Thursday, December 19, 2013

Special New Year's Eve Menu and New Year's Day Brunch at Metropole Cincinnati

Metropole, the acclaimed Cincinnati restaurant located in the 21c Museum Hotel (609 Walnut Street), is offering a special prix-fixe New Year's Eve Menu on Tuesday, December 31, beginning at 7:00pm. The menu includes four courses and an amuse-bouche, prepared by chef Michael Paley; tickets are $95 per person, and a Champagne toast will be included at midnight. Metropole will also be open for its regular a la carte menu prior to the New Year's Eve seating, from 5:30pm – 7:00pm. For additional information or to make a reservation, customers can call Metropole at 513.578.6660. Menu details enclosed below:

• Amuse Bouche: Yeasted ‘Everything’ Pancake: beets, charred pears, scallion & horseradish goat cheese
• First Course: Choose from: Mixed Lettuces: shaved radish, pecorino & red wine vinaigrette; Burnt Carrot Salad: avocado, pickled onion, feta & pumpkin seeds; Bone Marrow & Sweet Onion Tart: oxtail marmalade & foie gras mousse; Seared Octopus: fresh garbanzo, blood orange, fresno pepper & upland cress
• Pasta Course: Handmade Tortellini: chestnuts, amaretto, brown butter & sage
• Main Course: Choose from: Diver Scallops: cara cara orange, fennel, red cerignola olive & jalapeño; Charred Quinoa: pumpkin broth, pomegranate, scallion & a sesame cracker; Braised Lamb ‘Crepinette’: mustard jus, mache & kennebec ‘chips’; Muscovy Duck"breast & sausage, hazelnut, cannelloni beans, pickled black cabbage & roasted grapes; Grilled NY Strip Steak: charred maitake mushrooms, taleggio, tarragon & citronette
• Dessert: Choose from: Bittersweet Chocolate Budino: gingersnap & pear sorbet; Blood Orange Semifreddo: with pistachio & nougat

New Year's Day Brunch at Metropole will be available from 10:30am to 2:00pm on Wednesday, January 1, 2014. The menu will include several "Hangover" cocktails, and a full food menu. Cocktails will include:

• Grandma’s Elixir: Blood orange mimosa with a floater of Grand Marnier
• Hair of the Dog: House Bloody Mary with Finlandia, garlic, rosemary
• Release the Hounds: Metropole's take on a salty dog- gin, Stiegl grapefruit radler, grapefruit juice, lemongrass simple syrup, and a salted rim
• Garage Shandy: Bourbon, house ginger beer, OK pilsner

Friday, December 13, 2013

Cincinnati Restaurant Named Seventh Best in USA!

OpenTable announced their Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S. and, new this year, they have also named the top 10 ranked restaurants overall. Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza's fine-dining establishment, Orchids at Palm Court, has been recognized as the seventh best restaurant in the U.S. by OpenTable. The list of winners is derived from nearly five million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners for more than 19,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia as part of OpenTable's Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S. The 100 award-winning restaurants are selected based on feedback collected from OpenTable diners between December 2012 and November 2013.

"We are thrilled that Chef Todd Kelly and his team have received this well deserved endorsement from our guests through their connection with Open Table! We are very proud of Chef Kelly and all that he has accomplished at Orchids at Palm Court in particular and throughout the hotel's food and beverage and catering spaces," said Michel Sheer, managing director of Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. Chef Kelly added, "We are honored to be so highly regarded by our customers. Our placement in this list solidifies all of the hard work the staff puts forth."

"We congratulate the Top 100 Best Restaurants in America on achieving excellence in culinary creativity and hospitality," said Caroline Potter, OpenTable chief dining officer. "Their skill at delighting diners on every level has consistently earned them rave reviews and a well-deserved spot on this exclusive list."

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Boca Named OpenTable Top 100 Restaurant of 2013

Boca announced today that it has been named a winner of OpenTable Diners' Choice Awards for the Top 100 Best Restaurants in America. The list of winners is derived from more than 5 million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners for approximately 19,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

“We are honored by this acknowledgment from OpenTable diners,” chef/owner David Falk says. “It’s humbling and rewarding that diners enjoy their experience at Boca and it pushes us to do even better. We would also like to extend our congratulations to Chef Todd Kelly and his team at Orchids in Cincinnati for being awarded Top Ten!”

Based on feedback collected from OpenTable diners between December 2012 and November 2013, the 100 award-winning restaurants received the highest scores.

“We congratulate the Top 100 Best Restaurants in America on achieving excellence in culinary creativity and hospitality," Caroline Potter, OpenTable Chief Dining Officer says. "Their skill at delighting diners on every level has consistently earned them rave reviews and a well-deserved spot on this exclusive list.”

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Boca Pays Tribute to Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel with 20th Anniversary Celebration

On Friday, November 29, David Falk, the restaurateur and chef behind Boca Restaurant Group and Annette Pfund-De Cavel, organized a surprise dinner to celebrate the culinary lineage of Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel and his 20 years of service to Cincinnati's dining scene.

Falk assembled Jean-Robert’s former chefs, who are now accomplished culinarians in their own rights, to each create a dish for the seven-course menu honoring the patriarch of the former Maisonette restaurants. Highlights of the menu include Perona Farms Smoked Salmon with onion herb crème fraiche and caviar (David Falk); Crispy Sweetbreads with boulangere potatoes, snow peas, mushrooms and sherry sauce (Nate Appleman, Iron Chef, 2009 James Beard Foundation Award Rising Star Chef winner, and Food & Wine 2009 Best New Chef); and Roasted Domestic Venison with huckleberries, sweet potato puree, braised cabbage and sauce poivrade (Jeremy Lieb, Executive Chef of Boca). Additional chefs included Bridget Eagan Lieb, David Cook, Jim Cornwell, and Karen Crawford.

"It was an absolute honor to host such an amazing celebration and to show our appreciation for Chef Jean-Robert,” says David Falk. “As chefs, we wanted to bring to life his impact on the city and showcase how his mentorship shaped our own culinary styles and service standards today. To do the event at Boca, the former Maisonette space where we all studied under chef, brings things full circle for me. The dinner showcases how he has paved the way for generations of amazing chefs to come out of Cincinnati.”

The evening began with Jean-Robert’s closest friends and Cincinnati supporters at Boca who surprised him as he entered the restaurant. After the emotional arrival, the evening continued with Maisonette legends sharing memories of the iconic space as well as Mayor John Cranley proclaiming November 29 as Jean-Robert de Cavel Day in Cincinnati. Additional highlights included commemorative Jean-Robert bobble heads to benefit the The de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation, Cincinnati Symphony Conductor Louis Langrée presented symphony trumpeter Doug Lindsay to play the French National Anthem and a post-party in Sotto.

Friday, November 22, 2013

'Tis the season to keep gifts local and yummy

Are you looking for a unique, healthy and local gift for friends and family this holiday season? Look no further! Green BEAN Delivery brings organic produce and all-natural foods—primarily sourced from local and regional farmers and artisans—directly to Cincinnati homes. The company's network of farmers and artisans—and year round service—gives members a healthy alternative to conventional grocery stores.

All members have to do to get started is go to the website and create an online order, which consists of the produce bin size of their choice, and delivery frequency (weekly or biweekly). Each bin is 100 percent customizable, and members can even add local dairy, meats, bread and other grocery products. More than 400 products are available each week; all of which are all-natural and free of additives and preservatives.

To purchase a gift certificate, current members should visit www.greenbeandelivery.com. Non-members can email or call customer service at info@greenbeanohio.com or (513) 761-2326. A delivery of fresh produce could be exactly what changes someone’s 2014!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Local Bakery to Provide Homemade Cakes for Honeybaked Ham

Is  baking  no  longer  an  option  with  your  busy  schedule?  Visit  your   local  HoneyBaked  Ham  store  this  holiday  season  and  experience NanCakes'   homemade  carrot  cake!  Made  by  the  best,  from  our  kitchen  to  yours.      

NanCakes  is  expanding  into  Honey  Baked  Stores  around  Ohio  and  in  Kentucky,   including  cities;  Dayton,  Cincinnati,  Lexington,  and Louisville.  

"All  of  us  at  NanCakes  are   thrilled  to  be  selected  by   The  Honeybaked  Ham   Company  to  supply  their   customers  with  holiday   carrot  cakes.  The  credibility   and  impressive  track   record  of  The  Honeybaked   Ham  Company  will  further   establish  NanCakes  as  a   strong  supplier  of  high   quality  desserts  in  the   region.  We  appreciate  the   opportunity,  and  look   forward  to  a  long  mutually   beneficial  relationship."    NanCakes  employs  professionals  who  focus  on  producing  only  the  highest  quality,   best  tasting  NanCakes,  in a  variety  of  flavors  and  sizes.  The  signature  style  of   NanCakes  come  in  individual  mini-­‐bunt  cakes,  however,  they  also  are available  in   several  one-­‐layer  size  cakes.    

NanCakes  can  be  found  at  the  Nordstrom  eBar,  Remke  Markets,  Essencha  Tea   House,  ‘Wich  on  Sycamore  in  Downtown  Cincinnati,  private  and  corporate  functions,   Madison’s  at  Findlay  Market,  Daveed's  Next  Restaurant  and  at  Nancakes.com.  Their   list  of  corporate  clients  includes  Procter  &  Gamble,  Fifth  Third  Bank,  The  Great   American  Tower,  ProScan  Imaging,  Cincinnati  Children’s  Hospital  Kindervelt,   YogaHome  –  Cincinnati,  private  country  clubs  and  many  more.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Wendy’s New Menu Item - Bacon Portabella Melt on Brioche

Wendy’s is at it again with bun innovation – and this time it might leave you tongue-tied. Wendy’s® is bringing back its Bacon Portabella Melt and serving it on a toasted brioche bun, making Wendy’s Bacon Portabella Melt on Brioche (bree-ōhsh) as mouthwatering in flavor as it is tongue-twisting in name.

“We’ve made our Bacon Portabella Melt even more irresistible with a new brioche bun –the kind you’d expect a French chef to make—but at a quick-service price and convenience,” said Craig Bahner, Wendy’s chief marketing officer. “We know our new Bacon Portabella Melt on Brioche may be a mouthful to say. But no matter how you say Brioche or Portabella – we’ll gladly serve it to you.”

