Jeanne was the closest thing I had to a mother-in-law at this point in my life.  A Food Network junkie, she was always in the kitchen cooking something.  I always looked forward to visiting her and husband Bob because I knew I would be put to work in the kitchen as soon as I got there. Her cookbook collection was one of the largest I ever saw, but the most cherished one is the one she gave to her daughter Catrina just months before she passed away at the way too young age of 60.  A collection of all her favorite recipes. The best gift you can get if you love to cook like we do. I'm sure right now they're serving Deep Pit in heaven!

Carol always was smiling. Even when she became sick, she was the most upbeat person I had ever met. We did a Mardi Gras show at her house and she and her husband Bill had all the food brought in from New Orleans. What a day. Anyone ever had a Hurricane?  Carol and Bill were both battling cancer at the age of 50. They were way too young and to nice of people to be dealt this crap.  We'll miss you Carol.

DEBBIE LIND - February 12, 1955 - November 19, 2005

Debbie was truly a remarkable woman as witnessed by all the friends and family at her memorial service.  I first met Debbie a few weeks prior to our watermelon show when her husband Ron told me about a cool new way to cook.  The show was a huge success due to all the hard work and preparation by Debbie and her family.  We were fortunate to keep in touch with Debbie and Ron over the years and were deeply saddened at the news of her passing at the very young age of 50.

BAILEY - January 29, 1989 - May 2, 2005

Quite honestly, when I first got Bailey I thought I made a huge mistake.  The barking was out-of-control.  He chewed up a pair of $150 boots I owned for less than 24 hours.  My dilema...he was so damn cute!  I mainly got him as a playmate for my other dog Brandy.  After Brandy died in 1999, things began to get better.  Maybe it was because I started paying more attention to him.  He turned out to be a great dog.  If 16 years ago you would have told me I'd still have him I would have said "No way!" A lot can change in 16 years because I really miss him already.

JAVOTTE RIEHL (MOM) - May 27, 1918 - June 16, 2003

Without Mom there would be no Tom.  I guess there's an argument to be made on both sides for that one.  My very first memories of cooking were standing in the kitchen with Mom making lemon meringue pie.  When you're six years old there's nothing better than licking lemon  pudding off a mixer.  I only wish she would have turned it off  while I was doing it.  Suppertime was usually some sort of meat (usually a roast), mashed potatoes, and a vegetable.  Oh yeah... and gravy.  My mom could make gravy out of ANYTHING!  I could write many pages of the things I got from my Mom over the last 45 years.  I'm sure I will.  A love of cooking, a sense of humor, great childhood memories, the list is endless.    I knew if I kept doing Food Rules long enough, sooner or later I would be writing this.  I never knew it would be this hard.

"GRANDPA" COLLINS - November 26, 1906 -- May 15, 2003

Grandpa's Meatballs.   Just the thought of those little round balls of beef sizzling in bacon grease makes my mouth water.  But it wasn't always that way.  When I first heard about "Grandpa's Meatballs I honestly wasn't  too impressed.  They didn't sound so special.  All that changed however,  the first time I witnessed the creator himself transform ordinary ground beef into spherical bliss.  Grandpa lived his whole life in Minnesota but would make an annual trek to the west coast to see the family.  His meatballs were just the tip of the iceberg.  You see, "Grandpa" Collins was also a really great guy.  He lived life to the fullest well into his nineties.   I hadn't seen Grandpa for about 5 years when I got the phone call last week that he had died in his sleep at the age of 96.  What a truly wonderful life.  We will all miss you.

MARK PRIEST - June 10, 1954 - July 12, 2002

We first met Mark and his family in 1997 at the Mission Viejo Street Faire.  We had only been doing the show for a short time but he brought his son Dylan up to our booth and told us how much they loved the show.   It was pretty cool for Bill and I because it was the first time we realized people were actually watching the show and liked it.
Each July 4th,  Mark, his  wife Linnea and Dylan,  made it a point to stop by our booth to say hi.  I came to find out they had a Golden Retriever who looked just like my dog and each year they'd ask me how Brandy was doing.  They came to some of our tapings and it was always nice to see them.   Mark died of cancer way too young.  Thanks Mark  for being the first really true Food Rules fan.

When Joe Schermie and fellow Three Dog Night bandmate Floyd Sneed came down to appear on Food Rules, it made for a day I will never forget.  Anyone who was there or has had a chance to see the show will agree.  Joe and Floyd had a bunch of great stories to tell and I think they both had a great time with us as we did them.  I remember showing Joe my extensive TDN album collection and he said "Can I borrow these for a few minutes to show Floyd?"  Well, when  Joe came back 10 minutes later, he had personally autographed all five of the albums.   Being such a huge TDN fan, there were so many memorable moments for me that day, but by far the greatest thrill was singing Joy to the World with Floyd on drums and Joe on bass.  That is something I will never forget.  Thanks Joe, we will all miss you!  Joe  was 56.

>>Nice tribute by former bandmate Chuck Negron

BRANDY- January 25, 1986 - October 17, 1999

Even though Brandy was a dog, she still belongs on this page.  She was there from the very beginning  and can sometimes be seen through the back door in many early episodes.  By far the best dog in the world.  I got her when she was six weeks  and she lived to be thirteen years old.  As any dog lover knows, after that many years, they become a very important part of your life.