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" If reading about some of these high-brow chefs is a little intimidating to any of you, here is a pair of cooks to bridge the gap between fancy-schmancy and the rest of us. Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton walked away from the world of slick, foodie publishing in Manhattan, and started a down-to-earth thrice-yearly publication called Canal House Cooking. Full of seasonal recipes that tempt in several ways\u2014they are delicious, and also very approachable to the average home cook with a busy schedule. These books have cultivated quite a following. These ladies (yes, Christopher is a she) set up a modest studio, very much like a home kitchen, near the Delaware Canal in New Jersey, eliminating the Manhattan commute for both of them.  Listen to this podcast while you&amp;#039;re chopping your veggies tonight and learn more about why they do what they do. It certainly made me feel better to hear them adamantly state that a fancy kitchen doesn&amp;#039;t make a good cook!  Our Dream Team of chefs boasts another dynamic duo\u2014White House chefs Cristeta Comerford and Sam Kass. These are the folks who cook for President Obama&amp;#039;s family and visiting leaders from our country and around the world. No pressure, right? Chef Comerford is no stranger to being first. She is the first female executive chef at the White House, appointed by Barbara Bush and retained by first lady Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama appreciated the fact that Comerford is also the mother of a young daughter, and noted her emphasis on healthy cooking and her belief that we need to the change course of our diets to insure that the next generation will be able to lead. As a Filipino-American, she is also the first minority to ever hold the position. Chef Comerford grew up in Manila, Philippines, and came to the United States at the tender age of 23. She&amp;#039;s come a long way, wouldn&amp;#039;t you say? When the Obamas came to Washington, they didn&amp;#039;t want to leave behind their personal chef. Chicago&amp;#039;s loss became Washington&amp;#039;s gain as Chef Sam Kass came along for the ride of a lifetime. His official title is Assistant White House Chef and Food Initiative Coordinator. What does that mean? Not only does he prepare most of the family meals for the Obama&amp;#039;s, he sits in on policy meetings, assisting the first lady with issues such as improving school lunches, child nutrition legislation, and the fight against childhood obesity. He was a main force behind another kitchen garden that&amp;#039;s been in the media recently, the White House Kitchen Garden. Watch him talk about it here, and get inspired.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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