Starting with ¼ lb. fresh North American beef patty*, each Wendy’s Bacon Portabella Melt on Brioche is loaded with irresistible flavor, including sautéed portabella mushrooms in creamy cheddar cheese sauce, thick-cut Applewood Smoked Bacon cooked fresh in every restaurant and two slices of American cheese. And the piece de resistance – a soft, buttery, French-style brioche bun made with real eggs and real butter and toasted to order.

The brioche bun is the latest in Wendy’s bread innovation line-up. From the multi-grain flatbread introduced in the spring to the wildly popular authentic pretzel bun, the new brioche is the third premium bread introduced by Wendy’s this year.

Beginning November 11th
The Bacon Portabella Melt on Brioche is rolling out to all U.S. Wendy’s restaurants beginning Nov. 11th. It’s available for a limited time -- until late December. Recommended price is $4.79 (prices will vary by market).

Goodbye, Pretzel. It’s Time to Start Seeing Other Buns.
Consumers’ summer love affair with Wendy’s pretzel bun offerings extended into the fall, but now it’s time to say goodbye to make room for other buns. Wendy’s pretzel bun is leaving restaurants this month as supplies end. While this may go down as one of the toughest break-ups in the history of quick-service restaurants, consumers must soon set their love of Wendy’s pub-inspired pretzel offerings free. Perhaps absence will make the heart grow fonder…

“We don’t want to bring heartache to our loyal pretzel fans, but we’re standing by our original commitment to serve our pretzel offerings for a limited time,” Bahner said. “With the departure of the pretzel bun comes the introduction of other innovative breads paired with unique flavors we believe our customers will love.”

Monday, November 4, 2013

New Cookbook, TLC Kitchen: 150 Timeless Recipes From Our Family To Yours, Launches Today

Discovery Communications, the world’s number-one nonfiction media company, and Parragon, Inc., a leading publisher with over 100 million cookbooks sold globally over the last four years, today announced the publication of TLC Kitchen: 150 Timeless Recipes From Our Family To Yours. The cookbook serves up delicious, easy-to-make recipes from a variety of chefs, featuring contributions from stars of TLC’s most popular series.

The 256-page hardcover book (SRP $19.99) is available at a variety of retailers including Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and TLCStore.com. Featured TLC personalities include Buddy Valastro (Cake Boss), June “Mama June” Shannon (Here Comes Honey Boo Boo), Jen Arnold and Bill Klein (The Little Couple), Randy Fenoli (Say Yes to the Dress), Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne (DC Cupcakes), and Marisa Lopez (Next Great Baker).

The cookbook and corresponding e-book feature recipes for every taste, from breakfast and brunch to family dinners and desserts. Each includes serving sizes, prep time and helpful hints. Full-color photos are paired with each recipe, and many recipes feature step-by-step visual instructions.

The e-book edition allows users to take recipes with them anywhere they go. The TLC Kitchen: 150 Timeless Recipes From Our Family To Yours e-book version is available from iBooks, Nook and Kobo.

“This cookbook is our way of inviting fans and families to bring a taste of TLC into their own kitchens, and the familiar faces that contributed recipes to this cookbook know that good food can bring families closer together,” said Elizabeth Bakacs, Vice President of TLC Licensing. “Through this partnership with Parragon, we look forward to expanding your recipe collection to include TLC’s family favorites.”

“We are happy to have partnered with TLC for this exciting collaboration. TLC’s extraordinary roster of talent is already a familiar group in living rooms across America and we hope to extend that relationship into the kitchen with this fantastic new title that offers delicious recipes with simple, clear instructions and stunning photography! There really is a recipe for everyone,” offered Venetia Davie VP New Business Development, Parragon.

OEFFA’s free public farm tour series will conclude this weekend in Hamilton County with a tour of Turner Farm

Turner Farm is a 160 acre farm located in suburban Cincinnati. They raise about six acres of certified organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers, with production in high tunnels, cold frames, and under row cover year round. Draft horses are used for much of the field work. They also raise pastured hogs, lamb, and poultry and offer educational programs for schools and the public. Products are marketed through the Madeira Farmers' Market, restaurants, a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, and on-farm sales.

In response to growing consumer demand and market opportunities for winter produce, the farm is working to expand fall and winter production of vegetables including lettuce, arugula, carrots, parsnips, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower. Join the farm's education director, Melinda O'Briant, and garden manager, Megan Gambrill, to learn about the advantages of cold weather vegetable production and see what can be grown in Ohio during the fall and winter.

This tour is part of the 2013 Ohio Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series featuring free public tours of some of Ohio’s finest sustainable and organic farms. Seventeen tours and workshops, held between June and November, are being sponsored by OEFFA. The series is promoted in cooperation with the Ohio State University Sustainable Agriculture Team and the Coalition of Ohio Land Trusts, who are sponsoring additional tours.

Directions: Turner Farm is located at 7400 Given Rd., Cincinnati, OH.
From I-275 E, take Exit 52 toward Loveland and Indian Hill. Turn right on Loveland Madeira Rd. Turn left on Spooky Hollow Rd. Take the first right to stay on Spooky Hollow Rd. Turn right on Given Rd. Turner Farm is on the left.

From 1-71 S, take Exit 12 for Montgomery Rd. Turn left on Montgomery Rd. Turn right on E. Galbraith Rd. Galbraith Rd. becomes Kugler Mill Rd. Turn right on Given Rd. Turner Farm is on the left. (NOTE: These directions were incorrect in the print and .pdf versions of the farm tour brochure. Please use these corrected directions instead.)

More Information: For more information about Turner Farm, go to www.turnerfarm.org, call (513) 561-7400, or email turnerfarm@zoomtown.com.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Halloween Treat at IHOP

WHAT: Participating IHOP® restaurants are offering children a safe place to spend Halloween this year by offering children 12 and under a free Scary Face Pancake on October 31 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m- and that’s no trick! The “design-your-own” Scary Face Pancake includes an oversized signature buttermilk pancake with a whipped topping mouth and strawberry nose, served with two mini OREO® cookies and candy corn on the side to allow kids to create their own Halloween hotcake.

WHY: As part of IHOP’s ongoing efforts to give back to the communities in which it operates, IHOP wants to provide a safe and fun environment for trick-or-treaters, along with their family and friends, this Halloween.

WHEN: Thursday, October 31, 2013, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.

WHERE: Participating IHOP restaurants in the Greater Cincinnati.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Dunkin' Dounuts Bakery Series and Seasonal Coffees

Spice up fall and warm up winter with Dunkin’ Donuts® seasonal coffee flavors. Enjoy a steamy mug of delicious Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, now available in three seasonal varieties. Kick your day up a notch with the autumn flavors of Pumpkin Spice, satisfy your taste for chocolate with the flavor of Mocha Mint and new for this year, enjoy the fresh baked flavor of warm Apple Pie – in a cup!

Seasons change quickly, so just like playing in the leaves, making snowmen and that annual ugly sweater party, you’ll want to enjoy these flavors while you can.

Also Enjoy Dunkin’ Donuts Bakery Series™ offerings like Chocolate Glazed Donut, Blueberry Muffin, Jelly Donut, Old Fashioned Donut and Caramel Coffee Cake. Whether a mid-morning treat or an afternoon pick-me-up, each variety of new Dunkin Donuts Bakery Series coffee offers the delicious taste you love, with bakery flavor dunked in – pastry not included!

Available in a 11oz size bag, seasonal flavors include:
• Dunkin’ Donuts Apple Pie Flavored Coffee
• Dunkin’ Donuts Pumpkin Spice Flavored Coffee
• Dunkin’ Donuts Mocha Mint Flavored Coffee

Bakery Series includes:
• Dunkin’ Donuts Blueberry Muffin Flavored Coffee
• Dunkin’ Donuts Caramel Coffee Cake Flavored Coffee
• Dunkin’ Donuts Chocolate Glazed Donut Flavored Coffee
• Dunkin’ Donuts Jelly Donut Flavored Coffee
• Dunkin’ Donuts Old Fashioned Donut Flavored Coffee

Available at grocery stores nationwide

Visit www.dunkinathome.com for more information.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Metropole Restaurant and Chef Michael Paley to Host No Kid Hungry Cincinnati Dinner

On Sunday, October 27, executive chef Michael Paley, of Cincinnati’s acclaimed Metropole restaurant (609 Walnut Street), will host several special guest chefs for an evening benefitting the work of Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry.

Paley and chef Sarah Ray from Metropole will be joined by an all-star line-up of Cincinnati’s finest chefs, including Jean Robert de Cavel of JR Table, Julie Francis of Nectar, Jose Salazar of Salazar, and Dan Wright of Senate and Abigail Street, to serve a multi-course dinner with beverage pairings at Metropole. 100% of the evening's proceeds after expenses will go to Share Our Strength, supporting the fight against childhood hunger.

With a cocktail reception beginning at 6:00 p.m. and the multi-course seated dinner beginning at 7:00 p.m., this is going to be an evening diners won't soon forget. Rounding out the night will be a live auction hosted by celebrity auctioneer Billy Harris. Tickets are $150 per person and include beverage pairings and gratuity. Ticket availability is limited and can be purchased at http://ce.strength.org/events/no-kid-hungry-cincinnati-dinner.

Share our Strength is a national non-profit dedicated to ensuring that every child gets the healthy food they need every day, and to educating families in the process through the No Kid Hungry campaign. Since 2005, No Kid Hungry dinners have raised nearly $7 million to support the No Kid Hungry campaign, ensuring that kids across the U.S. have access to the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Alton Brown Launches First National Tour

Alton Brown, renowned foodist and television personality, today announced details for his first national tour visiting more than 40 cities through 2014. Currently hosting Food Network’s hit game show Cutthroat Kitchen, Brown will hit the road with “Alton Brown Live! The Edible Inevitable Tour,” kicking off in Palm Desert October 18, 2013. Each show features stand-up comedy, talk show antics, a multimedia lecture, live music (he sings!) and "extreme" food experimentation. An interactive component invites select audience members on stage to serve as Brown’s trusted assistants; ponchos will be provided for fans in the first few rows.

"This is a must-see extravaganza for the whole family,” says Brown. “I've been cultivating material for this show for about a decade, so it'll feel pretty darned good to finally get it out of my head and onto a stage. We've come up with some pretty amazing food demonstrations and multi-media segments” he says, “However, I'm a bit nervous about the singing parts.”

Brown, an author of seven books, has served as the culinary commentator of Iron Chef America for 11 seasons, and host of The Next Iron Chef for five. He also joined Food Network Star in 2012, currently appearing in the show’s ninth season. Brown wrote, produced and hosted the Peabody Award-winning series Good Eats for 13 years on Food Network, which can still be seen on the Cooking Channel.

