Chef

"THEY SAY we are all a paycheck away from being homeless, and I had that week when the paycheck didn't come," said February's Top Cook, Andrew Rothstein. That was seven years ago, when he lost his job and his home. Through his own research, Rothstein, 63, found a small house in Sicklerville, N.J., where he now enjoys his kitchen and finds cooking is a way not only to get away from problems, but also to help solve them. "I find you can save a lot of money by price comparison and using coupons," he said.

Trustees of the LEAP Academy University Charter School heard an outpouring of praise from parents Tuesday for the difference the Camden charter has made in the lives of children enrolled there, despite questions raised this week about a $24,000 raise for the school's executive chef. The chef is the boyfriend of the school's founder and board chairwoman, Gloria Bonilla-Santiago, The Inquirer reported Monday. The raise took his base salary to $95,000, about double what many teachers at the school make as well as what food-service directors in school districts make.

A March 2012 menu feature at Camden's LEAP Academy University Charter School was grilled cheese, tomato soup, peas, and fresh fruit. This month, the menu features grilled cheese, tomato soup, and strawberry applesauce. A more striking change than in the menu is what executive chef Michele Pastorello is getting for his work now - a $24,000 raise from last year. He will make $95,000 this school year - significantly more than comparable food-service directors' salaries in other New Jersey public school districts.

IT'S no accident that Lady fell hard for the Tramp over a shared plate of linguine in the classic Disney movie. The very act of nibbling pour deux can be enough to get a body in the mood for romance. Although Valentine's Day is one reason to canoodle with your favorite dining partner, chefs around town are hip to the aphrodisiac power of shared deliciousness any time of year. "It's sexy to share," said Patrice Rames, chef/owner at Bistro St. Tropez in Center City. He offers a dessert duo meant for two, an airy Gran Marnier souffle and a chocolat chaud , or molten chocolate cake (see recipe)

As Pub & Kitchen on Lombard Street prepares for change, with the recent departure of chef Jonathan Adams and a brief closure for renovations in March, the menu under interim chef Palmer Marinelli is as good as ever, from the super-savory whey-braised pork sandwich to the silky salted caramel pudding for dessert. But if ever there was a dish to carry the devoted through the coldest winter months, it is this stellar take on steak and ale pie. Whole beef shoulders are braised down to tender cubes, then sauced with Black IPA gravy and root veggies, the malty darkness perked with a hops that give a potentially somber stew some bright personality.

Deep in a bunker below the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., two strategists in white uniforms huddle in a war room, fine-tuning a battle plan. Their mission would no doubt puzzle the Eisenhower-era officials who built this once-secret hideaway as a fallout shelter for Congress at the height of the Cold War. The bunker has seen a variety of less dramatic uses, but perhaps none more intriguing than the project it currently houses: victory over the top chefs of Europe.

UNTOUCHED BY the Commerce Department's main-street makeovers that jazz up business boulevards all over the city, the Plain Jane blocks of Castor Avenue between Levick Street and Unruh Avenue transformed themselves into a foodie heaven of ethnic restaurants, powered by the new-immigrant diversity of not-your-grandma's Northeast Philadelphia. The city's best-kept restaurant renaissance secret ranges from Portuguese seafood-and-steak delights at Tio Pepe to African/Jamaican home cooking at Naana Xtra-O to the charcoal-powered Picanha Brazilian Grill to Northern Indian (Azaad)

For most people, the Christmas ham conjures images of a clove-studded spiral of pink and smoky-sweet meat. But in our cure-your-own era of nose-to-tail charcuterie, those who have tackled the project of a "fresh" ham - one that's not been cured, cooked, or smoked - know the holiday centerpiece can be something altogether different. Think more of a traditional roast pork writ large, a majestic 20-pound joint of pig with a band of skin wrapped around its shanks - still scored like a crackly pinecone, but with meat inside that's white and savory with juice.

Here is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat: Craig LaBan: Good afternoon, my hungry friends, and welcome to our final food chat of 2012! What an amazing year it has been for restaurants in Philly. I can hardly believe it's over. I'm in the midst of putting together my annual Year in Bells review, which I'll be sharing on Dec. 30. But why not open the chat-room floor to your favorite chefs, restaurants, dishes, and moments from 2012? To get this going, we're doing a poll: Who was the breakout chef of 2012?

Fond , the ambitious BYOB, has moved into a new space nearby, just off Passyunk Avenue, on the corner of 11th and Tasker Streets (1537 S. 11th St., 215-551-5000). Owners chef Lee Styer, Jessie Prawlucki, and Tory Keomanivong pick up a liquor license, a seven-seat bar (two beers on tap, three by the bottle; seven bottles of red, seven bottles of white; five of each by the glass, plus mixed drinks), and a 10-or-so-seat chef's table. They have not said what will become of their previous location.