Gourmandistan:
Gourmandistan—where food and the people involved in bringing it to a plate are celebrated. Its people enjoy discovering, procuring and preparing food almost as much as they enjoy eating it. Those entering Gourmandistan should be prepared to endure tales of farmers, farm shares, fancy and not so fancy restaurants and features of a good kitchen—as well as recipes, amateur food porn and scathing contempt for industrial “food.”
Michelle:
Reads cookbooks like novels, has purchased more than she can remember, and currently owns too many to easily count. Follows chefs the way others follow celebrities. Loathes pesticides, factory farming and processed corporate products. Enjoys food, photography, cooking and travel, and (only a bit guiltily) trashy celebrity gossip. Likes dessert, embraces garlic, and seeks variety on every plate. A practicing attorney, Michelle currently lives on about 14 acres of former Kentucky tobacco farm, along with Steve, some cats, numerous chickens and an impressive assortment of kitchen gadgets.
Steve:
Likes gadgets, games and good food. “Nose to tail” approach to meat-eating often results in eating actual noses and/or tails. Will eat almost anything and try anything at least once, yet cannot develop a liking for liver. Would like to stay in every Relais & Chateaux lodging on the globe, but will currently settle for returning to the Prieuré d’Orsan. A writer and brand consultant, Steve lives in Kentucky with Michelle, reviews restaurants for Louisville Magazine, tends chickens, shops for groceries/fetches CSA shares, spoils cats and helps Michelle cook.
Contact us:
gourmandistan@gmail.com
Love it …….
Thanks for sharing all your talents .
Beautiful blog! I love your country of food! Are the elegantly coifed chickens residents of Gourmandistan?
Thanks, Debra! They are in residence. Sadly, though, they have turned into a batch of peckers and the beautiful coifs are no more. We believe that soon they will be dinner.
This site is spectacular!! When’s the movie coming out?
Oh, any day now. Ha!
Michelle and Steve: Thank you for the work you do to produce this BEAUTIFUL site. I’ve just found it, thanks to a mutual friend who knows of our shared interests. Gourmandistan has already jumped into my list of favorite blogs. I am excited about what is happening with Kentucky food and food writing/media. You two are making a huge contribution. I look forward to meeting you, something I am told may happen as soon as this weekend!
Thank you so much. Look forward to meeting you, too, and looking at your site!
I’ve come home from the annual Turner Christmas gathering with many tidbits over the years…..homemade fudge, great laughs, happy memories, and even the chicken pox. Today I was delighted to bring home your URL…along with everything else (except the chicken pox)! Lovely and delightful!!
Oh, thank you! Sorry we couldn’t make it this year…
I love your approach to food. Gorgeous photos too!
Thanks so much! Come again sometime.
Your cat is awesome. So are your photos.
Thanks so much! Oh, that’s Jeeves. His brother, Bertie, was probably doing something wicked outside the frame.
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for the comment about the Canal du Midi on our blog – and turning us on to your recipes!
You’re so welcome! I look forward to reading/seeing more of one of my favorite parts of the world.
What a pleasure to discover this blog! And I *love* the title.
Many thanks—come again soon.
What a fabulous site – and thanks for subscribing to mine! Now I just need some chickies like yours, they´re gorgeous
Thanks … uhm, I mean gracias! Yes, these little French girls were beautiful. But so very dumb they spent their days banging into the doors of the coop. We’re sticking with slightly more peasant-y breeds now.
I love your blog too! I tape a passion for food photography and get so inspired by sites like yours! I am new at blogging and need to learn more about linking etc. I will make sure I link to your blog from Myfrenchheaven. Maybe you’ll return the favor? :0)
All the very best for 2012!
Merci, Stéphane!
Kudos to you two for such a beautiful site! Really enjoying both the writing and the photography.
Thanks so much, Jayne!
Great blog title, writing and recipes! Glad to have found you. Who takes the pics? (They’re great.) Ken
Thanks so much! I do most of the photos. Steve does most of the writing (though I play at editor, as it’s much more fun than lawyering).
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – I’ve directed Bob to your site as he researches developing his own real estate/home improvement blog. Now if we can only inspire him to cook…
Tell him to go to wordpress.com and look around. Lots of great templates. There’s a little learning curve, but it doesn’t take long. But, sorry I can’t help with the cooking issue! I guess it will just have to fall to you!
Just found your blog – I’m excited for what I’ll find if I continue to poke around. Beautiful photos! Thank you!