For those craving to taste the pure source of Brownian wit and wisdom, visit www.altonbrowntour.com for ticketing information and additional details about the show.

Dates closest to Cincinnati include:

11/2/13 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
11/3/13 Midland, MI Midland Center for the Arts
11/5/13 Akron, OH E.J. Thomas Hall
11/6/13 Louisville, KY The Kentucky Center
11/7/13 Nashville, TN TPAC: Jackson Hall
11/8/13 Columbus, OH Palace Theatre

FDA Food Safety Rules Threaten to Crush the Good Food Movement

After years of deliberation in Congress, interagency meetings, lobbyist activity, and a never-ending stream of food poisoning outbreaks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is finally poised to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

However, according to a just released white paper by The Cornucopia Institute, the FDA’s draft rules are so off the mark that they might economically crush the country’s safest farmers while ignoring the root threats to human health: manure contaminated with deadly infectious pathogens generated on “factory” livestock farms and high-risk produce-processing practices.

“In response to deadly outbreaks involving spinach, peanut butter and eggs, Congress acted decisively three years ago to pass the Food Safety Modernization Act,” said Mark A. Kastel, Codirector at The Cornucopia Institute, a farm policy research group based in Wisconsin. “Better oversight is needed but it looks like regulators and corporate agribusiness lobbyists are simultaneously using the FSMA to crush competition from the organic and local farming movement.”

Cornucopia’s report closely examines the FDA’s draft regulations for implementing the new food safety law, and a new FDA guidance designed to control Salmonella in eggs produced by outdoor flocks. The report concludes that the new proposals would ensnare some of the country’s safest family farmers in costly and burdensome regulations in a misdirected attempt to rein in abuses that are mostly emanating from industrial-scale farms and giant agribusiness food-processing facilities.

Family farm advocates, and groups representing consumers interested in high-quality food, thought they had won a victory when the Tester/Hagan amendment was adopted by Congress exempting farmers doing less than $500,000 in business from the new rules. But Cornucopia’s report suggests the FDA seems more interested in a “one-size-fits-all” approach to food safety regulation.

In reality, the report suggests that small farms are not really exempt. The FDA is proposing that the agency can, without any due process, almost immediately force small farms to comply with the same expensive testing and record-keeping requirements as factory farms.

“In practical terms,” explains Judith McGeary, a member of The Cornucopia Institute’s policy advisory panel and Executive Director of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, “the FDA will be able to target small farms one-by-one and put them out of business, with little to no recourse for the farmers.”

The FDA's economic analysis also shows that farms over $500,000 (still small in the produce industry) will be significantly impacted with some being driven out of business.

“The added expense and record-keeping time will potentially force many small and medium-sized local farms — owner-operated, selling at farmers markets directly to consumers or to local grocers and natural food co-ops — out of business,” Kastel added.

The Cornucopia Institute is encouraging concerned farmers and consumers to visit its website and download a proxy letter to be sent to the FDA encouraging the agency to reconsider some of the key deficiencies in the proposed regulations.

The Institute’s analysis points out that the FDA has wildly inflated the number of foodborne illnesses that originate from farm production (seed to harvest rather than contamination that occurs later in processing and distribution).

It also alleges that the FDA has failed to recognize that specific processed crops such as fresh-cut, or produce grown in certain regions are the genesis of 90% of dangerous outbreaks in fruits and vegetables. In addition to imports from countries like Mexico, where the most recent Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak originated, the evidence indicates that fresh-cut bagged/boxed salad mix and greens, other pre-cut vegetables and sprouts are much more prone to contamination.

“The proposed rule is a mess,” said Daniel Cohen, owner of Maccabee Seed Company, a longtime industry observer. “The FDA has much greater expertise on food safety issues from harvest to the consumer, but focused instead on farming issues from planting to harvest. Limited, modest, and more focused steps to improve on-farm food-safety could have produced simple, affordable, effective, and enforceable regulation.”

According to Cornucopia, the most important lost opportunity in the collaborative process between Congress, the FDA and the USDA is the lack of attention directed at the giant concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs (factory farms) raising livestock. The massive amount of manure stored at these factory farms is commonly tainted by highly infectious bacteria that have been polluting America’s air, water and farmlands.

“Federal regulators propose nothing to address sick livestock in animal factories and their pathogen-laden manure that is contaminating surrounding rural communities, nearby produce farms and our food supply,” Kastel lamented.

No More Organic Eggs?

The 2010 salmonella outbreak in eggs, centered in Iowa, shone a spotlight on industrial-scale egg houses confining thousands of hens in filthy and dangerous conditions.

The salmonella outbreak led to comprehensive regulation and new guidance for organic farmers. Organic farmers are required by federal law to provide outdoor access to their hens and the new FDA guidance, according to Cornucopia, materially undermines this management practice. And they are doing this despite scientific evidence tying higher rates of pathogenetic contamination to older, massive factory farms with cages and forced molting (practices banned in organics) rather than raising birds outside.

“Their new guidance, on one hand, will make it difficult, expensive and maybe even impossible to have medium-sized flocks of birds outside,” Kastel stated. “At the same time, the FDA has colluded with the USDA’s National Organic Program to say that tiny ‘porches’, which hold only a minute fraction of the flock, will now legally constitute ‘outdoor access.’ This is a giveaway to conventional egg companies that are confining as many as 100,000 birds in a building and calling these ‘organic.’”

The Cornucopia Institute has publicly stated that they are investigating legal action against regulators if enforcement action is not taken, under the Organic Foods Production Act, against the large industrial operations confining laying hens and broilers indoors.

The issue of food safety in Washington has been a contentious one, causing rifts even between nonprofits representing the interest of consumers and family farm organizations that have been historically aligned in support of organic and local food. Some consumer advocates pressed for no exemptions, even as farm policy experts have supplied evidence indicating smaller, family-operated farms are inherently safer.

“Only an idiot would not be concerned with food safety,” said Tom Willey, a Madera, California, organic vegetable producer and longtime organic advocate.

Added Willey: “The antibiotic resistant and increasingly virulent organisms contaminating produce, from time to time, are mutant creatures introduced into the larger environment from confined industrial animal operations across the American countryside. The FDA’s misguided approach could derail achievements in biological agriculture and a greater promise of food made safe through respect for and cooperation with the microbial community which owns and operates this planet upon which we are merely guests”

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Cincinnati's BOCA Makes OpenTable Top 100 Fit For Foodies List

OpenTable revealed the 2013 Diners’ Choice Award winners for the Top 100 Fit for Foodies Restaurants in the country today, and one restaurant in Cincinnati made the list: BOCA is a restaurant that offers a one-of-a-kind dining experience that combines world-class cuisine with gracious service.

Many OpenTable diners consider themselves to be foodies; they appreciate unique and often adventurous dining experiences. The Diner’s Choice winners here are based on the opinions of more than 5 million verified diner reviews for more than 15,000 restaurants across the country. All restaurants on this list were scored and sorted according to the percentage of qualifying reviews for which “fit for foodies” was selected as a special feature.

The Environmental Promise of Open Ocean Fish Farms

The Environmental Promise of Open Ocean Fish Farms:

Innovative submersible fish pens and new developments in fish food may change the way "fish farming" is conducted throughout the world. Sustainable aquaculture is possible, say some innovative practitioners -- and open ocean fish farms may be the solution to a whole range of environmental problems.

These are not the crowded, close-to-shore pens where fish are trapped like caged chickens, requiring doses of antibiotics that leak, along with the concentrated wastes, into surrounding waters. They are submersible net pens, more than 150 feet apart, where ocean currents disperse waste, and fish swim and live in the closest possible approximation to their natural habitat. In a word: free-range fish.

And the food the fish can be fed -- developed from soy and microalgae instead of feeder fish like the Peruvian anchovy that underwent a major collapse in the 1970s -- has potential for removing fish altogether from the meal equation.

The Problem with Commercial Fishing:

The majority of commercial fishing operations today rely not on fish farming at all but on trawling for their catches -- dragging a massive net, up to a football field in length along the sea floor or midway between the floor and surface. Not only do these nets sweep up desired species such as pollock, cod, flounder and shrimp, but a significant amount of unsought species --known as bycatch -- that die but then get thrown back as waste. Greenpeace International reports that bycatch -- which can include whales, dolphins, sharks, porpoises and turtles -- could comprise anywhere from 8% to 25% of global catches,

These destructive operations, along with pollution, ocean acidification and global warming, have sent wild fish on a dangerous downward spiral, with no signs of recovery. Predator fish -- including sharks, swordfish and cod -- are already 90% gone. The U.N. reported in 2010 that 30% of the world's fish stocks were similarly wiped out and said that, if current fishing rates continue, the world's oceans could be fishless by 2050.

But conventional, large-scale fish farming operations -- particularly those on shorelines where fish and their waste are confined -- come with serious environmental concerns, too, largely for concentrating pollution in coastal waters. Also, when farmed fish escape they can quickly upset the ecological balance, such as happened with the blue tilapia, which is now a major threat to freshwater species in the southern Gulf States. Its population explosion has led to mussel declines and tends to wipe out vegetation and all other fish in streams where it becomes established. Farmed salmon, too, have for years escaped their pens in British Columbia and Washington State, finding their way to Alaska in recent years and presenting a concern that they'll begin to push out the native Pacific salmon.

New Approaches:

The answer may lie in fish farming using a submersible fish pen called the Aquapod by Ocean Farm Technologies. It can be lowered into deep water hundreds of feet from shore, below the wave action, allowing fish to live in their natural habitat and providing a means for fish waste to disperse naturally. Fish are fed by a barge boat that pumps a mixture of food and water from hoses into the cages.

The technology is continually evolving to incorporate more automation, allowing for faster cleaning and servicing and enabling them to be pulled by a cable and boat.

In Hawaii, Neil Sims ran a company that was putting the Aquapods to use growing kampachi -- sashimi-grade yellowtail. After a trial-and-error period with various species he found that farming kampachi in the Aquapod is as straightforward as sheep farming. The fish thrive in the enclosures and take readily to food pellets that are being increasingly developed with minimal fish meal.

The hope of sustainable aquaculture advocates, including Sims, as well as Robert Orr, whose Cuna del Mar firm supports Ocean Farm, is that these submersible pens will present a new vision of 21st century farming -- raising fish in a way that leaves minimal impact or even enhances the natural marine environment while allowing wild fish stocks to recover.

