Posts Tagged ‘Gut Check’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
The company kitchen can be an awfully touchy place:
(Good thing I get paid to eat out.)
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
(Video: YouTube)
Big ups to NYC’s Improv Everywhere for taking up the swinging produce mantle (“Fruits deserve the right to mingle”).
–Warren
Food and Friends “Slice of Life” Campaign Kicks Off
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
Doing a good deed today is as easy as buying a pie.
The Food and Friends Slice of Life campaign kicks off this morning with a free pie-tasting at two locations in the District and heralds the start of their fundraiser which allows them to provide meals for those with life-challenging illnesses in the D.C. Metropolitan area.
The tastings will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today, and tasters can sample several varieties of pies. Pie will be served by local celebs from the D.C. City Council as well as ABC 7 news anchors Cynne Simpson and Caroline Lyders at the J.W. Marriott location on 14th and Pennsylvania Ave.
Don’t fret if you reside or work outside the District and want to contribute. Northern Virginians can order pies online until Nov. 19 and pick them up on Nov. 24 on this side of the Potomac at various CVS locations including Arlington, Reston and Springfield.
The pie sale is in its third year, and last year the organization sold more than 3,000 pies. This year the nonprofit hopes to sell 6,000 pies to fund its coffers.
“It’s something anybody can do. Almost anyone can afford $25 for a pie,” says Food and Friends Communications Director Lisa Bandera.
Fundraisers such as the Slice of Life campaign allow Food and Friends to purchase their own food stuffs and thus provide healthier options than they would otherwise be able to if they relied solely on donations for the 2,800 client list they serve. “We want to make sure the meals meet the nutritional needs of our clients with life-challenging-illnesses,” she says.
The nonprofit delivers meals year-round, but Thanksgiving is a special opportunity to service clients in a way that lets them connect with members of their own community.
Food and Friends is able to “provide a slice of normalcy” that can be lacking in the lives of those who struggle with a illnesses such as AIDS or cancer, according to Bandera.
And living a “normal” life means having the ability to give back as well.
“So often you have to rely on others when you’re suffering from a life-challenging illness. We give each client enough food to feed four people so they can play host to others who have helped them out, and that’s a little measure of dignity you don’t usually get when you’re sick.”
–Amy Loeffler
Recipe Sleuths *Heart* Emo Searches
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, October 19th, 2009
Was a time when folks marched into the kitchen solely because they were feeling “hungry.”
How very Cro-Magnon.
These days, professional chefs and home cooks are plumbing the depths of human emotion for culinary inspiration.
Even Top Chef has gotten in on the emo-cooking act:
(Video: The Daily Beast)
As part of the show’s October 7 “Quickfire Challenge,” the cheftestants were tasked with creating a dish dictated by a Mad Libs-like construct of randomly generated moods, tastes and cuisines plucked from the Cookstr search engine.
Cookstr editor-in-chief Katie Workman was, naturally, thrilled to have the fledgling site featured on the epicurean eyeball magnet that is Top Chef. “It was definitely a great traffic bump for us,” Workman said of the high profile vetting of their “mood” search feature.
Workman said Cookstr, which turns one this November, has flourished in large part because of its “nontraditional, intuitive” search tags.
“We tried to get into the mind of the home cook … [and] mood was one of them” she said of the founders’ desire to shake up the status quo of ingredient-driven cooking.
Cookthink co-founder Brys Stephens said the concept of mood-oriented cooking weighed heavily on his group’s mind as well–hence the reason they cemented the qualifier as one of their core search criteria and seeded the category with dozens of attitude capturing keywords (personal favorites include: “hangover-friendly,” “mind-boggling” and “junky”).
“You don’t see words like the one’s we have in other searches,” Stephens stated. “I think that’s what people love about Cookthink.”
Stephens suggested that, at least for now, Cookthink has no plans to broaden its “mood” chasing efforts (he estimated that roughly 95 percent of Cookthink’s “mood” search tags have been in place since the site launched in summer 2007).
