The Sysco System

 Two to one most people have eaten at a restaurant or fast food hoint had ate or used something distributed by the food industry giant Sysco. They have the monopoly on the American dining scene  yet that monopoly is too constricting? Is it affecting how America eats? Yes.

New contributor and freelance reporter Meghann McCarron wrote a bout this  giant in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Every American diner has been using Sysco in some way shape or form.Many restaurants, like Toast in Montclair ,New Jersey has been using their pre cut frozen fries alongside their famed homemade dishes of Eggs Benedict's and a variety of screamed egg dishes and omelets.It;s easier for the owner and chef Amy Russo. Unfortunately there is a problem According to Chef Russo Sysco delivers the fries around two and three in the afternoon when the restaurant is closed. This presents a 0problem.There are other glitches. The company also provides food for such chains as Wendy;s Olive garden and The Cheesecake Factory. Their food all tastes the same according to Los Angeles consultant Salar SHeik.The bacon is tasteless , being all oily and salty. The potatoes tasty elike they have some kind of preservative. There is also the difficult navigation of the company web site that many small restaurant owners have trouble using.

Now Sysco is growing bigger by their acquiring of Restaurant Depot. It supplies everything from hand soaps to  plastic wrap along with cleaning supplies and other essentials.Many member toggle back between the two companies looking to see which as the cheaper price. However Sysco's vice-president Greg Keller states that Sysco and Restaurant Depot occupy two separate of the industry .The customer overlap is very small although the second also sells everything from seafood and cold cuts to veggies and dairy much like the other. Sysco also sells ready made dinners to such institutions as schools, hospitals along to stadiums, amusement parks, prisons and thousands of  other restaurants Sysco's story is interesting. The founder John Baugh created it in 1969 when regional distributors came together. The founder had worked his way up through the grocery and frozen food business. He got to know his future partners while socializing at National Foods Association conventions. When he proposed merging as a national distributor those  relationships were invaluable. The company grew and ate up smaller distributors. It is now the chief distributor in the US.

Is Sysco a good thing or a bad? That depends on how an eatery is affected by it. Id it works for any restaurant, it is.

Talking Turkey

 With today being Election Day we expect the politicians to talk turkey - meaning talking seriously about important topics. Yet home chefs are also talking turkey  - literally.Thanksgiving is three weeks away and it's time to get serious about the big dinner ahead.

This is the time to start thinking about who;s coming and their likes ,dislikes and allergies. The number of people determines how big a bird you'll have to buy Even a small gathering of six people requires an eight to twelve pound turkey.What about a vegan holiday? Several stores have the Tofurkey bundle which includes a Tofurkey loaf and usually also has wild rice stuffing along with gravy and easier (and maybe tastier) cook is Gardein;s turkey cutlets .You get four in a pack along with gravy .Their;s tastes the most like turkey and is perfect because the cutlets only take around fifteen minutes to cook in the air fryer. If you do want the same taste but more traditional turk'y roast with wild rice ,cranberry and kale stuffing. There is also a generous packet of vegan gravy too. This is on my radar for the big dinner. As for gravy , you can think of making it yourself however  if you have a big crowd then think about extra jars of gravy . After all there are people who live to drench their stuffing and mashed potatoes  in gravy.

This brings up the next question - stuffing. Do you go for Stivetop or scratch baked in the oven.Even though I will have stuffing from my turk'y loaf .I still would like a homemade baked stuffing. I plan on putting a different spin on mine adding possibly croissants, pretzels and bagel chunks. This will give the filling a different, more flavorful bite. Sweet potatoes are another topic of discussion. Many love the candied version where they;re baked in a cassarole dish, smothered in marshmallows. That's fine for traditionalists however enjoy their sweet earthy flavor by just steaming them in the microwave. You an also roast them in the air fryer however the time period is long - around thirty to forty-five minutes. This length of time can be too much for the average air fryer and cause the machine to smoke.You could do a hybrid cook of steaming them first for ten minutes , then roasting in  the air fryer for ten to fifteen minutes.You get a fluffy interior and a crispy exterior.As for veggies, Brussell sprouts are always good, especially if they're swimming in a butter and Parnesian sauce. Green bean casseroles are usually served too. Add some almonds to make it a bit more interesting.

Yes, it is time to talk turkey. Get your menu in order for the big day ahead. A plan for Thanksgiving. is always good.

All Saints Day Traditions

 Today is All SOul's Day , a day when food traditions honors loved ones who have passed. In Britian and Ireland it's Soul Cakes, (popularized in a Sting song) In Italy it's eating ossi de morte or bones of the dead. crunchy almond cookies bake din bone shapes. 

