The Best Pizza IN The USA

 This country can brag about having the best of many foods. we're good at making plump , juicy  hot dogs. Our fries are super crispy and deliciously salty .Then there's pizza. Surprisingly we are a country of good slices reflecting our varied ethnic history. What's the best? That's a hard call.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about America's great pizzarias and pies in todays New York Times Food section.Good pizzas nowadays isn;t just limited to just big cities ,It's everywhere from the Pacific Northwest seacoasts to new England coastal towns and Wisconsin.The food;s broad appeal coupled with the relatively low cost of opening up a pizzeria. It's also easy to acquire the recipes and mastery to create a top notch pie.All anyone has to do is learn how to make a simple dough and that's it.fromthere they can open up their own places.This renaissance in pizza making has enabled people around the country - even in such remote areas to enjoy such interesting extras like honey drizzled om top of toppings or Korean style pizza.There is Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles that bakes Tokyo influenced pies and the city's pizza and oyster bar fusion pie rife with oysters.Ann Kim makes Korean pizzas, ones that she knows she would like.She had no background yet now she's an acclaimed chef.

The best pizza list is a wide one. Many come from businesses that aren't necessarily pizzerias, Bakeries like the Tinder Hearth in Brookville , Maine and Flour and Flower in St. Joseph Minnesota feature pies on select evenings.Is New York City mentioned on the list? No!!! The city does have excellent pizzas however it's the smaller towns that shine.Charlotte <North Carolina has Bird Pizzeria which features  caramelized crust pies and a dandelion pesto!Kerrel Thompson responded to the call for more pizziolos or pizza makers in the area and lived up to the name. Can a pizza be Southern too? Yes, if it's Nashville's City House! Chef Tandy Williams opened this favorite restaurant in 2007 .There are pies inspired by her mother;s love of tomato sandwiches along with ones topped with trout or dotted with peaches.Amar Pizza in Hamtramck Michigan celebrates owner's Kurshed Ahmed's heritage. There's a pizza made with a fish paste used as a condiment in Mr Ahme'ds childhood.There's also one topped with a Bangladesh veggie, naga peppers.There are several other pizzarias throughout the country that offer unique takes on sauce and toppings.

Pizza usn't just pizza anymore.The best also isn;t just found in New York Ciy. It's all over the country with different looks and flavors.

Good Eating In NOLA

 New orleans is known fo ra variety of things, jazz, hiostory voodoo and tradition.It's also notorious for good food. If you are goung there here are some restuarants that show off the city's best chefs and ingredients.

Regular contributor and New Orleans native Brett Anderson gave this compiliation in yesterday's New York Times Food section. There are twenty five good ones that are perfect during a weekend or a week away in the Crescent City.One of the most famous is Brennans that put the city on the map during the 1950's. Chef Ryan Hacker brings a new sharpness to such classic recipes as turtle soup a nd curried crab roulade. For more classic NoLA food visit Brigtsens, Chef Frank Brigsten's mento was the famed New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme so the food is goung to be traditional and very good. His menu includes everything from shrimp remoulade to pecan pie. For Creole food, there is Cafe reconcile. There are Gulf seafood po'biys and gumbo with red rice.Another classic eatery is the steakhouse is Charlie's Steakhouse , first opened in 1932. There;s a variety of different tender cuts along wit such tasty sides a sonion rings and creamed spinach. You must vist the famed Dooky Chase which is famed for its' seafood and Southern fried chicken.

Yes the city eateries offer other cuisines too.DAKAR NOLA offers Sengalese food. Chef  Siringe Mbaye designed the menu with the crucial role enslaved laborers played in building this city. His shows the strong imfluence West African cuisine has on the city 's history and recipes. Of course there is a French restaurant Mamou in the French Quarter. There are nod sto local tradition like the red bean cassoulet thanks to chef Tom Branighan. he also features escargot and to finish macarons.Italians have made always a big impact in the city so it's no surprise  that there are good Italian restaurants listed. Locals love Paladar 511 that features pasta in tomato sauce and crisp pizzas. There's also port saltimbocca and Wagyu flat iron steak.Indian food is also a big part of the city's dining experience.Saffron NOLA offers Creole and Cajun influenced Indian dishes.There is gumbo with saffrom and ginger along with crab  pudha. There are also Isrealie , Thai and Chinese restuarants too in the city landscape.

New Orleans offers many thing. One is food. Visit the city and discover the  amazing array of food there.