Not so at Cookstr, where Workman said her team stands poised to unveil more interactive search features as well as torrents of culinary content (they’ve currently got 4,500 recipes online, with another 10,000 “in the pipeline,” she asserted) in the near future. “It’s pretty exciting,” she said.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, October 16th, 2009
(Image: Mike Squier)
Restless Restonite Mike Squier knew he wanted to do something to help our four-legged friends, but wasn’t quite sure how best to communicate his commitment to canine causes.
Another philanthropic run/walk seemed too pedestrian (“Everybody does that,” he noted). And he really wanted to maximize the exposure of: a) proper nutrition for pets, b) underfunded animal rescue groups, and c) his local dog park.
His solution? Chowing down on dog biscuits for charity.
Assuming the weather cooperates–Squire remains leery of the forecast, but is counting on the fact that fellow dog owners will need to get their pooches out of the house anyway–Squire will at 3:30 p.m. attempt to set a world record for most dog biscuits eaten by a human being.
He’s accepting pledges per biscuit eaten and/or straight donations to benefit Save Our Siberians-Siberspace Rescue Fund, a group that provides financial backing to struggling animal care providers.
The apple-cinnamon molasses-flavored, human-grade biscuits will be provided by Falls Church’s Organic Doggy Kitchen.
Squire appears confident he’ll be able to buzz through–”You don’t eat’em like a cookie. You [gotta] keep your teeth going … [or] it becomes a dense blob in your mouth,” he said of his battle-tested strategy–circa 13-15 biscuits within the allotted five minute window.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, October 15th, 2009
The pomme frere: a much classier libation than a PBR and definitely meets the standards of modern gentlemen. Photo: Amy Loeffler
Before we get into the meat of today’s post, we need to get something straight. Jason Tesauro’s four-part Modern Gentleman series occurring in Alexandria at Morrison House and its restaurant The Grille is off limits to those of us who don’t possess a Y chromosome.
Why the “no-girls-allowed-sign” on the entrance to the etiquette man-cave? “The men need the brush up,” he says. He clarifies that if there are women around the process of learning it becomes stifled and the men concentrate more on not feeling like imbeciles in front of the opposite sex. He is more interested in actually getting his charges to open up, absorb information and ask questions. The series of classes can really only be beneficial if taken as a “commitment of the whole of the ego-less self to the process” of becoming a Modern Gentleman he explains.
Wow! Who knew talking about the physical pleasures of sipping whiskey and puffing on cigars could be so spiritual?
Just because we of the feminine persuasion are not allowed inside the cloisters at Morrison don’t mistake Tesauro for a Tim Allen, Tool-Time Neanderthal. He preaches that the modern Renaissance man knows how to handle himself at the wine bar, as well as the sports bar. Tesauro himself stands before us in a dapper tan suit with suede elbow patches that stretch the length of his forearm. His jacket is outfitted with a London storm collar, and accented by a handkerchief (he is the Johnny Appleseed of handkerchiefs he concedes). This look is capped off by a longish faux-hawk of sorts and a soul patch.
He looks like a country gentleman who enjoys cranking Black Flag a little too loud in the horse barn. And according to Tesauro, there’s no reason the Modern Gentleman can’t be both: a rebel as well as a polished Renaissance man.
In general his courses are, “about investing in authenticity from the core on up,” he says. “Drink Johnny Walker Blue because you love it, not because it’s $200 on the list. I don’t want them [my students] drinking more expensive, I want them drinking mo’ better.”
But his classes are not just about booze, though Tesauro is a devotee of cocktail culture. Maybe you’re that guy who needs to know how to text sweet nothings to his sweetie, or you’d like a little introduction to the habits of the well-heeled, like the ability to properly evaluate wine. He can help you with that, too.
