Cook & Tell began as a column I wrote for our weekly newspaper, The Boothbay Register. After
it morphed into a newsletter, nationally known food writers Jane and Michael Stern caught wind
of it and devoted one of their syndicated columns (Taste of America) to the newsletter. Their column
reached readers of newspapers all over the country, resulting in a host of new subscribers.

Among the new readers was a Yankee magazine editor.  The next “great leap forward” was an
article about Cook & Tell that appeared in Yankee as part of their “Great Cooks of New England”
series. In 2001, Houghton Mifflin published my book, Cook & Tell, No-Fuss Recipes and Gourmet
Surprises (now out of print).

The newsletter rolls on, dispensing good cheer and chatter about food, with recipes contributed by
readers or discovered by me in my prowling around in newspapers, magazines, books new and
old; in conversations overheard; or extracted from rumor, hearsay, gossip, and innuendo.  But it
should not be overlooked that at least half of Cook & Tell as proclaimed by its title is Tell.  As one
reader put it, speaking, I think for most readers, “I love the Tell.” And so do I.

Cook & Tell rolls on, now (2010) in its 29th year of publication, still quirky after all these years. 
Dedicated to the pursuit of happiness in the kitchen, sharing good ol’ home cooking and sneaking
up on cutting edge gourmet, I think cooking should be fun, and food should be reasonably wholesome. 
And taste good.  I test every recipe printed.  I love to quote from readers’ letters, whether they are
Bravos or Blahs.  Perhaps one of the most priceless benefits of subscribing is the underline I place
under the names of readers I cite. As one reader wrote, “You have no idea how wonderful it feels
to be underlined."

Here are some comments from readers:

“I just love reading what people think about food, and your essays connect me to some of the
underlying calming purposes of today’s hectic life."

“We all have to eat, and Cook & Tell makes it less threatening, more fun, and more delicious. 
Readers just like having you in their kitchens."

“I can’t do without Cook & Tell.  I can’t tell you what a terrible day I had yesterday, and when I
got home, there was Cook & Tell to make it all fade in the distance."

“I suspect that more than recipes, you are selling a lifestyle.  I am envious. And I am buying it."