A New Breed Of Texas Barbecue

 Reecipes evolve to fit the taste of a younger generation. Thisi is true of tradtional Texas barbecue which isnt that traditional anymore. There are new flavors and alternative dishes that are livening up this classic fare.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about Texas barbecue in today's New YorkTimes Food section.The best of it comes from Lockhart,a town southwest of Austen.It's changing. No longer is is the domain of white male pitmasters or central European immigrants who brought a different form  -brisket - ot the States. The new Texas barbecue gives vouce to a population that have been diversified by other states and countries. There's also a cultural dialogue between urban and rural artesans as well. Much of it nods to American barbecue orgins in the live fire cooking of the Indigenous and enslaved Africans. yet it also derives from Texans  sharing their hom e cooking with the public at large. The foot print for the recipe comes from the state's ranching industry. The quantity and quality of the "trinity", sausage, ribs and especially brisket.

Barbecue is taking on new flavors .Pitmasters are incorporating such international flavors as lemongrass, gochujang,turmeric and fenugreek.There's also kimchi and slasa negra .Lamb chops and tuna collar have also made their way int o the barbecue menu as the spicy Ethiopian chicken stew doro wat. There is also brisket curry, enchiladas', shawarma ans ramen.Texans with a Mexican background have always made batbece their way with guacamole  and charro beansalong with pico di gallo. There was also barbecue made with goat, a Mexican staple.The whole idea of white men running barbecue joints is also being challenged. Barbs B-Q,a Lockhart favorite is run by women, an unusual feat in the industry. Alexis Tovlas Morales, HaleyConlin and Chuck Chanichart are changing the landscape but also follow the othodoxy of barbecue by cooking brisket, beef and pork. Then there are Phong and Hong Tran, representative of the  large Vietnamese community who gives the recipe a South Asian spin. It; served over rice with a drizzle of tomato based sauce.

Barbecue is the backbone of Texas cooking. However it;s catching up with the times and changing. There are new flavors coming in , changing this classic dish.

Top Chef'sTop Draw

 One of the most interesting reality shows is Top Chef. It's a fascinating look at chefs and their dishes along with how they can  be up for a challenge.This is why it's one of the longest running realty competition shows on TV these days. It appeals to humanity's two favorite  things blood lust and food.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about this crowd pleaser in today's New York Times Food section. Top Chef is such a part of the zeitgeist.It has introduced audiences to various chefs , previously unheard of along with broadening people's horizons by visiting various cities.It now has a global audience of millions and the winner not only receives interantional attention but $250,000. The twenty seasons show has made its'host Padma Lakshi a household staple  along with promoting such vibrant and bold chefs as Eric Adejepong, Nini Nguyen and Kristin Kish to name a few. It gives viewers a window on such diverse cities as Portland Oregon and Paducah Kentuvcky,bringing tourism and adventurous foodies to their local restaurants.How did this show come about? Thank Project Runway, the first successful show of their shared production company Magical Elves. Food was also th e focus of another one of their shows , the famed "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy". It also helped the show that Tom Colicchio, a famous chef in his own right pushed it.

Yet there were some qualms. Early on food writer Gail Simmons was nervous about the genre. She had nightmares that it could be like a food version of another famous and long running reality show "Survivor" she feared she 'd be tied to a tree and eating insects. Yet Top Chef was more.It took from the widely popular Japanese cooking competition program "Iron Chef" with behind the scenes  of such reality hits like "Real World". It was an instant hit.In the process it  conditioned a large segment of the population and a generation of chefs to believe that cooking professionals should be able to prove their worth in a spectacle , worthy of the gladiators at the Colisseum. Unfortunately for the contestants there are down sides to  being on the show. They have no idea how they'll be portrayed in story lines created by producers until they watch the episodes. There is cyber bullying witnessed by Season 11 winner Nicholas Elmi  he was called a coward under a reposted picture of his young son dressed as the Cowardly Lion. Then there's the isolation where contestants  basically are treated like sequestered jurists during a high profile murder trial. They're cut ooff from family friends and all forms of communication. It is a lonely , sometimes frustrating period. They are also paid next to nothing, which is similar to young cehfs working gratis or for pennies at popular eateries.

No matter how people feel about it Top Chef will always be a top rated show. foodies love the recipe challenges as well as the drama.It combines hmanity's favorite things, competition and food.

Delving Into NOLA's Past

 New Orleans hs always been knonw for it's phenomneal food. Many thought the French were responsible for this culinary paradiuse. However delve deeper and its' the enslaved that gave the city its' distinct flavor. Now it's coming to light in a variety of ways.

Regular contributor and famed food writer Brett Anderson wrote about his native cityin today's New York Times Food section.For centuries the French influence was thought to be the guiding light in their local cuisine. However this is wrong. It's the West African influence . It's the force behnd jambalaya and gumbo. A new generation of black chefs is discovering thus as well as the strong Caribbean and Creole influence too. The dishes are being featured in such restaurants as Dakar NOLA. There is Last Meal , a blend of black eyed peas, crispy rice and Louisiana blue crab. A dish  called from ndambe that the restaurant's chef Serigne Mbaye ate while growing upin Senegal. It was fed to enslaved West Africans beofre they boarded ships to the US.LAst Meal's variuation contained palmoil which us high in saturated fat. Kidnapped Africans needed to be Fattened up" before being loaded on tp slave ships.Their investments had to be protected. It's a story that Chef Mbaye shares with diners.