And speaking of booze, he did share a bottle of small batch English bitters with the crowd. A bottle that was labeled with masking tape as English Special Bitter and 5.2 % alcohol from the chef at Palladio in Charlottesville (who is apparently an FOJ: Friend of Jason’s).
Last night we got a broad sampling of what The Modern Gentleman series will cover, but as someone who is clueless about cigars, I found the stogie demo from his first class “Sticks and Stones” to be especially of interest.
Photo: Amy Loeffler Reference materials for the man-about-town.
As is typical of his teaching technique, he doesn’t just tell you; he shows you. When he talks to us about cigars he is at the ready with dissected examples of hand-rolled beauties and explains how to determine whether or not a cigar is better fit for the trash can than your mouth (if the cigar rustles like dry leaves next to your ear, toss it). Another thing I didn’t know? Cigar size is not an indicator of its potency. (Keep the snickering to yourselves please). Of the two cigars in his hands, the smaller cigar was a Cuban, what he equated to a “double-espresso.”
Already I can see that this knowledge is paying off.
In short, the Modern Gentleman series will teach you to handle yourself in any circumstance with flare and panache. As Jason says, “even if I’m going to put my foot in my mouth, that shoe is going to be a well polished Brogue.”
–Amy Loeffler
Chef carves a turkey.
Jason sabers a Champagne bottle. Just one of the handy things you’ll learn how to do in The Modern Gentleman series.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
I hate to break it to all the Bourdain heads, Alice Waters haters and freshly dubbed Bouludittes, but our culinary destiny is not being plotted within the lower 48.
For a glimpse into the future of caloric intake, we must cast our view across the Atlantic–for it is there that Northern European inventors are hard at work on elaborate schemes to feed the human animal.
The most whimsical example of ingestion innovation comes from the mad scientists/”starving” (quite literally) artists over at Amsterdam’s Platform 21, who cobbled together a fully automated, coffee-eggs-toast slinging contraption that would most likely leave both The Inventor from “Edward Scissorhands” and a suit-clad Paul Reubens begging for seconds:
(Video: Parool.tv)
Across the way in Sweden, aesthete-in-training Rickard Hederstierna took top honors in Electrolux’s 2009 Design Lab competition with his “Cocoon” cooker:
(Video: YouTube)
According to Hederstierna, the next generation food appliance doesn’t just prepare meals, it “grows” food (fish- and beef-mimicking proteins, to start) by splicing together several cutting-edge technologies:
“Similar to heating popcorn in a microwave, Cocoon prepares genetically engineered and prepackaged meat and fish dishes by heating muscle cells identified by radio frequency identification (RFID) signals. The signals detect the specific dish and then suggest the required cooking time. This process uses science to create food, lifting a burden on the planet by reducing the need for further intensive farming and fishing. The negative effects of this process, including the mass transportation of food around the world, clearing of land and distortion of ecosystems, are then negated,” Hederstierna told Electrolux.
I’ve got no real complaints about the frying Dutchmen’s breakfast array (save for it’s incredible bulk and the absence of any visible arepa- and/or sausage-prep attachments).
But the Cocoon system seems to me to be all sizzle and no actual steak.
We’re willing to concede that the “cooker” and its genetically-engineered “ingredients” would take food transportation issues in entirely new directions, but we’re incredibly skeptical about its sustainability, for several reasons:
* Who would produce the pre-conditioned “muscle cells”?
* What type of quality controls/government regulations/bio-ethics guidelines would we use to police this new grade of “food”? And who would have the authority to do so?
* Why/how would highly specialized, bio-engineered “food” be any cheaper than, say, raising a head of cattle?
Mind you, the answers to these questions are, as they say, well above our pay grade.
But since Europe’s best and brightest are already hard at work on the “how” of tomorrow’s eating, we just figured someone should delve into the “why”.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
Photo: indiebound.com
If you don’t know who the Web 2.0 oeno-tornado Gary Vaynerchuk is, you may have been living out-of-country for the last three years, or under a rock. Or both.
