Frederick Cooke:
Welcome to CuisineNet Live! Tonight we will be chatting with Graham Kerr. Graham Kerr is an internationally known chef, writer and television personality. The former "Galloping Gourmet" is now a leader in the field of healthful gourmet cooking. The author of twenty-two books that have sold more than fourteen million copies, Kerr is a popular public speaker and a frequent visiting professor at the Culinary Institute of America.

Frederick Cooke:
At the end of tonight's chat we will be giving away three copies of Graham's brand new CD ROM, Swiftly Seasoned. Good Luck!

Frederick Cooke:
Thanks for coming Graham! Everyone, ask away!

Mike Rapsis:
You once stated that, at the age of thirty-five, it was impossible for you to be a culinary authority, but you would be at the age of fifty. What did you mean at the time and how do you feel about this after a quarter century of hindsight?

GrahamKerr:
(laughs) I think that at 35, well, I think I said that actually -- I must have been about 25. But you cannot be an authority on a subject without experience, and there is only so much food you can consume by the time you're 35. So I thought of myself in those days as ... (fingers gripping bottom of frame) anxiously hoping people would delay calling me an expert until I was 60. Now I wish they'd wait until I was 70!

Kevin Staff:
Welcome Graham! Do you have a culinary mentor, and who would he or she be?

GrahamKerr:
My mentor was Andre Simon, who was the world president of all the wine and food societies. He lived next door to my parents, who had a hotel in Sussex. As far as a mentor, he told me once he had made a custard and prodded it with a fork, and it sprang back in his hand, and he decided to concentrate on wine.

Kevin Staff:
Do you think non-alcoholic wines can tastefully compete with regular wines when cooking classic French dishes such as coq au vin?

GrahamKerr:
No, I don't, because when you do Coq au Vin the classic way, it's quite high in fat. So the wine with alcohol is a nice pair. A good balance. But food with less fat is better, in my judgment, with wine that has had the alcohol removed -- by a safe and professional method. And I should state here that I believe that reverse osmosis is the only acceptable method to remove alcohol from wine.

Shanna:
Why do you feel that your new book, The Gathering Place, is the most important book that you've ever written?

GrahamKerr:
It is the summary of everything I've worked on since 1971, when I made the first approach at change, and so therefore it's as high as I've climbed so far. It presents itself as an alternative to literally turning one's back on the table, and that's why it's important. It can answer the problem that is stated frequently, "I have no time to cook." And the problem, "I've changed my way of eating. What do I say to my hostess? How can I say that I need a special meal?" and so on. These things stop people from having fun with one another around the table, and I cannot imagine a world without that joy. I think that what this book does more than anything else, is to stimulate a return to the table That's why it's the most important one I've ever written.

Susan:
What is the primary motive in your current body of work?

GrahamKerr:
Well, cooking is in my opinion an act of kindness when it is caring wrapped in pleasure. My concern is that when people change, they should hope for a change for the better. Both physically and emotionally. Therefore, the issue is how to enhance food, not how to impose a diet. And all I have tried to do is to exchange an excessive amount of salt, fat and refined starch and meat for aromas, colors, and textures. The former -- salt, sugar, et cetera -- are blunt instruments when compared with the tremendous range of experiences from plant life and seasonings that we have at our disposal today.

Kevin Staff:
What is your favorite spice in your home kitchen?

GrahamKerr:
I couldn't do without garlic. I suspect I would find it hard to do without root ginger. And though I like lemon, I find lemongrass extraordinary. And then I could keep on going until 1:00 tomorrow.

bill:
What do you say to people that have problems finding certain ingredients?

GrahamKerr:
In the latest book, in The Gathering Place, I have placed in the side columns, as sidebars, a specific detail about every unusual food. There are not many. But in every case, I have given a telephone number, usually a 1-800 number, to call to find where it can be found within one's geographic location. My hope is that our chat participants and purchasers of the book would take these numbers to their market, and give the manager the number, and ask him to stock the product. If the manager says "no," I think he should be reminded that you, the purchaser, can spend between four and eight thousand dollars per year in the supermarket, and therefore you represent tremendous cash flow. For too long now, the shelves have been stocked because of influence from the manufacturer. I believe it is time that we consumers also begin to influence what is on those shelves by asking firmly, but pleasantly, for some action.

Kevin Staff:
In your opinion, are vegetarian lifestyles going to be on the rise as we reach the year 2000 and beyond?

GrahamKerr:
Absolutely! We will see this increasing daily now. To begin with, it will be occasional, but it will begin to increase rapidly. We are unlikely to do without the eco-life and other related trips, and I suspect that some will not like the idea of irradiated food, and these folks will steer more and more towards correctly-grown plant life.

Mia:
Why did you include so much vegetarian info in the new book?

GrahamKerr:
It is my commitment to serve people who want to make creative change a permanent habit in their life. I cannot do this without seriously recommending the vegetarian alternative. So rather than do it in a spotty way, I wanted to go the whole turnip (since I can't mention the word "hog" in this context!). (laugh)

ROBENN1:
Can you tell us about the video you produced to accompany the new book?

GrahamKerr:
Yes. I am pictured, in my judgment, a little too frequently in the text with a cyborg appearance, with a small video camera stuck in my right eye. It is interesting to note that I am filming, therefore, everything that I am looking at. I edited 17 hours of digital video down to one hour and linked each scene, which was each city, from my own gathering place at home for my friends. I believe it's startling how it brings the whole book to even more life than it has already and adds tremendous enjoyment to the trip. You actually feel in a way that you're on board with us as we experience this adventure.

diane:
Why do you feel that dining with friends and family results in healthy benefits?

GrahamKerr:
Well, I've learned from my wife Treena that the art of listening is very healing. When one is listened to, as all you dear people are listening to me now, one becomes invested with self-worth. If we have a good opinion of ourselves, and I hope that opinion is an honest one, then that is a great contributor to good health. Therefore the dinner party presents an opportunity to both speak from one's heart and to listen with one's heart.

Kevin Staff:
Why haven't we seen "Graham's Restaurants" popping up around the country like other super chef-authors? We would love to see them come into existence!

GrahamKerr:
Well maybe -- I once had that opportunity and turned it down. I have been a hotelier and restaurateur at one stage in my life, and I know how hard it is to maintain a standard. I'm not sure that I know how I would feel if someone, in all good conscience, working in a kitchen or serving in a restaurant, made a serious mistake and it was in my name. So I have contained myself within my own field of responsibility.

Karen:
How difficult was it to get your family to change to a healthy lifestyle?