Do you long for a time when life was simpler? When everyone knew your name? Do you reminisce about family traditions, growing up in the 50’s and 60’s? Do you remember your teen years and that first kiss? Does your mouth start to water and your heart start to swell as you think back to family holiday meals presided over by mom or grandma? Well then, you can now take that trip down memory lane and re-create those luscious foods in the pages of “The Ramblings of an Old Man” by well-known personal chef and culinary instructor, Chef Cal Kraft and his constant feline companion, Miss Kitty. It all began in 2006. The author realized that he had spent over half his life living in the suburban community of Danbury Forest, a quaint neighborhood where families, escaping the hustle and bustle of Metropolitan DC, played together and supported each other in times good and bad. So he wrote a story about that and sent it in to the neighborhood paper. Chef Cal initiated what became his hugely popular monthly column, “The Chef’s Corner,” for the community newsletter. In it he shared tales about his family and his life growing up in the suburbs of New York. He also wrote about events within the community along with tales of past traditions in his life and others. Several of his articles ventured into the world of fiction as he imagined stories that might have occurred. Each contribution was accompanied by a tasty recipe, often tying the articles and recipes together. A long time, popular culinary instructor in Northern Virginia’s Adult Community Education Program, Chef Cal is well-equipped with recipes that he knew his students, and now his readers, would rush to make themselves. Ramblings’ contributions of over fifty recipes include traditional Italian delicacies; tasty old-fashioned comfort dishes; soups and casseroles; quick and easy desserts and special holiday treats. Also included is Chef Cal’s interpretation of miniature apple pies. Without a doubt his book will be pulled out to create his meals whenever family and friends are gathered. Several times as Chef Cal was writing his stories, he found that Miss Kitty, the gorgeous white cat that lived with the author and his wife during most of this time, had something to say. So he wrote about that too. In some instances, he even let Miss Kitty write her own story. While the “Ramblings of an Old Man” is dedicated to the residents, both past and current of that wonderful community known as Danbury Forest, it also resonates with communities all across America. No matter where you live, be it a small hamlet, a rural town, a village, or in a big city, these stories are for you. Some are humorous, others sad. Some true, some imagined. They all however, tell a story and offer an opportunity to re-create the foods that accompanied it. So sit back and enjoy, “The Ramblings of an Old Man.”

In the beginning when I first started writing the Chef’s Corner stories, articles, and memories, I included a recipe with each and every story. Over the years that has added up to over 200 recipes. In The Ramblings of an Old Man, Book 1, I included the original recipe attached to each story published. In Book 2; however, I wanted to increase the number of stories so I decided to print only one of my favorite recipes for each month.

My father failed to pull out in time and so my twin and I were conceived. The year was 1936, the great depression was showing little sign of ending and my father had been out of work for a long time. About the last thing my parents needed was an additional child, much less twins. Still, call it fate, pre-determinism, or simply a reluctance to terminate their carnal pleasure in a timely manner. In any event the population of our country increased by two. I would like to say, the world as a result was forever changed; however unless my twin or I accomplish something really worthwhile in the very near future, it would probably be a bit of an over statement. Not-with-standing it would be fair to say, I for one never regretted being born and never really sympathized entirely with my parent's dismay at this event.

"He loads his head full of coal and diamonds shoot out of his finger tips. What a trick. The mole genius has left us with another digest. It's a full house--read 'em and weep."--Tom Waits After toiling in obscurity for years, Charles Bukowski suddenly found fame in 1967 with his autobiographical newspaper column, "Notes of a Dirty Old Man," and a book of that name in 1969. He continued writing this column, in one form or another, through the mid-1980s. More Notes of a Dirty Old Man gathers many uncollected gems from the column's twenty-year run. Drawn from ephemeral underground publications, these stories and essays haven't been seen in decades, making More a valuable addition to Bukowski's oeuvre. Filled with his usual obsessions--sex, booze, gambling--More features Bukowski's offbeat insights into politics and literature, his tortured, violent relationships with women, and his lurid escapades on the poetry reading circuit. Highlighting his versatility, the book ranges from thinly veiled autobiography to purely fictional tales of dysfunctional suburbanites, disgraced politicians, and down-and-out sports promoters, climaxing with a long, hilarious adventure among French filmmakers, "My Friend the Gambler," based on his experiences making the movie Barfly. From his lowly days at the post office through his later literary fame, More follows the entire arc of Bukowski's colorful career. Edited by Bukowski scholar David Stephen Calonne, More Notes of a Dirty Old Man features an afterword outlining the history of the column and its effect on the author's creative development. Born in Andernach, Germany in 1920, Charles Bukowski came to California at age three and spent most of his life in Los Angeles. He died in San Pedro, California, on March 9, 1994.

This is a book not for the conventional reader. It is a book that will challenge your knowledge and beliefs about society today, society past, and the possibilities for the future. It is a personal observation of a man who has lived through and seen much-of society, love, hurt, religions, and wars. It is a book that will hopefully make you think.