A Year of the Best : Seasonal Recipes from the Best of Bridge with Chef Vincent Parkinson

Oh boy! It's 25 years since the first Best of Bridge cookbook! We're still tasting, testing and publishing -- we love this job! Our approach to cooking remains the same: Simple recipes with gourmet results. But it's time for a fresh approach to publishing and you're looking at it!

While we were filming our television series for WTN, we asked Chef Vincent Parkinson, formerly captain of Culinary Team Alberta and Culinary Team Canada and currently the Chief Executive Chef of the Calgary Golf and Country Club, to join us and demystify the art of carving a turkey. We liked his twinkly smile, his dry sense of humour, and his approach to cooking. So we thought to ourselves: Wouldn't it be fun to do a book with him? We could learn lots of new culinary skills and develop a real home-cooked approach to his gourmet creations.

It was an exciting project

We found Chef Vincent was gracious, helpful, tolerant AND twinkly!.

We questioned, we cooked, we laughed and we learned! As the book evolved, we realized we were discovering new ways to celebrate the foods of the seasons. We've enjoyed the culinary adventure and we know you'll enjoy the results! Here's to A Year of The Best!

About The Ladies of the Best of Bridge:

In 1975, at a weekend getaway, eight women friends had an idea: Since a consistent highlight of their decade-old bridge group was the food they prepared and shared together, perhaps they should think about writing a cookbook. This spur-of-the-moment notion was the impetus for The Best of Bridge, which went on to become one of the most successful brands in Canadian publishing.

From the outset, "The Ladies of the Best of Bridge," as they like to be known, had a unconventional vision of how their business would be run. It would be a partnership of equals, a celebration of friendship and -- perhaps most of all -- it would be fun. The bank manager who approved their first loan warned them they would never stay friends. They vowed to prove him wrong.

More than 30 years and three million copies later, the ladies are enjoying the last laugh. In addition to creating a phenomenally successful business, they have remained close friends with fond memories of all the good times they've shared. "We had a lot of fun," they say now. "And the media loved us because we were just regular mothers who showed up wearing matching aprons. Sometimes people were astonished that the recipes actually worked, which amazed us because we knew what we were doing."

Not surprisingly, from time to time, life intervened to rock their idyll. "Like a large family, we've experienced everything -- divorce, major illness and deaths," they comment. Not only have they lost parents, husbands and children, two of the partners are deceased.

But the brand lives on -- not only in kitchens, but also in the hearts and minds of Canadians from coast to coast. Written in a welcoming style, the recipes are easy to execute, yet produce "gourmet" results. Their unique approach, which includes jokes to keep cooks smiling, has ensured a faithful following. Best of Bridge recipes are staples at potlucks across the country, and the generation of children raised on them is now cooking for themselves. "We get lots of mail from people looking for specific books to give to their adult kids," the Ladies report. "They want to make dishes that were always served at family celebrations. Our recipes have become part of their domestic traditions."

The Best of Bridge is more than a company. It's an institution that is deeply interwoven into the fabric of Canadian life. But more than that, it's a testament to the spirit and wherewithal of eight exceptional women whose collective head for business is matched by their commitment to each other. As the Ladies would say, "You should have these books. We've tested, tasted and revised. We promise you'll love every recipe."