Yes, a knowledgeable source has confirmed that four-star Chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville is indeed engaged to long-time girlfriend, Laura Cunningham.

Cunningham is the former general manager of the French Laundry and former director of operations for all of Keller’s restaurants. It was she who was largely responsible for shaping the flawless, unobtrusive, elegant service the French Laundry is known for. She left the fold in 2006 to start her own consulting business. Around the same time, she and Keller also split, after having been together as a couple for a decade.

They met when Keller bought the French Laundry building in 1994. Cunningham, who grew up in St. Helena and had worked for Chef Jeremiah Tower, came knocking with her resume. Keller said there were no jobs, but took the resume anyway, before he quickly shut the door.

A few days later, he came to his senses and called her back to give her a job.

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The rewards of blogging are many, not the least of which is the kindness of Food Gal readers, many of whom know me only through cyberspace.

Take SteveK for instance. Steve and I have never met, though we both live in the Bay Area. His older brother happens to be a well-known broadcast journalist who belongs to a media organization of which I’m also a member. But no, I’ve never met his brother, either.

But SteveK, knowing I’m a fiend for chocolate, told me I ought to try this chocolate toffee made by a woman who used to help watch his young daughter at day-care. The woman, Victoria Stillian, used to make the toffee as gifts for friends and families. It was so addicting, they told her, that she ought to sell it. So, five years ago, Victoria and her husband, Ron Stillian, started doing just that.

Victoria’s Toffee of San Mateo is now sold at Draeger’s Markets, Piazza’s Fine Foods in San Mateo, Roberts Market, and GC’s Cafe in Menlo Park, as well as online. A 1-pound box is $24.95.

The chocolate almond toffee squares are strewn with crunchy chopped nuts. The toffee is sweet, but tempered by the slight earthiness of the chocolate. It has a nice texture — not so hard and sticky that it gets glued to your molars for life, but just right, as Goldilocks might say if she nibbled some. Read the rest of this entry »

You know how when you’re a kid, you have all the time in the world, but just don’t know it?

When I was a kid, I loved to bake cakes. Layer cakes. With homemade frosting, all done up with elaborate swirls, sprinkles, and flowers.

Heck, I had the time then.

Now? Forget about it.

Nowadays, if I do bake a cake, it’s apt to be a no-nonsense springform-pan variety or the reliable bundt-style.

So when Nothing Bundt Cakes came calling, offering to send a sample for me to try, my first thought was: “Really? A bakery that makes nothing but bundt cakes? Why on earth?”

After all, bundts are one of the quickest and easiest of cakes to make. Would people really opt to buy these, rather than fancy layer cakes enrobed in pastel fondant or airy meringue buttercream if they were going to the trouble and expense of buying a cake?

When the doorbell rang and the cakes arrived, I understood why they would.

Why, of course, if they got a bundt cake that looked like this: Dressed up with a big, bright yellow sunflower bursting from its center, and thick ripples of ivory cream cheese frosting cascading down it. A precious card and butterfly magnet perched atop it all upped the cute factor even more.

Sure, it looked amazing. But was it merely a bimbo cake — all looks and no substance underneath? One taste would determine that.

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Dig into beef short rib sliders with pickled root veggies, shiracha aioli and taro strip fries ($15); albacore tuna crudo with seaweed and white soy ($15); and butternut squash dumplings with red curry lemongrass sauce ($9).

You can at E&O Trading Company. The restaurant, which has locations in San Francisco, San Jose and Larkspur, has an exciting, revamped menu, courtesy of new executive chef, the highly regarded Arnold Eric Wong.

Wong made a name for himself at his restaurants, Bacar and Eos, both in San Francisco.

The new menu boasts everything from hoisin and coffee-glazed Duroc pork spare ribs ($15) to crispy fried black striped bass with citrus segments and calamansi glaze $20). Long-time E&O fans can rest easy, too; the signature Indonesian corn fritters ($12) that have been served since Day One remain on the menu. Whew.

April 29 might be a perfect time to try E&O’s new eats because you can help a good cause, too. That night, the restaurant will host a fund-raiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Guests can enjoy hors d’oeuvres by Wong, and dance the night away to Chef Joey Altman’s Backburner Blues Band. There also will be a raffle.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the non-profit. Tickets are $40 per person.

Additionally, through May 28, E&O will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of its new coconut trifle dessert.

Menlo Park’s Marché will host a four-course “2006 Burgundy Dinner” on April 23 in the private dining room, and again as a chef’s tasting menu option in the main dining room on April 24-25.

Each course will be paired with a different 2006 Burgundy. Price is $195 per person.

Three Degrees Restaurant at the Toll House Hotel in Los Gatos will offer a wine dinner, too, on April 23. This four-course dinner spotlights Burrell School Winemakers. Price is $65 per person.

For the budget-minded — and who isn’t these days? — San Francisco’s Zinnia offers a “Halfsy Hour”  each week, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

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See those two grinning guys above? Don’t they look like they have just way too much fun?

Well, you can have the time of your life in the kitchen, too, when you join that good-natured duo for two Bay Area cooking classes at Draeger’s.

You might know Mark Scarbrough (left) and Bruce Weinstein (right) for the bevy of cookbooks they’ve written, including, “The Ultimate Ice Cream Book” (William Morrow), “The Ultimate Cook Book” (William Morrow), and their newest one, “Cooking Know-How” (Wiley). You might also know them from their witty and wonderful blog, Real Food Has Curves. And you might recognize Mark from the many hilarious and insightful comments he’s left on my blog.

Come meet them at the San Mateo store, 6:30 p.m. May 19 when they’ll show you how to prepare four dishes, including “No-Fail Sausage, Clam and Fennel Paella,”  and “Chilled Spiced Plum Soup.” Click here to sign up. Price is $55.

They’ll also be at the Blackhawk store the next day, 6:30 p.m. May 20, to prepare the same menu. Price is again $55. Click here to sign up for that class.

Since I’m talking about Mark and Bruce, I also wanted to take this chance to — drum roll, please — present my winners of the Sisterhood Award. What’s that you ask? Both Passionate Eater and Oyster Culture were kind enough to single out my Food Gal blog a few weeks ago for one of these honors, which recognizes sisterhood — and brotherhood — in the world of blogging. It gives a much deserved shout-out to those bloggers who have supported other bloggers in what can often be a lonely endeavor — typing day after day at the computer; pouring blood, sweat, and tears into posts; and wondering if anyone out there is even reading any of it at all.

Each award recipient picks another 10 bloggers to bestow the honor upon. With Passionate Eater and Oyster Culture both bequeathing a Sisterhood Award to me, it’s now my turn to pay it forward. Of course, I wasn’t sure if that meant since I’d gotten two awards that I should now pick 20 winners. Would that be piggish of me? Where’s Price Waterhouse with the official rules when you need them?

So, I decided to stick to the traditional 10 winners. Below are my picks for Sisterhood Awards, in no particular order.

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