There are other stories that reflect the city's racist history. New Orleans has always been known as a town of merriment and great food and drinks.It was also a majority Black city at possessed a thriving slave market where more than 135,000  individuals were sold. The disparity that started then is still existing now. Chefs  such as Chef Mbaye want to emphasize the importance and contribution of the enslaved in the region's dishes. They are dismantling the whitewashed stories about the European influence  that have been fed to tourists for generations. There's a strong emphasis on the French which extends back to slavery according to Zella Pamer anfood scholar and the director of the Ray Charles Progran in African American Material Culture at Dillard University. She pointed out that most of the enslaved people brought to Louisiana in the early Eighteenth Century came from West African, and that included the Senegambia people.. The New New Orelans are getting more and more West African restaurants and with them the truth about New Orelans cooking. Stories are being told and the Frenhc influence myth like the famed Galatoire's ]was influenced by Chef Prudence instead of Jean Galatoire, a white French man.

NewOrleans is indeed a city of good food. Yet it is not solely French as many are want to think.It is the African Creole and Caribbean influences that make its' food great.

Phoenixes of The Industry

 Climate change affects us all. It is destroying our farming and now our food industry. However there are those dedicated farmers and chefs who look this global issue in the face. They are fierce ., They will not back down despite droughts, floods and wildfires.it's never more evident in the Oregon town Ashland in the heart of the Rogue Valley.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote this informnative piece for today's New York Times food section. Ashland Oregon is the home of the Oregon Shakespeare festival whose plays are the area's main draw. Yet' it is a produce rich area where there are good restaurants and wines. It's becoming a destination place to visit. and producing wines rivalling the famed Willmette Valley to its' north. All this in the face of the lingering effects of the infamous Almeda fire. It started in Ashland but spread and demolished the neighboring towns of Talent and Phoenix. Most towns and their residents would have shut down, Not Ashland. rogue Food Unite was created to help local chefs and restaurants , many shuttered by the pandemic to provide food to resdieitns now living in temporary housing. The organization's director Amber ferguson said that "It came together - a beautiful dream of lets find money, pay the restaurants buy from farms , feed the people.It's a resiliance program and feeding program all at once." She was not going to give up on t he town that welocmed her from Portland where she managed the restaurants Beast and Toro Bravo.

Many of her fellow Ashland residents feel the same way. Like her, they'rre transplants to this usually lush and fertile valley. Kelsey Jacques left her native Michigan to start Orange Marmalade farms last year.  She's optimistic about moving beyond her quarter acre of farm and expanding . It will be hard because lingering smoke deters any plant cultivation and crops from flourishing. Stillshe manages to supply such local restaurants with her Siskiyou orange tomatoes, and sweet Walla Walla onions. Another transplant who is thriving despite the fire's after effects is baker Carla Guinmaries who moved from Santa Barbara California in 2020. She moved to Ashland during the worst time, in the middle of the pandemic and and just before the fires. She opened up Vida Baking Company , highlighting her specialty gluten free pao de quiejo, a popular cheese bread from her native Brazil.It was hard to maintain customers. People just vanished from the streets, she noticed. Yet there is a new era of vitality. Even former restauranteur Charlene Rollins rebuilt on what was left of her family restaurnat Sammy.'Her husband is buried near there,a fig tree on hsi grave.It symbolizes life.

Every town will be affected by climate change. They can learn from ashland to not bend, They have to face climate change head on, work with it and challenge it.

A New Take On Tasting Menus

 Tasting menus took on the feeling of a Gilded Age dinner party with too many formal courses. Then the exorbitant prices for them was also off putting. However a new generation of chefs is changing all that. The portions are smaller and the prices are affordable.

 Regular contributor  and restuarant critic Brett Anderson wrote about this new generation in today's New York Times Food section. Tasting menus, especially around metro areas like New York and Los Angeles were expensive affairs where diners got tiny plate after tiny plate of carefully arranged food. The idea became a bit too stuffy - until young chefs grabbed the idea. They ran with it, creaing a new sort of dining, fun and flavorful. It does pay off and it's more cost effective for these young restauranteurs who are watching their budgets. A big advantage is they they encourage thrift, Because they tend to require reservations and compel diners to pay in advance for the meals, tasting menus allow chefs to estimate exactly what they want and the cost of these ingredients. Food is purchased with precision which reduces the waste of ala carte eateries. another plus is that only certain ingredients are bought and not a wide variety of meats, and produce.Fixed meals also require less steps which makes for less staff needing to be hired.Since the places also tend to be tiny , less space is needed hence lower rents.

