Home cooks aren’t the only ones planning the annual Thanksgiving feast. Chef Jake Andrews of the newly opened SweetFire Kitchen restaurant at La Cantera Hill Country Resort offered a preview of his Thanksgiving menu recently.

Ever find one of those restaurants you never want to leave? When we were recently in Columbus, Ohio, we drove around campus visiting Ed's old haunts from his college days, viewed some extraordinary art, stayed in a fine art boutique hotel, Le Meridien The Joseph, and had an extraordinary meal. While I love Columbus, I really want to curl up on the white leather couches at The Guild House, to eat well, work in a new "office," and never leave. 

The Tampa Bay area is vast and it has some great restaurants in every niche. Recently there was a sushi battle event where over 50 sushi restaurants around the Tampa Bay area participated by submitting their best sushi rolls and there was even a sake tasting. The following are some of the best sushi restaurants from around the Tampa Bay area. 

I grew up near Paw Paw, Michigan, and yet never thought of it as a place for the so-named fruit. All that has changed now, with Sara Bir's genius new guide, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook. Bir knows her stuff - she's a food writer and researcher extraordinaire, and she brings those talents to this recipe zine.

Food - it's a passion of mine. I love to cook, garden, visit farmer's markets, get new recipes from food artisans when I travel, talk with chefs, eat out, peruse cookbooks (I have thousands), dream about food, plan the next meal. It's not too crazy to say that when I find similarly-minded foodies, I embrace them and talk food. 

I don’t think there are many people who will disagree with this statement: Food is an important part of every culture. It follows then that one of the great pleasures of travel is the opportunity to taste the local cuisine. There's something about sharing a favorite dish with a friend or stranger that makes it taste even better. We truly do bond over a meal.

St. John’s (one of my favorite places in the world!) has a wide variety of places to eat, from small to large, ethic to local, cheap eats to gourmet cuisine. But where are the best places to feed your kids – and yourself? No overplayed children’s menus here – these are great restaurants that serve excellent food. 

Here are my top 10 family-friendly restaurants on the Rock

(in alphabetical order so as not to play favorites - they are all favorites!)