United States Chef
John Spottiswood Profile
Love cooking eating & sharing
CookEatShare Points
About me
I am happily married and a father of four. My wife Nancy does most of the daily cooking in our house, but I usually plan and cook one meal each week. I've spent 2 years living in Japan, and have a great appreciation for Asian food. My favorites are Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese, but I also enjoy Chinese and Korean. I spent time in the Indian town of Pune, and also love Indian food. I had wonderful food there cooked by Ekta Vengateri, a good friend. Still, French and Italian are probably my favorite cuisines, with Greek, Turkish and Moroccan food just a short step behind!
Cooking Influences
I originally learned to love food from my grandmother, Betty Carr Spottiswood. She had only a small number of dishes that she cooked, but she cooked them with pride, love and humility. No matter how wonderful her roast was, she'd always complain that it was too tough or too dry as we all gobbled it down happily!
Later, when I was about 14, I began to join my family friend and rugby coach, Pete Frichette, for dinner once a week. Pete is a true renaissance man--an architect, athlete, scholar, and passionate cook. I began to come over early to enjoy a glass of wine (a treat at age 17) and to help Pete prepare the meal. Pete taught me about fresh herbs, italian and french seasoning, wild game, root vegetables, and the wonders of homemade broths.
After my sisters and I moved out, my father David Spottiswood also became an avid chef. Every Sunday we congregate at his house and share the most wonderful meals. He is well traveled and as a result well versed in many cuisines. I have learned numerous wonderful recipes from him. Last but not least, my aunt Jeanne Templeman is an amazing cook. Many of my favorite family dinners, and most delicious meals, have been around her table.
Recommendations
Favorite Cookbooks
- Essentials of Italian Cooking (Marcela Hazen)
- This book is a tour de force that will tell you everything you need to know about Italian cooking...
- The way to cook. (Julia Childs)
- If you are just beginning to learn French and European cooking, this book is a must. If gives you a
- Stews, Bogs, & Burgoos
- This is an offbeat book that I picked up at a book sale. However, it is a gem! Some of the best an
- Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's (Wona Miniati)
- I worked Wona and she's awesome. Also shop all the time at TJ's so this is very handy!
Chefs I recommend
- Mark Tabak (Sacramento, CA)
- I've eaten a simple Posole with fresh quesadilla's at Mark's house. It was a simple treasure. Mark can make a wonderful dish out of the most common ingredients!
- Francesco Mazzi (Tokyo, Japan)
Comments
- July 13, 2021john are you too busy for me what is wrong??? i thought you cared about your users but i guess not :o(
- July 13, 2021this website is big and scary and i do not want to be ere anymore but i dont know hot wo leave johbn please hlep who di i leave website delete account pleaseee help HELP johN!!!!
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- July 13, 2021hi john thanks fo thre follow and welcome i have made a new RECIPE for a LARGE STEW please check it out on my page tthank you xoxo
- March 19, 2021Thank you for your cookeatshare email John.
I am only a beginner, and will soon 'experiment' with
cooking my first 'iota'. I hope to be successful.
Thank you for this site and the recipes.
Regards,
Peter
- October 30, 2020I want to delete my profile but no one is answering me, please can you delete my profile?!
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- December 21, 2016You and your loved ones all sound like wonderful cooks. I have several in my family also, a 2 daughters, Kim (Florida) and Dana (Minnesota) and 1 granddaughter Mercedes (Sadie) (North Carolina. Hope to try some of your recipes.
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- October 19, 2016Hello John!
I am new to this site, but not to cooking, though I am not the greatest cook. I can not have spicy foods due to acid reflux/ulcer problem, so I use herbs to flavor foods.
