My wife collects recipes and cookbooks, to the point where we have plastic bins filled with recipe clippings and hundreds of celebrity chef books. Our pantry bookshelves are filled with them, and they are not just for show. She cooks with these recipes frequently and isn’t afraid to experiment, making her a top chef in my eyes. Guests are never disappointed with her creations and willingness to prepare them. 

Our days of dining in five-star restaurants are probably over. The retirement budget simply doesn’t allow for pricy dining options. Plus, we’re satisfied with the range of top restaurants that we’ve frequented for business and pleasure through the years. To top it all, we finally made it to The French Laundry a few years ago. There aren’t many things a restaurateur can do to impress us anymore, so it’s not worth the price. However, we still do a weekly “Date Night,” with the basic rule to try only restaurants and diners that we’ve never been to before. 

Last night was a combination “Date Night” and 22nd wedding anniversary. However, it was a restaurant favorite, The Perfect Caper, that features a woman chef that beat Bobby Flay. By definition, it wouldn’t qualify as a “Date Night,” but it was her choice, the best in our area. We were married in Las Vegas at the Bellagio Chapel, on the ominous date that celebrates both national Pot Day and Adolph Hitler’s birthday. A placard on our table wished us a “Happy Birthday” – well, close. Chef/Owner Jeanie Roland introduced herself to us and signed her book, Butter Love & Cream, to the great delight of my wife. I didn’t have much to give her this year except this dinner and the cookbook – the chef made her day. Jeanie’s restaurants in hometown Westerly, Rhode Island and here in Punta Gorda have achieved national acclaim, founded the year after we were married. Today, this cookbook is her favorite, along with The Perfect Caper Home Cookbook that is also part of her pantry book collection.