My name is John Donohue, and this blog chronicles my efforts to feed myself and my family. I write it with the hope of making this essential task easier and more delicious for all who stop by here. Plus, it helps me remember what I ate for dinner.

I am a journalist, artist, and digital marketer based in New York. I have two children, and I've published one book, "Man with a Pan: Culinary Adventures of Fathers who Cook for their Families," a best-selling anthology featuring recipes and essays by Mario Batali, Mark Bittman, Mark Kurlansky, Jim Harrison, Stephen King, and many others. You can find it here. My cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker, where for many years I was an editor in the Goings On About Town section. I have a daily drawing practice and my subjects range from my dish rack to All the Restaurants in New York (coming soon).

Dramatis Personae

The Family

John: the father and author.

Nina: his eldest, who was five when this blog started but is now much older.

Pinta: his youngest, who was three at the start of these musings and is now, like her sister, growing up.

Santa Maria: the wife and mother, who has remained faithful through it all.

The Extended Family

The Abuelita: John's mother.

The GP and the GM, short for grand-père and grand-mère: Santa Maria's parents. (So christened because of the GM’s interest in giving scatological subjects a Continental veneer:she prefers that her grandchildren say “petard” for fart, and “caca” for poop.

The Friends, who early on made more frequent appearances but whose presence has lagged.

de Balboa: a Manhattan-based writer and fan of all things Italian.

Vasca Nuñez: his wife and the mother of their two young children.

Vespucci: a Manhattan-based writer and fisherman.

Ameriga: Vespucci's esteemed girlfriend and the mother of his youngest. 

Jim Blandings: A professional musician with a country house.

Muriel Blandings: His wife.

(Some names have been changed to protect the innocent.)