But the U.S. is not poised to launch a new sustainable aquaculture industry using submersible net pens. According to Michael Rubino, director of the Aquaculture Office at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there have been "10 years worth of legislative proposals in Congress trying to do it" under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which governs catch limits, requires the government to work with regional councils on upholding environmental standards and authorizes councils to establish zones to protect corals. A regulatory framework for deepwater fish farms will have to be incorporated into this act, and it's something that the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is working on.

Feeding a Growing, Hungry World:

The world's population will grow to nine billion people by 2050, with an appetite to match. Even just to maintain today's level of fish consumption will require another 23 million tons of farmed fish by 2020, according to the Worldwatch Institute. By 2030, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says we'll need an additional 40 million tons. In 2011, a record 154 million tons of fish were raised and caught -- by 2020, 60% of the world's fish is expected to come from aquaculture.

People in the U.S. like to eat seafood, but the country produces very little of it. Ninety percent of seafood eaten in the U.S. is imported, Rubino says, and about half of that is farm-raised. Shellfish make up 80% of what fish farming there is in the U.S. The other big industry is salmon farming with operations in Maine and Washington State, although aquaculture in some form can be found in all 50 states, including catfish farms in Mississippi and trout farms in Idaho.

"Seafood is by far the most efficient protein to grow but you've got to be able to do that in a way that honors the rest of the environment," says Orr. "Doctors and nutritionists are asking us to eat more seafood," agrees Rubino. "And where's that going to come from?"

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Orchids at Palm Court Awarded Four Stars From Forbes Travel Guide

Orchids at Palm Court has been honored with a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Rating, further establishing it as one of the world's premier restaurants with truly exceptional cuisine and service. Orchids at Palm Court is the only restaurant in Cincinnati, and only one of two in Ohio, to have a star rating.

Orchids at Palm Court, located in Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, features modern American food using French technique created by director of food & beverage and Executive Chef Todd Kelly. The menu is updated weekly based on the availability of the freshest ingredients, using local and organic products whenever possible, including the hotel's rooftop beehive and herb garden and Chef Kelly's local farm.

"We are extremely excited about receiving this award from such a prestigious and reputable international reviewing organization," said Chef Kelly. "We are continually striving to find new ways to exceed our customers expectations. This award truly quantifies all of the work we execute on a daily basis."

"Our goal is to recognize the hotels, restaurants and spas that are committed to delivering the finest guest experiences worldwide," said Michael Cascone, president of Forbes Travel Guide. "These properties focus on serving the consumer, and that's our primary mission as well. We're proud to be associated with the new additions to our global list."

Forbes Travel Guide has defined the standard of excellence in hotel, restaurant and spa experiences since 1958. The rigorous rating process begins with a facility inspection that considers every aspect of the property, including its overall cleanliness, condition and location. To achieve Forbes Travel Guide Four and Five Star status, properties must meet or exceed the bar-setting service standards, which are determined through an unannounced, undercover service evaluation conducted by Forbes Travel Guide's expert inspectors.

Orchids at Palm Court has also been awarded AAA Four-Diamond award for the seventh consecutive year. Chef Kelly is an American Culinary Federation "USA Chef of the Year" and Pastry Chef Megan Ketover was a "chef'testant" on Bravo's most recent season of Top Chef Just Desserts. Orchids has also been awarded #1 restaurant in the city by Zagat for the third consecutive year, one of the top 100 restaurants in the USA by OpenTable for the third consecutive year and Cincinnati Magazine #1 restaurant in Cincinnati for five consecutive years (2009-2013).

Monday, September 9, 2013

They're Back, Fall and Holiday Creations Cooking Classes at MCI

Saturday, September 28: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Crepes and Breakfast Pastries
Andrew Johnston, Corporate Chef
Don't let the holidays start crepe-ing up on you! Start early in perfecting your sweet and savory crepe creations. Learn a few quick and easy holiday breakfast pastry recipes that will put a smile on the face of even the biggest early morning scrooges.
Beginners, $65

Friday, October 4: 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Entertaining with an Autumnal Buffet
Marilyn Harris, author/host of WKRC's "Cooking with Marilyn"
Celebrate the season with a casual dinner party featuring foods we love to serve in autumn. This delicious menu takes you from appetizer to a yummy fall desert. Marilyn Harris believes that the hosts should enjoy the party as much as the guests and gives you recipes that are not difficult and can be prepared ahead. This will be a hands-on cooking experience with personal instructions and interaction with your fellow students. Wine included.
Intermediate, $75

Thursday, October 10: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Back to Basics - Sharpen Your Knife Skills
Sean Kagy, Executive Chef, MCI's Summit Restaurant
Slice and dice your way through the evening as Chef Sean Kagy takes a break from breaking in new culinary students and turns his attention to you. Learn how to maintain a sharp edge in the kitchen. This class is for novices to home professionals.
Teen or Adult Beginners and up, $65

Friday, October 11: 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Gluten-free Dinner Part
Jaime Carmody, Certified Personal Executive Chef, Out of Thyme, Ltd.
Eating for a healthier lifestyle does not have to be boring. This menu includes Chicken & Prosciutto Skewers with Basil Vinaigrette, Tuscan Tomato Salad with Feta Quinoa Cakes with Swiss & Herbs Polenta Fries, and S'Mores Bars. Bon appétit indeed!
All skill levels, $65

Wednesday, October 16: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Weeknight Meal Brian Whisman, Division Chef Coordinator, Kroger
Quick and easy weeknight recipes and shopping tips for people with busy schedules. Yes, you can have home cooked meals every night of the week!
Beginners, $65

Thursday, October 24: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Fishin' at Home
Sean Kagy, Executive Chef, MCI's Summit Restaurant
Take the mystery out of your seafood and prepare perfect fish at home every time! Chef Kagy will put your knife skills to work as he gives you helpful tips for preparing beautifully fresh seafood. Whether it's roasting, frying or steaming, Chef Kagy will teach you how to prepare, cook and present the perfect fish dish!
Beginners/Intermediate, $75

Saturday, October 26: 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Freakishly Good Fruits and Vegetables for Kids and Teens (ages 10 and up)
Jasmine Rose Lensing, Executive Chef, Summit Country Day School
Healthy eating habits should start early in life! Using seasonal vegetables and fruits we will create healthy, delicious snacks and entrees that kids will love and have lots of fun preparing! As a bonus, Jasmine will present Healthy Halloween dishes you can create with your very own pumpkin. (Parents are welcome but not required to stay)
Beginners, $55

Friday, November 15: 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fundamentals of Pairing Food and Wine
Laura Landoll, Level III Sommelier, Grand Cru Wines & Sean Kagy, Executive Chef, MCI's Summit Restaurant This class will feature six tasting courses served and paired with assorted wines to evaluate how various components, flavors and textures can result in a match made in heaven...or elsewhere. Never be intimidated by a wine list again!
Intermediate, $85

Wednesday, November 20: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Sides
Brian Whisman, Division Chef Coordinator, Kroger
Let Chef Brian do some of the work for you this year with new twists on holiday classics.
All skill levels, $65

Thursday, November 21: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
What Starts Well Ends Well
Sean Kagy, Executive Chef, MCI's Summit Restaurant
Whether hosting a dinner party or a quiet dinner for two, great appetizers and desserts make the evening memorable! The Summit was voted by Open Table voters as the restaurant most "fit for foodies" come see why!
Intermediate, $55

Thursday, December 5: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Easy but Elegant Holiday Entertaining
Marilyn Harris, author/host of WKRC's "Cooking with Marilyn"
Have fun making some of Marilyn's favorite recipes for the holiday season. This class features dishes to include in your holiday menus that are tasty and seasonal without demanding too much time. This will be a hands-on cooking experience after which you will enjoy tasting your culinary efforts accompanied by wine.
Intermediate/Advanced, $85

Friday, December 6: 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
The Pig and the Piedmont
Laura Landoll, Level III Sommelier, Grand Cru Wines
Advanced Sommelier Laura Landoll will discuss a bit of history and geography of the Piedmonte region of Italy, then explore the white and red varietals that pair so well with pork and have wine critics buzzing. The class includes appetizers from the Summit Restaurant.
All skill levels, $65

Wednesday, December 11: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Appetizers for the Holidays
Brian Whisman, Division Chef Coordinator, Kroger
Join Chef Brian for an assortment of hors d' oeuvres perfect for starting any holiday party. As always, Chef Brian will have make ahead and shopping tips.
Beginners, $65

All classes include time to enjoy your culinary creations and recipes to take home. Some, not all, include wine.

Space is limited to 16 for most classes.

Register early Call: (513) 569-5800

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Orchids to participate in James Beard Foundation's Taste AmericaLocal Dish Challenge

WHAT:
Orchids at Palm Court has joined more than 100 other restaurants in the James Beard Foundation's (JBF) Taste America® Local Dish Challenge. Foodies nationwide can show their local pride by participating in this social media-driven competition.

WHO:
Chef Todd Kelly has chosen to feature Compressed Watermelon Salad to showcase the best of the local food scene in Cincinnati, from September 1 through October 31, 2013. Orchids at Palm Court will donate $1 from each dish sold to the JBF Taste America® Education Drive, which supports JBF's educational programs on topics surrounding our country's food system. These programs include the annual JBF Food Conference, JBF Leadership Awards , and new Chefs Boot Camp for Policy & Change.

FOR CHARITY:
When the promotion concludes on October 31, 2013, the city with the most Instagram photo uploads will be declared the winner and receive a donation from JBF in the amount of $10,000 or 10% of the proceeds raised nationally, whichever is higher, will be awarded to the city's selected charity. Cincinnati's charity is Freestore Foodbank COOKS! Program.

HOW:
Diners can support the JBF Taste America® Local Dish Challenge by following the below steps:
Visit a participating restaurant between September 1 and October 31.
Complete list at jbftasteamerica.org/local-dish
Order the Taste America Local Dish
Take a photo of the dish
Post to Instagram with #JBFTasteamerica and the hashtag of your city.
Example: "Just had this savory #jbftasteamerica dish from @orchids_at_palm featuring delicious local produce in #Cincinnati" Dine often and help the Freestore Foodbank COOKS! Program in Cincinnati win up to $10,000

For more information on James Beard Foundation's Taste America®: "Local Flavor from Coast to Coast," please visit www.jbftastamericaorg.

