stew with Grapes, and Mostarda di Cremona. Particularly helpful are illustrations that show where each cut comes from on the animal. The book has 175 recipes.

The most massive tome out this season is Good Meat, subtitled the complete guide to sourcing and cooking sustainable meat, by Deborah Krasner. If you are concerned about sustainability, this is your book. It answers the questions you may have about grass-fed beef, Halal and Kosher meat, the flavor of pastured meat, "pink veal" and other modern meat issues that are not necessarily covered in other books. It is lovingly written, I don't know how else to describe it. The photos are stunning of both animals and dishes. There are recipes for using offal, pheasant, and pig's tail, in addition to much more accessible cuts and types of meat. Recipes I can't wait to try include Lamb Sausage, Eggplant and Orzo Salad, Pork Loin Chops with Ruby Port, Prunes, Cinnamon, Turmeric and Ginger and Beef Stew with Vermouth, Yam, and Mint (it included pomegranate molasses). The book has over 200 recipes.

The smallest format book is Falling Off the Bone by Jean Anderson. This is a straight-forward recipe book. Not all the recipes use meat on the bone, but all are for succulent style dishes that will make you swoon. It's a book of comfort food, plain and simple. It includes and braises, soups and stews. There are old fashioned dishes like Country-fried Steak and more out of the ordinary dishes like Aegean Lamb and Fennel Stew, Far East Spareribs on Sesame Sauerkraut and Danish Fricadeller in Onion Sauce. Unlike the other books, this one includes just beef, pork, lamb and veal, and no poultry or game. The book has 163 recipes.

Last year I had the pleasure of having breakfast with Michael Symon at a demo that he did at Williams-Sonoma. From recipes in his cookbook, Michael Symon's Live to Cook, he made creamy scrambled eggs with goat cheese, potato pancakes and of course, plenty of bacon. Michael Symon loves bacon, it features prominently in many of his recipes.

The next best thing to eating Michael Symon's food, is seeing him cook, so you can replicate his recipes at home. Right now you can see a number of videos with Michael Symon at EatWisconsinCheese.com, where he demonstrates some very interesting techniques. For example, he makes gnocchi that is cooked in a pan, with no need to parboil.

I'm always looking for more salad recipes and I like his version with arugula, apples, radishes and Wisconsin blue cheese. Symon's salad is a side dish, but with just a couple more additions, it actually makes a great main dish. To the salad I added crunchy jicama, creamy avocado, toasted walnuts and in honor of Symon, smoky bacon. The result is a very substantial "Cobb" style entree salad, with rows of seasonal ingredients. I'm not going to lie to you, while not hard to make, this salad does take a fair amount of time to prepare, but it is absolutely worth it. Even the least enthusiastic salad eater will love it.

Winter Cobb Salad
Serves 4, as a main dish

Ingredients

1 shallot, minced, about a tablespoon
3 Tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup radish slices
1 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 cup jicama, peeled and diced
6 cups arugula
1 cup Black River blue cheese, crumbled (Buttermilk blue would be good too)
1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Instructions

Dressing
Place shallots and large pinch of kosher salt in mixing bowl. Add vinegar, honey and mustard. Mix. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Taste for seasoning then put in a small pitcher or ramekin for serving.

Salad
Make a bed of arugula on a large serving platter. Place the radishes, apples, avocado, jicama, blue cheese, walnuts and bacon on top of the salad in rows. Serve with the dressing on the side. Alternatively you can create individual servings of the salad if you prefer.

Enjoy!

If you are a food blogger or an aspiring food writer, there is a good chance you know Dianne Jacob, author of Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More, now in it's second edition. She's an editor, a writer, a teacher, a cook and a coach. She has helped countless people get book deals and polished their writing. After meeting her at a book signing years ago, we've gotten to be friends and I've been lucky enough to share the stage with her at various conferences.

In addition to Will Write for Food she co-wrote Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas, and past work experience includes both newspaper and magazine editing. Her popular and provocative blog addresses food writing and blogging issues, but it doesn't answer the question--why does Dianne cook? So, I'm happy to give her that opportunity here.

