suvir, thank you for this amazing description of so much that is magical about michael and ariane and yourself and the best compliment i could ever hope to have comparing me to his shepherding of friends, very much on par with the sublime compliment from michael himself in the foreword to the bread bible when he wrote: "If civilization were to fall, this volume could be used as an appropriate tool to help jump-start it." i treasure your friendship as i have treasured theirs. in fact, when i was in seattle last month and got together with dear friends i hadn't seen in 44 years, i talked so much about you and your restaurant devi they are now making a special trip to ny to join us for dinner there in sept!

the only two forewords michael ever wrote were for your book and mine and both in the same year making us forever foreword siblings.

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rhonda, this is so beautiful especially having spent the day at Michael Batterberry's funeral and with his wonderful family and friends and hearing amazing tributes and stories about their lives. what healing and inspiring words you've written. thank you for the immense compliment about my writing which was from the heart.

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i'm posting this separately so it doesn't get lost in my memories of michael:

FOOD ARTS WILL LIVE ON!!! Ariane (i think the term steel magnolia was invented for her) plans to continue as publisher.

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thank you jeanne for this terrific idea! what a pleasure it will be to reminisce about michael b. one of my fav. memories i already wrote in the bread bible. here it is now: (and you're right--it hurts my heart...but it's a joy to remember)

here's what he said when he tasted my soft white bread: “Mmmm. . . . This is
what Wonder Bread, in its soul, really always wanted to be!”

and here's what happened when i brought a baguette for him to taste:

My goal was a light crumb with large holes and a splinteringly crisp but tender crust. It took me over twenty-five tries to get right, but the result was the lightest, crispest, and best baguette I’ve ever had. I took a loaf to Michael Batterberry when I was visiting Food Arts magazine, and when we broke off a piece, it showered crumbs all over the papers on his desk. I didn’t know whether to be horrified or triumphant, but when I saw the look of delighted comprehension in his eyes, I was reassured as to my choice! We both knew that this was the real thing."

One of the great blessings about a conversation with Michael was that he understood immediately and on many levels even more perhaps than I had intended or knew I was saying. He was, in a word, inspirational. Truly I feel he is still with me. I find it impossible to believe otherwise.

By the way, I've long thought that the best and truest humor is a sort of hitting the nail of the head moment, i.e. when one can capture the essence of a thing so sharply and clearly it becomes humorous. Michael had that gift and he displayed it reliably and brilliantly. He was spell-bindingly fascinating. and oh yes--how could I forget: when I was interviewed for a profile for IACP and one of the questions was: "if you could chose one person, living or dead, to have as a dinner companion who would it be?" My answer: "Michael Batterberry, the most entertaining, eloquent, erudite, charming, warm, and witty person I've ever known.

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