~Currently in final edit for publication
Told in a stream-of-consciousness style inspired by Woolf and Joyce, this memoir blends personal narrative with spiritual mystery. It offers memoir-as-entertainment rooted in truth, memory, and emotional resonance.
The story begins when my wife and I move into a seemingly ordinary suburban home and encounter the subtle but unmistakable presence of Margaret Kimball, a woman long deceased. Her influence quietly reshapes our lives.
Braided with stories from my years as a student, performer, chef, and partner, the memoir explores six formative years and four defining women, including Margaret, whose unseen presence proved as emotionally vivid as any living figure.
Though the narrative moves freely through time, each scene is carefully chosen to illuminate how we find meaning in unlikely places, and how some homes remember us as much as we remember them.
Coming 2026:
A Culinary Memoir from
Opera’s Most Exclusive Table
From 1979 to 1985, I served as Executive Chef of The Guarantors Green Room at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a private club tucked behind the velvet curtain, reserved for the elite patrons, the Garatours.
This intimate 145-seat haven (150 if you dared to stretch) was a bastion of privilege, where vintage port flowed from its 1863 vessel through every year up to 1957. Each dinner was a performance in its own right.
Over six seasons and more than 50 operas - from La Traviata to Carmen - I crafted menus that mirrored the drama on stage. Each dish was a tribute to the music, the mood, and the moment.
I served stars privately as well, from spontaneous Christmas duets with Beverly Sills to a $1,500 pasta drama with Luciano Pavarotti. The kitchen was my stage, and every plate sang its own aria.
This cookbook is more than a collection of recipes. It’s a memoir of culinary theater. It captures the rhythm of backstage life, the intimacy of shared meals, and the quiet magic of a room where art and appetite met in perfect harmony.
Whether you’re a lover of opera, a devotee of fine dining, or simply someone who believes food should tell a story, this book invites you into a world where every course was composed with feeling... and every dinner was a standing ovation.
Re-publishing soon
Tales from Beneath the Forsythia
What’s a poor centipede to do? Oswald A. Bug lives among gum wrappers, garden rakes, and surprise rainstorms.
He’s tangled with pink-eyed ants, dodged a curious cat, and turned trash into treasure more times than he can count. He’s not perfect, but he’s persistent, and that counts for something.
These illustrated stories welcome young readers into Oswald’s miniature world, where a bottle cap makes a fine roof, a pebble becomes a path, and every setback is a chance to try again.
The tales are simple but carry weight. They speak to kindness, grit, and the quiet art of starting over. They’re meant to be read aloud, talked about, and remembered.
Whether Oswald is patching up his home, sharing soup with an old rival, or curling into a red sock on Christmas Eve, he reminds us that small creatures often have the biggest hearts.
Perfect for bedtime, classroom corners, or quiet afternoons, the Oswald A. Bug series is less about bugs and more about being human.