Thanks so much, Julia. Come again!
I don’t think I’ve commented before on your blog, but it is a wonderful place to visit and read. Just to let you know, I’ve nominated you for Food Stories Award for Excellence in Storytelling for your very tasty-looking and wry blog.
(http://foodstoriesblog.com/food-stories-award/).
Oh, thanks so much! That’s definitely Steve: wry. (I love that word, too.)
I just discovered your blog, and am in love – ready to change my “residency” and become a Gourmandistani!
So sweet! And we have very liberal immigration rules…
I look at lots of food blogs and follow a few. I love what you are doing here. The writing style and photography appeal greatly. Thanks for following my blog at http://www.conorbofin.com (shameless self promotion). I look forward to seeing more.
Best,
Conor
Thanks so much. And, given that Steve also spent much of his career in advertising, we’d never complaint about promotion, self- or otherwise!
Thank you for this lovely blog. I am having a bit of a problem with my cooking lately. Although I have studied and taken all kinds of ethnic food cookery courses, I find myself torn between the various dietary dilemmas and tastes of my friends and family.
You’re so welcome! Yeah, it’s hard these days. Everybody seems to have some issue, real or imagined.
Your blog is presented beautifully. Reading it has brought sunshine to a rainy Sunday.
Thanks so much, Mary Jane.
Hi Michelle, hi Steve. Thanks for stopping by my blog and taking the time to read. Greatly appreciated and I look forward to swapping food stories with you from the other side of the world! Happy noms for 2013!
You’re so welcome! I have it bookmarked to return and read some more. Happy new year to you as well!
Nice to find a fellow KY blogger. Where in KY are you exactly? And are you going to FoodBlogSouth 2013?
Outside Louisville (Brownsboro). And you? I don’t have any plans to go. What about yourself?
I’ve lived in Gourmandistan for many years now, and am happy to “meet” other citizens!!! Really nice mention in Country Living mag, march 2013 – where I found you, I’ll be folowing your every meal!
Sweet! There’s much to be said for imaginary countries.
Thanks for following The Pearl Kitchen. Hope you enjoy the stories and recipes from a little island on the other side of the world
I like your witty blog. Its fun to read with well presented visuals 
You are so welcome. I clicked follow at work the other day, intending to go back and read further—which I definitely will. And thanks!
You have a very awesome blog and I love every bit of it. I can’t seem to get enough of it so I am going to begin to stalk you both. Hope you don’t mind.
Too sweet. Stalk away!
Hello, I have enjoyed your blog a lot and find it beautiful. I am passing you the One Lovely Blog Award. Please visit http://cookingwithmamamiyuki.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/one-lovely-blog-award/ for the rules as follow.
warm regards
How wonderful, what a great introduction! I’m very glad you stumbled upon my site, so that I in turn could discover yours. Looking forward to more articles about your menagerie and gastronomic goings-on.
Angelica
Thanks so much, Angelica. My good luck from scrolling through the Reader!
Very clever photos! You must come visit Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario one day. It is a lovely R&C inn located about an hour or so out of Toronto. It is well worth a visit! Anyway, I am so happy to have found your blog as I really enjoy your writing style and clever wit.
Thank you so much! And Langdon Hall looks lovely. We’ve been talking about how we need to go to Toronto again…
Hi Michelle and Steve!
I’m nominating you for the very inspiring blogger award! You may follow through with this award or ignore – it’s up to you. Personally, I’m only nominating one blog per award because of my time constraints. Actually, I’d rather be doing important stuff. But here is the link:
http://chefmimiblog.com/2013/04/05/awards/
But seriously I love your blog and you two are inspiring – thus, the award.
Sweet of you!
I appreciate your blog content very much and am passing the Team Member Readership Award http://cookingwithmamamiyuki.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/team-member-readership-award/
Thanks so much!
i’m so glad to find your blog. It’s fabulous. I like foods and pictures.
Thanks so much, Jessie. I am looking forward to learning more about Korean food (which I adore!) from you.
I’m so glad to hear that you like Korean food. I hope that my blog will help you to indulge in real Korean homemade foods. ^^ I guess i will be able to get inspirations from your great blog.
Love your ethos (both) – and note I own most of the cookbooks piled up in your first pic, always a good sign, much in favour of nose to tail eating too. Great blog, thanks, Tracey
Thank you so much! I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge of the Hebrides—looks so beautiful.