Every home cook needs a few quality knives. My go-to knives come from Shun. I have an embarrassing amount of them, but for your average person, I think a good chef’s knife, paring knife, kitchen shears and a serrated knife can do just about any job. Fun extras include a blunt nose nakiri for vegetables (primarily);…
Heyday A Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2015, chef Jim Christiansen’s thoughtful food is hyper-seasonal (often foraged) and speaks to his stint at Noma, with dishes such as grilled lamb with winter radish and stewed local oats, and hake with cauliflower, smoked cod roe emulsion and herbs (pictured above). Christiansen skillfully balances flavor, texture,… Read More →
Donate Professional Wear to Help LGBTQ Youth Our friends at Big Gay Ice Cream are holding a clothing drive for the Ali Forney Center through January 8th. The Ali Forney Center helps homeless LGBTQ youth and is looking for clothes their clients could wear at work or to a job interview. We want the Ali… Read More →
All-American Road Trip In the all-new season of Bizarre Foods, I’m exploring America’s rich history and diverse cuisine along the country’s most famous historic routes. For me, traveling in the USA is all about the legendary trips that define our culture, from de Tocqueville to Huck Finn to Kesey’s Merry Pranksters. Our history can be defined by… Read More →
Street Food at Its Best Tune in for Andrew Zimmern’s Driven by Food: Hyderabad on Thursday, September 22 at 4|3c. India’s fourth largest city, Hyderabad is home to a diverse mix of cultures and an extraordinary, complex cuisine. From dosas to biryani to 400-year-old recipes renewed, Hyderabadis pride themselves on their food. Whether you’re looking for… Read More →
Where to Eat Doner Kebabs & Burgers in Kreuzberg No neighborhood exemplifies a city transformed quite like Kreuzberg. Located in the heart of Berlin and formerly surrounded on three sides by the Berlin Wall, this area was once one of city’s poorest and known to attract artists, punks, squatters and immigrants. Today, it’s one of… Read More →
5th Annual Farm to School Community BBQ The 5th Annual Farm to School Community BBQ is on September 22, 2016 from 4:30-7:00PM at the Culinary Center (812 North Plymouth Avenue, Minneapolis). The BBQ is a fun opportunity for students, families, and community members to meet the farmers who grow our food and the chefs who inspire the recipes! It’s a great… Read More →
My Top Restaurant Recommendations for Rio Rio de Janeiro has a beat all its own; it’s a city that moves you. From Sugarloaf Mountain to Copacabana Beach, it’s easy to see why Rio is one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere. Cantinho das Concertinas The large CADEG market is filled with hundreds… Read More →
I received this note from a dear friend of mine, Cecile Raubenheimer. She’s participating in the Trek4Mandela to raise funds for a charity called Caring4Girls. It’s an amazing step towards helping young women in Africa. Read more about the initiative below, and support their expedition if you can. • • • Dear Friends, The time… Read More →
Where to Eat in Iceland’s Capitol By Devan Grimsrud Reykjavík is many things. It’s a port city, the capital and largest city in Iceland, and the northernmost capital in the world with a latitude of 64°08′ N (I would know as my only memento from the touristy gift shop was a magnet stating this very… Read More →
Mike Solomonov’s Top Picks for Philly Highly regarded as one of the best chefs in Philadelphia—and I’d say in the entire country—Michael Solomonov’s Israeli food at the award-winning Zahav is beyond exquisite; it’s mind blowing. After he took a seemingly simple dish like hummus and elevated it to cult status, people started paying attention and the crowds have… Read More →
Iconic Oaxacan Food in LA For more than 20 years, Guelaguetza has been a stalwart in Los Angeles’ robust Mexican restaurant scene. From mole to mezcal, they serve some of the best Oaxacan specialties in the United States. Be sure to try their signature mole negro, served either with chicken and hand-made fresh tortillas, layered in their tlayudas (a… Read More →
Five Great Meals in Milan By Devan Grimsrud Host of the 2015 World’s Fair, Milan is expected to draw a staggering 20 million visitors this summer. The 1 million square meter exhibition area features architecturally stunning pavilions built by participating countries, all exploring the overarching theme of Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. Learn about the… Read More →
Where to Eat in Paris’ Montmartre Neighborhood By Devan Grimsrud Montmartre, in the north of Paris, has a long history of attracting artists and musicians. Famous painters like Van Gogh, Picasso, and Toulouse-Lautrec flocked to this neighborhood, still a refuge for Parisian bohemians. The area is flooded with a variety of accessible galleries and ateliers… Read More →
