The Dream F A Restaurant

 Everyone who loves cooking and baking has , at one time or another, dreamed of opening a restaurant or bakery. It should be simple, right, Finda space, create a menu, get good suppliers and cook or bake. However sometimes the dream can border on nightmare. There's a lot that goes into opening the perfect eatery.

Regular contributor Priya Krishna wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. She interviewed and followed newly minted restauranteur Mohleena Khan, at the age of tihrty-five was ready to jump into an entirely new business. The brutal truth is opening anything in New York City is a pretty big risk.There are astronomical rents, stiff competition and city bureaucracy.However this has not deterred the 4557 future eatery owners applying for permits in Manhattan. However most were filed by celebrity chefs and very rich future owners.Ms. Khan is undeterred too. She may not be a cook but she is bright and organized, pluses for running any business. Luckily her friend Aleks Jeune can cook and knows something about food running the Brooklyn coffee shop Chez Alek. The food will be her native  Indian because Brooklyn has so few Indian restaurants in the middle space between take out and find dining. The borough's casual restaurants are also hard to get into . This should make it interesting to prospective  investors

Is it , though? The two friends can put up around thirty thousand of their own money and raise one hundred thousand from a combination of family and friends. Unfortunately the response is tepid. Many friends are buying houses or having children . Money for them is spent on these. MOuleena's father Pradip gives  fifteen grand while her sister ,Alisha, who gives ten grand. Some friends chip in with amounts ranging from two to ten thousand .  Mouleena and Aleks put in an extra fifty-nine thousand on their credit cards. The next step is finding an affordable rental. They pick one on Nostarnd Avenue. It;s in ahistorical district so there will be papers to fil out. Then there are the other papers from the health inspection  to liquor license.After these are acquired it's time for renovations. Luckily Mouleena's husbands have some experience with construction and Aleks ; husband chips in to help too. Both build a birh wood bar. The women re picking out fabrics for decor. It's looking good until it isn't. They want it open by Jume first .  It will take a while. It does finally gel with them making such fusion dishes as a breakfast plate with Masala eggs and tots along with phuchka, spicy potato balls in a semolina crust.

Yes it's  hard opening and maintaining a restaurant. However if that's a dream go for it. It's worth every penny.

Mango Wars

 Who would think that a fruit as tasty and beautiful as the mango could start the war? Yet it's true, especially in New Jersey where Indian mangoes vie with Mexican bread ones and where mango sellers butt heads with each other. Why the to do over this delicious fruit?

Regular contributor Priya Krishna explains it in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Indian mangoes are much in demand by Indians because of the flavor and texture. It reminds many of what they ate as children, thanks to many parents and grandparents growing them in their gardens.Indian mangos have a buttery texture - not unlike avocados and a slight;y tangy favor.Mexican ones have a brighter - almost Candy like flavor.  They're both fragile and the window to sell them is always short.It gets worst when they arrive from India unrefrigerated. The boxes soaked in condensation from the fruit and some fo the mangoes have been crushed.This doesn't bode well for local mango sellers. They're ruthless because the profit margin is slim. The competition is aso ruthless, especially in New Jersey where there is the largest Indian population outside India. These are the customers. who willingly pay a lot for a couple of mangoes.Mangoes are not a rational buy according to Kahushal Khakkar who runs Kat Bee exports in Mumbai. This is a memeory buy where there is a deep connection to the taste and texture

Boxes of imported mangoes are sold to customers and businesses alike. The fruit can be used in such savory dishes as curry and dal along with condiments like chutney . It's also good in lassi,a creamy drink made with yogurt, milk and spices. One would think that this need for the fruit would make  them desirable to Indian food store owners. Yet many proprietors  show no loyalty to any importer according to Bhavik Mehta, an IT specialist who actually sells them out his garage in Edison New Jersey.Many pit one owner against the other in the effort to lower prices. also most stores allow customers to return boxes if they're not satisfied, This even includes f only one fruit is spoiled.No store wants this so mangoes are not offered in many Indian grocery stores. The grocery chain Patel Brothers terms them as loss leaders draws to get customers in the store to buy more expensive goods.The stores absorb the loss of them, instead of charging the importers for the return . This id due to customers returning them on a daily basis.some importers try to sell them as cheaply as possible but that hurts the farmers who need the money to survive. Some store owners want to work together to sell the mangoes.

THis is a mango war. Will it ever end? That's up to importers and sellers alike who sell this beautiful fruit.

