I had the great pleasure of meeting Chef Amy Chaplin a few weeks ago at a book signing for her wonderful book - At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. The event was hosted by an excellent home store called Hammertown Barn - this location in Pine Plains, NY. There are two smaller locations of the store in Rhinebeck, NY and Great Barrington, Ma. The owner Joan Osofsky is quite renowned as she has an incredible eye for curating this collection of all things home and garden. Pines Plains is a charming little town near Millbrook, NY. That town is known for its rolling hills and upscale horse farms and second homes of the rich and famous. *Definitely worth a visit on a weekend drive from NYC - about 2 hours each way. I was there over Thanksgiving weekend Joan had several events happening and the Barn and main house on her extensive property were bustling with customers.
Amy Chaplin is a celebrated Chef (James Beard Foundation award winner) with a head chef tenure under her belt at the extremely popular Angelica Kitchen in the East Village in NYC.
CHEF AMY CHAPLIN - PHOTO- JOHNNY MILLER Chaplin has spent years as a private chef (several celebrities can't live without her daily creations) and at long last released this book - At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen. Growing up in rural Australia, Amy spent her childhood watching (and helping) her parents create every meal they ate - from scratch. With the nearest store 30 miles away, one can only imagine the creativity it must have inspired. The book explains how to create healthy, fullfilling dishes for every occassion. It feels like a relaxation experiment just looking at the beautiful photos by Photog Johnny Miller of vegetables and natural ingredients. I happily bought he book and intend to spend the holidays experimenting with this masters recipes. Buy one for the cook in your life, and buy one for yourself as well. It's one of those books that should be in every kitchen - as a reference and also as a guide. Be sure to visit her excellent website for recipes, inspiration, and more know-how than you can imagine!
Click images or links for more info about Amy and Hammertown, to buy the book, and visit Amy's website. 
PHOTO - JOHNNY MILLER from AT HOME IN THE WHOLE FOOD KITCHEN by AMY CHAPLIN
PHOTO-JOHNNY MILLER from AT HOME IN THE WHOLE FOOD KITCHEN by AMY CHAPLIN