May 12th, 2008
Juliette Rossant of Superchefblog.com posted this week about the recent bruhaha surrounding celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay. Apparently, Ramsay is making a huff about restaurants that utilize non-local produce, relying mainly on foodstuffs carted in from all over the world. In fact, he suggested that restaurants should be fined for their national and international ingredients.
In this article from the UK’s Telegraph, Ramsay comments:
“Chefs should be fined if they haven’t got ingredients in season on their menu,” he said. “I don’t want to see asparagus in the middle of December, I don’t want to see strawberries from Kenya in the middle of March. “I want to see it home grown. There should be stringent laws, fines and licensing laws to make sure produce is only used in season. If we get this legislation pushed through Parliament then the more unique this country will become,” he told the BBC.
However, as pointed out by other well-known chefs, Chef Ramsay may be facing fines of his own.
Anthony Worrall Thompson, a television chef, was also circumspect: “I trawled through his menus from Claridges and Maze and there were at least 15 items that would have warranted a fine,” he said. “The principle is right but as for fining, I think it is a bit of a nonsense – he likes to keep in the limelight.”
I think it’s a great idea to offer fines for not utilizing local ingredients, but with the change in the food climate across the world, it won’t be much longer until local items are all that restaurants and cafes can afford.
Tags: anthony worrall thompson, Celebrity Chefs, chef gordon ramsay, locally grown, organic, superchefblog, SustainableShare This
By Jennifer -- 0 comments
May 12th, 2008
Beijing is a burgeoning landscape, indoctrinating customs from the West while maintaining loyal to ancient traditions. The economy has grown expeditiously over several years and as the host of the 2008 Olympics, it will be a top tourist destination in August.
On the cusp of the summer games, Zagat announced their first guide to Beijing, that covers the cities best restaurants, hotels, and nightspots.
Taking top honors was Made in China in Dongcheng’s Grand Hyatt, boasted as having “the best Peking duck in the whole wide world.” Also mentionable is, the “bustling and chic” Alameda, which ranked as the “Most Popular” pick, and is distinctly not Chinese but Brazilian.
With the Olympics on the horizon celebrity chefs from around the world are planning to implement their menus before what is sure to be a gastronomic extravaganza. Chef Daniel Boulud is one of the forerunners with his restaurant Maison Boulud opening in the former U.S. embassy.
As Chinese-American restaurateur, Handel Lee, told NPR last week the changes in Beijing’s dining experience has only occurred over the past three or four years.
“The dining in Beijing has matured to the point that now you have very good restaurants not only in the terms of food, but types of cuisine, décor and service.”
Tags: 2008, Beijing, Daniel Boulud, Summer Olympics, ZagatShare This
By Rob -- 0 comments
May 12th, 2008
Image details: Sunny Spells Return Residents To Allotments served by picapp.com
My husband and I were talking the other day about how many more community gardens seem to be sprouting up around our neighborhood. Friendly folks from a nearby church who have started a small patch of gardening earth. Neighbors are working hard to cultivate a lot of green at the entrance to the neighborhood.
A recent article in the New York Times seems to support our suspicion – people across the country are coming together to grow great things as a community! While community gardens have been popping up around Portland for years, it’s wonderful to see other communities joining in – Georgia, Wisconsin, Colorado, Washington - just to name a few.
While growing your own crop of veggies in a community garden can help ease the grocery bill pain, it might even bring you in a little extra cash.
The Wilkses now cultivate plots at four sites in East New York, paying as little as $2 a bed (usually 4 feet by 8 feet) in addition to modest membership fees. Last year the couple sold $3,116 in produce at a market run by the community group East New York Farms, more than any of their neighbors.
Want to learn more about starting a community garden in your neighborhood? Check out this neat little website full of information on starting and building a community garden. To read more of the NY Times article on community gardens, click here.
Tags: co-op gardening, community gardens, gardeningShare This
By Jennifer -- 0 comments
May 9th, 2008
Eric Asimov, wine critic for the NY Times, set out to rectify a few studies floating about oenophiles and their discretions in purchasing wine. It seems, as Asimov points out in his patiently paced article, that:
“…consumers have been portrayed as dupes and twits, subject to the manipulations of marketers, critics and charlatan producers who have cloaked wine in mystique and sham sophistication in hopes of better separating the public from its money.”
Robin Goldstein conducted one of the two blind tastings discussed in the article, for his book, “The Wine Trials,” which he and 500 volunteers sampled 540 unidentified wines. The publicized outcome, as
Newsweek deemed fit in early April, was that the lower priced wines rated with better or with little distinction from the higher priced bottles. The wines ranged from $1.50 to $150.
“Their results might rattle a few wine snobs, but the average oenophile can rejoice: 100 wines under $15 consistently outperformed their upscale cousins,” the Newsweek article reported.
Asimov is quick to defend, however, explaining that the book services better formed objectivity, acknowledging that what appeals to novice wine drinkers differs from what appeals to wine experts.
The second study, from the California Institute of Technology, scanned the brains of drinkers as they blindly consumed wines, with only the knowledge of the price before each taste. The expensive wines faired better. The power of suggestion even led researchers to choose the same wine over itself when given two different prices. They preferred the more expensive one.
