OurTown The 30-Minute Interview Stephanie MiSkew
Here is just some of what we learned about “The Glamorous Gourmet” and Boca Bacchanal honorary chair during a half-hour discussion with Boca Raton. [ 1 ] She remembers the recipes in Bon Appetit magazine that kick-started her culinary curiosity like it was yesterday—chicken in a tarragon-vinegar sauce and cherries crème brûlée, which she read about and cooked in college. However, it wasn’t until years later, during a 2004 trip to Italy with husband Steve, that Delray Beach resident Stephanie Miskew discovered the key that unlocked her eventual incarnation as “The Glamorous Gourmet.”
Education Trust. “Things are constantly changing and updating. The best way to keep up with that is to continue to pursue credentials.”
[ 4 ] In August 2009, Miskew embarked on a career-changing blog journey inspired by the movie “Julie & Julia,” cooking her way through the Junior League’s Savor the Moment in honor of the awardwinning cookbook’s impending 10th anniversary. She would complete about three-quarters of the recipes before a broken hip derailed the project, but the die had been cast.
[ 5 ] Miskew debuted “The Glam-
different things, but I hadn’t found my passion,” says Miskew, who earned a master’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Colorado but wound up working in New York City as a pharmaceutical rep (she moved to South Florida in 2001). “Italy is where I fell in love with wine—wine seemed to bring everything together for me. It was my lightning bolt moment.”
orous Gourmet” in February 2011 as an extension of her Savor the Moment work. However, the blog has become much more than recipe reviews, incorporating her expertise at every turn with seasonal and holiday wine picks, foodand-wine pairings and much more. She recently revamped the site (theglamorousgourmet.com) to include The Wine Atelier, an online wine boutique meant to “empower your palette” through education and access to wines from around the world.
[ 3 ] Miskew wanted to see where
[ 6 ] As if working on the blog, con-
the new road might lead, so she put the pharmaceutical industry in her rearview mirror and, for a time, worked for a small distributor specializing in boutique wines. By 2007, she had earned her first certification as a specialist of wine from the Society of Wine Educators. Four years later, Miskew achieved the second level of certification through the Court of Master Sommeliers. “Wine is a topic you’ll never know everything about,” says Miskew, who is working on a diploma through the Wine and Spirit
ducting private and corporate wine tastings/seminars, serving as a cellar consultant and contributing wine articles to local publications weren’t enough to keep her busy, Miskew is heavily involved with this year’s Boca Bacchanal (March 22–24). She and Steve are honorary chairs of the 11th annual event and also will host one of the Saturday night vintner dinners for the third year. In addition, Miskew was chair of the committee that coordinated the chefs slated to participate during Bacchanal weekend.
[ 2 ] “I’d dipped my toe in a lot of
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Perfect Pairings As she worked her way through the Junior League’s Savor the Moment cookbook, Miskew found these food/wine combinations particularly palette-pleasing. The Dish
The Wine
Roasted sea bass in prosciutto
Masi Masianco (blend of Pinot Grigio and Verduzzo)
Herbed beef tenderloin with shallot sauce
Nickel & Nickel Martin Stelling Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Pan-bagnat sandwich
Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel Côtes de Provence Rosé
march/april 2013