Foodie Five # 7 - R B Bob Smith

Today's Foodie Five features R B Bob Smith. There is one significant characteristic to this Foodie Five....I've never met the gentleman. Keith met him at a Tourism Conference and found him to be a very interesting fellow and got him to agree to the five questions...

1.) In reference to your latest Facebook post, your soups have quite the following. Is there a particular one you are known for or are you constantly making new ones?
I think my best soup would be my oxtail soup but I really enjoy making my butternut squash and my black bean soups as well.

2.) Your position with the Missouri Department of Tourism takes you all over the state...now, I know you can't play favorites but what restaurants would you recommend?
Being real country and Southern, I would recommend the state's Cracker Barrel restaurants. The chain actually originated in Lebanon, Tennessee. They are consistently good and also cater to diabetics.

3.)You own over 200 cookbooks. Of all of the titles, which are some of your favorites?
The Jeff Smith, Emeril and the original White House cookbooks are among my very favorites....although I find myself going to all of them at different times comparing how each of them might do the same dish and will take the best parts of all of them and create my own dish. That has worked out well.

4.)Clearly, you enjoy cooking. Are there any family food traditions you follow?
The only tradition my wife and I have is the annual turkey and sage dressing we serve on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

5.)What is your ultimate comfort food?
My comfort food would have to be one of my soups or stews. One of my favorite meals is nothing more than soup beans, boiled potatoes, onions and skillet cornbread with loads of butter and several pieces of fried fat back.


....and that just made me hungry! Thank you, Bob!