How America Food Shops

 How America food shops tells a lot about our country. It shows how people save and splurge. It also shows what people eat like, love and hate. Are there patterns emerging? Possibly.

Regular contributor Priya Krishna and new contributors Tanya Sichynsky and aliza Auffrichtig wrote this interesting survey in today's New York Times Food section, They talked to a cross sampling of shoppers throughout the US. A few things that are certain.Food prices have soared to unbelievable heights while packaging and food content has shrunk.Other interesting points are that Covid normalized such in store shopping like Instacart and Amazon Grocery and that consumers are staggered and spoiled by the array of choice. what really influences a grocery cart however is geography ,identity and income influence one's shopping list. Some relied on frozen food , some preferred fresh ingredients. Some shopped every day .Some staggered their visits to the local grocery store. Twenty -seven people were asked and their shopping analyzed.Different regions were represented, not just the coasts. Take Sawyer Bonsei of Malvern Arkansas  who's a former alcoholic prefers quick meals..He lives alone and works from home he has  a wide variety of sparkling water like Waterloo along with deli meats and rotisserie chicken. Ayse Gilbert of Anchorage Alaska who moved from California fifty years ago. She buys a lot of cheeses and the exotic fruit Buddha's Hand which is a expensive citrus fruit.

What about the  other shoppers? In Austin Texas' mom's Gabby Cavazos cart there are bargains. She often buys fruit that 's on its' last days or berries on sale. Deals like seven dollar sushi attract her. her cart does have a lot of fruit,  to give her two year old son instead of letting him eat processed snacks.Alan Young of Hilo Hawaii, probably hs the most expensive cart because food has to be shipped in from the mainland. Nr. Young is eighty and he qualifies for SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He also relies on senior discounts so he can buy his favorite - mangoes.His is a simple list - mostly fruit and buckwheat ramen. Jackie Kesterson of Omaha Nebraska more or less centers her shopping around her two kids, one a toddler the other ten months old. She buys baby food pouches of veggies to give them the nutrition they need a long with easy food like cold cuts  to make into sandwiches.Kimberly Uhuru of Detroit relies on her low income childhood to select good food at low prices. She buys most of the food at  Target , basically the only grocery store in her area. A well stocked grocery store is a twenty-five minute drive away. Hers is a mix of vegan for her teenagers and fresh produce.

This is how America shops. We as a people tend to go for the easy and flavorful.Yet we're also go for nutritional and fresh too. Their choices reflect on us.

Everyone Loves Black Forest Cake

 Black Forest Cakes conjures up images of the luscious creamy cake served in Bavarian coffeehouses or made in kitchens from German Alpine towns like Obernheim to big metropolises like Munich. Not surprisingly this famed chocolate cake is also big in other parts of the world. Let's face it , it is hard to resist.

Regular contributor Priya Kirishna wrote about this delicious treat in today's New York Wednesday Food section. Black Forest Cake had been a staple on German dessert tables for decades.It began in the 1500's thanks to young married couples who planted cherry trees and its'design is taken from the colorful outfits called Bollenhut that Bavarian women were.Now it's all over the world from Chile to Nepal.It's a favorite everywhere from Zimbabwe to Trinidad to Singapore where it's actually made with blueberries.How did the most German of cakes become an international favorite? it occurred when Germans moved around the world, as immigrants, missionaries and chefs or as Nazis fleeing the country after World War II according to Jose Lopez Gamen of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute in Cambridge Ma. It's a cake that's easily adapted to the norms of any country. The liquor can be be omitted in Muslim countries while Caribbean ones sub in the kirschwasser or cherry liquor with strong rums.

Many , including Bavarians and Swabians find the dessert passe and bakeries in the two provinces don't; even make it. Christopher Tan, author of the Singaporean cookbook  "The Way of Kuah" tried to find a slice in Ulm.He was told it was  too passe and they didn't;t make it. Famed chef and Food Times contributor Dori Greenspan gives a theory about why Black Forest Cake is not popular with older dessert lovers. She claims today's desserts are more sophisticated. They;re sparer and not over the top. Yet a whole new generation is discovering it and posting pictures of it all over Instagram.At the bakery Thistle and Leek in Newton, MA serves it as a roulade. At Swadesi,a new Indian inspired bakery in Chicago it's served in a jar.Its wonder Sujan Sarkar once believed it came from the Christians in Kolkats.Lebanese chef Karin Bourgis makes his version with vanilla ganache and dark chocolate cremeux,a chocolate version of creme anglaise. it can be made at home with a chocolate sponge and a homemade cherry compote laced with Kirsch and homemade whipped cream.

