Years ago, before my children were born, I went on a press trip to Seville and Madrid, Spain.  Several food writers and editors were flown over, wined and dined, and put up in posh hotels by the Spanish Olive Growers Association.  After 5 days and nights of incredible tours, meals, and copious amounts of fino, olives, and very late night tapas, we flew back to the States together.  I had developed such a passion for the dry sherry we had come to expect every afternoon around teatime that one of my compatriots took up a collection of fino miniatures for me on the flight home. When we disembarked in New York – him to find a cab and me to change planes – I had a purse full. 

Robert Barnett and I have been great friends since that first day we sat together on a bus to a country chateau and olive grove.  When my oldest daughter was born a year later, he came to see me in the hospital.  At that time he was the editor of American health Magazine; our relationship expanded professionally as he gave me story assignments and, later, recipe development jobs for his own books, American Health Cookbook,  and Volumetrics.  Bob has also enjoyed a colorful, successful career in New York as health editor of Parenting Magazine and, most recently, iVillage.com.