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Culture Club: Fellow Fermenters Are Giving Good Bacteria Its Due
San Diego Union Tribune, January 2012
Crouching down for a peek into the tiny closet, it was clear that Austin Durant is an optimistic kind of guy. The small box of Arm & Hammer baking soda tucked behind several large glass containers of fermenting vegetables was a valiant effort, but the smell of yeast-gone-wild one out. The scent floated through the entrance way and into Durant's living room upstairs.
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Specious Species: Fight Against Seafood Fraud Enlists DNA Testing
ScientificAmerican.com, November 2011
Escolar masquerading as white tuna. Flounder passing for Vietnamese catfish. Pricy baby cod replaced with lesser quality hake instead. Seafood fraud has long vexed the industry, but all this fishy business could soon change. The USDA is rolling out new DNA-sequencing equipment in nine of its major laboratories across the country in a push to squelch deceitful substitutions.
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Serving Up The Local Catch
San Diego Union Tribune, October 2011
Despite our proximity to the ocean, getting local seafood onto your plate can be a challenge. Much of the fish landed in our port – like spiny lobster, swordfish or spot prawns – is shipped internationally to countries like China for both processing and sale. Unless you know an avid angler, chances are that lobster dinner you enjoyed came from the rocky coastline of Maine. But a group of local commercial fishermen are exploring ways to get their catch into local markets here at home, and clearing hurdles like limited seafood processing or securing refrigerated transportation. Their mission is one being played out in other cities across the U.S.
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Pantry Preparedness: Keep Your Pantry
Stocked For An Emergency
Food Network, August 2011
For you East Coasters who just got rattled by that unexpected earthquake and are bracing for what looks to be monster Hurricane Irene, we thought this would be a swell time to remind you of what your pals on the left coast already know: Create a well-stocked emergency pantry for yourself. What does that mean exactly? We looked to the American Red Cross for their best tips on how to make sure your family has enough to eat should a catastrophic event hit close to home.
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Best Bars Issue: Rent a Stylish Meeting Space
Entrepreneur, July 2011
This bustling American brasserie tiptoes the perfect line between work and play - high ceilings, inviting red banquettes and coaxing restaurant-length bar manned by some of the most skillful bartenders in the city.
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Trading Posts
San Diego Union Tribune, July 2011
Hilary Condon's first attempt at introducing San Diego to a trend that's sweeping other U.S. cities didn't go so well.
Only a small handful of do-it-yourself foodies made a showing at her first swap event, but Condon is confident it's an idea that will take root,
and is planning to hold monthly swaps where sticky-sweet jams are traded for handmade empanadas, or jars of tasty Bolognese sauce are bartered for candied citrus peels.
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Seeing Seafood Differently
Club Management, July/August 2011
For chefs keen on sourcing ingredients that have been grown, raised or harvested in a sustainable manner, most options are straightforward and choices plentiful. It's easy to visit the organic farm where tender greens and sweet carrots are grown, or to verify that the hens laying pasture-raised eggs are indeed foraging for seeds and bugs. But when it comes to seafood, those touchstones are infinitely more difficult to observe, and the sustainability status seafoods carry can be muddled with advice from fishermen, nonprofit organizations, and even the U.S. government at odds with one another's.
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Off Shore Wars: Fishermen & Environmentalists
Go Head-To-Head
San Diego Magazine, June 2011
In Southern California, the task of setting aside marine protected areas (MPAs) became a bitter back-and-forth drama between fishing rights advocates and environmentalists. The Marine Life Protection Act is expected to go into effect later this year. It's being heralded as an important victory by environmentalists, while commercial and recreational fishermen say they're left feeling bruised and somewhat victimized.
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What's On Your (GE) Dinner Plate?
EatingWell, March/April 2011
Historically, crops have been genetically tweaked to be herbicide- or insect-resistant. Today, scientists are stacking traits to address both weed and pest problems. Others are looking at ways to improve the nutritional values of some staple crops. Here's the backstory and latest news on several GE foods that have made it (or may make it) to our dinner plates.
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Trend Watch: Gone Fishin'
EatingWell, March/April 2011
In a time when most of our seafood is imported, the idea of buying fish that is caught nearby appeals to many – both for reducing carbon footprints and to bolster the local economies. CSF's, a riff on the popular CSA model, calls on members to shoulder the risk with the fisherman by paying for seasonal shares of locally caught seafood up-front. Today, nearly 20 CSFs operate in the U.S., with many more in the pipeline.
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Making Waves: Genetically Modified & Farm-Raised "Green" Salmon Swim into the Limelight
National Culinary Review, April 2011
For a fish that's relatively easy to prepare, the issues surrounding salmon can be confusing and complex. Here, we take a look at two very different farm-raised salmon species: a genetically modified Atlantic salmon that's swimming closer to FDA approval; and a farm-raised Pacific coho salmon that made waves by catching the attention of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program.