Compressed Watermelon Salad WHERE: Orchids at Palm Court Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza 35 West Fifth Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-421-9100 www.orchidsatpalmcourt.com

Moonshine University presents full-day Moonshine Enthusiast workshop on Oct. 18

On Friday, Oct. 18, Moonshine University at Distilled Spirits Epicenter will offer a full day Moonshine Enthusiast class that will explore the infamous spirit, from its history in the hills to its modern, legal incarnation. The hands-on workshop includes a cooking and fermentation demonstration, participation in the distilling process and a sensory evaluation. A continental breakfast and lunch will be served. The class takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and costs $395 per person. Moonshine University is located at 801 S. 8th St. Louisville. To register, call (502) 301-8126 or email registrar@moonshineuniversity.com

Throughout the day, attendees will learn about key terms used in making moonshine; the different types of stills; and the production process. Participants will not only enjoy a lesson on the history of moonshine culture, but will also get hands-on experience in the cooking/fermentation and distillation processes in the Grease Monkey Distillery. The nuances of corn shine, sugar shine and mixed grain liquors will be revealed through a sensory evaluation, and participants will also learn the difference between wild fermentation and pitched fermentation.

Those with entrepreneurial goals in the distilled spirits industry can build on the Moonshine Enthusiast class by signing up for Moonshine University’s 5-Day Distiller Course taking place on Oct. 7 through 11. The course provides a complete overview of the craft of distilling and the beverage industry through comprehensive technical training and business management education. Tuition is $5,500 for an intensive, practical, hands-on learning experience that covers every facet of the craft and the industry, from grain selection to getting your product into the hands of consumers.

Located at 801 S. 8th St.in Louisville, Distilled Spirits Epicenter consists of Grease Monkey Distillery, Moonshine University and Challenge Bottling and offers educational and training resources focusing on artisan spirits. Through hands-on distilling instruction, classes and bottling services, the Epicenter brings Kentucky’s unique distilling legacy to life. Distilled Spirits Epicenter is the sister company to Flavorman, an international custom beverage development and ingredient supply company. Flavorman’s Beverage Architects and the Epicenter’s team of distilling consultants can take your idea through every phase of beverage development and production...from start through finish. For more information, visit www.flavorman.com and www.ds-epicenter.com.

wineCraft and Hirsch Vineyards offer an informative seminar followed by an elaborate tasting menu from Boca

WHAT:
On Thursday, September 19, Boca and Hirsch Vineyards will kick-off a series of events in partnership with wineCRAFT, the restaurant’s partner and importer of the city’s most sought-after selections. Beginning at 1:30 p.m., winemaker Jasmine Hirsch will offer a free seminar on the Extreme Sonoma Coast with tastes of the vineyard’s famed San Andreas Pinot Noir, recently profile in the Wall Street Journal. Following the educational event, Boca Executive Chef Jeremy Lieb will create a four-course dinner with expertly paired wines from Hirsch Vineyards beginning at 6:30 p.m. The four-course wine dinner, which includes canapés and sparkling wine reception upon arrival, costs $150 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. The full menu with wine pairings is available upon request.

Additionally, on Friday, September 20, Kevin Hart of wineCraft and Jasmine Hirsch will pour the vineyard’s Pinot by the glass and answer any questions from the patrons during dinner service at Boca.

WHERE:
Boca Restaurant, 114 E 6th St., Cincinnati, OH 45202

COST:
The seminar is free with RSVP with tasting of wine available for purchase; the four-course wine dinner costs $150 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity

WHEN:
Thursday, September 19 at 1:30 p.m.: Jasmine Hirsch of Hirsch Vinyards will lead a seminar on the Extreme Sonoma Coast; limited availability; RSVP is required Thursday, September 19 at 6:30 p.m.: A four-course wine dinner by Boca Executive Chef Jeremy Lieb; limited availability; RSVP is required Friday, September 20 during dinner service: Kevin Hart of wineCraft and Jasmine Hirsch will pour the vineyard’s Pinot by the glass and answer any questions from patrons

INFO:
Boca
513.542.2022
www.bocacincinnati.com

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Fantasy Football Made Easy from the Draft through the Playoffs at Buffalo Wings & Rings Cincinnati Area Locations

It’s obvious that the resilience of fantasy football leagues has changed the way we follow professional football and even the way games are covered. But it’s also changed the restaurant business in some surprising ways.

President and CEO Roger David says that during the pro football season, Buffalo Wings & Rings sees a decided uptick in fantasy coaches taking advantage of its high-definition matrix television units and he’s added some features to make fantasy leagues feel more at home.

Buffalo Wings & Rings will be kicking off the football season with a custom experience designed specifically for fantasy players. An online reservation system, weekly discounts on food and drinks and a commissioners’ starter pack are among the ways the fast-growing sports restaurant franchise plans to please its sports fans this season.

“Fantasy sports are fun but organizing draft days, league meetings and just enjoying the social aspect of the game calls for the right set-up,” said David. “Our new online reservation system lets players make sure they have a spot to cheer on their favorite teams and key players and maybe do a little polite trash-talking over good food with their friends.”

A prime example of how businesses are catering to fantasy players is BW&R’s Draft Day package. The restaurant makes a huge draft board available to leagues and provides free internet access and a draft kit guaranteeing a seamless experience. Leagues can schedule a draft party using an online reservation system at http://www.bwrreservations.com/ or phone in to claim their space. On draft day, the commissioner of each league receives a free t-shirt and the ideal draft kit including koozies, Fantasy Cheat Sheets and a playbook of coupons to enjoy throughout the entire season.

“The game has changed and BW&R gets it; Fantasy Football players want the luxury of watching their entire roster without stepping foot into a stadium,” said David. “BW&R provides that luxury with several high- definition televisions within an open, sports-centric environment all season long.”

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Magnum Taste of the Exotics Debuts In Ohio,Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan (& California) With Four 100% Arabica Specialty Coffee Blends

Following a highly successful launch last month in California, Magnum Coffee Roastery’s Magnum Taste of the Exotics Coffee has just been introduced atmany of the 203 Meijer supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky as well.

Magnum Taste of the Exotics is offered in four specialty 100% Arabica blends created to broaden the global palates of true coffee connoisseurs by helping them travel around the world without ever leaving the comfort of their home. Coffee aficionados can savor the cool, clean flavor of Jamaican Blue Mountain, or enjoy a nutty and bright Kona Hawaiian blend. They can meander through a tropical Rainforest or take a safari through South America, Central America and Africa with Organic Fogcutter, a smoky and satisfying San Francisco blend, the only mainland-inspired flavor in the group of four specialty Arabica coffees.

Magnum Taste of the Exotics blends are packaged in invitingly bright and adventurous, four-corner sealed bags. Each distinctive blend features a toucan, lion, tiger or leopard that practically leaps off the shelf amid an otherwise subdued field of coffee packaging. Magnum Taste of the Exotics’ Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend and Kona Blend are packaged ground (12 oz.). Organic Rainforest Blend and Organic Fogcutter debut in whole bean (10 oz.) and are both certified organic by Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) International and USDA. With an MSRP of $9.99, all Magnum Taste of the Exotics packaging features one-way valves to assure the specialty Arabica coffee is packaged after roasting so the freshness, fragrance and flavor of the select beans stay in the bag.

Magnum Taste of the Exotics is the first self-branded line developed by Magnum Coffee Roastery, the nation’s premier supplier of specialty private label blends. Already popular in the company’s home state of Michigan (though new to regional Meijer stores) and available at Bristol Farms and Gelson’s stores in California, Magnum Taste of the Exotics will continue rolling-out in additional states throughout the country throughout 2013 and 2014.

Magnum Taste of the Exotics features the most exquisite aromas, bodies and flavors from beans grown only in the area between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. Known as the “Coffee Belt,” this region boasts bean-perfect conditions of moderate sunshine and rain, steady temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and rich, porous soil. Specially selected Arabica coffee beans are grown between 4,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level. Picked beans are meticulously graded and separated by bean size and density. Magnum employs the ancient cupping technique of judging coffee based on smell and taste analysis to ensure all beans meet the highest standards before roasting.

Each gourmet Magnum Taste of the Exotics blend is sampled and hand-chosen, with beans sourced direct from farmers and co-ops from around the world. As a premiere private-label supplier, Magnum is one of the few coffee roasteries to own a trading company, Café Trading, with time-honored relationships spanning the globe: Central America, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Africa, India and Indonesia.

Magnum Taste of the Exotics are all Fair Trade Products, committed to fair price, direct trade, community development, fair labor conditions, democratic and transparent organizations, and environmental sustainability. “At its best, coffee can not only soothe our souls and awaken our senses, but transport us to other times, cultures and locales,” said Kevin B. Kihnke, President of Magnum Coffee Roastery. “The richness of the world can be seen through the many flavors, customs and food pairings of coffee, which is why Magnum Taste of the Exotics was specially created to offer Meijer shoppers and other discerning connoisseurs a journey to exotic lands they would never otherwise experience through traditional home or coffee shop blends.”

About Magnum Exotics
Magnum Taste of the Exotics brings coffee connoisseurs “a taste of the exotic” every day. Specialty 100% Arabica coffee in four fragrant, flavorful global blends is fair-trade sourced from the region between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn by family-owned and operated Magnum Coffee Roastery, the Midwest’slargest and most modern private-label coffee roastery and packaging facility. Magnum Taste of the Exotics blends are currently available at select fine retailers throughout California and Michigan, as well as at most Meijer locations in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. For more information, visit magnumcoffee.com; to find the nearest Meijer store, visit http://www.meijer.com/custserv/store_locator.jsp.

Green BEAN Delivery launches corporate health and wellness program, lands Macy’s and Total Quality Logistics as first Cincinnati clients

Green BEAN Delivery, an online home delivery service that provides organic produce and natural groceries to Midwest members, announces today the launch of its new corporate health and wellness service in Cincinnati. Fashion retailer Macy’s and freight brokerage firm Total Quality Logistics (TQL) are the program’s first Cincinnati clients. On a weekly basis, Green BEAN Delivery is now dropping off employee produce and grocery orders at their partners’ corporate offices.

Encouraging a community-based approach to corporate wellness, Green BEAN Delivery will also have tents, tables and food samples set up on delivery day as well as staff available to answer employee questions about the produce and groceries on a weekly basis. A portion of sales will be returned to the business on a monthly basis to use toward healthy snacks for the break room, a discount on future employees orders or a donation to the businesses’ favorite charity.

