Q. What recipes do you make using bacon?

A.  At Annandale it is really hard to use bacon, but I use it as a base seasoning and prosciutto. It would be for a crostini with wild mushrooms and blue cheese, which we put on top of french bread and use as an appetizer. Then we use it in a pasta dish with peas and bacon and a very heavy cream sauce.

Q. What is a good substitute for bacon?

A.  Smoked paprika. It gives you that smoky flavor without the fat and without any of the side effects of bacon.

Q. Do you believe bacon could cause cancer?

A.  Yes. The preservatives, and I do not necessarily think bacon is the thing causing the problem because it is just the belly of pork. I think we are putting too many preservatives and when we feed the animals the feed has all kinds of additives in it. So when I buy food I am trying really hard to buy it from the farmers market (directly from farmers), where I know where it is coming from.

Q. What was your reaction to the news?

A.  I am a little surprised but I think the news has the opportunities of letting people think that things are so horrible. I think that more often you over indulge and you have bacon at every meal, and every day.

Q. Have you changed your diet in any way?

A.  Well I have reduced red meat anyway, and I eat more fish and chicken. I am really careful about the chicken I eat too because chicken could cause salmonella and food borne illnesses. I think that lowering red meat is better for human beings, if you think back to the beginning of time we did not eat that much red meat but wild boar and wild animals that we killed (and a lot of vegetables).