Patti LaBelle's Reunion

Talk of the town is the reunion of Patti Labelle and the Blue Bells. Still "a phenomenon" as they were called in the 70s, these three are back together and bigger than ever. A brand new CD and reunited for their first New York concert in 32 years at the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem, they are still daring, provocative, electrifying.
I was invited to their rehearsal recently and indeed the fire is there, the voices − golden. Harmonics filled the studio in a swirl of gospel and rock and soul. Indeed, the ladies are "Back to Now".
And for Patti Labelle, there is her new cook book − the third − "Recipes for the Good Life". Think Patti and you have everything from dishes that make you want to "smack you mama" (the title of one chapter) to "hot flash spices" (title of another). Now I have had her famed macaroni and cheese but I wanted to know if it were still the same. "The same??!!" − Patti exclaimed. "It's now made with 8 cheeses, steamed lobster and shrimp..." As she continued, all of a sudden my mind wandered and remembered the original. I knew then that this would really make you want you to smack somebody.