In addition, Green BEAN Delivery will provide the following free tools to make the employees’ healthy eating initiatives a success:
· Hosted Q&A sessions to introduce staff to the service
· Recipes, tips and resources that enable lasting diet changes
· Access to a nutritionist for advice and programming
· Reporting to track participation in the program

“We have had extremely positive feedback to the program from our employees thus far,” said Tami Helling, human resources manager for Total Quality Logistics. “They are extremely pleased with the quantity of food that comes in an order and how fresh it tastes versus what they purchase in stores.”

Businesses of all sizes can partner with Green BEAN Delivery to provide employees at-work delivery of organic produce and natural groceries, and the service is provided without start-up costs, additional management fees or contracts.

“Many business owners are willing to take an extra step to help their employees live happier, healthier lives, and our new platform provides that opportunity,” said Matt Ewer, president and co-founder of Green BEAN Delivery. “Improving your wellness program helps employers encourage a culture of healthy eating, recruit top talent, boost morale, energy and productivity, and develop camaraderie based around wellness.”

Green BEAN Delivery will work with each company to develop incentives that encourage participation and provide benefits back to the employees and business. Each company can have a customized delivery plan to meet its employees’ needs.

Additionally, for companies that want to ensure employees have access to healthy snacks while at work, Green BEAN Delivery’s Break Room Bins program is now available to businesses throughout greater Cincinnati. Through this service, Green BEAN Delivery provides fresh fruits, coffee and other healthy snacks to office break rooms via weekly deliveries.

Since inception, Green BEAN Delivery has invested more than $5 million into local food economies throughout the Midwest. The company is now serving more than 12,000 customers in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Ind., Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, Louisville and Lexington, Ky., and St. Louis. To date, Green BEAN Delivery has donated more than 240,000 pounds, or 120 tons, of fresh produce to hunger relief agencies in these states.

For more information on Green BEAN Delivery’s new wellness programs, visit http://www.GreenBEANDelivery.com/wellness or email wellness@GreenBEANdeliverycom.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

OEFFA’s 2013 free public farm tour series continue next week in Fairfield County with a tour of Brandt's Farm on Tuesday, August 27 from 6 to 8 p.m

David Brandt is one of Ohio's foremost cover crop experts and has been promoting conservation on his farm for more than 40 years. David is president of the Ohio No-Till Council and was named Ag Man of the Year by Ohio Farmer in 2011. He farms 1,250 acres of corn, soy, wheat, and hay; raises livestock; and grows five acres of produce for sale at farmers' markets.

A no-till farmer since 1971, David has been using cover crops extensively since 1978. During that time, he has reduced chemical inputs on his farm by 70 percent, and eliminated all chemicals on some of his land. At the same time, David says he's also increasing the organic matter in his soil by up to 1 percent per year, improving water infiltration and reducing run off, and achieving higher yields.

“Cutting back on commercial inputs has been a tough one for me, because we’ve always been taught we need so many pounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash to grow a decent corn crop,” David told the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “We’re learning now with cover crops that we don’t need to buy those additional nutrients because we can bring them up from deeper in the soil. They just weren’t available to the crop before.”

He is currently participating in Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) funded research into nitrogen fixing cover crops and an NRCS grant to study how cover crop species transport nutrients to the soil's surface.

“I’m trying to pass on what we’ve learned here. I don’t want everyone to reinvent the wheel. I want people to see our failures and our successes,” he told NRCS.

Join David for a twilight tour as he shares his innovative cover cropping techniques and the tremendous impact they have had on his farm.

This tour is part of the 2013 Ohio Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series featuring free public tours of some of Ohio’s finest sustainable and organic farms. Seventeen tours and workshops, held between June and November, are being sponsored by OEFFA. The series is promoted in cooperation with the Ohio State University Sustainable Agriculture Team and the Coalition of Ohio Land Trusts, who are sponsoring additional tours.

Brandt's Farm is located at 6100 Basil-Western Rd., Carroll, OH 43112.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

118 Twitter Feeds for Food Activists

http://foodtank.org/news/2013/08/one-hundred-eighteen-twitter-feeds-every-food-activist-needs-to-follow?utm_source=Food+Tank%3A+The+Food+Think+Tank&utm_campaign=1e79396bf6-Twitter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c6d5c4b977-1e79396bf6-12044661

Monday, August 12, 2013

Bon Appétit Announces the Hot 10: Best New Restaurants in America

Over the past year Bon Appétit Restaurant and Drinks Editor Andrew Knowlon traveled 26,333 miles in 22 states and “ate more, spent more, and endured more sleepless nights.” Why? To compile The Hot 1O 2013: The Best New Restaurants in America. This year’s illustrious list, in order, is:

1. Alma – Los Angeles, CA
2. Saison – San Francisco, CA
3. Rolf & Daughters – Nashville, TN
4. Fat Rice – Chicago, IL
5. Ava Gene’s – Portland, OR
6. The Pass & Provisions – Houston, TX
7. The Optimist - Atlanta, GA
8. Jeffrey’s & Josephine House - Austin, TX
9. The Whale Wins & Joule – Seattle, WA
10. Aska – Brooklyn, NY

“The 2013 restaurant scene is being reinvented by a band of young chefs,” said Knowlton. “The results are not only delicious…they’re inspiring.”

For exclusive recipes and videos from each of this year’s winners check out bonappetit.com.

Also included in the September issue is “The Foodist 25.” Fish heads, octopus, smartly designed matchbooks, big cheap bears, koozies and lots of Mumford and Sons are only a few of the trends Knowlton spotted over the course of his travels.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Distilled Spirits Epicenter and Flavorman to be featured on Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods America episode airing on Aug . 12

On Monday, Aug. 12, at 9 p.m. EDT, Distilled Spirits Epicenter and Flavorman will be featured on the Louisville episode of Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods America with Andrew Zimmern. The episode, titled Louisville: Bourbon and Burgoo, features Zimmern tasting an alcohol-free bourbon beverage and barbecued sheep meat, according to www.tvguide.com. Zimmern visited Flavorman and Distilled Spirits Epicenter in December of 2012 during his culinary tour of the region. Founder Dave Dafoe provided a tour which included the development lab where Flavorman creates beverage formulations, the Moonshine University classroom and Grease Monkey Distillery.

Distilled Spirits Epicenter serves as an education center, training facility and artisan distillery focused on the development of custom spirits. It is comprised of Grease Monkey Distillery, Moonshine University and Challenge Bottling and provides hands-on distilling instruction, expert-led courses and bottling services. Sister company to Flavorman, an international full-service beverage development and ingredient supply company, the Epicenter claims no trademark on its creations, making each project entirely the property of the client. Since its opening, Distilled Spirits Epicenter has conducted a series of Bourbon Enthusiast classes and two five-day Distiller Courses aimed at spirits entrepreneurs.

A success story that has come out of Distilled Spirits Epicenter is the Peerless Distilling Company, which is set to open in downtown Louisville in March 2014. Corky Taylor and his son Carson are behind the endeavor, and Carson learned the production and business aspects of the industry by attending Moonshine University. Peerless Distilling began doing business in Henderson, Ky., in the late 1800s under the ownership of Corky Taylor’s great-grandfather, Henry Kraver and closed in the mid-20th century. Initially, the company will bottle and sell its moonshine product as it works toward developing a four year old Peerless bourbon, and ultimately, a premium, small-batch bourbon to be branded “Henry Kraver.” This is exactly the kind of bourbon culture preservation and revitalization that Moonshine University enables by providing the educational background for entrepreneurs.

Located at 801 S. 8th St., Distilled Spirits Epicenter consists of Grease Monkey Distillery, Moonshine University and Challenge Bottling and offers educational and training resources focusing on artisan spirits. Through hands-on distilling instruction, classes and bottling services, the Epicenter brings Kentucky’s unique distilling legacy to life. Distilled Spirits Epicenter is the sister company to Flavorman, an international custom beverage development and ingredient supply company. Flavorman’s Beverage Architects and the Epicenter’s team of distilling consultants can take your idea through every phase of beverage development and production...from start through finish. For more information, visit www.flavorman.com and www.ds-epicenter.com.

Metropole in Cincinnati is included on Bon Appétit list of the 50 Best New Restaurant Nominees for 2013

Today Bon Appétit announced the 50 nominees for the BEST NEW RESTAURANTS IN AMERICA 2013 on bonappetit.com. Restaurant and Drinks Editor Andrew Knowlton compiled the list of nominees over a 120-day, 26,333-mile, 22-state tour of the country. The list is a snapshot of where the food scene is now and where it’s headed.

The 50 Best New Restaurant Nominees are changing the way we eat in 2013. Think Macanese cuisine at Fat Rice in Chicago, throwback French dishes like frog’s legs, onion soup & côte de boeuf for two by famous Miami chef Michael Schwartz and an Italian restaurant that doesn’t serve pasta, L.A.’s Chi Spacca.

On Wednesday, August 14 Bon Appétit narrows down the list to The Hot 10: The Best New Restaurants in America including Knowlton’s pick for the Restaurant of the Year.

For more information and to see the list of 50 nominees, please visit bonappetit.com.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Cincinnati Sports Two Restaurants With 100 Scenic Views

Based on more than 5 million verified OpenTable diner reviews, the full list spans 29 states – from glimmering oceanfront tables to window seats next to the bright city lights. These scenic spots elevate any dining experience, whether during a regular night out or as part of a last-minute summer vacation.

Congratulations to The Celestial and Prima Vista for making the Top 100 Scenic View Restaurants in America.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Benihana Invites Cincinnati to Sushi + Sake 101

Benihana Cincinnati, part of the nation’s leading operator of Japanese theme and sushi restaurants, invites the public to learn the masterful art of making sushi and pairing sake during its Sushi + Sake 101 class from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, August 12.

Under the guidance of a Benihana sushi chef, attendees will develop the skills to create popular rolls and learn which styles of sake pair best with different types of sushi. They will also learn sushi and sake etiquette, leaving with the skills needed to impress family and friends.

The $35 entry fee includes a sushi appetizer, cocktail, samples of sake and a commemorative photo. Benihana Cincinnati is located at 50 Tri County Parkway. Attendees must be 21 years old to register for the event.

For more information about Sushi + Sake 101 or to register for the event, visit http://www.benihana.com/sushi_101.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Ohio Valley Greenmarket - Aug 3-4

Edible Ohio Valley magazine and The Greater Cincinnati Master Gardener Association are bringing together community leaders in sustainability at the second annual Ohio Valley Greenmarket, August 3-4. This celebration will showcase sustainable initiatives by local businesses, organizations, and individuals through fun activities, including a community dinner, guest speakers, and a FREE Greenmarket festival.

