Making Hay

Euphemia Haye 5540 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key euphemiahaye.com 941/383-3633

FOOD FUN: Desserts are "so much fun to make," says Euphemia Haye chef and owner Ray Arpke

Years ago, when I changed careers to concentrate on the good life, Julia Child, a friend from my pre-foodie Foreign Service days, congratulated me on my decision to enter a field with so many interesting individuals, so many nice people running restaurants. How right she was. And on the top of my list are the Arpkes, Raymond and D'Arcy, who run Longboat Key's extraordinary Euphemia Haye, winner of the Golden Spoon since 1993 and proud member of the Golden Spoon Hall of Fame. To all his other achievements in the culinary arts -- cooking school, TV tailgate specialist, risotto champion -- he's now added a warm and wonderful book of reminiscences with terrific graphics and illustrations, as honest and humanitarian as the man himself -- there's even a small glossary and metric conversion table.

"You Don't Have To Be Crazy, But It Helps" is a great read, an anecdote-filled autobiography by a skilled chef with a background and beginning that defines the word "unique," with credits to mentors and masters, from the large institutional kitchens where he learned the basics to Sarasota's superlative Cafe L'Europe.

"Being from Wisconsin and of German descent, I love pork in any way, shape, or form," Arpke writes and then offers some marvelous ways to prepare it. He veers much further afield with specifics on grilled Cuban flank steak with lime garlic mojo to roast leg of lamb boulangère, red snapper Portuguese, grilled shrimp satay,rouper Jamaican and "Grilling Chicken -- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About It."

Recipes are fun to read and easy to follow, instead of a series of "set-asides," which usually encourages me to set the whole book aside, and recipes are interspersed with commentaries on unforgettable characters he has encountered in kitchens.

His current menu is a masterpiece whether ordering a Grecian lamb shank for $23.25 or a top-of-the-tariffs prime peppered steak for $44.25, calves sweetbreads Grenoblois for $24.75, or Bavarian spinach salad, D'Arcy's avocado bruschetta or nouveau Waldorf salads for $8.50 to $9.25.

Arpke has not overlooked desserts -- "they are so much fun to make" -- and he writes about everything from authentic strawberry shortcake, blueberry pie and Paris Brest to a signature apple pie. They're often featured in the cleverly christened HayeLoft, a great pre- and post-meal hideaway in a great restaurant and brought vividly to life in Arpke's book, which beautifully expands on his opening declaration: "I have an incredible passion for good food and cooking, the inspiration for which comes from the people I have worked with and learned from."

Tags: Dining & Travel, Southwest