A book with the title of "Hero Food" automatically sets a pretty high standard for itself. But since this author is an award-winning chef who was a finalist on "The Next Iron Chef," as well as a featured chef on the Food Network series "Chopped" he has the chops, so to speak. Seamus Mullen’s new book speaks to the inner hero, the 18 foods that became his heroes after a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. That diagnosis took Seamus from feeling successful, to feeling uncertain.But like so many of us who deal with a chronic disease, you get only so many pity-parties inside your head before you decide to take action. And that’s what led to the creation of Hero Food.

   But wait, you say. You put the tag of "healthy" on a food, and you automatically send it to the not-so-tasty side of town. But here in Kelly’s Kitchen we know how untrue that is. Seamus told me how to make  healthy food have more appeal. Those 18 hero foods are very familiar; there’s the chapter on olive oil, one on good eggs, berries, good fish and even parsley among others. The healing properties are not stuff of legend but fact. Seamus shows us how best use them in our diets, along with cooking techniques to make you look like an Iron Chef!

  So what about stress and Seamus’s chosen career in the kitchen. There are many pros and cons to any job, but when you fall in love with what you do, sometimes that just doesn’t matter. Hero Foods shows a great love of Spanish food and the strong influence of family. Since it is Mother’s Day week here in Kelly’s Kitchen, it’s no wonder that it was a mom, his grandmother, that started him off on his journey. If you do find yourself in New York and craving something season and fresh, stop in to his restaurant Tertulia. Which by the way picked up three stars from New York Magazine and a very nice two-star review in The New York Times. And that is a tough crowd.

   What’s next? I asked about a new book, but that will come in time. For now it’s concentrating on the restaurant and his health, and those 18 Hero Foods that have made such a difference in his life. That book is now front and center in my own library, and Seamus is a bit of a hero to me. Happy Mothers Day to all those influential women who have helped to create and shape some great chefs. If you'd like to hear the complete interview, click here.

   And a personal plea from Ann Kelly; this week you probably found a plastic bag in your mailbox from your postal carrier to help support this Saturday’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. You know I serve on the Board of Directors for Religious Community Services in Pinellas County, where 1-5 homes receive what we used to call food stamps (SNAP). It would be easy to sterotype those people as the homeless or unemployed, but that only accounts for 3% of those who receive help from RCS. You might not even know that someone is your neighbor or your child’s best friend who goes to bed hungry many nights. So please take the time to place a few items in that bag, and set it out for your friendly mail carrier to pick up Saturday. And if you happen to have some free time on your hands, RCS could use a few helping hands to sort that food at their Food Bank, where they expect to receive 100,000 pounds of food. To volunteer this Saturday please contact Deb Gatley at 584-3528 ext 407 or at deb.gatley@RCSpinellas.org. The RCS Food Bank, located at 700 Druid Road in Clearwater, serves over 5,500 people each month. Volunteer shifts on May 12th are 1:30-3:30pm, 3-5pm & 5-7:30pm

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. ~Rudolph Giuliani