Al Spoler
Host, Cellar Notes and Radio KitchenAl Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.
His most rewarding immersion in cooking came through his work as a television director at MPT. Spoler served as off-line editor and assistant director on two series featuring the legendary French chef Pierre Franey. He also worked with Mexican chef Patricia Quintana, and with Bed and Breakfast expert Gail Greco on her series "Country Inn Cooking". Al says traveling all over the US visiting country inns and taping recipes that they prepared in little makeshift television kitchens was an incredible education.
Spoler's tastes in cooking are influenced by regional tradition and contemporary casual French fare. Never slavish to recipes, he is never happier than improvising a Sunday dinner with whatever ingredients come to hand.
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Often overlooked, the wonderful white wines from the South of France offer a totally new take on white wine flavors, at affordable prices. -
Sometimes when I am peeling an onion, I play a little mental game: name one cuisine around the world that doesn’t depend on onions. The only one I can come up with, and I’m not certain about it, are the Innuits of the snowy north. Chef Jerry Pellegrino thinks it’s fair to say the onion is universally important. -
Every now and then, the boys end up with a bunch of tasting notes without a particular theme; hence a show called “Odds and Ends.” -
I haven’t been shy about chowing down on fresh Maryland corn this summer. Although I’ve been enjoying corn on the cob, I keep reminding myself that there are a lot of other ways to enjoy an ear of corn. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees, if you can scrape those kernels off the cob, there’s a lot you can do. -
Maryland’s oldest winery is entering a golden age, and their whites have never been better. Al takes a look at them. -
As summer enters the homestretch we can begin to look forward to a new phase of the harvest. This is the time when so many of our Maryland root vegetables come into play. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees, these sometimes-forgotten veggies deserve a little attention. -
Well, it may not be merlot, but it sure seems close. Carminere is an increasingly popular variety that deserves some close attention. -
Grilling season is in full swing and there is one cut of beef that does extremely well on the grill and that’s flank steak. Maryland farmers who raise beef will always have some of this delicious cut on hand, and if you haven’t tried it, you ought to. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino has pointed out, grilling a flank steak does require a little bit of savvy. -
Everybody seems to hold a grudge against oaky chardonnays. So what is the alternative? Al looks into some very drinkable un-oaked chards. -
We Marylanders are perfectly situated to enjoy a summer favorite, the salsa. What makes it so appealing to us is that the produce of August and September is just what we need to make great salsa. Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows that the combinations of home-grown ingredients are endless.