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One On One: Chef Jeremy Sewall
SeaFood Business, March 2011 Show Issue
Executive chef Jeremy Sewall got his old office back, only this time he's heading up the hottest kitchen in Boston at the newly opened Island Creek Oyster Bar. The digs are familiar – Sewall was opening chef at Great Bay, which used to occupy the same space – but that's where the similarities end. The 175-seat eatery has the city's fooderati abuzz, packing the house since the sleek, sophisticated spot opened in October. Sewall spoke with us about seafood, sustainability and bluefin tuna.
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What's the Alternative? Undervalued, Lesser-Known Fish Species Might Be the Answer for Chefs
National Culinary Review, February 2011
Savvy chefs have started taking a closer look at undervalued fish. Here, we take a closer look at three alternatives: Asian carp, basa and escolar; and sort out the pros and cons of each.
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Edible Reads: Our Picks for Best Books With a Local Connection
edibleBoston, Winter 2010
This year may have been a tough one for the environment (hello, oil spill!) and the economy (recession hangover, anyone?), but there’s still a bright spot worth beaming about, and that’s the array of outstanding books that crossed our nightstands this year. Got an avid reader on your gift list? If so, we’ve got some real gems to share.
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Health Advice Scrutinized
SeaFood Business, August 2010
While the USDA dietary guidelines are updated every five years, industry experts say they're at a standstill waiting for the federal government to reassess the science when it comes to seafood consumption and mercury. Critics say misinformation means too many consumers, including pregnant women, are not getting the health benefits seafood consumption provides.
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Reeling in Stripers
edibleBoston, Summer 2010
Striped bass is either the poster child of a fishery recovered from its near collapse in the early 1980s, or it's once again showing ominous signs of diminishing numbers. Like many topics that touch on shared natural resources, this feisty fish has the ability to ignite passionate debate among those who spend their summer months chasing it off our shorelines.
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Space Requirements
National Culinary Review, April 2010
Caged or cage-free, eggs have become a political lightning rod for chefs and eaters alike. Producers and animal activists use impassioned arguments to support their case in what’s becoming a tense agricultural battle over the egg-laying hen.
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Sea Change: Environmental Group Gives First-Time Nod to Sustainable Salmon-Farming Method
ScientificAmerican.com, January 2010
Farm-raised salmon has long been the poster child of unsustainable aquaculture practices. Issues of escape, pollution and inefficiency have plunged it deeply into the "avoid" territory of environmental groups – until now. The Monterey Bay Aquarium took the unprecedented step of approving a farming method for Pacific Coho salmon.
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The Dish on Fish: Steps Towards Sustainability
edibleBoston, Winter 2010
When chef Chris Parsons decided to add fresh sardines to the menu at his Winchester-based seafood restaurant Catch, he had to slip them into his tasting menu line-up or send them out as treats from the kitchen to his regular customers. Never mind that sardines are actually tasty, that they're capable of reproducing rapidly, that they are jam-packed with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, or that they would very likely be the most sustainable choice on Parsons' menu that evening. The fact is, the sardines were a hard-sell, while the Norwegian farm-raised salmon was not.
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Model for Growth: When Growers Network to Bring Sustainably Raised Food to Market, Farmers Become Partners in the Business of Food
National Culinary Review, January 2010
By taking a step away from growing commodity products and transitioning to specialized crops, Shepherd's Grain and plenty of groups like them, are bringing an abundance of sustainably raised food into the marketplace. At the same time, their business model helps preserve farmers who are most at risk of being squeezed from the market.
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Revolutionary Fare
Arrive, September/October 2009
Whether it's steak frites, frisee aux lardons or handcrafted fromage, Boston's effervescent food scene means you don't have to look far to get a delicious French meal in nearly any part of the city.
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Guilt-free Sushi: Environmentalist Tout Sustainable Fish for the Dish
The Christian Science Monitor, July 2009
While Chef Nobu continues to wrestle with the decision to remove bluefin tuna from his menus, savvy restaurateurs in San Francisco and Portland, Oregon have instead seen opportunity. Customer concern over dwindling fish populations has provided the impetus for chefs to do the heavy moral lifting for us eaters. Here, an order of fauxnagi is something to embrace, and turns out to be surprisingly delicious, even though there's not a flake of eel in it.
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Taking Stock in Fish
Wall Street Journal, June 2009
The traditional CSA-model has made the evolutionary leap from land to sea. This month, nearly 1,000 Boson-area residents will be collecting their first fish shares through the Gloucester-based Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community Supported Fishery (CSF) program. But a closer look at the details shows the CSF is not without controversy. (read more)
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One on One: Ken Oringer
SeaFood Business, March 2009 Show Issue
Unlike New York, Boston is not overrun by hotshot celebrity chefs, so the handful the city is home to are able to shine a little brighter. In this Q&A interview, Oringer dishes on the current challenges of sourcing and serving fish; steering customers away from tuna, shrimp and salmon, and what it was like to cook for Chef Ferran Adria of El Bulli.
