There were 40 searches for asparagus on the first day. I know those searches are coming from home cooks and gardeners, not chefs.

We all agreed, yes, it needs to be done. It just so happened that I was in a part of my career that I had a little more time than the others to do it.

I am getting e-mails from home cooks who are happy to have a place to learn more about seasonal foods. They tell me it has been a goal but they didn't know where to look.

I grew up in New Jersey, but somehow always knew I was a West Coast girl. We have so many available and wonderful local foods in the Pacific Northwest. It shouldn't be so hard to plan them into seasonal menus and meals.

It is a real race for the title this year.

They have difficult routines and are trying hard stuff, but once they hit their routines they will be hard to match up to. It could end up being one of our strong points.