Black Forest Cake should be revered. It;s a delicious  dessert full of flavor. Make it today to find out it's tastiness.

Restaurants In Bloom

 What draws a dinner into a restaurant. Sometimes it's the great foodor the ambiance. Sometimes it's just the decor. A pretty eatery is bound to bring in not only hungry customers but ones hungry for its' aesthetics.

Regular contributer Priya Krishan wrote about this in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. It seems more and more places are also going for a romantic , floral look that compliments the theme of the restaurant. The man responsible is Carlos Franqui. Mr. Franqui is behind such designs gracing Bar Americana and the East Villags Bungalow. Decorating restaurants is a growing trends. Eateries in London,Paris Toronto and Lagos, Nigeria all features arches full of blooms ,both real and plastic. The trend is growing so fast Mr. Franqui has expanded to Miami where the restaurant scene is always thriving. Mr. Ranqui is so popular that  even the Chinese company that he buys his fake flowers from called him because they saw how much he was buying from them. His unspiration comes from his hometown of Fajarda Puerto Rico, on the island's most easternmost coast. He tries to recreate the lush fronds and flowers of the rainforest.

What goes into an arch? It starts with braided branches of real curly willow and wisteria from New York State.over these are layered foliage and flowers, with Mr. Franqui, bending twirling and fluffing them to create a natural look. Many love them , finding the fronds the most important aspect of a restaurant. Paloma Picasso who died at Baby Brasa in the Village said it was not the food but the flowers that drew her in.There are headaches associated with the decorating. Competition is strong amongst other florists. Julie Testa had to block Mr Franqui's company Floratorium because people were confusing his work with hers. Then there was the fire hazard that the boughs caused at Bar Americana in Greenpoint Brooklyn. Mr. Franqui's business partner, Steve Kammerer has also complained that the boughs are difficult to clean and become dusty.Yet many places want the decorative arrangements to emphasize their restaurants themes.

What draws people into a restaurant? Boughs of pretty flowers. They add to the atmosphere and bring about a great dining atmosphere.

The New Face of College Eating.

 It used to be that colleges had a one meal plan fit all ideology. Yet there are more and more students who don;t fit this. They could have nut allergies, be vegan or have religious restrictions. The meal plan has to change to fit the student body's needs.

Regular contributor and chef Priya Krishna wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times  Food section. Years ago many a handful of students were allergic to peanuts or couldn;t eat various baked goods. Now one in six students have dietary demands as opposed to the one in eight just a few years ago. Now students can have customized plans, thanks to campus dietticians creating different dishes and opening up allergen free cafes. The students should come first. Most meal plans cost  around $5,023 according to a 2022 report from the Department of ducation.  some schools such as Vanderbilt University has a cafe that bars te F.D.A;'s top nine allergens. another dinign hall is free of peanuts, tree nuts and gluten along with an app that lets students with allergies customize their meals.Other schools have made similar moves but there are some colleges that simply list their ingredients and offers bins of alternative choices like gluten free bread and dairy free yogurt.

There is always a debate about how far college dinign halls  shou;d go with accomodating their students. robert Nelsom, the chief executive of the National association for College and Universuty Food  Services said that some dining hall managers argue that it's better for affected students to learn to navigate a convential bufffet. After all they'll have to do it once they graduate and enter the workforce. This may make sense to some students who find their school's dining ha;; choices adqequate however there are many who do have serious problems. Yale senior Maria Bambrick  Santayo, a celiac disease sufferer only had six symptom free days where she didn't feel sick from eating. Students would mix up spoons whioch lead to cross contamination. A busy kitchen can't guarantee that bits of flour will also fall in gluten free dishes University of Virgnia graduate Erica Kem had all sorts of allergies , including beef, sesame  mustard and tomatoes. The school didnt address these unusual allergies. her parents had to make her meals. Luckily there is a board created by two Northwestern students. Kethan Bajaj and Julia Auerbach. Their  College advocates  For Food Allergy Awareness and Education. 

College dining halls are not what they  once were with simple meal plans. They are changing to fit students' needs and wants.  Doing this will make student life easier.

Computer Cooking?

AI has taken over much of our lives today.Yet can it take over our kitchen and our time honored recipes? Can  artificial intelligence give us the perfect Thanksgiving dinner? That's what both chefs and home chefs want to know.

