Costa Rica: Friendship and Tuna

Angie and Bill from Marlin Bill's Playa Guiones, Costa Rica

While the Beach Blanket Brunch Cookbook is off at the printers Christa and I are out finding new inspirations and visiting old friends in Costa Rica. So many of our experiences that led to the creation of Beach Blanket Bistro came from our time spent here.

Our friends, Bill and Angie, from Marlin Bill's Restaurant in Playa Guiones were among the first friends we made on our now annual trips. Angie has not only been our friend, but also our unofficial guide and connection to the local expat community. Bill is actually the man who taught this Midwestern guy how a good piece of tuna should be cooked. In fact, last year, these two wonderful people helped nudge me into completing the Beach Blanket Bistro Cookbook.

And speaking of tuna, I have to mention the man who taught me how to catch yellowfin tuna, Captain Eduardo Carrillo of Playa Garza. I doubt I would have been so interested in cooking the tuna, if I hadn't caught a few with Eduardo over the years.

Thank you to these three people for helping me realize my dream of writing this series of cookbooks.