Saturday, August 3: Ohio Valley Greenmarket kicks off with a community dinner hosted by The Peterloon Foundation, featuring speaker Roger Swain, former host of The Victory Garden on PBS. Local Naturalist Carol Mundy will lead a discussion with Mr. Swain about his years hosting a hit PBS show and what he sees as an opportunity to teach the next generation of gardeners and local food enthusiasts. The community dinner will be held at the Peterloon Estate (8605 Hopewell Rd, Cincinnati, Oh 45242), tickets for the dinner are $60 per person (includes alcohol) and will raise funds for the Greater Cincinnati Master Gardener Association.

Sunday, August 4: Greenmarket Sunday at Ault Park (3600 Observatory, Cincinnati Oh, 45208). This FREE farmers market meets resource fair will be held from 11am - 5pm and will feature:
• A festival with over 70 local growers, producers, and organizations involved in sustainability
• Guest Speakers
• Ford all-electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid test drives
• Free giveaways for the first 1500 guests

1pm - Scott Beuerlein, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden 2pm - Roger Swain, former host of Victory Garden on PBS 3pm - Carol Hewitt, author of Financing Our Foodshed with Lyle Estill, author of Small Stories, Big Changes 4pm - Pam Simmons, co-owner of Turpin Farms

Tickets for the Community Dinner can be purchased at www.ohiovalleygreenmarket.com. A full list of vendors and speaker bios can be found at www.ohiovalleygreenmarket.com.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

King’s Hawaiian Launches Ultimate Sandwich Challenge

Sandwiches are more popular than ever as celebrity and amateur chefs alike apply their creativity to this American favorite. And why not? A sandwich is the perfect meal—fast, easy, satisfying. To celebrate sandwich makers everywhere, King’s Hawaiian is launching the My Ultimate KING’S HAWAIIAN Sandwich Challenge. The goal: to find the most mouth-watering and delicious sandwiches from around the country, and broadly share those recipes online for everyone to enjoy.

So what makes a great sandwich? Fresh ingredients are critical, but for many sandwich lovers delicious bread means a delicious sandwich. King’s Hawaiian has been baking bread for more than 50 years, and is now adding the ultimate sandwich bread to its irresistibly delicious line of products.

New KING’S HAWAIIAN Original Hawaiian Sweet Sliced Bread is being introduced in select regions throughout the United States, and is available nationally through the company’s online store. KING’S HAWAIIAN Sliced Bread is soft, fluffy with just a touch of sweetness, and is a new way to share the authentic Island recipe everyone knows and loves. The new Sliced Bread comes in a double-wrapped package to ensure freshness, and will help make any sandwich taste extraordinary.

King’s Hawaiian is inviting everyone to share their own favorite sandwich recipe by entering the My Ultimate KING’S HAWAIIAN Sandwich Challenge. Ten winning entries will each be treated to a special night out on the town, including limousine service and dinner for six at a featured restaurant, in addition to a year’s supply of KING’S HAWAIIAN bread. Plus the winners will have their recipe shared online and in the media with sandwich lovers everywhere.

Entering the challenge is easy. Contestants simply upload their ultimate sandwich ingredients and recipe, along with a mouth-watering photo of their ultimate sandwich, at www.KingsHawaiian.com/ultimate by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on September 2, 2013. Each sandwich recipe must include the use of KING’S HAWAIIAN Original Hawaiian Sweet Sliced Bread, Round Bread or any other KING’S HAWAIIAN bread product. All approved entries will be posted on the King’s Hawaiian website and contestants are encouraged to share the My Ultimate KING’S HAWAIIAN Sandwich challenge with friends and family through their favorite social media channels. Winners will be announced on September 17, 2013.

For more information and complete rules visit www.KingsHawaiian.com/ultimate.

Monday, July 22, 2013

New products from JIF

Jif is whipping up excitment with the introduction of NEW Jif Whips Peanut Butter Spreads and Jif Almond & Cashew Butters to the brand’s family of products. I hope you’ll consider highlighting the below in any stories, round-ups or product reviews you are working on.

· Jif Whips Peanut Butter Spreads (SRP: $3.49 - $3.89): The smooth and fluffy spreads offer the great taste you’ve loved for years – now with a whipped texture that’s perfect for dipping, snacking and spreading. Available in two flavor varieties: Whipped Creamy Peanut Butter & Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flavored Spread.

· Jif Almond and Cashew Butters (SRP: $6.99): Available in Creamy and Crunchy, the NEW no-stir nut butters offer a creamy and spreadable texture, perfect for snacking, recipes, and is ideal to add a new twist on your old favorites.

For more information and recipes, please visit www.jif.com.

Buca di Beppo celebrates National Lasagna Day WithFREE #BucaLasagna

Family-style Italian restaurant, Buca di Beppo, is offering free lasagna in celebration of National Lasagna Day. From July 29 through August 4, guests who purchase any Buca pasta, baked pasta or entrée will receive a free individual-sized portion of lasagna at no additional cost. The Lasagna Day portions are available in special flavors including Classic Lasagna, Chicken Lasagna or Veggie Lasagna.

Made fresh daily, Buca di Beppo’s classic lasagna is famous for its nine towering layers of lasagna noodles stuffed with chunky homemade meat sauce and a combination of ricotta, mozzarella, provolone and parmesan cheeses.

The origins of lasagna date back to the 1st century B.C. where a food called “lagana” was a common meal consisting of fine sheets of fried dough. In the 2nd century Athenaeus of Naucratis, a Greek scholar, provided a recipe for lagana that was made with sheets of wheat-flour dough and the juice of crushed lettuce, then flavored with spices and deep-fried in oil. An early 5th century cookbook describes a dish called lagana that consisted of layers of dough with meat stuffing, a possible ancestor of modern-day Lasagna, though the first concrete information concerning pasta products in Italy dates from the thirteenth or fourteenth century. The word “lagána” survives today in modern-day Greece to denote an unleavened, flat bread eaten during the Great Lent.*

Terms of the program:
The Buca di Beppo free lasagna offer is valid for dine-in only customers Monday July 29 through Sunday, August 4, 2013. To receive a free individual-sized portion of the lasagna, guests must also purchase a Buca pasta, baked pasta or entrée. The free lasagna is not valid on Buca To Go orders, lunch items or pizza. For more information, please visit www.bucadibeppo.com.

2013 farm tour series continues this weekend in Franklin County

Join Steve and Gretel Adams for a tour of their seven acre urban flower farm only six miles from downtown Columbus, to learn about growing flowers sustainably and intensively. Steve and Gretel specialize in mixed bouquets, offering central Ohioans an alternative to flowers grown with pesticides and shipped across the globe. They produce blooms for seven grocery stores, four farmers' markets, florists, weddings, and special events.

"Flowers that are flown in from around the equator may be cheap, but they do not have the same chemical restrictions or workers rights. Buying local, sustainable flowers means that you are promoting a system that is safe not only for employees, but for you as a consumer," said Gretel. "Plus, our flowers are harvested fresh to order—picked just before they are put into our bouquets—which means they can bring a smile to your face for at least a week in the vase."

For more information about Sunny Meadows Flower Farm, call (614) 361-5102, email sunnymeadowsflowerfarm@gmail.com, or go to www.oursunnymeadows.com.

This tour is free and open to the public. No registration is necessary.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Fagor Creates 2 Piece Induction Set - Perfect for College Dorms

Fagor America Inc., the worldwide leader in built-in induction cooktops, is pleased to announce a new 2-Piece Induction Set that includes the impressive Countertop Induction Burner with a newly designed panel and a Fagor 9.5" Induction Ready Aluminum Skillet. The new 2-piece package is specifically designed to assist the beginner in familiarizing themselves to the world of induction cooking. The set is also a perfect addition to any college kitchen as there are no open flames or gas to cause dorm fires.

Considered one the most eco-friendly products for its efficiency and safety, induction cooks 50% faster than gas or electric cooktops and boils water in seconds. With induction cooking, there are no flames, smoke, or gas emissions making this an extremely safe and convenient portable cooking solution for a college dorm. In addition to the safety features, induction cooktops provide the most efficient way to cook. The unit uses 90% of the energy produced compared to 50% with other cooking methods. The energy is directly supplied to the cookware by a magnetic field, so only the diameter of the cookware gets hot.

What makes the Fagor 2-Piece Induction Set unique is that the user is provided with the Induction Ready Aluminum Skillet needed to cook on an induction surface, so they can begin cooking meals immediately. The unit has 10 power levels with temperatures ranging from 140ºF to 430ºF and the operating panel features a chart which relates the power settings to 5 cooking functions (Melt, Warm, Boil, Fry and Sear) and its exact temperature, making it easier for the user to reach their desired cooking level, faster and more accurately. The set uses regular household electricity, 110-120 V and is compact in size and lightweight, 11.75" x 14" and 5 pounds, easy for everyday use.

The induction cooktop also has an automatic safety shut off feature that will shut the cooktop off in 30 sec. if no cookware is detected and a 150 minute timer that lets you cook meals in advance. The touch control digital panel provides users with additional options including a safety child lock and a smooth glass surface that makes for easy cleaning.

The 2-pc Induction Set is not only perfect for your college dorm room, but also a useful tool for your camper, your studio apartment or wherever you have an electrical outlet. It is also important for students to check with their universities to determine if an induction cooktop is a permitted dorm room appliance. Fagor also understands that energy and resource conservation is a major concern for students today and has a company initiative in support of environmental preservation through ultra-efficient products, eco-friendly manufacturing and the use of recycled packaging.

"The Fagor 2-Piece Induction Set helps students to safely and simply eat healthier meals while living away from home." said Sara De La Hera, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Fagor America. "It is also a perfect opportunity for students to begin to learning about the importance of induction cooking."

Suggested Retail Price for the 2-Piece Induction Set is $99.00 USD. Available at selected Macy's stores, Camping World and on Amazon.com.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Chuy’s Hiring 175 Employees for New Madeira Location

Chuy’s, a Tex-Mex style restaurant known for its authentic, fresh food and eclectic décor, will hire 175 staff members for its new greater Cincinnati location opening on Aug. 20 in Madeira.

Interested parties are encouraged to apply in person at the hiring trailer set up at the new Chuy’s restaurant location, 7980 Hosbrook Road in Madeira. Hiring begins on Monday, July 15 and continues between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Applications can be filled out in person or downloaded in advance from www.chuys.com/#/employment.