Regular contributor  Priya Krishna along with AI tech writer Cade MIller for the NY TImes, explored the possiblities in yestrrday's New York Times Food section. This is a new branch of AI but it is making headway. These computer generated recipes do share many aspects with their handwritten counterparts. There is the list of ingredients, exact measurements , step by step instructions and even fabricated notes with personal touches. The best test of these, as food editors and chefs of all sorts know is Thanksgiving. Ms. Krishna, along with other New York Times Food writers, Melissa Clark, Genevieve Ko, Erik Kim and Yewande Komolafe decided to try out a technology known as GPT-3 to devise a holiday menu. GPT-3 is a neural system that's more adept at analyzing large amounts of data. it has created credible recipes in the past. In fact some can pass for human generated ones. in order to create recipes, Ms. Kirishna had to put in her background along with likes  like Italian and Thai food along with making not too sweet desserts.It also asked for what ingredients she often cooks with. she then added "Show me a Thanksgiving menu made for me."

How did the computer do?The first recipe was pumpkin spice chaat or bite sized snacks that can be used as appetizers. Ms. Kirishna was confused by the concept but impressed with the program's inventiveness. Minutes later she had a palusible menu. Along with the pumpkin spice chaat there were recipes for green beans with miso and sesame seeds, a turkey with a soy-ginger glaze and a naan based stuffing. She wanted a cranberry sauce that wasn't too sweet and a little spiced and she got one with those exact requirements.. There was also a pumpkin spice cake with orange cream frosting. How did it all work out? The personal notes about using the flavors of Ms Krishn'as childhood fot the turkey were a li. The naan stuffing required thirty-two components. The recipes were light on salt and fat.  Still there was hope - until they were tasted. The naan stuffing tasted like chana masala and fruitcake got into a bar fight, There was no butter or oil to moisten the bird and it came out incredibly dry and stringy,. It was also flavored with only one garlic clove. The chaat tasted like grassy mush. The cake looked like two pancakes sandwiched together with icing. Her felloow food writers were hard with their comments, with Ms Ko summing it up - "Food with no soul."

Should we rely on AI for our recipes? No, We need the human touch for delicious recipes and time honored dishes. It's this that makes meals especially holiday ones memorable and beloved.

Cooks And Non Cooks

These past few months have been challenging for home chefs and non chefs alike. It's been harder for the second. Don't fret. You're not alone. Many out there have issues with food from cooking to baking.

This was the subject of regular contributor Priya Krishna's piece in today's New York Times Food section. Cooking and baking do not come easy to many. Ms. Krishna interviewed several baptized by fire home chefs about their experiences (it was accompanied by clever drawing s from celebrated artist Jessica Olien). Some home cooks even have problems with frozen foods as did Melissa Hodges in College Station, Texas. She noticed her classmates at the Texas A&M University posting glossy pictures of spaghetti carbonara and citrus scones on Instagram. it inspired her.  She tried to heat a frozen pizza but forgot two vital things. She forgot to read the instructions and put it in some kind of pan. The dough fell through the cracks in her oven and the flavors? Think doughy and charred. She tried again with pasta and wound up with another mess.It crunched when she bit into it. Ms. Hodges is now resigned to eating breakfast cereal and other easy dishes. She could have chronicled her failures like another non-cook , Kyler Callahan of Seattle, Washington. The computer engineer cooked a chicken breast but incinerated it when he turned up the heat, when a meat thermometer declared the meat undercooked. This was the case also with Eric Philips who joking tweeted he alphabetically arranged his five spices.It did upset some home chefs.

Do cookbooks help? Many haven't been cracked open since they were given as wedding and shower gifts.This was the case with Kim Baldwin who works at the independent bookstore, Parnassus Books in Nashville. She also hasn't used the appliances she received for wedding gifts either. She has made curried lentils with the legumes from her pantry. It worked save for one problem - the lentils were eight years old. According to her they were "chewy and weird'. Then she tried making barbecued chicken with boneless chicken breasts and barbecue sauce. Everything was thrown into a slow cooker and turned basically into a soup. That convinced her husband to a steady diet of ramen. She did have a victory with lemon pie even though almost every ingredient had to be substituted due to shortages. Some of the simplest recipes like whipped daglona coffee, a popular drink made with just instant coffee, sugar, water and milk has been met with problems. Jennifer Tallman of Brooklyn tried it with an immesion blender , only to be bathed in it. Her shrimp and pasta also bombed.

Home chefs, don't despair. Stick with the simple and then work up to the more complicated dishes. Learning how to cook takes time. That's the secret ingredient.