Thank you for being a friend... National Cheesecake Day on SDLiving!

The Golden Girls...

Many of you know my story on the Golden Girls...  Back in 1982, I was working at Safeway Supermarket in Hollywood close to Paramount Studios as the bakery manager.  Daily we would get the strangest requests for food. That's how I started doing prop work for the studios. The (pilot) first episode of GG was taped at the Sunset Gower Stages, I created a carrot cake and also a wedding cake. Blanche (Rue) was left at the alter.. The show moved across town to the Ren-Mar Stages (846 N. Cahuenga Blvd). Side note: Ren-Mar was at one time Desilu-Cahuenga where seasons 3-6 of I Love Lucy were filmed, now it is called Red Studios.  After the GG moved they incorporated cheesecake into their evening talks around the dinner table. Over 100 of the shows had a cheesecake incorporated into the storyline. The show was taped on Friday nights and I would make 7 for the show. If one opened the fridge it was a working real fridge (unlike the stove). You would find 7 identical cheesecakes and coke, diet coke and sprite.

I then created crazy foods that were edible kinda for shows such as Dynasty, Falcon Crest, The Colby's, It's a Living, Brothers and many more..   Worked with the great Norman Lear for a time too. He would want a cake a week delivered out to his Brentwood house.. 

Here is the Golden Girl Cheesecake! Sit around the kitchen table with your besties and enjoy! Recipe 

The Taste of Shortbread and Cheesecake

The Taste on ABC & Chocolate Shortbread

It's been a whirl-wind of a few weeks. Last week I was asked if I could pack my bags and get to NYC for a few days to work on Season 2 of The Taste. It was on in January of this year. I was a Casting Food Judge to where I tasted the foods of the contestants. It was over 100F and the humidity was high also. My first night in the city I found out a college was teaching a class on Salt Block Cooking at The Meadow (They have hundreds of salts, chocolate, bitters and flowers). Mark Bitterman has a location on Hudson and also one in Portland with a second Portland coming in. Check it out The Meadow.

Here is my recipe for the week. Rich Buttery Chocolate Shortbread. It will become a family classic! No eggs! Recipe

Two weeks ago I conducted my LA Coffee Roasting to Tamales Tour. Out September Tour is sold out, but get on the mailing list for the Holiday food tours. We leave from San Diego Area.  Tours from San Diego

On Tuesday the 30th my segment on SD Living will be all on Cheesecake! From Savory (with two great cheeses) and the famous Golden Girl Cheesecake that I created for the show back in the 80s. I will post the recipe on Monday Night.. 

Lastly, we only have 2.. yes.. TWO spots left for May 2014 France Tour. This is my 18th season and it will be the best yet! A great 17th century (modern) villa and the prices are the same as 2009! Tours 

See you on TV, a class or a tour! 

George