These are reasons for any new chef to consider opening a tasting restaurant. It also gives them space to highlight their dishes. They could be creative takes on classics or updated family ones. At Southern Soigne in Jackson, Mississippi, chef Zacheus Golden uses t dishes like lump crab cakes and spices it with whipped Creole cream cheese frosting. and rabbit porch cheek terrine with strawberry jam, pickled mustard seeds and bread lace.It's also a fraction of the cost of more formal tasting menus at only $95.Amanda Shulman has opeend up Her Place Supper Club in Philadelphia takes advatnage of the season and the fact she has good fresh Jersey and Pennsylvania produce at her fingertips. Her tasting menu includes tomato panzanella and corn and truffle profiteroles.Her Place puts the food on the table family like the famed New Orleans Mosquito Supper CLub. They have a tasting menu for eleven months of the year, shutting down in August. Theirs is pure seafood, celebrating the area's shrimpers and fisherman with such recipes as  raw oyster with mignonette sauce and  fried shrimp boulettes.

Could tasting menus be the next food trend. Most certainly. They're now new and innovative with recipes bursting with flavor.

Is The Power Lunch Passe?

 One of the most intriguing things about business history is the power lunch.It was a great way of brokering deals over good food and drinks at fancy restaurants. Yet is it relevant, especially in these post pandemic days?

Regular contributor Brett Anderson explored this in today's New York Times Food section.Power lunches usually lasted from twelve noon to almost three PM,Many used it as a chance to work and socialize, as they had for decades.Then came the pandemic which upended the restaurant industry. The business lunch was one of the first victims.There was continued uncertainty as workers left and customers fled. Most high end eateries are struggling, especially in cities that experienced record job growth after the Great Recession of 2008. That stimulation triggered the opening of many restaurants in cities across the country. Now workers are either working fully from home or spending one or two days in the office. They're not thinking of power lunches, Mostly it;s salad or take out at home, in front of their computer screens.There's also the rising cost of food that's also a factor and paying chefs twenty-five dollars an hour as Mitch and Steve Rosenthal have done with their San Francisco restaurant Town Hall.

Prices are high, especially in expensive cities like Manhattan.Even though the famed Le Bernardin has been filled to capacity every lunch hour for weeks, it still is $120 for  a prix fixe meal.  Lunches haven't resumed at other high class New York places such as Per Se, Eleven Madison Park and Jean-Georges.It does take work as chef Greg Higgins has found out at his namesake restaurant in downtown Portland Oregon. However it's changing in the suburbs. The Detroit  area businesses run by Sami Eid's family are thriving.His family restaurant Phoenicia a Lebanese eatery in Birmingham, Michigan opened as quickly as possible when it was OK to . However his restaurant Leila, a mere three blocks from the Quicken Loans Detroit headquarters didn't do well. Smaller places do better.People are reconnecting but at a slower place however as one restaurant owner, Ahmass Fakahany has noticed at his Manhattan place, Marea. They're looking at lunch to deepen relationships.It's more of a social impact lunch.

The power lunch may be taking a break.It may come back but in a different way. Workers still have to eat , deals still have to be made. but maybe in a whole new way,

Miami's Rich Bakery Scene

 Miami  and its' surrounding area is known for many things,  Warm, balmy days. Azure waters. It also has a rich array of bakeries that only add to the city culinary charm.

 Food writers Brett Anderson and Christina Morales two regular contributors to the New York Times Food section wrote about this region's varied and multiethnic baking scene. They had the fun assignment of trying out different ones along with photographing the bakeries best of the best.This is a must have if you live in the city or are traveling there. Many are influenced by the large Cuban population there. some are traditional ones.One must see is Coral Gables Bachour,  run by pastry chef Antonio Bachour. he and his executive pastry chef Samira Saade combine french pastries with tropical fruits evoking his youth in Puerto Rico The Miami suburb of Doral has Caracas bakery where both empenadas and croissants along with the decadent koign-amann and french influenced batards. Those looking for fancy cakes should visit Lucila's Cakes, a popular Miami stop.  Edda Martinez and Lucila Venet Jimenez are famed for their amazing decorations and  variety of flavors from bread pudding to chocolate chip cookies.

The Everglades may be known for gators but they're also known for Knaus Berry Farm.It's owned by Blecher family farm and having been baking homemade rolls and cinnamon buns since the 1960's They also have guava and other fruit pies too.If you;re craving Mexican treats look no further than La Migaja Mexican bakery in Miami's Little Havana. Here they bake and sell sweet breads that owner Jaime Reynoso Perez and his wife Jocelyn Mendozo San Vicente,Madruga  Bakery, owned by Naomi Harris could easily be located in Manhattan. Ms Harris hand mills grains for flour and uses wild yeasts. Her lemon polenta cake is one of the bakery's most popular. Taste Rite Bakery  in another suburb Miami Gardens turns out yummy Jamaican patties made by owner Lyndon Gardner and his wife Jennifer.  The flavors combine Jamaican cooking like callaloo and ackee, an island veggie and american like beef and cheese. There is also the kosher bakery  Zak The Baker owned  by Zak Stern/ which offers bagels and chocolate babkas amid lush murals and clever graffiti.

