I never thought when I decided “Globally Inspired, Locally Realized” would be the foundation of my mission statement at Tapino, it would cover so much! It began as a way for me to create dishes and serve wines from around the world, and offer them in a friendly, decidedly unpretentious restaurant. With my first ever blog entry, I guess now it means I can reach out to people around the globe, and give you my local take on all things food. From recipes, to quick kitchen fixes, to talking about what and where we choose to eat, this is surely going to be an informative place where we can talk about the lovely world of gastronomy.I just held my first “Locavore Wine Dinner” (a term that refers to someone who only eats foods grown or produced locally) and it was huge hit. I hate being preachy, but really, when I hear about massive meat recalls and sickened kids from enormous industrial meat and vegetable packing plants, I can’t help but think it could easily be avoided if we just looked to our own local farmers, ranchers and bee keepers and bought food from people we know care about their wares, instead of the mass produced, faster is better and who cares how it got there mentality. I know it’s easier to drive thru a place for lunch, but the price seems to keep getting higher- in terms of health, not wealth!And, have you noticed that the price of eggs has skyrocketed recently? Up 30% from a few weeks ago. Is it because gas costs so much, so transporting the eggs costs more too? Hmmm. Maybe buying local will actually save you a few pennies too…PS: I have a great recipe for double chocolate souffle… but you’ll have to buy the freshest local eggs you can find to get it… :)-Chef James