When I met Pat Mack umpteen years ago she was the food editor for The Record, New Jersey’s second largest daily newspaper, which was my hometown paper. Loving the rhythmic sound, I always refer to her as Pat Mack from Hackensack (as that’s where The Record offices were located!). She was their food editor for 20 years.

Pat is now Gayot.com’s regional editor for Greater New York Metro/Eastern Canada, New Jersey restaurant reviewer and an at-large travel writer for Gayot, and a cookbook author. Dividing her time between her homes in New Jersey and Florida, Pat wrote “Delicious Grapefruit” out of inspiration from an ancient grapefruit tree in her southern yard. Her other cookbooks include “The 15-Minute Chef ” (HP Books), “Tomatoes” (Record Books) and “Corn” (Record Books).

Pat is also a fellow Dame, a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a philanthropic society of professional women leaders in the food, wine and hospitality industry.

– bonnie
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Which food product or gadget would you never give up? There are three ingredients that I cannot live without: extra virgin olive oil, onions, lemons. Why? I can create a delicious meal with just these three for flavoring. Of course, you must grant me salt and pepper. They are a given, right? But toss either one of my three or in any combination with pasta and yum. Or sauté with chicken, veal, fish…oh, I could go on, but know that you can count on me if you ever need to borrow any of those three. They are always on hand.

What do you like to serve when you entertain? I like to keep things simple, delicious and with a definite WOW factor. Simple because I want to enjoy my company and not be busy in the kitchen fussing; delicious, of course, because I want my friends and family to enjoy the food; and WOW factor so that they’ll remember the dish AND the great gathering at my place. I haven’t hosted a sit down dinner in ages, but I love more casual get togethers. My favorite gathering is with fellow wine lovers. I’ll chose the wine – Merlot, or Cab, or Sancerre or…well, the list goes on, and everyone brings a bottle of whatever they like in that category…we get a huge range and, as a result, a lot of talk about what we’re drinking. I supply the food, which is usually cheese (I shop at a really good cheese store where I can find some interesting varieties) as well as grapes and apples, crackers of course, dried fruit and nuts, and cured olives—all the usual. Then for hot food in the nibble category, smoked salmon toasts, miniature quiche Lorraine, roasted garlic and tomato bruschetta. What I am striving for is a casual wine tasting that’s fun but not serious, with foods that will cleanse the palate between wines, but also offer some unique flavors that compliment them.

Describe your “last meal?”?”Lobster with drawn butter, sour dough bread, field green salad, strawberry and rhubarb pie. And if given the choice, I’d like to eat it on a patio overlooking the sea on Cape Cod.

What food is your secret guilty pleasure? Potato chips. I dare not buy them because when I bring them into my home they call my name. I LOVE them.

What is your go-to neighborhood restaurant? This is a tough question because so often when I dine out with family and friends, I let them choose because, as a reviewer, I’m out so much, but if I have my say, we go to Fresco Steak & Seafood Grill in Milltown, NJ. It’s a little gem of a place, prices are fair, food is fresh and carefully made, staff is friendly and it’s very pretty. They make killer fried shoestring zucchini—fresh from the fryer, thinly sliced and sprinkled with fresh grated Romano cheese. My sister and I can (and do) eat a platterful piled high and wide.

What is one food product most people don’t know about, but should? Living half the year in Florida, I have discovered a product local to St. Augustine – the datil pepper—I love the datil pepper sauce that I often (but not always, alas) find there. The pepper has more sparkle than fire and a sweeter, fruitier flavor than most hot, hot peppers. The bottled sauce has become my favorite and I have come to prefer it to ketchup.

Describe your worst kitchen disaster and how (if possible) you saved it: The worst moment was a summer plum tart made from Julia Child’s “Baking with Julia.” It was not easy, and I’m not a baker, per se. I labored long, and it was worth every moment. It came out of the oven beautifully golden, oozing juice — I was dazzled and I could not wait to serve it to company that evening. I set it on the counter on a rack to cool, never dreaming that Harley, my pet rottweiler would be tempted. I heard the crash….need I say more… bad dog, bad, bad dog.

Who was your most influential mentor?I think Perla Meyers who had some bestselling cookbooks in the 1970s. She was one of the first interviews I did for the food pages. I attended a cooking demonstration and then met with her afterwards. Talking with her opened my eyes to the kind of determination and knowledge required to prepare wonderful food in all its seasonality, freshness and beauty. She taught me about the importance of preparation even before one enters a kitchen. There is the garden, the market, the cheese store, the butcher…every ingredient “interviewed” to be sure it was the best to be had. Then the importance of care in every step, mastering essential techniques, using every sense…It was a heady launch into the world of food…how can I ever thank her for making me see this world with a much clearer vision…

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