Miami and its' surrounding suburbs have some of the best bakeries. They are varied from Jewish to american to caribbean. Mexican and Cuban influences have also been added. It's a real buffet of delicious treats.

A Leashed New Orleans

 New Orleans has always been a city perfect for hedonists. There was always an abundance of food and drink. Revelers went wild during the city's peak time _Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Thanks to the pandemic that's all changed. The city is subdued.

 Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about this change in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Last year's Mardi Gras 2020 was the last gasp of normalcy and fun . it was also an accelerant of the virus' spread, in the early days of the pandemic. Now that's all changed. The parties are cancelled as are the famed parades.Luckily there are still places to go to. The bar scene has been brought to their knees, which not even Hurricane Katrina could do.  Activity has been moved primarily outdoors, especially for bars that also serve food. It doesn't work for those whose only serve cocktails, beer and wine. Bars with food permits can serve indoors but only at a twenty-five per cent capacity.The town is known for tourists and locals walking around with a large cocktail or bag of beignets  Mayor LaToya Cantrel will allow everyone to stroll the streets but they have to follow pandemic rules, namely social distancing and mask wearing. There is also the eleven PM closing time, jarring for a city that parties well into the early morning. 

The city will endure as it has for the last 340 years. Bars such as d.b.a. ,a music club in the Faubourg Marigny section of the city, is allowing its' musicians to play to audiences on the street. Tom Thayer, the owner says its' future depends on the rate of infection.  Yet they still plot and plan. Some are luckier than others. Cure, founded by Neal Bodenheimer   is successful. His is a bar that straddles the line between  eatery and restaurant and it and his other ventures,a taqueria and another bar, Val, have ample outdoor space for customers. He even has the luxury of hiring more employees, and makes sure that they get a twenty per cent from all patrons.  Yet, they too are vulnerable and most bar owners worry about their own health.Chris Hannah, owner of the famed Jewel of The South and one of the most respected  cocktail makers in the city, became increasingly worry about his well being. Gone was his nightly glass of spirits when reading. It was replaced by echinacea tea. He also started to eat raw garlic to boost his immunity and became obsessive about yoga.

New Orleans is a city that lets the good times roll. The good times may slow down but they  will never die.That's what makes the city what it is, full of good food and tasty drinks.

A Vital Miami Fish Market

 Now more than ever we need our markets. They not only provide us with food but also with the comforting fact  that they're still around. That's the case with Plaza Seafood in Miami. It's a hub of activity , with it still selling different kids of fish to loyal customers. It's  a comfort shop to homes chefs.

The New York Times Food section provided a pictorial for this well known market in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Regular contributor Brett Anderson interviewed the various shoppers while Scott MCIntyre took a variety of interesting photos. Plaza is a small market  but's it;s constantly packed with a never ending stream of customers.They come not just for the filleted fish and conch, the last popular  in Florida and the Caribbean but also for fried fish, conch soup, and seafood empanandas .These are similar to what the owner, John Pitaluna  ate growing up on in Havana. His family moved to Hialeah Gardens, north of Miami in the 1980's and he kept the recipes going strong. Now they can be passed down to his son, Adrian, 21 who also works at Plaza. He's been keeping tabs on what sells the most. It's conch , meat from an over sized sea snail, mainly from Turks and Caicos along with the Bahamas.it can be put into chowder like clams and fried like oysters. Yellowtail from the Florida Keys and Mexico is also popular.

Miami, like any other city , is full of different neighborhoods. Inhabitants find out about Plaza and come, bringing their need to the   Allapattah section also called Little Santo Domingo.  It was a neighborhood where there was always affordable rents and everyone was welcome.  That's fading now thanks to the area gentrifying. Yet Miami's diversity is still strong as seen in the customers. There is Haitian Carline Saintlimond who bought shellfish for a seafood boil along with buying red snapper and grouper. Haitians use all sorts of fruits and spices to flavor. Chinese born Yang Zhao and Wendy Liu came from Orlando to buy lobster tails  that they'll grill along with shrimp and bream steamed in garlic and soy sauce.There are also loyal customers like Arnita Pace drove half ah hour for yellowtail snapper, live blue crabs and Gulf shrimp. For her it's also a family thing because her sisters also buy their food at Plaza.Plaza Seafood also helps family in times of grief too. Eccleston Aitcheson and his sons, Angelo and Michael, bought king snapper and yellowtail for Jamaican escovitch,a fish dish that's spiked with Scotch Bonnet peppers , onion , carrots and vinegar sauce. It was going to be made in honor of his dad Talmon who died December 30th. It was his favorite dish.

