"A votre santé!" my grandpa Peyrat used to say in French before each meal. "To your health!"
      In his day, he was dubbed one of the top chefs in the greater Minneapolis area, a chef of the "highest hat." He spent much of his career at the Minikahda Club and the Radisson Hotel, whose nightclub, The Flame Room, drew stars of the day. he served performers like Liberace and Burl Ives, who would often go back to the kitchen and try their hand at cooking, under his tutelage.
      Montecito's own celebrity, Dennis Franz ("Andy Sipowicz" on the television series NYPD Blue), is also not one to shy away from the kitchen to make his own meals, which is why we chose to feature him as our guest chef.
      Although he admits he and his wife, Joanie, "seem to have every single breakfast at Jeannine's Bakery," and that some of their other favorite Santa Barbara restaurants include Rodney's, Cava, Spice Avenue, Barcliff & Blair, Sakana and La Super-Rica Taqueria, he has been to the farmers market and likes Lazy Acres for ingredients when he does cook.
      As a semi-vegi myself, I was interested to learn that for nine years, he gave up red meat in a conscious effort to be kind to animals. He has been active in animal rights groups, and when I spoke to him he said, "I am truly an animal lover."
      And with excitement, he told me of the new love that will be entering his life near the end of September. his daughter, Tricia, and her husband, are expecting a child. He's going to be a grandpa.
   A votre Santé!

Ann M. Peyrat, Editor

An interview with Dennis Franz:

You grew up in Illinois. Any regional specialties come to mind?
We were near the Italian section of town where there were some Italian beef stands. I've never been able to find Italian beef sandwiches as good as in Chicago. On Chicago pizza, though, California has done a good job.

Tell me about meals at the Franz home.
My parents are both German and we had traditional German dishes. My mother made rolladen, very thin steaks that she would fill with bacon and onions, roll into a tube and bake in the oven. And there was a lot of sauerkraut. We carried that tradition over and now any big family dinner, we have turkey and we have sauerkraut. But ordinarily, it's just my wife and I, and we will have salad, meat, a vegetable and a starch. My wife likes rice and couscous a lot. We try not to have bread. When I first met Joanie, our standing joke was that dinner would either "oink" or "cluck." My wife loves pork; it's her favorite food, beyond question.

What is your favorite food?
Joanie doesn't like salmon at all, but it's my favorite. When I was on NYPD Blue I had salmon and spinach every single day. I like it on the barbecue best, but also like in it a pan on the stove. It's okay blackened, but really I just like it plain.

Who or what inspired you to cook?
My father was a good cook. When he came over to America he was a baker, but then developed an allergy to flour. Probably my mother had more of an influence than my father. I have great memories of her filling the house with great smells from her cooking. I always looked forward to pot roast; I remember the kitchen filling up the house with the smell of pot roast for hours. I sometimes call my sister for recipes, to try and duplicate them.

And your daughter is a chef?
Yes, I have two daughters, Krista and Tricia. Tricia, being a chef, I've been learning from her. She has a great crab cake recipe. She does some gourmet meals as well as traditional meals that she adds spices and personal touches to, even when it comes to something like turkey; she taught us how to brine the turkey and get it salted before we prepare it.

What is your signature dish?
Primarily, I know how to heat food. I love to barbecue and can barbecue just about anything.

What type of food do you crave?
Ice cream-anything with nuts in it-love ice cream.

As an actor, you often play the role of a cop. Cops are notorious for eating donuts. What are your favorites?
God hasn't made a donut I don't love! I would eat them all if not for some discipline. I have a tremendous sweet tooth and could wipe out a bakery in an hour. On set, the craft-service table is filled with sweet rolls and candies. It's all tempting junk food. It's the hardest thing to pass by without grabbing something.

What was your most memorable meal?
I had a wonderful dinner at former Mayor Giuliani's house, at his mansion in New York. The table was full of interesting people from all walks of life, including other actors. The meal was great, we shared stories and it was very interesting.