faq

Why does Anne care so much about food?

Food is, of course, essential to life. And when we're lucky enough not to have to worry about nourishment and sustenance, it's important to us for the pleasure it provides: the tastes, textures, and the whole sensory experience of a richly layered Dacquoise, a freshly picked strawberry, or the perfectly prepared sashimi. Because food is a human endeavor in every aspect, Anne also cares about the people who make sure we have food to eat and to pass around our communal table. That's why she often focuses on small producers, local farmers, and all the other invisible people who work in the fields, factories, and restaurants on which we depend to fill our larders and feed our hungers.

Why Virtual Winter? Why the praise for cold weather?

It's much easier to fashion the perfect dish or the ideal meal from local, in-season produce when your climate offers a generous bounty year-round. But it takes true genius to create good food when the earth only provides for a few short months. Beyond praising those who overcome these practical, physical hurdles to create amazing tastes, Anne believes in celebrating the whole experience of food and thinks some of our best experiences come from cold weather: hot chocolate after sledding, fondue by the fire with friends, a rich chicken pot pie that heats the whole house as it bakes. Not to mention all the amazing desserts and puddings that fall and winter bring us - from sweet baked apples to rich chocolate creations.

Does Anne create audio projects for commercial use?

Contact her with your project idea and talk it over. She always loves a new way to share her love of food with a larger audience.

What kind of free-lance writing does Anne do?

Book reviews, side-bars, feature-length pieces, monthly columns, and more - related to food. Her main interests:

·Upper-Midwestern food culture

·British and Scottish traditions transformed into contemporary tastes

·21st-century Scandinavian flavors

·culinary "migrations" like Turkish food in Berlin, Mexican food in Chicago, Portuguese food in Macao

·European and American food history

And though Voltaire slandered British desserts with the criticism that “The English plays are like their English puddings: nobody has any taste for them but themselves,” it was perhaps Charles Dickens' immortalization of the British pudding in his Christmas Carol that drives her to be the champion of this great sweet tradition on this side of the Atlantic. Anne's bumper sticker (if she actually had one): "I'd rather be writing about Befordshire Clanger."

What makes Anne's writing, audio shorts, or food presentations different from that of other people working on one of our favorite topics?

Anne has the experience of working in 500 years of archives at the top universities and libraries in the US and England, but she has also been trained as a writer and teacher to transform that research into experiences that are interesting, entertaining, and detailed for you instead of relying on myth and historical inaccuracies. Moreover, she has a lifetime of experience tasting food across the country and around the world in addition to running her own baking business and creating one of the first food podcasts in January 2005. In short, she offers the best in scholarly training with the real best in food experience.

Why the apple logo?

The apple is Anne's namesake, the Bramley. And since Bramley apples are considered the best cooking apple, it seemed the perfect logo. Find out more by visiting the Bramley Apple Site.

Who is Anne Bramley and who is Kelly A[nne] Amienne?

One in the same. Scholarly work in the English Renaissance is produced under the name "Kelly A. Amienne" while food writing, audio production, and other creative projects are produced under the name "Anne Bramley."