Plaza Seafood is one of those comfort stores that we need right now. It's a staple in Mimai, but it could be a fishmonger in any city in this country or anywhere in the world. It gives regulars a sense of security while providing delicious fish.,

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Enlightening The Heartland

The American heartland has strong , almost cement like roots. Yet there are chefs and bakers who are bringing diversity to these small towns, bringing good food and good ideas to residents there. Hopefully gone will be the days of nativist thinking and the cooking that comes with it.

 Three times James Beard award winner Brett Anderson, a regular contributor and restaurant critic explored this in today's New York Times Food section. He interviewed restaurant and bakery owners Mateo Mackbee and his girlfriend, Erin Lucas. They started the restaurant, Krewe and the artisan bakery Flour and Flower in the small, predominantly white town of Saint Joseph , Minnesota. It's known mainly for being the home of the Catholic college of Saint Benedict and around seventy miles northwest of the more metropolitan Minneapolis - Saint Paul. Here Mr. Mackbee brings his mother's cooking , recipes from her native New Orleans. Both Mr. Mackbee and Ms. Lucas became bored with the still mostly white chef culture in the Twin Cities. They also wanted to bring awareness of racial inequalities to rural communities and to find an alternative to the limited career options available to them. Luckily in Saint Joseph offered Chef Mackbee, an African-American a chance for ownership that he never received in the city, despite his culinary degree and nearly a decade of experience in some of the area's most respected eateries.

Their restaurant also has a diversified staff. Three members of Krewe's four person kitchen staff are people of color. There hopefully will be more restaurants owned by African-Americans and immigrants in this strongly Scandinavian -American area of the country. Stearns County, where Saint Joseph is located is  surprisingly home to some of the largest immigrant communities. Agriculture and food processing jobs have drawn workers from East Africa and Latin America for decades. One is Jennie-O Turkey , a popular brand of frozen food. Unfortunately this has sparked a rise in nativist politics and xenophobia. George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis has reached the small towns. The nearby town of St. Cloud  had their police use tear gas on a crowd of protesters three weeks after Mr. Floyd's murder. Yet. Chef Mackbee persists , and that determination along with encouragement from his friend,  Pastor , Mark Kopka , of the Nordland Lutheran Church. Both bonded over Chef Mackbee's dream of starting a farm where he could bring black students who otherwise didn't have access to nature. He also ran for the City Council in nearby New London. yet it's cooking his mother's beloved recipes that is his passion. His mother,served as principal at St. Paul's Central High for twenty six years and a former student, Melvin Carter III became St. Paul's first African-American mayor.

The heartland, and even the big cities need chefs like Mateo Mackbee and Erin Lucas. They will show how diversity brings variety and harmony to eateries. It's a way of opening up the minds of locals, with good food and good ideas.

Corned Ham For Easter

One of the constants right now is the holiday dinner. For many Christians it's ham on Easter, a comforting reminder of happier years and hope for a better holiday next year. Southerners can appreciate the rare corned ham, a specialty of Maryland and South Carolina

Brett Anderson, a restaurant critic and regular contributor to the New York Times wrote about this  rare Southern classic in today's New York Times Food issue. Traditional corned ham is nothing more than  fresh ham that's been cured in salt. It's found in St. Mary's County in Maryland, a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River where it's used for stuffed hams. It's also found in eastern North Carolina where hog farming has been the backbone  of the economy for generations. It's one region where it's still common for people to serve unembellished ham for the holidays. Some Carolinians boil their hams and them use the  rich broth, also called pot likker to cook sides like collard greens. Many slow roast the hams too. They get them at local Piggly Wigglys but many of an older generation corned the hams themselves.

You can make corned ham at home.  Just remember it's going to take up a lot of fridge space which is precious nowadays. (you can buy one on line from www.mortypride.com). It will take ten days so  maybe it can work as an after Easter dinner. You will need to put a ten to fifteen pound ham in a roasting pan and cutting incisions in it, namely around the shank and hip bones.  Stuff  as much as  kosher salt as you can in them. Its' then soaking the ham over night in  half of inch of water. Afterwards press parchment paper into the meat and seal the whole thing with aluminum foil.Cook it in a 325 F degree oven for twenty-three to twenty-five minutes per pound . A fifteen pound ham would be roasted for six and a quarter hours.Ninety minutes before the final cooking remove the foil and parchment. Turn up the oven's heat to 375 degrees F and return the ham to it.The intense heat will turn the top layer of fat into the added treat of a covering  like crackling.The best part is the leftovers. You can use the meat and bones in everything from pea soup to ham salad. You can even make a corned ham Reuben toofor a fun lunch or dinner.

Corned ham is a treat anyone can make at home. Celebrate Spring or time with your family with a home corned one.It's a great addition to your cooking repertoire.