What is your All Souls' tradition. For my family it's roasting chestnuts. Crosses are cut on the top of them and the steam rising form them represent souls going to heaven. There is also the chance to enjoy the chestnuts" sweet meat seed too,

What foods symbolize All Sou;'s Day to your family> Let us know here.

A Cozy Halloween Party

 This isn't the year for big ,lavish Halloween dos;. A smaller one with just the family is not only budget affordable but nice and comforting.There's something cozy about having a fun meal with family or a very small group of friends. You can still have the Halloween  themed foods - just without all the hullabaloo.

What's a party without pizza. You can easily create one with ready made dough and sauce. Pillsbury along with stores like Stop and SHop and Acme sell premade tubes of dough. Have the kids - or friends - create fun jack'o lantern faces using peppers and olives.  You can also used cut salame and ham for the face if you;'re into meat lovers pies. Another fun idea is jack o lantern stuffed peppers.These are regular stuffed peppers.It's just carving out faces in bell peppers. Stuff them with a fun chili like stuffing. Add a good pinch of garlic /pepper blend into the ground beef , turkey or plant based meat. You can top them with slices of cheddar cheese too. This brings to mind jack o lantern cheeseburgers. Cut out two triangles and a crooked smile on cheese and place on grilling burgers.The cheese should melt all over the burger creating a pumpkin effect. A totally different twist is serving the elegant pumpkin soup. THis is a tasty blend of pureed pumpkin, sauteed onions, chicken or veggie broth and whole cream. This is the perfect potage for a chilly fall night.

What about desserts? COnsider graveyard pudding cups that are mini trifles of layers of crushed chocolate cookies and chocolate pudding.Take Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies and write RIP on them to represent tombstones. You can also turn the cups into pumpkin patch by switching in a few candy pumpkins and gummy worms.Another idea is pretzel pumpkins. Tis is dipping small pretzels in orange white chocolate  and letting them set .They'll resemble pumpkins when they dry. Add green icing leaves. A fun spin on a caramel apple is a stuffed baked apple. Core four apples. Layer, chopped caramel, butter  and chopped nuts in the core area. Microwave for a couple of minutes and serve with either whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. ANother idea is a caramel apple cone.Layer ice cream, chopped apples tossed in cinnamon and caramel in a waffle cone. You can also do a Halloween treat bag cone. Add any flavor ice cream and layer with mini M&M;s mini Reeses cups and brokem candy bar pieces. Add some syrup if you want  or add a chocolate hard shell or it.

 Halloween is always more special if spent with family and a small group of friends. Have a tiny party with good food and desserts. It Amy be your most memorable one.

Can Gen Z Be Influenced To Cook

 Can the next generation cook? Yes, thanks to influencers and platforms they can stir and whip. Now there are chefs who are Tiktok stars that are also urging them to open a cookbook and cook.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. She focuses on Tini Younger who has influenced hundred of Gen Z wanna be cooks.  She is a chef, unlike other Tiktok cooks, graduating from the Disney Culinary Institute in Oelando FLoritda. She is one of the most popular figures on the platform.This Tuesday shell be publishing her first book Today We Are Cooling----, a collection of recipes that is also a teaching manual.There are no corners cut. SHee doesn't recommend utsing pregrated cheese.She urges readers to grate it fresh.It comes with detailed photography demonstrating basic culinary techniques. The books should sell well thanks to her legions of followers. In JUly Time Magazine named her a "Titan", one of the world's most influential digital creators, along podcasters Joe Rogen and Alex Cooper and the comedian Kareen Rahna,. TikTok even sent her to represent its' brand at the Cannes Lions, the annual media and entertaining gathering that follows the famed Canne Film Festival.The Times gives tow fo her recipes, her famed baked macaroni and cheese and her peach so there's pork chops.

Yet is Gen Z ready to cook?According to a 2025 research by the Food Industry Association they like the idea of cooking but the least likely to cook at home.They are turned off by the high price and would rather use Uber Eats for the easiness of it.Blame their parents too. Millennials  doubled down during the pandemic with such influencers as JOanna Gaines of Magnolai,Meredith Hayden of Wishbone kitchen and Hannah Neelman of the famed Ballerina Farm.They flourished on INstagram.Cookbooks by and for this newest generation are just hitting the market.Another Tiktok favorite, Nara Aziza Smith a firmer model, at age twenty five and mother for four published her first cookbook.Homemade. Her style is young trophy wife getting all d ressed up in make up a nd gown (she is a former model)Still, influencer cookbook sales are uneven.It;'s iffy if kids will purchase a book that has recipes they can get on line.Somerimes it works as with Joanne Lee Molinaro who published the niche The author's fan helped boost sales.

Can all this make Gen Z cook? Maybe . Yet the urge can also come from family and culture more than influencers. It's up to them in the end.

