Even though locavore chef Alice Waters was singled out for her shark fin soup comment at last year’s Food For Thought forum, it is still a dish widely favored by many around the world. Many species of shark have long been endangered, but shark fin has remained a highly valued ingredient in Asian food culture, even in the United States.
In an pioneering move last week, the state of Hawaii signed into legislation a bill that will remove shark fin soup from every menu in the state, with a new law …

Of all the European chefs I try to cover here on Daily Blender, Gordon Ramsay always seems to be the one getting the most airtime. Whether it’s insulting a reporter or closing a restaurant, Ramsay nearly appears to be the Todd English of the British food world.
London writer Rosie Birkett recently had a chat with Ramsay’s former protégé, chef Marcus Wareing. Wareing, a previous chef at Ramsay’s Petrus where he earned two Michelin stars during his ten-year tenure, chimes in on Ramsay’s reinvention of the restaurant, referring to the new …

Seems we’re full-swing into “awards season” (I didn’t even realize there was a food awards season), with everyone and their mother naming their favorites across the culinary board. While in Portland for their annual conference, the International Association of Culinary Professionals handed out their awards for best cookbooks, food journalism, food styling, food photography, and awards of excellence.
Some of the winners include:

Cookbook – American: My New Orleans, John Besh
Cookbook – Chefs & Restaurants: Ad Hoc at Home, Thomas Keller and Dave Cruz
Cookbook – Compilations: Gourmet Today, Ruth Reichl
Culinary Writing …

It was announced last week that hotelier Ian Schrager, popular for his top hotels in Miami and New York, recently closed on his latest acquisition, Chicago’s famed Pump Room. According to Crain’s New York, the Windy City destination, long popular with celebs, is part of a purchase that also includes the Ambassador East hotel. Schrager says his plans for the locations have not been finalized, but are expected to take upwards of nine months to determine and a year to implement. Regardless of the final details, the hotelier assures city …

According to a recent Zagat survey, more restaurants opened in New York this year than the number of restaurants who shuttered their doors. Despite closings from big names like Payard and Tavern on the Green, survey results show that 157 ‘notable’ restaurants opened this year compared with 102 that closed. The survey also notes that overall pricing of a meal in New York actually rose 2.5% even with so many hot spots cutting back on expensive food items and offering lower-priced prix fixe meals. However, while restaurants continue to open, …

Goodbye Summer! I’m leaving you for Fall. Think of all the fun we had together. Look at the big things that happened while you were here!
1) Bruniocalypse! In mid-May, New York Times restaurant reviewer Frank Bruni shocked everyone when it was announced that he would be leaving his post at the paper in order to pursue other activities – namely promoting his book, Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-time Eater. Eater NY declared it a Bruniocalypse and foodies everywhere began to wonder who would take his place. Sam …

There’s an interesting post out of the New Orleans website Nola.com about a restaurant in the city dinged by customers for serving shark fin. Owner and Chef Scott Boswell has included a dish with shark fin broth on the menu of his highly-rated restaurant, Stella!. However, there was a quite an uproar over a recent Times-Picayune review of the restaurant which briefly notes the shark fin on the menu. According to reviewer Brett Anderson, he received a lot of feedback from the review, much of it filled with outrage over …

Later in the afternoon, after I attended Ming Tsai’s demonstration, I had a chance to sit in on a cooking demonstration from Food & Wine’s Gail Simmons and Chef Tom Colicchio – also well known for their appearances on Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ and ‘Top Chef Masters’.
Side by side, Gail mixed up an ‘East Meets West’ adaptation, which included citrus vodka, Grand Marnier, strawberries, and lychees, while Tom worked on a fabulous Spiced Lobster with Pea Ravioli. As Gail muddled her strawberries, Tom joked that you should “crush them to a …

Thanks to the folks at the Connecticut Forum, we’ve snagged the video clip of the recent Food for Thought forum with Anthony Bourdain, Alice Waters, and Duff Goldman!
If you recall, Tony made quite the huff about Waters’ choice of Shark fin soup as a last meal. Hey – it’s her last meal! Maybe she doesn’t want to go sustainable for the last bite!

~Jennifer Heigl

Much to my glee, I was able to snag a few tickets to the recent Tony Bourdain talk here in Portland. Featured at Keller Auditorium, and sponsored by the Seattle Theatre Group, Bourdain took the stage last Friday, all by his lonesome, and it was quite the entertaining experience.
I didn’t know what to expect, other than the fast-talking, smart-ass Bourdain we’ve all come to know and love. The crowd went wild when he made his way to the podium, dressed in his usual jeans, jacket, and boots. He was noticeably …

The blog at the James Beard Foundation has a great Q&A session with recent Outstanding Chef James Beard Award winner, Dan Barber. Barber, who’s the Executive Chef of Blue Hill, mentions his wishes of humane fois gras,which he’s now working to provide through Stone Barns.
According to Nation’s Restaurant News, fast food giants Wendy’s and McDonald’s are now ‘exploring’ the option of utilizing cage-free eggs on their menus, with Wendy’s recently announcing they would implement the cage-free option for 2% of their egg purchases. While minimal, the Humane Society of the …

Posted by Jennifer Heigl
I was thrilled to read in the NY Times yesterday that in addition to keeping White House chef Cristeta Comerford, the First Lady’s spokesperson, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, has confirmed that chef Sam Kass has been appointed to assist in White House meal preparations.
With many notables in the sustainable food community hoping for a more eco-friendly administration, it’s encouraging to see that someone like Kass, who supports local food production and consumption, has been invited into the mix. A native of the Chicago area, and former private chef …

Perhaps it came in more subdued tones than the high octane throw-downs quintessential of the season, but the slogan “Come to the Table” was proposition enough, as a cross-section of attendees gathered to experience the four day food festival designated Slow Food Nation ’08.
As a subsidiary of Slow Food USA and the international Slow Food Movement, there was no shortage of notable food scholars, including Alice Waters – chef/owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California – who is also the founder of the first Slow Food Nation.
While the …