Rethinking Traditional Cuisines

One of the hallmarks of a good and creative chef is taking traditional recipes and giving them a new spin. Being this  daring means thinking outside the box. Chef Ann Kim has done this and with interesting results. Doing such has made her an up and coming bright star on the American culinary scene.

She was the subject of an extensive article in yesterday's New York Times section, written by Brett Anderson, restaurant critic and food writer. Chef Kim is a rebel of sorts, one with an interesting back story. Her family came from  South Korea and went to Columbia University. She didn't go the expected route of business, law, or medicine but chose acting instead. This did not go over well with her parents who disowned her for the choice. It did take off with Chef Kim landing parts in the most respected theater companies including Minneapolis' famed Guthrie Theater. Those paid off her student loans but left her feeling unfulfilled. Being Asian left her with limited and pigeon holed roles. Luckily she turned to  cooking . She referenced that turn of career in an emotional acceptance speech  when she won the James Beard award. Her first restaurant, eatery was Pizzeria Lola, a nod to her growing up  as one of the few Asians in a predominantly white suburb. This has fusion pies, with tomato sauce mixing with kim chi in her Lady Zaza pie and barbecue Korean beef ribs paired with arugula and scallions in another . Diners can finish with all American classics such as soft serve ice cream she and her sisters loved during their trips to McDonald's and chocolate chip cookies and milk.Her other pizzerias are Yong Joni and Hello, the last featuring New York slice and sandwich in Edina,  Minnesota

Now she is opening up Sooki and Mimi's , named for her maternal grandmother and her "adopted" American grandmother, mother of her white Minnesotan uncle. Mimi or Thelma Lange also sponsored the Kim family when they came from Korea in 1977. Her grandmother continued all the traditions including the culinary ones of making kimchi and gochujang, Korean chili paste. Mimi wanted Ms. Kim and her sister to do the opposite - assimilate. She took them to the orchestra and Children's Theater, along with reading books in their suburban town of Apple Valley. One would think the restaurant would be another fusion pizzeria No!!!! Chef Kim is opening up a taqueria inspired eatery thanks to her trip to Valle de Guadalup, Mexico. She tasted handmade heirloom blue corn tortillas that moved her to tears. The restaurant doesn't have a Latino sounding name , for fear of pigeonholing it and the menu will never be exclusively south of the border. She promises a dish with gravlax and lefse, Norwegian potato bread - a nod to the heavily Scandinavian population and possibly even churros - undoubtedly with a twist.

Chef Ann Kim's thinking outside the box has made her the country's most innovative chefs. Her new restaurant will surely be a hit. The dishes will be a marriage and salute to all sorts of different cuisines, from traditional to fusion.

A Variety of Gumbos

One of the tastiest and colorful dishes in American cuisine is gumbo.This rich stew is now undergoing some tweaks and updates.Are these new versions just as good as the original? Yes!

Brett Anderson,a New Orleans restaurant critic and food writer, contributed this fascinating piece in today's New York Times Food section.Gumbo is one of the pillars of Southern cooking.It is the classic dish of New Orleans, first coming to the city with enslaved Africans in the 1700's.It's name comes from the Bantu word for okra. Like the city itself, different nationalities  contributed to the dish , making it unique.The indigenous Americans added file or sassafras  as a thickened.The French contributed roux, the flour and lard mixture that serves as the area's base.Other ethnic groups added spices and sausages,along with the holy trinity of Cajun cooking, celery, onions and
peppers.


Like New Orleans, the dish is still constantly changing.Hurricane Katrina redefined the city in 2006.New ethnic groups came in, changing the city along with its '  cuisine.Gumbo takes on an Indian flavor at Saffron Nola. Chef Arvinder  Vikhu  fell in love with the dish thirty years ago after trying it in a New Orleans hotel.He gave the dish a different vibe ,enlivening  it with ginger, turmeric and ginger. A Far Eastern influence comes from the Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants that dot New Orleans' outskirts.Restaurateur Marcus Jacobs uses their flavors in his restaurant, Marjie's Thai curry gumbo.Some,such as the grand dame of Cajun cooking,Leah Chase, scoffs at this.She is the owner of the famed Dooky Chase.Hers is a traditional made with either  Andouille sausage or chicken.A few chefs have even served potato  salad with gumbo.This is sacrilege.The dish has to be served with rice although some chefs have used basmati and jasmine  kinds with it.

Gumbo is just New Orleans itself.It's constantly changing yet retains its'  roots.It will still go on, reflecting a rich and varied heritage.
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Down Home Sushi

Where's the best place to get good Japanese food?Not where you'd think. Austen Texas, once home to many a Tex-Mex place now has a large number of Japanese  restaurants. Why here? Blame it on one restaurant that started the spark.

