Apparently I have never mentioned this on the "blog," but Theresa and I watch TOP CHEF all the time. Tonight, as the new season began, we were stunned and thrilled to recognize an old friend: Hector Santiago, the chef and owner of Pura Vida, a restaurant that was RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from our apartment in Atlanta. When Pura Vida opened, we were among the very first customers. Before anyone else knew about it, we would go in and sit at the bar and Hector would tell us about all the different dishes and their relationship to his youth in Puerto Rico. I remember a goat stew that was something like his mother made. As a matter of fact, and by coincidence, his mofongo just ended up in a new piece of fiction I was working on last week. So we are rooting for you, Hector! I hope you remember us.