“It’s not just about wine, it’s about everything!” said Prof. Dan Ariely in the Times article, a behavioral economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “If you expect not to get something as good, lo and behold, it’s not as good.”
So is it that simple? Maybe for some, but not for all, Asimov asserts; wine enthusiasts purchase wine for a variety of reasons, just as anything else. He continues that there are appropriate wines for appropriate circumstances, just as you would coordinate your wardrobe for the changing seasons.
The problems with these tests are that they’re done in controlled environments, in a vacuum. I’ve never enjoyed a glass of wine in a vacuum. Or at least that I can remember. Great wine, like great food, is contextual, its not only about what’s in the glass or what’s on the plate, it’s about what’s around you, who you’re with, and where you are.
Tags: blind tastings, Eric Asimov, research, wineShare This
By Rob -- 0 comments
May 8th, 2008
It was announced today that world famous Tavern On The Green will be securing a new location on the West Coast - right in the heart of San Francisco. According to Restaurant News Resource, the New York staple that produces annual revenues of approximately $40 million and hosts more than 600,000 visitors each year, has been looking to expand their operations for some time.
‘We have been anxiously waiting for the perfect opportunity to expand the Tavern on the Green brand and we are pleased to say that we have finally found it in San Francisco,’ said Jennifer LeRoy, CEO of Tavern on the Green. ‘The City of San Francisco, with its vibrancy, diversity and passionate dining culture, combined with the perfect setting on a park in the heart of the city is simply too good to be true.’
The new San Francisco location will be located at the center of the city’s business and hospitality district at the top floor of Metreon, overlooking Yerba Buena Gardens. With an estimated 30,000 square feet of interior space, as well as a 13,000 square food outdoor terrace, it looks to be quite an event location.
Image details: Opening Of "The Country Girl" - After Party served by picapp.com
Tags: jennifer leroy, san francisco, tavern on the greenShare This
By Jennifer -- 0 comments
May 8th, 2008
The LA Times has an interesting recipe today for Cinnamon Tortilla Chips with a Strawberry-Avocado Salsa. I’m not usually one to post recipes, but this one sounded intriguing, particularly since I’m a big fan of Mango Salsa. It’s strawberry time again, so why not highlight seasonal produce at your next shindig? Just don’t wear white - it may be a bit messy.
Cinnamon Tortilla Chips with Strawberry-Avocado Salsa
Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
Note: If possible, use handmade whole-wheat tortillas.
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon walnut oil, divided
Juice of 5 limes, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Pinch sea salt
6 whole-wheat tortillas
1 pint of strawberries, diced, about 2 cups
1 teaspoon sugar
Grated zest of 1 lime
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 large ripe avocado, diced (about 1 cup)
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine one-fourth cup walnut oil, the juice of two limes, vanilla, cinnamon, white pepper and sea salt.
2. Brush the cinnamon mixture onto both sides of each tortilla, then cut the tortillas into quarters. Spread the coated tortilla quarters over the baking sheets, making sure not to overlap. Bake until crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the diced strawberries, sugar, lime zest, the juice of three limes, minced jalapeño, 1 tablespoon walnut oil, mint and cilantro. Add the diced avocado and gently mix together. Serve the salsa with the chips.
Each of 6 servings: 243 calories; 4 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 16 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 197 mg. sodium.
Tags: avocado, los angeles times, recipe, strawberry, tortilla chipsShare This
By Jennifer -- 0 comments
May 7th, 2008
Oh, the irony of the airline industry. It seems that while airlines are going down in an array of bankruptcies, flying giants are merging to stay afloat, and traveling has hit a dismal low, some airlines are looking to focus on the upper crust of flyers instead. MSNBC.com reported last week that Delta, American, and United Airlines are all incorporating celebrity chefs into their menus. According to the article, guests on United Airlines traveling from South America or Japan are now offered appetizers designed by chef Charlie Trotter.
“Everything has been upgraded,” says Stephan Pyles, who is known for his creative Southwestern cuisine and has signed on as one of American’s three culinary celebrities. “Just as the customer in a restaurant has become more sophisticated, refined and demanding in terms of their food, that demand has filtered to the airlines.”
Sitting in the cheap seats? No worries! It seems Delta Airlines remembered the working class as well.
Delta Air Lines enlisted celebrity chef Todd English to design its fee-based coach meals — a chicken bistro salad with goat cheese crostini and organic spinach for $8 — available on certain flights longer than 2 1/2 hours.
However, don’t get too excited. Airplane food will still be airplane food, according to some in the aviation industry.
“Just because the food is gorgeous and delicious in a restaurant doesn’t mean it will be that way in the plane,” says Bill Oliver, vice president of the Boyd Group Inc., an aviation consulting firm.
Tags: airlines, airplane food, celebrity, charlie trotter, todd englishShare This
By Jennifer -- 2 comments
May 6th, 2008
The restaurant industry is heavy on ego and for a few of us who discuss the current events there is sometimes the compelling notion that flexing our muscles against our subjects will bring civility to the land.