Brett Anderson, the famed New Orleans food critic, wrote about this in today''s New York Times Food section. For a long time Austen, Texas was primarily known for its' amazing Tex-Mex  food as well as barbecue. Thanks to one restaurant,Uchi, the spark of Japanese restaurants grew. Chef Tyson Cole created the eatery due in part to his love of the TV show, the campy "Iron Chef". He also had a job as a dishwasher and server at a sushi place in the downtown part of the city.A big part is is love of Japanese food along with being mentored by Takehiko Fuse, a locally revered Japanese born chef. Uchi gave birth to Uchiko, with its' fusion of Japanese  classics and Texas standards. Chef Cole, winner of the 2011 James Beard award, has been called responsible for rewiring Austen's palate.. There are other chefs , many non-Japanese , who are also expanding the city's tastes. There is Otto Phan ,a Vietnamese Texan, along with Taiwanese Stacy Chen who moved o the area when she was a child. Then there is Paul Qui who won Top Chef in 2011 . American chef Amanda Turner who apprenticed at Uchi is coming back this summer to open up her own Japanese eatery.

Fusion food had to happen. Takuya Matsumoto and Tatsu Aikakwa, chefs and business partners came up with Loro\,a marriage of Texas smokehouse and Japanese bar food. The meat is cooked in a hardwood cooker and served with Asian inspired sauces and sides.Candied kettle corn is made with the burnt eds of brisket and togarashi, a fiery seven spice blend. Diners can get a brisket sandwich and a tofu rice bowl. They can be washed down with alcoholic slushies or beers. Even Loro's decor is roadhouse with a tea house vibe.Another restaurant , their Kemuri-Tatsu-ya also follows this philosophy. They asked themselves what if a Japanese guy came to Texas a century ago . would he be cooking at a roadhouse? Their menu offers everything from Tokyo street corn to  a hot pocket type brisket sandwich.Octopus fritters are topped with chili and jalapenos. There's a sticky rice tamale  that's filled with chorizo, beef tongue and shiitake mushrooms. Even the desserts are  fusions. Roasted banana pudding is flavored with caramel miso and kokuto crunch while the pecan pie has azuki beans in it.

Austen may be in the heart of Texas, but its' heart is in Japan.It's now the center for sushi and ramen. What is great is that it can meld with Texan tradition and create an entirely new cuisine.

The King Of Pot Roast

Everyone American has their favorite pot roast memories. Whether it's brisket on the East Coast or daube down in New Orleans, it's been a kitchen staple for generations.Now there's a king, yes king of pot roast, Gavin Kaysen and he's making the dish haute.

Brett Anderson wrote about this nostalgic dish in today's New York Times Food section.He grew up in Minneapolis/St. Paul where pot roast reigns supreme.It's also the home of Spoon And Stable,Chef Kaysen's signature restaurant.The dish wasn't on the menu at first because Chef Kaysen felt it may offend diners. He thought that he was pandering to their down to earth tastes. because he was a young cook  with an impressive resume. Chef Kaysen  first worked at impressive restaurants in Switzerland,London and California, He, himself, also  impressed the famed French  chef  , Daniel Boulud which lead to a seven year stretch as executive chef at Cafe Boulud  This alone  could be off putting to many  Midwestern customers who may be insulted by his rendering of  their family  dishes. Instead he first  offered dishes with a nod towards the Minnesota regional along with a nod to nearby Canada instead  The initial Spoon and Stable menu offered:. Canadian bison, cheese curds in the creamed spinach  and dill cured salmon. It was a whim that made him sneak in his grandmother, Dorothy's pot roast onto it . It was a good call. Diners loved it.

Mr. Anderson does too. It is not mom's pot roast, instead a more upscale version. The sides are lacy chanterelle mushrooms along with a pomme puree,  a silkier version of mashed potatoes and a milk soaked and sauteed parsley root. Mr Anderson missed the traditionally made veggies which are usually soft enough to mash. - although Chef Kaysen feeds those to his staff. The gravy was spot on, redolent with rosemary and silken. This is the way it should be .Pot roast gravy is a restorative Paleo broth , appealing to our most primal tastes. The meat used is a richer flavored  shoulder cut the French called paleron and Minnesota butchers call flat iron roast. Why this, instead of the usual chuck that everyone including Kaysen's grandmother's Dorothy used? According to the chef, it has a "really fantastic tendon that runs right in the middle of it" .If it's cooked down enough , it turns into a marrow like consistency.He first used it during his time at Boulous for the pot au feu. However home chefs following the recipe need not worry, Chuck roast is the meat called for. It also has carrots and parsnips for pot roast purists too. Tomato paste is also added for color and flavor as well along with enhancing the meat's flavor.

Gavin Kaysen is the king of pot roast. His recipe ofor pot roast will change the way America thinks about it. It 's still comfort food but elevated to another level.