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A Chocolate-Infused Dinner
Wall Street Journal, February 2009
Chocolatier Andrew Shotts of Garrison Confections is raising the standard for American confectionaries. He places an intense focus on pairing seasonal ingredients with chocolate. Before placing pan to stove, Mr. Shotts conceptually develops each dish by stringing together a line of taste combinations.
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Christmas Tamales
The Christian Science Monitor, December 2009
If the first image that comes to mind when you think of a tamale is a flavorless, corn-meal heavy brick that's too far on the dry side, wrap that image back up in the corn husk it came in. Those typical to San Antonio and southern Texas are full of flavor, shaped like a thick cigar and the masa is moist and delicate. In this region, it's the filling that's the star.
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Believing in Providence
National Geographic Traveler, November/December 2008
A buzzing food scene and a new splashy art space have revived visitors' faith in Rhode Island's capital. A prosperous New England port town grown gritty in the wake of big industry's decline, Providence had few cheerleaders. But thanks to a downtown revitalization effort launched in the early 1980s, Rhode Island's capital city now has a lot to shout about.
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An Autumn of Abundance
edibleBoston, Fall 2008
Listed as an invasive species by the state of Massachusetts, it's illegal to sell or transplant Autumn Olives. Luckily what won't make you an outlaw is foraging the tiny ruby berries for consumption.
This fall, you'll be able to spot it on the menu at some of Boston's best restaurants, appearing in everything from chilled cocktails to roasted venison dishes.
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City Shorts: A Spoonful of News
National Geographic Traveler, September 2008
Salt is what's shaking at The Meadow, a gourmet food shop in Portland's Mississippi Avenue neighborhood. In the tasting room, owner and selmelier (that's fancy for salt expert) Mark Bitterman might introduce you to exotic Japanese Kamebishi Soy Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt – just two of the 90 or so different kinds he carries.
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Executive Dining: Boston's Green Dining Scene
The Wall Street Journal, July 2008
Conversations about product-packaging reduction or your company's pending LEED certification may be harder to swallow over a plate of bluefin tuna or at a restaurant that serves imported bottled water. For those closing eco-deals – or just keen on being "green" – Boston is among the more eco-friendly dining destinations.
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A 'Tapanese' Twist, Japanese Cuisine Gets the Tapas Treatment
Wall Street Journal, April 2008
Arizona chef Nobu Fukuda serves small plates that are his twist on Japanese kaiseki – the formal multi-course meal, where attention is paid to the smallest of details with the goal of creating harmony.
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Environmental Eats: NYC's Green Concessionaires
Parks & Recreation Magazine, May 2008
For the popular, ivy-covered Shake Shack, being green meant far more than just being located within New York City's Madison Square Park. It meant the hamburger joint was willing to take a fine-toothed comb approach to their operations, and they're not alone. NYC's Department of Parks & Recreation wants to lighten the carbon footprint of their nearly 600 concessions.
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Power Tables - Caucus Cuisine: Where Obama, Romney, Edwards and local big-shots eat in Des Moines.
The Wall Street Journal, December 2007
During campaign season, as long as hungry customers and political staffers keep arriving, chef and owner George Formaro keeps the kitchen humming well past closing time at this see-and-be-seen restaurant.
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Chefs At Home: Braising For A Better Bird
The Wall Street Journal, November 2007
Cleveland-based Douglas Katz, known for using local ingredients, makes chicken with a comfort-food twist.
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Dining Out Safely
Pregnancy Magazine, September 2007
Regular news reports about food scares are enough to make anyone queasy, but when nibbling for one becomes nourishing two, dining out quickly gets complicated.
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Just a Taste: Huitlacoche
The Boston Globe Magazine, September 2007
A subtly flavored Mexican delicacy makes its way into Northern kitchens.
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Just a Taste: Go Fish
The Boston Globe Magazine, July 2007
Lean, light, melt-in-your-mouth Copper River coho salmon is a late-summer delight.
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Hog Wild: Play Tastemaker With Niman Ranch's New Bacon Flavors
The Boston Phoenix, August 2007
Smoky Niman Ranch bacon may have been on the menu at Elton John’s big 60th-birthday bash, but we’d bet a whole slab that the Rocket Man didn’t have the fab new flavors that the folks at Niman just launched.
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Caliterra's Copper River King Salmon
The Boston Phoenix, June 2007
For just the briefest window this time each year, the mighty wild king salmon tussles its way up the 300-mile stretch of Alaska's glacier-fed Copper River. Catch it while you can.
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Fish Without Fear: Henry & Lisa's Natural Seafood
The Boston Phoenix, April 2007
Knowing your safe seafood levels won't feel like a game of "Go Fish" anymore.
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For the Allergic, Safe Dining
The Boston Globe, February 2007
Celebrity chef Ming Tsai and some local lawmakers are trying to make dining out safer for those with severe allergies, but they're facing some tough opposition.
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