FSE: How has growing up in NH influenced your culinary perspective?

DUMONT: Growing up in a 300 year-old house gave me respect for history. When I was little, our town had these great grange fairs with tons of pies and Ham & Bean Suppers and everyone got together and it was a real community where you knew everyone. I still believe in that connection to the land and to each other, and food is my way of expressing that.

FSE: Your food often has ties to traditions, both regional and historic. I’ve seen recipes of yours with dark beers in them and molasses, both of which harken to Colonial times. What other influences - past or present - are at work for you in the kitchen?

I like wild foods that I can forage for - for example right now I harvest Sea Beans from the marshes edge on my morning run with my dog and soon it will be Sea Lavender. I like the wild strawberries that grow in my back yard, miner’s lettuce and chick weed that grow in the tall grasses... there's so much nutrition in these wild ingredients and the flavors are amazing.

FSE: What do you enjoy most about being a chef?

DUMONT: I like that people create memories and have poignant moments in their lives over the food I make, like anniversaries, engagements, catching up with old friends. I am grateful that they chose to come and eat my food.

FSE: What do you like least?

DUMONT: I could say the hours, but I live by the notion that life is too short, so I really try to make the most of my time off.

FSE: If you weren’t a chef, what would you like to be doing?

DUMONT: I think at this point, I would have my own landscape design business. I love the different hues of color and textures that make ordinary yards into a sanctuary... it's very rewarding for me to trim trees and make the outdoors pretty.

FSE: What is the secret of your success?

DUMONT: That I really believe that the dreams I have for my career and my life will eventually come true, I have always felt that way and it has always worked out.

FSE: What was it like to compete on Iron Chef? Would you ever consider something like Hell’s Kitchen?

DUMONT: Iron Chef was intense. You're up against the clock in a foreign kitchen, racing around for ingredients. But, when I got there, it was all cooking and that's what I do and I love the adrenalin. I respect Hell's Kitchen but I spent many years getting yelled at by chefs when I was younger and it doesn't interest me now.

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Whole Foods & "Renegade Lunch Lady" announce plans to fund salad bars in schools across the US

AUSTIN, TX - Chef Ann Cooper, self-proclaimed "Renegade Lunch Lady," will work with Whole Foods to help bring fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins to school lunch programs and raise awareness around healthier school food through a project that will fund salad bars for public schools across the country. Walter Robb, co-chief executive officer for Whole Foods Market says: "We see partnering with our shoppers to raise funds for salad bars in local schools as an immediate way for us to come together and make an impact on our children’s health in the communities we serve. Our goal is to provide a salad bar in a local school in each of the communities we serve with our 300 stores." From now until Sept. 29, shoppers may donate to the project at the check-out or make a donation online through saladbarproject.org. Each salad bar kit costs approximately $2,500 dollars, and includes a Cambro® portable 5-well salad bar unit with all the necessary insert pans, cutting boards, knives and shipping costs. Salad bar training tools and videos for school nutrition staff will also be available through TheLunchBox.org, which Whole Foods Market shoppers helped to raise funds to build last year so all schools can have access to tools for healthier food. I know we can make thousands of salad bars a reality for schools everywhere. Since adding a healthy salad bar to school lunch options is the number one thing parents and advocates can do to help improve school food, this is a win-win for schools and their students," said Chef Ann Cooper. She and Robb head to DC this fall to urge policy makers to expand healthy eating options for children.

Go to www.saladbarproject.org for more information.