Charleston, West Virginia welcomed me with a first and unforgettable friendship the moment I walked into Cucina Luisa on Bridge Road. Janet Wakefield paused her work at the pastry station to greet me. (Maybe the entrance door had a bell that chimed?), a hungry newcomer temporarily living in a hotel while house hunting. I remember in crisp detail Janet describing every delicious dish in the illuminated takeout case. She helped me load up to feast with my husband when he finished his workday: Luisa’s famous Lasagna Bolognese with her Caesar salad, a crusty baguette, and Janet’s irresistible white chocolate raspberry tart. Taste memories are some of the best!

Janet changed gears after Luisa closed her shop, returning to the healthcare field as a massage therapist. With gifted heart and hands, she works wonders to heal aching muscles, pinched nerves, you name it! She is an instructor at the Mountain State School of Massage where she blends her talents for massage technique with teaching and is a walking talking encyclopedia of every muscle, bone, and function of the body.

Janet and her husband Jeff love to ski as much as they love the West Virginia Mountaineers and they are quick to travel in search of both.

What’s your 20 minute recipe? I’m kind of an on the fly cook. Pasta alla vodka - it's so quick and easy and you can put it with anything. Everybody has the ingredients for it, I mean because everyone has the vodka, right? Good vodka. I use the recipe from New York Times Cookbook or Marcella Hazan. I prefer it vegetarian without ham.

And always save room for dessert! I’m here for dessert more than food, but my food is good, too! Espresso tortoni or chocolate mousse.

What’s your favorite city? Rome! The first time I went was after Luisa closed her catering business in 1998 and Jeff and I went to stay with her and her sister. They lived by the Spanish Steps. I could walk out of the apartment and be at the Spanish Steps in 5 minutes. I feel like I’m home when I’m in Italy.

What’s the best meal you’ve ever eaten in an airport? Pastries in Venice.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? Limoncello, I brought some back from Val Gardena years ago. I always keep some on hand at my home here and at our house at Snowshoe, it’s delicious!

Who taught you to cook? My paternal grandmother. She was originally from Alabama. She would come to our house for four days with no recipes and just cook. She loved to cook and feed people! She could feed an army. I really take that from her. She had a teeny tiny little kitchen and could cook large amounts nonstop. She was happiest when she was cooking and so am I! Cooking has saved me during this pandemic.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Anything they want, any kind of pasta! I don’t really have a go-to, I'm used to winging it. I feel like it’s a gift! I keep my pantry stocked so I can make just about anything. Planning too much stresses me out.

What’s on your cooking playlist? I change a lot, right now I’m trying to be really cheerful and move more! I find myself playing more jazz and hip hop. Lebanese Blonde channel on Pandora. Echophlekz band, Thievery Corporation band. They use a lot of synthesizers, it’s really interesting. You’ll like it! I also like Caro Emerald.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee for sure. Cappuccino! I got familiar with cappuccino when I was in Rome in 1998! Cafe Greco, It’s like a museum! I’ve always chased the perfect cappuccino after that experience. It’s a memory! I get euphoric recall with food.

Date night--at home? or out? Definitely out! We will travel an hour or two for a fine dining meal and turn around and drive home. We are the type of people who will travel for a meal! Though we do have date nights at home, with candles and everything.

Most stained cookbook? It’s my own cookbook. When I stopped working at Luisa’s I wrote down every recipe that we had been preparing in her shop. I have notes to serve four or 250. I put it all down, it’s my go-to for everything. Also my Thailand the Beautiful Cookbook, it’s a big beautiful coffee table book and it is stained!

Surf? or Turf? I’m surf, for sure! I had the BEST langostino risotto in the British Virgin Islands that I dream about. Oh and I had branzino in Rome that was killer! These are things I can’t get here.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Chef’s knife for sure, but can I say convection oven?! Lots of people have a convection oven and don’t know how to use it. Quick tutorial: it’s rare that I don’t use convection, I’ve learned how to modify everything I do and it comes out perfect! It gets rid of the oven’s cold spot and makes it heat evenly.