Cookbook Gurus Brothers Matt and Ted Lee grew up in Charleston, South Carolina but attended colleges in Massachusetts. They so missed the foods from back home that they founded The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, a mail-order Southern food company. When an editor of Travel + Leisure magazine asked them to write a story about road-tripping their home state… Read More →
Whole Animal Butchery Without the Self-Congratulatory B.S. Tom Mylan is a butcher. Not because it’s trending, but because no one else in his company wanted to do it. Seven years after launching Marlow & Sons’ local meat program, the largely self-taught meat man is running one of the best butcher shops—The Meat Hook—in New York,… Read More →
Memorable Meals By Bob & Sue While known more for its wine than its food, the greater Bordeaux area offers some memorable dining opportunities: La Grande Vigne La Grande Vigne (Michelin one star) sits in the heart of the Smith Haut Lafitte winery south of the city of Bordeaux. A young chef brings a wonderful sense… Read More →
Welcome to Miami Miami exudes joy. With warm weather, a rapidly growing food scene, and such a creative spirit, it has become one of my favorite travel destinations. People are living out loud in Miami, and everything from the music to the food and the attitude about life is a reflection of that. And although… Read More →
Indulge in Montréal Montréal is not only one of the most beautiful and captivating cities in North America, it’s also one of the most exciting places to eat and indulge. Our neighbor to the north celebrates foods like poutine (French fries and cheese curds smothered in gravy), maple syrup and decadent foie gras, so a… Read More →
This Year’s Required Reading There have been too many wonderful cookbooks published in 2013 to mention, but here are 25 of my favorite. No matter what type of cook you consider yourself to be, these are cookbooks that should be in your library. From recipes for simple weeknight meals to authentic Asian dishes and impress-your-guests… Read More →
‘Tis the Season Here’s a little gift inspiration for the culinarian on your list this holiday season. I’ve included some of my favorite products for stocking stuffers – decadent caramels, artisan sea salt and small-batch soy sauce – as well as a few splurge-worthy items such as the classic chef’s knife from Shun and handmade… Read More →
Minnesota’s Blue Ribbon Bakers When it comes to prize-winning cakes, cookies, muffins and breads, Candy Freeman and Lois Thielen are the women to beat. The Minnesota natives jumped into the competition baking circuit nearly 20 years ago, and have since won too many ribbons to keep track. This year, Freeman’s orange bundt cake won Grand… Read More →
L.A. Recommendations From Michelin-starred fine dining to Korean barbecue and taco food trucks, Los Angeles has one of the most exciting and diverse food scenes in the country. Here’s a snapshot of my favorite L.A. eateries and hotels – there are probably a hundred more that should be on the list, but I’m only vouching… Read More →
The Intersection of Entrepreneurship & Food Hosted by Food Sol at Babson College, the third annual Babson Food Days (October 23-24, 2013) celebrated food “Entrepreneurship of All Kinds” with an assembly of food innovators, pioneers and leaders, including yours truly and my fellow Entrepreneur in Residence Gail Simmons. It’s a great event that seeds and… Read More →
Killer Mutton Barbecue When Catherine and Pappy Bosley bought Moonlite Bar-B-Q back in 1963 it was just a small roadside restaurant. Four generations later, the family-run company has grown to a multi-million dollar empire, churning out thousands of pounds of mutton for the successful 350-seat restaurant and huge catering business. From the bone-in ribs to… Read More →
Congratulations JBF Award Winners! I just returned from the James Beard Foundation Awards in NYC, the nation’s most prestigious awards ceremony honoring professionals in the food and beverage biz. Winners of the Foundation’s annual Book, Broadcast, and Journalism Awards were presented on May 3, at Gotham Hall in New York City, during a ceremony hosted… Read More →
Where does one place end and another begin? In my Travel Channel special, The Border Check, I discover the cultures and cuisines that blur the line between the United States and Mexico. There’s a focus on the region’s food, but we also talk with everyone from border police to musicians and artists to find out… Read More →
Off the Eaten Path I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new food truck, AZ Canteen. It’s been a loooong and involved labor of love, but I can’t wait to share the final product will all of you. We’re unveiling the truck at the Minnesota State Fair next Saturday. Goat sausage samples for… Read More →
Off the Eaten Path I am thrilled to announce the launch of my new food truck, AZ Canteen. It’s been a loooong and involved labor of love, but I can’t wait to share the final product will all of you. We’re unveiling the truck at the Minnesota State Fair next Saturday. Goat sausage samples for… Read More →
I love the oddities in our own backyard. I eat chicken feet, pigeon, tongue and brains with The Talk ladies. Great sports, all of ’em.
