Chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer
Hormel Foods Corp.
1 Hormel Place
Austin, MN 55912

Dear Mr. Johnson,

Greetings from Mississippi. I am a little-known, semi-syndicated food columnist who recently wrote a feature article on one of your company’s new products, SPAM with turkey. more...

This year the Hormel Foods Corp. will produce its six billionth can of SPAM.

That is a lot of SPAM. For the two people out there who might be unfamiliar with this product, SPAM is spiced ham in a can (SPiced + hAM = SPAM). SPAM is made in Austin, Minn. (I told y’all they didn’t know anything about good food up there). more...

Reality TV has reached a new low.

Fox, the upstart network that brought us such memorable broadcasting gems as “How to Marry a Multimillionaire”, “Temptation Island” and “When Good Pets Go Bad” has struck again; this time with a supposed sporting event called, “The Glutton Bowl”. Always on the lookout for cutting-edge food column material, I decided to commit two hours of my life and watch. more...

In my opinion, man hasn’t progressed much since prehistoric days.

We are still dumbfounded by fire. more...

One of the funnier tasks in the restaurant business is in the naming of chocolate desserts.

Many restaurants claim to have the richest chocolate dessert. They all employ over-the-top names such as “Chocolate Thunder”, “Brownie Obsession”, “Fudge Overboard” and “Chocolate Debauchery” (actually, that last one I just made up, but it ought to be a dessert name). more...

I love Coca-Cola in the little 8-ounce bottles. I don’t know why, but Cokes taste better in those little bottles. more...

Last week I visited my friend Bill Latham’s new restaurant, Char. The atmosphere was warm, comfortable and casual, and the menu was loaded with my favorite comfort foods. Our dinner was outstanding. It looks like Bill has done it again. more...

Thirty years ago I visited my first cousin in Virginia. While hanging out with his friends, the discussion turned to popular movies of the day. When I offered my two-cents on the authenticity and social relevance of the movie “Billy Jack”, one of the boys asked in all seriousness, “Do you guys have movie theaters down there?” To which I replied, “Yep, and we wear shoes, too.” more...

After three years of procrastination, exasperation and frustration, my cookbook is finally under way.
Ever since the Purple Parrot Café opened 14 years ago, I have been asked consistently, “When are you going to do a cookbook?” I finally have an answer to that question: September.
Early on I didn’t even plan to write a cookbook. After the subject was broached often enough, I began to consider it. Three years ago, I decided to do it. more...

It’s time to make another New Year’s resolution.

I’m keeping it simple this year and dusting off the resolution I’ve used the last 10 years. Once again, I will resolve to lose weight. I have to do something, and quick. I now have more rolls than Broad Street (Jody’s) Bakery. more...