Leslie Brenner

At the end of August, Leslie will be leaving the Los Angeles Times, where she has been Acting Editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine for the past eight months. Prior to that, she was Editor of the award-winning Food section.

Happily, she will be returning to the world of freelance writing.

Leslie has recently won an Association of Food Journalists prize for Best Food Section, circulation 300,001 and over. The winners of first, second and third places will be announced at the AFJ Annual Conference in Houston in October. Leslie won first prize for Best Section and Best Special Section in 2006, and first prize for Best Section in 2005. (The Food section did not submit sections for consideration in the 2007 competition.)

What better way to entertain on a warm summer evening? Pass around bowls of cool, full-flavored gazpacho. Then gather everyone around the paella pan for the saffrony, lusty main event. And to drink? Sangria, of course. But not just any sangria...