Keckler a.k.a. Stephanie Vander Weide Lucianovic is a neophyte foodie, nibbling her way through life, who hopes one day to turn those neophyte nibblings into master munches. She spent a good part of her formative years as one of the foremost picky eaters in Minneapolis, MN -- sandwich loaves, tuna casseroles, and a whole host of vegetables very nearly did her in -- but then she went to college, lived in England, and moved to Boston where she discovered a deep love for making magnificent messes in her Beacon Hill kitchen.

After getting laid off by the Nefarious Media Conglomerate -- where she spent three semi-conscious years as a fine arts and photography book editor -- Keckler bought some clogs and a pair of really unflattering black-and-white checked pants, and graduated amid showers of awards and honors from culinary school.

Currently ensconed (Oh, shut up -- that was funny!) in San Francisco with a great view of Alamo Square Park, she's a freelance writer, food magazine and cookbook editor, culinary consultant, cheesmonger, and test kitchen chef. How do you like them baked apples with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dollop of Devonshire double cream?

She can make you a cream puff model of the Enterprise if you're deemed worthy. But when she's not churning butter or basting roasts on a spit, she's hobnobbing with Mathra (her mathematician husband) and their two fur-ologist cats, or she's watching way too much television and getting paid to do it.

The note: Being that the writer is, well, a writer, you have to take some of her stories with a flake of Maldon. It's what her grandfather would call "making a dull story interesting." In other words, facts may have shifted during the flight, so take care when opening the story compartments.

The quote: "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death," is from my favorite Rosalind Russell film, Auntie Mame.

Sausage Links: