Let's Eat!

Everyone eats, and most people can learn to cook, even if only the basics. And then there are people like Lamar Richardson. People who eat and cook,

and experience food on a whole different level. People who take the time to savor and celebrate every bite. And we're not even talking

about feasts or fancy restaurants. We're talking about a plate of scrambled eggs. A perfectly made grilled cheese. A burger, hand-patted,

seasoned and grilled, and in Lamar's case, dressed up with a heaping dollop of Duke's Mayonnaise.

To take this kind of pleasure in cooking and sharing a meal is to live in the moment. To be present and grateful. It's the generosity of spirit

spilling onto the plate.

Lamar learned how to cook the way the best home cooks do: by being underfoot in the kitchen from the time he was a kid. He's a talker, so

you can imagine him chatting away as his mom, the legendary Doris Richardson, moved from sink to stove, simmering vegetables pulled

from her garden, dredging chicken in flour - fixing what she would call simple meals. But simple can be the most challenging. Ask anyone

who's struggled to master fried chicken.

That little boy grew up knowing two things for certain: one, the minute he turned 18, he was never weeding another garden. And two,

there's not one thing in this world that can't be improved by adding bacon. The way Lamar cooks it, giving it all the time it needs to be

both crispy and chewy, the fat perfectly rendered - you could just about eat the plate its sitting on.

I've seen this man close his eyes with pleasure over a handful of peanut M&M's washed down with a splash of bourbon. Watched him sit

by the water at a lobster pound in Maine, plastic bib strapped on tight, reverently dipping a chunk of claw meat into a cup of melted butter.

(You don't have to ask Lamar how he feels about butter 'cause he'll tell you. It's the best stuff in the world and however much you're

using, you'd be even happier with a little bit more.) But I've also seen him find something yummy about a piece of lukewarm pizza served

up straight from the box at a staff meeting.

Food is one of life's great pleasures - and one that's always best shared. That's what this book is all about. Welcome to Lamar's kitchen,

where there's plenty of bacon, butter, and bourbon and always room at the table for you.