IN THE KITCHEN WITH . . . / PATTI CRENSHAW, 50, ATLANTA:
MAIN DISH: Pantry Lasagna



Nominated by Emily Dyer Lynch:
"I keep waiting to see my friend Patti Crenshaw's picture and bio in your 'In the Kitchen With . . . ' column, until I realized that it's incumbent upon me to nominate Patti, who has been my oldest and dearest friend since we were 9 years old. Patti's late mother, Anna, whose culinary roots were in Louisiana, taught Patti to cook when we were in third grade. I remember standing in Mrs. Crenshaw's kitchen, watching my pal calmly helping her mother bread shrimp. I also remember Patti's Nana standing in her un-air-conditioned apartment kitchen on Roswell Road stirring up tasty and mysterious stuff in a big pot.
"That cooking tradition now rests with Patti, who, like her forebears, is very comfortable in the kitchen. In fact, the main living area in her Buckhead home centers around a huge island, where she easily and skillfully prepares sumptuous meals while her many devoted and hungry friends watch and talk. Sitting at Patti's island is comforting, nourishing, surprising, fun and always incredibly delicious."