Staple childhood comfort food? My grandmother’s homemade yeast rolls, her strawberry jam, fried chicken, lemon meringue pie and butterscotch pie. I’ve tried to recreate her fried chicken and it doesn’t come out the same. I think it’s because she’s not here.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Anthony Bourdain for his food experiences and exploration of culture. I would want to eat, talk food and culture with him. It would be fun and spiritual!

Ideal grilled cheese? OK here’s my grilled cheese. Charleston Bread’s Blue Monday bread with browned butter. I take asparagus spears and saute or roast them with garlic, s&p and olive oil. In the same pan I do my grilled cheese. Freshly grated havarti. Spread dijon on both slices of the bread, sprinkle with havarti on both sides, put the asparagus in the middle and cook it with the browned butter on the outside of the bread. It sounds hard but it’s really simple. Cook it til it’s really brown and gooey. The asparagus spears stick out and so it’s really pretty. I like visuals. I like to sprinkle it with parmesan on top and a balsamic drizzle is really good. You can improvise from here.

Favorite pizza topping? If I could get some fresh mozzarella di bufala, I’d have to be in Italy, that would be it!

Where would you want to take a cooking class? I know exactly where. It’s on the Amalfi coast. It’s in a place called Villa Montepertuso. Gastronomic Trekking, it’s all about walking, cooking and eating. You go on tours, find where the food is! Cook with the people and drink and eat and talk! Doesn’t it sound like the BEST?! This is more than doing a class in a restaurant kitchen. It seems like the most fun thing to do! We should do it!!

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Here’s my main tip! Read a recipe as a template. It’s only a guide. Go beyond the confines of the recipe and experiment and document so you remember. I do better without a book in front of me trying to follow something to a T. With that, turn your failures into opportunities! If something doesn’t turn out how you expect, you can probably turn it into a success.

Three things next to your stove? Villa di Trapano olive oil, Maldon and JQD salts and a good balsamic. Can I do four things? I have Kurbiskernol Pure Styrian roasted pumpkin seed oil.

Favorite Sports Team? WVU Mountaineers! For sure! Any sport they play. I’m a sports junkie! I could be a referee!

Can I add one thing? I have a little story. We were skiing in Chamonix and had this pasta e fagioli and it was delicious! After lunch you pass around this tribal bowl with grappa and orange slices and when it’s your turn, you say “sante bonheur! Que grand bien te fasse” and then take a drink. HEALTH AND HAPPINESS, much good may it do you. It’s a universal statement there in Chamonix. You say this when you drink the grappa and then you go back out onto the slopes.

Janet’s legendary grilled cheese is not her ‘official’ 20 minute recipe but it qualifies and is crazy good!

Janet’s Grilled Havarti Sandwiches with Asparagus

When Janet described her ideal grilled cheese I was prompted to make it straight away. My husband called it legendary, so here goes! Here’s a rough formula for one. Treat your family and make a whole skillet full, and as Janet suggests, improvise at will! Pasta alla Vodka is delicious. Make that, too!

For this grilled cheese masterpiece you will need 2 slices of good bread (Charleston friends, the Blue Monday from Charleston Bread is the perfect loaf for this sandwich and more! Consider yourself very lucky to have access to this exceptional bread!) some cooked asparagus (steam, saute, or roast and while you’re at it, cook the whole bundle and add to your morning egg scramble), some grated havarti cheese, some Dijon mustard, browned butter (like the asparagus...if you’re making a little browned butter, brown a whole stick and keep it handy for more tasty projects).

BRUSH the outside of your bread with browned butter. Spread the inside of the bread with some Dijon mustard and top each slice with some grated havarti. The Dijon will help the cheese stick to the bread. Lay a handful of asparagus on top of one bread slice and top with the other slice. Slide this into a skillet heated over medium low. Cook on both sides until deep golden and cheese is melting out a little bit. Go the extra mile and serve your sandwich with reduced balsamic vinegar. Happy cooking!