By Bruce Neyers

Saturday 24th May, 2025

Barbara and I married the summer after our junior year in college, and despite having dated for five years by then, nothing really prepared me for how good a cook she was. We had eaten plenty of meals together at her home during our years together, but they were prepared by her mother, Marie, who had been raised on a dairy farm in Upstate New Jersey. As the oldest of 10 children, Marie began to cook for the family at a young age. I confess to being thrilled the first time I sat at the dinner table with Barbara’s family, and enjoyed a meal that seemed almost too good to be true. Much of my courtship time was later spent trying to get invited back to dinner. I succeeded, often.

After we settled into our small, student apartment near the college campus, Barbara received a cookbook from one of her friends. It was entitled “100 Ways to Cook Hamburger”. After a week that included grilled hamburgers, sloppy Joe’s, spaghetti and meatballs, stuffed peppers, and the finest meatloaf I’ve ever eaten, I knew I was in good hands. She continued to experiment with food preparation, but after graduation we both started working, and found ourselves with enough discretionary income to dine out. She continued to hone her cooking skills, and my interest in good food expanded, along with my waistline. Then we moved to San Francisco.

Barbara continued to amaze me with the remarkable combination of interest and skill surrounding her time in the kitchen. It was all the more appropriate, as I had developed a similar fascination with wine. Throughout our lives together, we’ve looked to one another for support for our respective specialties. It hasn’t escaped me though, that we could get by just fine without mine, while I wouldn’t want to be around long without hers. Over the past few years, I’ve sent out periodic emails with information on our wines. In one, I included information about a dish Barbara had prepared to serve with the wine I discussed, and the response was overwhelming. People asked for the recipe, and even sent us photos of their version. I’ve been including her recipes with my emails ever since. Recently, a group of talented employees at Trinchero Family Estates, our partners in Neyers Winery, assembled an electronic booklet of Barbara’s recipes. It’s on our Website now, but a link to it is below. We send it, along with our wishes that good food and wine continue to be a regular a part of your day, as it is ours.

Thanks.

Here’s a direct link: https://www.neyersvineyards.com/barbara-neyers-recipe-cookbook/