Monthly Archives: April 2012

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would your last meal be?  Would you be adventurous and try something new and foreign, or would you stick to something tried and true:  a meal you knew well and loved?

For the 50 chefs interviewed in Melanie Dunea’s book, My Last Supper, the infamous question of “The Last Meal”  brings many back to the days of growing up in the kitchen, helping mom, grandma, or other family members cook up simple pasta meals, while snacking on bread and butter.  While the thought of “The Last Meal” frustrates many chefs (like asking an author what their favorite book is or asking anyone to name their favorite song or food), the responses given in My Last Summer were so beautiful and simple.  While many chefs admitted that they would indulge in everything and anything, many said that their last meal would be simple and light…bread and fine olive oil, a light pasta salad, or just an evening filled with fine wine and friends.

Complete with beautiful photographs of every chef interviewed, My Last Supper is a real feast for all the senses.  Well known chefs like Mario Batali, Rick Bayless, Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver, Jacques Pepin, Gordon Ramsay, Eric Ripert, Charlie Trotter, Jose Andres (my favorite!), Lidia Bastianich, and many more are asked a series of five questions, all having to do with the last meal.  The questions include: “What would your last meal be?”, “Who would dine with you?”, and “Who would prepare it?”.

For lovers of food and the people that make it best, My Last Supper is a beautiful coffee table book that will leave you questioning your culinary favorites…and what your epic “Last Meal” might be.

Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.

For Ralph Helfer, working with animals has always been a lifelong dream.  Starting out working in a small pet shop, Helfer learned all about the cruelties and abuse that can happen while training and working with animals.  Vowing to make a difference any way he knew how, Helfer made it a mission to do whatever he could to change the way animals were treated both in private conditions and in and on the farms of those who raised wild animals for commercial gain.

Now one of Hollywood’s top animal behaviorists, Helfer has completely revolutionized the way wild animals are treated and trained, using something he likes to call “affection training.”  It is used by professional trainers, zoologists, and even many animal lovers who want to form a better bond with their pet.  But in the beginning, Helfer needed a guinea pig, an animal to help him prove to the world that love and trust are much more powerful tools than anger and abuse.

Ironically, that “guinea pig” came in the form of a four month old lion cub named Zamba.  When Zamba came into Helfer’s life, he was well on his way to achieving his boyhood dream.  He had created a wild animal haven where everything from lizards to elephants received the very best care possible.  He had thought about and developed his “affection training” theory, though still lacked the one animal to help him prove his case.  Having wanted a lion since he was a boy, Hefler was confident that Zamba was the animal for the job.

Over the next 18 years, Zamba helped Helfer prove his theory ten fold.  Zamba and Helfer did everything together.  Where there was one, there was the other…and throughout the course of this beautiful and poignant story, it’s easy to tell that both of their lives were changed for the better.

Despite Zamba’s wild popularity in the 1960’s and 1970’s (he was a Hollywood star, gracing the silver screen in The Lion, The Greatest Show on Earth, and several hundered commericals and TV shows), his biggest achievement may have been his abilitiy to form a powerful and spiritual bond with the man who raised him.  Zamba:  The True Story of the Greatest Lion that Ever Lived is a story of friendship, trust, and the emmense raw power of love.

Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.