He has built a brand in the wine industry using the Web over the last three years, but is ironically the anti-wine guy in almost every sense. He likes sports, he’s very approachable and makes no apologies for being a hyper-active, East Coast every-man.
“I understood ways to reach people that wine didn’t understand,” he says. I almost felt a responsibility to it [teaching people about wine].”
And it’s this approachableness that has catapulted Vaynerchuk into Web 2.0 stardom.
He is most well known for his prolific but rather low-budget interviews on his blog Wine Library TV. During one interview with Spanish importer Jorge Ordoñez, Jorge’s cell phone begins to sound and it’s only after his guest receives a second call that the phone is turned off, but nevertheless Gary continues the interview and completes it in one shot with no editing. The clip runs warts and all.
And that seems to be part of Mr. Vaynerchuk’s message. If you’re passionate about what you’re doing, soldier on no matter what obstacles you encounter, and that’s what has made him such an omnipresent Internet celebrity in a sea of digital hopefuls.
His new book, Crush It, is a self-help book of sorts, based on his own experience of using Web 2.0 tools to grow his brand.
One thing about Vaynerchuk’s message is that he says bold things that ultimately have a practical implementation. He’s not going to tell you to quit your job to pursue your passion. It’s what happens between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. that matters.
“It would be insanity to quit your job unless you can afford it. My whole book is about practicality” he says. First rule: “Stop watching Lost and playing Nintendo.”
And if you shut off the boob tube, the sky is the limit according to Vaynerchuk. When he cannonballed onto the Web 2.0 scene three years ago, twitter had not yet happened and facebook had yet to explode past the phalanx of twenty-something hipsters.
“Everything I believe in was impossible three years ago,” says Vaynerchuk. Which is why his rise to Internet fame is so startling, not only has he become a force to be reckoned with, but he accomplished the equivalent of growing his business five times over in three years.
He is also hopelessly addicted to people. For someone who is all about personal branding I ask him how he would sum up his own brand in three words: “Someone who cares,” he replies.“People is the game for me. It’s why I like retail and it’s why I like social media.”
–Amy Loeffler
Wanna follow your dreams? Catch up with Gary at the Cost Plus World Market in Arlington on October 15th from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Video: Youtube
Food52 Readies Recipe Tome Tourney
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, October 12th, 2009
Cookbook aficionados should brush up on their bracketology if they hope to keep up with food52‘s inaugural “Tournament of Cookbooks.”
The 17 cookbooks involved run the gamut of food preparation, ranging from Michael Ruhlman’s back-of-the-envelope cooking philosophy (Ratio) to David Lebovitz’s trial-and-error travel diary (The Sweet Life in Paris).
Food 52 founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs tasked 16 epicurean personalities/food authors–including Twitterati Grant Achatz (Alinea), Ed Levine (Serious Eats) and Gail Simmons (Food & Wine)–with critiquing the competing texts, urging every panelist to digest all entries cover-to-cover and prepare no less than three recipes from each.
“The judgments and criteria are up to the judges, much like a book review,” Hesser and Stubbs suggested.
Onlookers will be able to comment on the daily proceedings, but a spokesperson confirmed that the judges’ votes will be the final word on which books go the distance and who will ultimately claim the “piglet” trophy.
The tournament is expected to run from October 14 through November 5.
Meanwhile, we’d like to know if your favorite cookbook is on food52′s list? Any other must-haves they missed?
–Warren
A-Maize-ing Family Guy Tribute
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, October 9th, 2009
A Danvers, Mass., farmer has carved his corn field into a Byzantine homage to Fox’s Family Guy:
(Image: Boston Globe)
I have no doubt this will help boost attendance throughout the fall, as scores of otherwise farm-averse teens and Seth McFarlane-worshipping hipsters feel compelled to march into the rows.
Granted, the farmer probably trashed a fare amount of crops to facilitate the attention-grabbing design. But it’s not like the field will have this commercial valentine etched into its DNA into perpetuity.
–Warren