Tabasco sauce isn't just for dousing on eggs or doctoring your bloody mary. In fact it takes on a completely different character when used in cooking rather than as a finishing sauce. It's a surprisingly versatile condiment that can be used in a wide variety of dishes and drinks. There are seven different varieties of Tabasco sauce (actually there are a couple more as well that are not widely available). I learned all of this and more on a recent visit to Avery Island, home and birthplace of Tabasco sauce. The trip to Louisiana was with the inaugural group of Tabasco tastemakers. As one of the "tastemakers," I will be creating several recipes using Tabasco (for which I am being compensated).

During my visit I saw the pepper fields, the barrel room (where I tasted chili pepper mash), the factory (where I breathed in vinegar fumes), the lab, the bottling rooms and learned just how Tabasco is made. While almost 99% of the Tabasco chile peppers come from places like Latin America and Africa, all varieties of Tabasco sauce are made on Avery Island. The peppers are processed, made into a mash with salt, aged and fermented in bourbon barrels, then transformed into sauces.

At a dinner for the Tabasco tastemakers I was blown away by how chef Alon Shaya of Domenica restaurant in New Orleans used Tabasco in his cooking. Twice nominated for a regional James Beard award, Shaya cooks his unique version of Italian food using the best local ingredients he can find, and a good deal of restraint in a town where excess is generally taken to an extreme. He used Tabasco in everything from a simple yet intensely flavored handmade pasta with shrimp to a chocolate dessert.

Finally bartender Neal Bodenheimer of Cure used Tabasco in cocktails with spirits like Pimm's and rum and creme de banane. One of the drinks he made was a "cobbler" which traditionally is a drink made with wine or sherry, sugar and fresh fruit. His cocktails were both unexpected and amazing. Stay tuned for my first recipe...

Read more blog posts about the Tastemaker trip:

Comic strip of Camper English tasting pepper mash from Alcademics

Of Mash, Marsh and Memorable Meals from Food Orleans

Avery Island, part deux: boils, bottles, bloodies & boudin from Food Orleans

Tabasco taste test from Fritos and Foie Gras

Chef Alon Shaya goes Tabasco crazy from Fritos and Foie Gras

A Visit to Avery Island Louisiana Home of Tabasco Sauce from Recipe Girl

A Trip to Avery Island Louisiana from Eat, Live, Run

Top 10 Avery Island Louisiana from What's Gaby Cooking

Disclaimer: I visited Avery Island as a guest of Tabasco

Diane and Brian Campbell of The Candy Store

I feel like I was one of the first to discover The Candy Store because it's just a few blocks from my home. In fact I wrote a review of it almost five years ago, just months after it opened. And oh my, how far it's come since then! The store is compact, but carefully curated by the delightfully enthusiastic Diane and her husband Brian, a passionate burgeoning candy maker. Every time I visit the store there is something new and special to try from unusual Swedish candies to deluxe and nearly impossible to find chocolate bars made by a pastry chef. And that's in addition to the classics like wine gums, old fashioned marshmallow ropes, candy buttons, and more varieties of sours, licorice and gummies than you've ever imagined. Most recent accolades come from Target who chose their store as one of only five in the US for their store-within-a-store concept launching in May. Candy is one of the last great affordable luxuries, so visit their store on Russian Hill or this charming video featuring Diane, Brian and their store.

Daphne Mazarakis of Better Whey of Life Greek yogurt

Remember when Greek yogurt became all the rage? I did a review of all the ones I could find a little over three years ago. Since then, even more Greek yogurt brands have entered the market, but one in particular caught my attention. It was developed by Daphne Mazarakis, a Greek American, who used to work for Kraft but was looking for "a better way". Her yogurt has some real advantages versus most other brands. It is made from whey and has more protein, more calcium, more fiber, and is lower in sugar. But never mind all that, its most amazing benefit is how insanely creamy it is. The yogurt is low fat (only 1.5% fat) and yet tastes as creamy or creamier than other low fat varieties. There is no chalkiness and it's not too sour. I hope it will be more widely available soon, and in larger quantities. Right now you can find it in individual 6 ounce cups in just a few states.

Betty Teller of Betty's Amuse Bouche

I met Betty a few years ago at the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference in Chicago which is kind of funny since she lives not so far away, in Napa. Since then I've bumped into her in the Bay Area, but I feel like I am in touch with her on a more regular basis since I subscribe to her newsletter which is her column from the Napa Valley Register. Betty is a hoot; she's funny, chatty, insightful and a good cook. Her column/newsletter gives you a peek into whatever she is up to and her unique take on life up in Napa. Check out her columns online, if you enjoy them as much as I do, you'll want to subscribe to her newsletter so you can catch them all.


Cheryl Sternman Rule of Five Second Rule

I hate awards, I really do. But I am very happy for my colleague Cheryl Sternman Rule. For the past two years, Cheryl and Dianne Jacob and I have shared the stage at the Book Passage Travel Writers, Food Writers & Photography conference. Cheryl won the 2012 IACP award for best blog. She also has a new book out called Ripe all about the vibrant colors and flavors of fresh fruits and vegetables that I can't wait to check out. If you don't know her blog, do scurry on over to 5 Second Rule. She will also be at Omnivore Books on April 26th.

Michael Procopio of Food for the Thoughtless

Another pal of mine is Michael Procopio. We blogged at KQED's Bay Area Bites for years before I moved on to greener pastures. He has a truly unique voice that it seems the world is just now discovering--his writing is in the Best Food Writing of 2011 and he was recently featured in Bill Daley's article in the Chicago Tribune Dishing About Food Writing (one of seven writers your should know). His blog posts and recipes are always thoughtful, whether serious or silly and he is the only writer I know whose recipes are inspired by everything from the sinking of the Titanic to the candidacy of Rick Santorum. For a dose of dry wit, head over to his blog.

When it comes to cooking the food from another culture, the ingredients and techniques can be unfamiliar. Going to a foreign country and taking a cooking class is great, but not a readily accessible opportunity for most. Fortunately there are local cooking classes and cooking kits.

Recently launched Global Grub offers cooking kits with extremely well written instructions that will help you succeed in making things like sushi, or jerk chicken with coconut rice and beans. I used the tamales kit and was very impressed with the quality of the ingredients, the clear instructions and the wonderful results. My dad said the tamales were the best he'd ever eaten!

Kits include the dry and hard to find ingredients, and range in price from $13.99 up to $19.99 and for every kit purchased, Global Grub donates a meal to someone in need through their local food bank. Global Grub offers tutorial videos on their site, and the instructions with each kit are easily folded into a stand for easy reference as you cook.

I'm a big fan of La Cocina. I've volunteered with them, written about them and took a wonderful mole class at their Mission location. Now they are holding even more classes that you can take from cooks who are part of their culinary business incubator program. Classes are an "interactive cooking party" and also include a meal. The $65 class fee supports the non-profit programs at La Cocina.

Though I don't have any direct experience to report, I'm intrigued by Culture Kitchen. They are combining classes with home cooks, videos and cooking kits to get you up to speed cooking things like pad thai, masala chai and eggplant with garlic and mint. Each class costs $60 and includes a full meal, locations vary, kits are $34.99.

Note: I paid for the class I took at La Cocina, the tamales kit from Global Grub was a sample.