I don't have the cookbooks you do, but I do collect them. Do you have any recipes for baking? I love to do that. - February 16, 2016Ty for the add and this site John, looks as if I will be learning and experiencing allot of good stuff on here :)
- October 9, 2015Hi John, I'm honored! I'm not the greatest cook but my mom was. I learned a lot from her so was not totally clueless when I married. So glad for her influence and really excited to have you follow me. Many of my recipes are not my own but I try to name them or give credit to the person who gave it to me. That is if I remember who. We have a wonderful food section every Thursday in the Morning Advocate here in Baton Rouge. I look forward to it every week. Thanks for being my "Food Friend".1 reply
Billie Jean Lofton- October 9, 2015So glad you joined Billie Jean! Can't wait to try a few of your recipes!
- September 15, 2015hey john im very new to this site and super new to cooking!! im 37 and im an artist, i natural feel cooking is an art that i would love to learn! so if you have any advice for me that would be great! im on a tight budget but from what i see and hear i can make great healthy food on the cheep! i wont have anything crazy on my page(profile) for a little while cause i latterly just started to cook two weeks ago! im my dads primary caretaker at the age of 83! so for now im starting slow and pretty basic, the first thing i made was a basic meatloaf! it came of ok it was edible not to bad i have some ideas on how to make of awesome so will see! this week i have chosen a chicken with fresh basil cream sause over rice! wish me luck! ;)1 reply
- October 9, 2015Hi Tony - sorry for the late reply. My best tip for eating healthy and cheap is...brown rice and dried beans & legumes. You can buy both of these in bulk so inexpensively! We always have a 25lb bag of brown rice (though we often mix it with white rice cuz our kids like that better) and usually dried lentils, chick, split, and black eyed peas, pinto, peruvian, black, red, cannellini, and kidney beans. You can make the rice and beans, with some onion, garlic, maybe tomato to complement, and have a little meat on the side. The rice an bean portion is incredibly healthy and inexpensive. The rice and beans also make great soups in the winter. Can't wait to try a few of your recipes and hope you'll enjoy mine!
- October 9, 2015Sorry for the late reply Linda. Thanks for the thumbs up on my recipes. I hope you enjoy them! Can't wait to try yours too.
- June 23, 2015Hi Jhon,
Thanks for contacting me via email yesterday. I am looking forward to be sharing my recipes and try yours and other members as well.
I truly like the dynamic in your group.
Wishing you great success!!
Thanks again,
- February 26, 2015Dear Mr. Spottiswood- This is a short and i hope sweet message from Lisa McQueen Reid, in Meaford, Ontario. Hi and how are you today? It was nice to hear from you! Please do not send me any recipes that involve using a grill. I don't have a grill and shave no intention of getting one. But easy and healthy pasta recipes are always more than welcome, as well as soup and salad recipes! Thank you very much, sincerely, Lisa.
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- December 23, 2014Thank you John for welcoming me.This is new to me but happy to follow you also
- December 7, 2014Finding it difficult to post my recipes and am so sad. Tried several times. Someone help it's frustrating
- November 20, 2014Hello, Thank you so much for following me. I, in turn, followed you as well. You are right, cooking with pride is the best helping of food prepared with love. All the best, Garnetta
- November 10, 2014I am a widow 81 yrs old when i was young i lived with my grand mother and she taught me to cook we had biscuit 3 meals a day i got to where i was pretty goodwe baked cakes and pies after i got married i bragged about my biscuits and we brought flower and it was plain i never thought about the different types we were using self rising flour but my husband mom used plain flour i cooked the biscuits and they were hard as bricks of course after i got married i learned there were all kind of flour for cooking the next batch came out better when we got married my husband would mix macaroni and chili to gether i thought it was weird but now they have macaroni and chili in stores stores
- August 26, 2014Hi John never did this befor. I love cooking on the charcoal grill, and cooking the stick to your rib foods in the winter.
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- June 1, 2014I stumbled onto this site trying to find food ideas for my daughter who is on the Fiengold Diet and we basically have to make everything from scratch and I am not that great of a cook. Looking forward to trying different recipes and seeing how they turn out. I would cook easy open out of the box or can foods but since we can no longer do that I am finding the food taste much better and it a lot healthier. Now I just have to get new ideas because when you only learn a couple they get old fast. Thanks for friending me and for the website.