Yesterday was a variant of that day. With a saturation that would make Chang’s pork buns consider a sauna bath, the blogs were sweating of Gael Greene, Tom Dobrowski and New York’s favorite temperamental chef, David Chang himself.
Following a week of ongoing “did he or didn’t he cancel his reservation?” at the recently borderline-infamous, Momofuku Ko, the lady of leisure finally spoke on the fiasco. What did Gael Greene say of her experience and most dubious encounter with Momofuku Ko? Well, you can find it here at her site, or on any other blog out there.
What struck me, with all this hoopla and chatter, on what will turn out to be a nonsensical and unforeseen PR ploy, was that I found myself looking for something to cleanse my palate from all the dirt.
Luckily, there was another story circulating, coming to us from The New Yorker, who a month ago conducted the profile on Mr. Chang that instigated a swarm of press coverage when it unveiled him as a surly and paranoid craftsman.
This month The New Yorker profiled a chef with every right to those aforementioned adjectives, but has succumbed to neither. Grant Achatz is the chef of Alinea in Chicago. Noted for his methods of molecular gastronomy, his dishes are deemed as playful as they are challenging.
But for a chef preparing such complex and nuanced flavors, Grant Achatz is at turmoil because his ability to taste those flavors is wanly. Chef Achatz was diagnosed with oral cancer a year ago. It was a year ago that the doctors told him they’d have to remove his tongue. A year later, Chef Achatz, is still working, still creating, and still tasting with his tongue, even if only slightly.
Dependent on his smell and his sous-chefs, Chef Achatz continues to take his menu beyond the bounds of imagination. In reference to his work and one time mentor, Thomas Keller, and his signature dish, he said:
“Thomas has his Oysters and Pearls. We just don’t do that. We develop dishes that we feel are great and that eventually replace them.”
At the time of the profile Achatz and his chefs were working on a cylindrical dessert composing the flavors of strawberries, Nicoise olives and violet. He was trying to capture the essence of spring using his sense of smell.
“The idea that, in certain red wines, people often smell strawberries with ‘purple flowers’ and olives. The flavors are put together on the assumption that if they smell good together they will taste good together.”
To read the complete essay of Chef Grant Achatz and his plans for the future follow this link.
Tags: Alinea, Celebrity Chefs, critics, david chang, Gael Greene, Grant Achatz, restaurantsShare This
By Rob -- 0 comments
May 4th, 2008
Conservation has achieved lexical supremacy lately, and this week was no different with frenzied rumors of rice shortages crossing U.S. boarders, reports of anemic fertilizer productions,
forecasts on the federal rebate and the continuous saga of increasing fuel prices.
For Gary Paul Nabhan, conservation has been four years of research and resurrection throughout North America’s hillsides and valleys to compile a list of 93 ingredients that have succumbed near extinction from the continent’s culinary heritage.
In his book, “Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods”, which was released early last month (Chelsea Press), Nabhan promotes the utilization of endangered plants and animals that were at one time common in American recipes. It may seem counterproductive to proselytize the consumption of diminishing plant and animal life, but his efforts to raise interest in these forgotten foods from farmers, breeders and chefs, would in turn save them from extinction.
Items like the Black Sphinx date, the American eel, the Tennessee fainting goat and Seneca hominy flint corn made it onto Nabhan’s list, but like he told the New York Times Friday, it’s not purely about being edible.
“This is not just about the genetics of the seeds and breeds… If we save a vegetable but we don’t save the recipes and the farmers don’t benefit because no one eats it, then we haven’t done our work.”
The book catalogues, along with stories of the fleeting ingredients, the recipes pertinent in maintaining the use of the food, which Nabhan documented from interviews across the country.
“The daunting thing is that so much about American traditional foods comes out of people’s heads and isn’t in any book.”
These recipes and methods, dependent on local harvesting, have come at odds with evolving agricultural times and farmers who seek innovative engineering opposed to preservation. With the globalization of the food market, and the crisis we face now, the dilemmas lay on whether or not this reversion to local production is a fad or the future.
Tags: conservation, farming, nabhanShare This
By Rob -- 0 comments
May 3rd, 2008
Fast food giant Taco Bell has announced this week that they plan to install new water and energy saving electric grills in a move to conserve nearly 300 million gallons of water, and roughly 200 million kwH of electricity, per year. Their new “Grill-to-Order” method is already in place in more than half of their restaurant locations, and the company plans to have all 5,600 of its restaurants on board by 2010.
“We hope to show our customers that even small, every day changes can lead to conservation and sustainability,” said Warren Widicus, Chief Officer of Growth, Taco Bell Corp. “Whether you take shorter showers, turn off the water while brushing your teeth or purchase a Grill-to-Order menu item at one of our Taco Bell locations, you can save water and impact the environment in a positive way without even thinking about it.”
With an estimated company-wide savings of $17 million a year, hopefully they’ll spend the money on good things, like better pay for farm workers, and not on evil things, like spying on rights groups.
Tags: conservation, restaurant, sustainability, taco bellShare This
By Jennifer -- 0 comments
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