Tuesday Night Cookbook Club

When I lived in LA, I had a little part-time job at The Grove, selling jewelry at one of the kiosks.  It was a fun job.  I got to meet all kinds of people and it became quite the social spot.  I quickly became friends with the other retailers and security guards.


One night as I was closing down, one of the guards approached me in a stealthy sort of way.


"Be here tomorrow morning. 6AM," he said. "Someone big is going to be giving a concert right over there," he said, as he pointed to a tiny alcove.


"Who?" I asked.


But he had already walked away.


I went home and told John.  We lived half a block from The Grove so we figured we'd be crazy not to check it out.  But then 6AM came very quickly and we rolled over, asking ourselves if it was worth it.


And then I jumped up and said "What?  Are we 80?  Let's go!"


We threw some clothes on and headed over to the tiny alcove.


Even at 6:15 AM, there were some people there.  I quickly grabbed my spot right in front of the stage.  We waited for almost an hour going through every rock star we could think of.  Rumors ran rampant.


And then finally, the rock star emerged.  It was better than we could've imagined.


It was Sheryl Crow.

I was already a huge Sheryl Crow fan, having sped down Santa Monica Boulevard numerous times blasting "All I Wanna Do" and I had closed every one of my Universal Studio Tours with "Soak Up The Sun."


But her music isn't the only reason I adore her.  She's also a big fan of the environment.


Her tours are eco-friendly, sporting bio diesel buses, recycling bins, energy-saving lightbulbs and biodegradable dinnerware.  She also is a recipient of last year's National Resources Defense Council's Forces for Nature award.


I was bursting at the seams with excitement.  She went on to give the most amazing concert to about 100 people who had been lucky enough to be "in the know."


She made comments how it was too early for a rock star to be giving a concert but that she was thrilled to be there.  I was so close that I could practically reach out and strum her guitar.  Although I was too close to catch her guitar picks as she threw them out into the crowd after the show.


I saw my security guard friend in the corner who gave me a wink which I returned with a big fat hug.


I had not seen Sheryl since that concert (though John saw her when she performed in Central Park a couple of years ago) when another opportunity arose last week.

She recently co-wrote a cookbook with her personal chef, Chuck White.  It's called If It Makes You Healthy.  She appeared at Williams Sonoma for a signing and John and I made sure we were there.


We skimmed through the book, eager to try the recipes.


And then she appeared looking as healthy as ever.  She gave a brief interview for some unknown camera crew.  She talked about her sons and a chocolate mousse made with avocado!


We posed for a picture -- me, Sheryl, Chuck and John.  Sheryl looked at John, then turned to me and asked if I knew him.  I laughed and said I did.  Then she smiled.

I didn't get a guitar pick but I got my book signed - and a chance to briefly talk with one of my idols of music and the environment.


And I'll be sure to blast "If It Makes You Happy" while I get healthy!