Scary Candy Scary Pricing.

 How can anyone not give out candy for Halloween? It's tradition.It's part of the American canon. Yet with rising costs treat givers are having tummy aches about what and how much to give out.

Regular contributor Kim Severson delved into this new All Hallows scare in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section.. Cany , especially  chocolate prices on on a rise. - as is everything these days.Once recent survey has shown that seventeen popular Halloween candies showed a fifteen per cent jump in cost. A one hundred piece bag of candy is now a whopping $16.96 up a staggering seventy- one percent since 2 021 according to a digital media company finance Buzz. Google's most highly rated search was "where can I find cheap Halloween candy?" Thanks to this candy sales are down six percent this October compared to last year at this time. why the high prices?  Blame global warming. A climate driven cacao supply crisis sent prices to record highs in 2025. Companies then began formulating their chocolates with less expensive ingredients and selling smaller packages at higher prices. A bag of Reeses  miniatures now weighs  15.8 ounces than last year's 17.6 and costs a dollar fifty more.

What;s a treat  giver to do? Well luckily, kids are going away from chocolate. preferring the tart and zingy flavors of  Sour Patch Kids ,Skittles, and Nerd  Gummy Clusters.Others are giving away cheaper treats like temporary tattoos and trinkets that can be bought in bulk at lower prices.One treat giver, Tami Adolphson of Salt Lake City considered  turning off her porch light and ignoring  the kids. She and her husband closed down their trucking business last year so their budget is tight.Yet how could she miss out on a very satisfying experience? She caved in and went to CostCo where she s[ent $21.39 on a bag of mixed chocolate bars. Another way of celebrating the holiday is giving out much need school supplies.Cynthia Thomasset of Shilling ham PA. not far from  Philadelphia is doing just that. She plans to have plenty on hand because her neighborhood draws a lot of kids from poorer neighborhoods. People are getting creative. Angie Vasey of  Round Lake Illinois  will be giving out ramen,Magen and Matt Pillan will be giving out some candy but with a cup of Matt's homemade chili. However some don't; care about the costs like Mitch Collins of Oakdale California He bought close to two hundred dollars for candy just to keep up the traditiion,

Is keeping  a Halloween tradition work the high cost? Some say yes.Some say no. It's really depends on the cost and the budget.

A Good Fiber Diet

 Does the average American get enough fiber? That depends on the diet they're under.Women should have fifteen grams while men should bee eating eighteen grams a day,Yet thanks o busy lives, those recommendations are ignored. What to do ?Follow a good fiber rich diet.

Regular contributor for the paper''s nutrition and health Alice Callahan wrote about this dilemma and provided a diet in todays;; new York Times Tuesday Science Times. Why a push for fiber? Because it one of the best strategies for improving health.It nourishes gut microbes, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol and improves digestion. It also helps and improves heart health and reduces Type 2 Diabetes and such cancers as colon and stomach cancer as well as breast and ovarian cancer too.Many people flimch when they hear that they need to put some fiber in their lives yet it's easy. Fruit and veggies have it.  This makes for refreshing eating. Instead of the usual breakfast Ms.Callahan recommends a bowl for melon chunks and grapes and a blueberry muffin.The average breakfast of bagels, butter eggs and bacon have none. A side of lemon or grapes and a kind of dessert could work too.Another idea is scrambling eggs with beans or veggies (May the last so not to create a gassy stomach for work)Avocaod toast works because avocado holds five grams of fiber. Another day starter has scrambled eggs cooked with pepper  spinach and black beans.Rolled oats can have raspberries and pecans, Flax seeds and chia seeds also raise the fiber levels 

What about lunch? The average sandwich on plain white bread has no grams of fiber.Adding lettuce and tomato slices help but not by much. Switch  it out to a colorful salad> The bowlful CNA still have tasty ingredients like ham and cheese but then added veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes along with shredded romaine lettuce leaves.Avocado toast or pita with hummus also makes an excellent fiber rich mood day meal;For  a hot meal think brown rice and lentils.Dinner has fiber rich pasta and rice which are versatile. Ms. Callahan suggests fettuccine with  two and a half grams of fiber cooked with shrimp  and Alfredo sauce.TRy  chickpea pasta which is super fiber rich at eleven grams with peas and a homemade pesto sauce,The peas are fiber rich with three and a half grams of fiber and the sauce which has .5 grams.Quinoa and  mashed potatoes also have fiber.Mashed potatoes have three  grams and its; paired with grilled chicken breast and salad. Quinoa is served with tempeh, edamame and fiber rich sweet potatoes for a tasty and different dinner.

Fiber is important to the body. Try to incorporate it into the daily diet. It could be in any meal to snacl. Just have it .