The Guardian has an interesting article about a chef that after being lauded as one of the pioneers of ” Molecular Gastronomy” overcame tongue cancer to bounce back to produce some of Chicago’s finest cuisine.
Well you always wanted to make your own wine, have your own chateaus or vineyard but don’t have the land, knowledge or equipment?
Well Crushpad Wine can hook you up. With an individual minimum of 25 cases it may seem like a bit of wine but there are methods to work with other enthusiast to share a vintage or adopt a barrel. There is also a community / social aspect to the process with a website called Crushnet.com They have forums, a wiki, blogs and groups that can help with your wine making desires.
It’s probably a good time to begin to finalize the coming years vintage and the site Crushnet.com is full of great info on custom wine 
making and all the steps it takes to make good wine.
The San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched a great website for visiting foodies.
Only In San Francisco / Taste
Contains lists of Food History, Featured Articles and Foodie 101 Blog written by a young lady that goes by the nome-de-plume of “the tablehopper” Marcia Gagliardi, that has all the latest dish on local restaurant scene.
She seems very well informed and has a quick to the point style of writing, and shes kinda cute.
There are also Chef profiles and a trip planner.
Looks like a great resource to use on your next visit to San Francisco.
French cuisine is not eligible for UNESCO world heritage cultural treasure, because there is no category for Gastronomy. Well maybe there should be, what else does this board do? They can add another category.
Maybe the problem is that all cuisines then want similar recognition? Italy does now, so does Morocco.
Next thing you know Cajun’s will want it, then you got taco trucks protected as UNESCO world heritage sites.
Is there a category for music? There should be one for gastronomy.
What to do with 1 ton of cheese?
Cheese carver Troy Landwehr brushes oil off a rendition of the signing of the Declaration of Independence carved out of 2000 lbs of cheese in New York, July 3, 2008.
(Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
According to the Washington Post, Barton Seaver, recently - like last week- named rising culinary star by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington has parted ways with Washington D.C’s Hook - a sustainable seafood restaurant.
No details, just lawyers involved. Can you say $$$
Hook - Line and Sinker
The FDA has now announced they are searching for the source of the recent nation wide Salmonella outbreak and somehow it is now focusing on the “Mexican Connection” . No, not from south of the border, its more of a cuisine thing. I guess someone at the FDA has had an outbreak after eating Mexican food and that sounded good to the scientists. Let’s blame the chili’s
I know many of you may have removed the raw tomatoes from menus or started to be a little more careful about the source of your tomatoes. But now the FDA thinks that ingredients traditionally used in mexican cuisine may hold the carrier.
I have some empathy for the unenviable task of trying to track down such a complex contamination, tomatoes are picked, washed, mixed, packed by the truck load. If you have ever driven the 5 mid summer you know how many tomatoes are just scattered along the highway. Its a huge machine, the tomato industry. All taking a huge hit right now. Maybe we should make tomato ethenol with all the spoils?
From Bloomberg -
“We are not shutting down our borders” to those products, said agency spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek today. “We are stepping up our testing of products grown domestically and from Mexico.” An earlier report by CNN said the U.S. would ban imports of some foods from Mexico.
Tomatoes initially were blamed on the outbreak that has stricken 943 people since April 10, according to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. More than a third of the cases have been reported in Texas.
In addition to tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, Serrano peppers and cilantro were added to the list of possible tainted products, Kwisnek said.
The strain, called salmonella saintpaul, takes two to three weeks to manifest itself, the CDC said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=a1fcxa1c52Mo&refer=news
I think that the bay area has some of the countries best bread bakeries. Of course the classic ” San Francisco Sour Dough” but just a regular plain epi can be a sinful delight, I think it’s in the water. But Acme Bread Company. in Berkeley, CA is a truly extraordinary place, under the spell of the water or not.
On the approach , the aromas of freshly baking breads and pastries will start your mouth watering. The bakery and items are rustica style, with a small cramped service area, you occasionally will wait outdoors before a spot opens up inside. Acme Bread was begun by a former baker for Chez Panisse and now has three outlets in the Bay Area.
The bakery area is also small, with no space wasted for either working areas or storage. Shelves line the walls, stacked with baskets and moulds for artisan style breads. Supplies for the next shift being loaded and the latest finished batches being loaded in trucks, vans and the shops shelves.
Staff is always pleasant.
Great bread.
Acme Bread Company
1601 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley - (510) 524-1327
Recently I noticed a large influx of visitors from downunder and all asking me the same thing.
I am proud to announce that, after a years absence due to severe weather damage to the cheese factory, the world famous Watonga Cheese Festival is on once again.
Loading ...