"I�m a storyteller first, not a chef. As far as cooking goes, I�m just an enthusiastic home cook who makes food in a small kitchen with no Viking range, no Sub-Zero refrigerator, and without the countertop appliances I covet, such as a panini maker, rice cooker or slow cooker.

I started cooking as a teenager in high school. My mother got a job working evenings so she wasn�t home to make dinner for my dad, sister and me. She was an amazing ethnic cook but would not allow me in the kitchen because she said doing so would ruin the food. As the eldest daughter I was suddenly in charge of dinner and on my own, leafing through the Wednesday food section of the Vancouver Sun because we had no cookbooks.

That year I made dinner dishes foreign to our family, like red peppers stuffed with rice (tasteless), battered fried chicken (still bloody) and a frozen coffee dessert where I used coffee grounds instead of the specified amount of brewed coffee (inedible). My dad pretended he didn�t notice on all occasions, but was particularly miffed to not be served meat at every meal.

So began my culinary adventure. It has morphed over the years according to fads (crazy about Moroccan food currently), whatever I�m reading (usually from a stack of cookbooks next to my bed), and interest in my parents� heritage cooking (Iraqi and Indian Jewish cuisine.)

I take inspiration from the farmer�s market, because I aspire to a mostly plant-based diet.
I love seeking out whatever�s in season, including produce I don�t know much about. It was only a few years ago that I discovered greens, and now they are common in my refrigerator. Other times I find produce that reminds me of home. My mother boiled fresh fava beans in salted water. I began with that simple preparation, but now I mash them with olive oil, fresh thyme and garlic, and spread the green paste on little toasts.

Today I cook because I prefer my own food. I didn�t think I would ever say that, because outside my house is much tastier and more complicated cooking, available for purchase. But my food is generally healthier than what�s served in restaurants, so on a daily basis, it�s better for me. And I like the transition from long hours at my desk to the kitchen, using muscle memory instead of my brain.

As a food writer, I cook to learn new techniques and to understand recipes, particularly when I am testing them for publication. Sometimes I cook to try new kinds of foods. I just bought my first bag of almond meal and have only made one baked item with it, a sensational apricot tart on the cover of Farmer's Market Desserts. I served it to my book group at the height of summer. That reminds me of another reason why I cook: to pamper people I adore.

My husband and I are both home during the day and we eat our meals together. I find it difficult get to the store sometimes � let alone restaurants -- so we are dependent on what I make. Right now I don�t have much other than raw produce waiting for me in the fridge, so I�d better get to work."

There are three things I feel are necessary when it comes to afternoon tea and the beautiful Laurel Court restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel San Francisco atop Nob Hill excels at each. The first is the tea itself. It should be very high quality. It should be loose leaf, not served from tea bags! The service should be attentive and never rushed because tea is meant to be leisurely and relaxed. Finally there should be abundant food. It's funny how the meal is named after a beverage but it often features three separate courses of food. Generally served on tiered trays, there are finger sandwiches, scones with cream and finally pastries, often petit fours.

The Laurel Court is a posh room under three domes, decorated with painted murals, columns, and surrounded by cozy loveseats. The room was restored in 2000, and it's a treat just to spend time there, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Because afternoon tea is a bit of a luxury (at the Laurel Court it is $36) the food should be a lavish spread and at the Laurel Court it certainly is. In addition to tea of your choice, you will enjoy a little rolled smoked salmon and chive cream cheese pinwheel on rye bread, Dungeness crab and mango salad on a corn muffin, open-faced cucumber and goat cheese sandwich with sundried tomato tapenade on black walnut bread and perhaps my favorite, Five-spice beef tenderloin and lady apple slaw on black olive baguette. All the sandwiches are fresh and delicious.

A scone with currants is served with cream, lemon curd and a quince pear compote. If you need a smidgen more of anything the waiters are there in an instant to oblige. By the time you get to the petit fours you might only be able to nibble on one or two and need to take the rest home. The chocolate and hazelnut French macaron is particularly good. The little cheesecake and chocolate cup of coffee mousse, are each a bit rich, and the madeleines perfect for dunking in tea. I also recommend the mini fruit tarts which are as tasty as they are pretty. My advice? Go with someone you want to catch up with and enjoy!