“At Chuy’s, we make our food from scratch all day every day from the best ingredients,” said Ron Carson, local owner/operator of Chuy’s Cincinnati. “We’re looking for people who share our passion for fresh food and who’ll be determined to deliver great services to our customers.”

Chuy’s is currently accepting applications for all full- and part-time positions, including servers, bartenders, hosts, bus employees and all kitchen positions. The restaurant is looking for employees who work hard with big smiles. Chuy’s staff can expect high volume with lots of fun.

Chuy’s will also hire tortilla “experts” to make hand-rolled tortillas to order at the authentic comal located in the dining room.

The Madeira Chuy’s is the restaurant’s northern-most location and second in the greater Cincinnati area, joining the Florence, Ky. location that opened on Houston Road in November 2012.

“The Madeira Chuy’s is our first in Ohio, which means we get to present our unique style to a brand new audience,” Carson said. “We believe in allowing our staff to be themselves and feel empowered to make sure every guest has the best Chuy’s experience possible. We are looking to hire the very best to join the Chuy’s family in Cincinnati.”

Exclusive Chuy’s updates and giveaways can be found at www.facebook.com/ChuysCincinnati. For more information about Chuy’s, visit www.chuys.com.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

New Cheese Guide/Cookbook Inspires Nationwide Cheese Pairing Contest

On Monday, July 1, author Tenaya Darlington, of Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese: A Guide to Wedges, Recipes, and Pairings (Running Press, May 2013, Hardcover, $25), will launch a month-long national contest to encourage readers to share their love of cheese with her. Via her blog, Madame Fromage, Darlington invites cheese lovers across America to submit cheese pairings featuring a cheese from their home state, paired with a local delicacy or a recipe made with local ingredients. There will be 48 winners, one per contiguous state, and each will earn a signed copy of House of Cheese and see his or her pairing posted on Darlington’s blog, which has been featured in The New York Times. The deadline to submit is Wednesday, July 31 and winners will be announced on her blog throughout August and September.

“This book is a treat for everyone, from the ‘curd nerds’ that I know and love to relative novices, and if there’s one thing that’s apparent in House of Cheese, it’s that pairing cheese is easy – and fun!” says Darlington. “I can’t wait to see what kinds of hyper-local pairings people across the country will create.”

Readers are invited to seek out cheeses that are produced in their state, then dream up pairings that utilize other indigenous ingredients for a plate that is as representative of its terroir as a fine wine. States with established cheese producers, such as Wisconsin and New York, will appear alongside lesser-known creameries, creating a national cheese roadmap and, in the spirit of the book, a collaborative cheese guide. Every winning submission will receive a copy of House of Cheese, signed by Darlington, and will receive a dedicated post on her blog.

House of Cheese recently received praise from Philadelphia Inquirer food writer and critic Craig Laban who called it “a smartly curated guide” adding it is “full of authoritative and engaging advice on house to use cheese that should appeal to all levels of knowledge.” The book also gives readers an inside look at third-generation Philly legends and culinary pioneers Di Bruno Bros., the city’s largest and oldest cheese counter, and features: menus for a variety of cheese boards; ideas for pairings that range from beer and cocktails to olives and charcuterie; tips on how to buy, serve and store cheese; detailed cheese descriptions and tasting notes on 170 of the most loved and requested cheeses from the counters of Di Bruno Bros; and 30 cheese-focused recipes.

The first Di Bruno Bros. shop debuted in the iconic South Philadelphia Italian Market in 1939. Since then, the family has grown the company to include four retail locations in and around the city, serving their neighborhoods not only a world-class cheese selection, but gourmet prepared foods, baked goods, fresh meats and seafood and artisan products from around the world. People travel from around the country to visit the shops – including chef and food personality Anthony Bourdain, who taped a 2012 episode of his Travel Channel show, The Layover, at Di Bruno Bros.

For the cookbook, the sage and approachable “mongers” of Di Bruno Bros. worked together with Darlington to gather their ultimate list of the world’s greatest artisan cheeses, many of them found in the U.S. Chapters are listed by cheese types: Vixens are rich and decadent; Mountain Men are bold; and Stinkers give off a strong whiff. The playful personifications lend a user-friendly tone to the guide and help readers to discover new favorite cheeses based on those they already know and love. Each cheese profile incorporates perfect pairings, giving readers suggestions on what to serve alongside each cheese, as well as beverage complements.

Original recipes created by Darlington and the chefs at Di Bruno Bros, both as components of a cheese board and as stand-alone dishes, allow readers to make simple and delicious plates and accoutrements at home to showcase their favorite cheese varieties. Recipes include: Scharfe Maxx S’mores, made with dark chocolate, torrone and Scharfe Maxx, a raw cow’s milk cheese; Rogue River Sushi, made with prosciutto, membrillo and Rogue River Smokey Blue cheese; Limburger Mac ‘N’ Cheese; Caramelized Endive Marmalade; and Blue Velvet Pudding.

Themed cheese board menus, such as Fireside Party and All-Goat Blow-Out, provide road maps for fun group tastings or festive party spreads. Wheels and wedges are illustrated by brilliant full-color photos from well-known food photographer Jason Varney, making for a thorough primer on cheese from Philly’s acknowledged top experts. Sprinkled throughout the book are educational tidbits, historical fun facts and tasting notes – and it ends with a section on cheese vocabulary, sure to turn any casual cheese fan into a well-spoken pro.

For more information, or to order a copy of Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese, please visit http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/runningpress/book_detailjsp?isbn=0762446048. For information on book signings and other interactive events, and to submit a recipe for the pairing contest, please visit http://www.dibruno.com/blog/.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Coffee Lovers “Find Their Taste” with New Online Personalized Discovery, Sampling, and Custom Blend Service by Hamptons Lane

Hamptons Lane (www.hamptonslane.com) is here to help coffee drinkers find their perfect cup. For the first time, online coffee buyers can create their own sample-filled tasting boxes, shop from small, artisanal roasters across the U.S., or build their own customized blend. With a unique “Find Your Taste Quiz,” personalized coffee blends, and tasting boxes curated to match individual flavor preferences, Hamptons Lane makes it simple for coffee drinkers to discover their perfect cup, and buy fresh, high-quality coffee online.

“We created this revolutionary tool to help our customers discover their coffee palate beyond just light, medium or dark roast,” said Hamptons Lane founder & CEO Jim Sherman. “Coffee is something most people drink every single day, and Hamptons Lane is going to change the way people think about, taste and prepare their morning brew.”

Customers start with the “Find Your Taste Quiz” on the Hamptons Lane website, which asks simple questions about their preferences for wine, fruit, and even toasted marshmallows. From there, Hamptons Lane generates personalized coffee recommendations based on the quiz findings, to guide customers toward their ideal coffee beans, roasts, and origins.

For those looking to broaden their coffee palate or for the perfect coffee-lover’s gift, elegant Tasting Boxes include four 6-ounce bags curated around a theme (like Breakfast Blends, Light Roasts, or West Coast Roasts), or customers can hand-pick four roasts for their own personalized Tasting Box using the “Create Your Own Box” tool. Hamptons Lane also provides the chance to shop directly from among some of the country’s finest micro-roasters (like Ceremony Coffee Roasters and Klatch Coffee), and signature blends like Frank Sumatra (bold and smooth), Montauk Sunrise (a balanced, refreshing breakfast blend), and The Gatsby Blend (rich, nutty, and luxurious).

And for coffee drinkers who want their java even more personalized, the Hamptons Lane custom blend tool lets users create and label their very own coffee blend. The “Name Your Blend” feature makes it easy to create personalized gifts like “Dad’s Blend” for Father’s Day, and a simple ordering guide helps tailor each custom blend to individual preferences, with tasting notes like nutty, slightly winy, earthy or sweet.

Customers can purchase or gift any Hamptons Lane products one time or opt for the ongoing program, which conveniently allows them to schedule regular shipments of their coffee in advance, with deliveries as often as once a week or as infrequent as every two months.

The world of coffee is complex, but Hamptons Lane proves that it doesn’t have to be difficult. With a belief in the importance of learning, discovery, and quality, Hamptons Lane helps coffee lovers find their unique taste, one perfect and personal cup at a time.

ABC's "The Taste" is holding casting calls in Nashville July 14

ABC is holding open casting calls for the second season of hit reality series “The Taste” where culinary superstars including Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson will coach teams of four competing pro and amateur cooks as they vie to create the best tasting dish!

In each episode, competitors face team and individual challenges with a variety of culinary themes through several elimination rounds. At the end of each episode, the Mentors judge the competitors' dishes blind, with no knowledge of whose creation they're sampling, what they're eating, how it was prepared or whom they could be eliminating.

Potential applicants that think they have what it takes to impress the best and take a bite out of the competition should sign up for an open casting call by visiting www.thetastecasting.com.

The NASHVILLE open casting call will take place:

Sunday, July 14, 2013, 10:00AM-4:00PM
The Bridge Building
2 Victory Avenue
Nashville, TN 37213

"The Taste" is executive-produced by Chris Coelen, Matilda Zoltowski, Emma Conway, Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson. Brian Smith is the director.

Monday, June 17, 2013

All-star Share Our Strength dinner with Chef Michael Paley on 7/15

On Monday, July 15th, Chef Kevin Nashan of Sidney Street Cafe in St. Louis will host some of the Midwest’s most celebrated chefs for an all-star dinner and auction to benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. The event brings Chicago’s Stephanie Izard (Girl & The Goat) and Jason Vincent (Nightwood) together with Cincinnati’s Michael Paley (Metropole) and St. Louis’ Gerard Craft (Niche), Kevin Willmann (Farmaus), and Nashan, to prepare a multi-course dinner for a cause essential to our nation’s health: ending childhood hunger in America.

Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is ending childhood hunger in this nation by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day. Today, one in five children in this country struggles with hunger. When kids get the food they need, they feel better, they learn more and they grow up stronger. The good news is that, together, we can make that happen.

Guests of this philanthropic dinner will also have the opportunity to participate in auctions that include one-of-a-kind culinary, travel and lifestyle items. Since 2005, No Kid Hungry dinners have raised nearly $7 million to support the No Kid Hungry campaign, ensuring that kids across the U.S. have access to the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives. The cocktail reception starts at 6:00 p.m. with dinner seating at 7:00 pm. Purchase options are $10,000 for a table of 10, $5,000 for a table of 6, and individual tickets are $150 per person. Make reservations at 917.834.5335 or visit http://ce.strength.org/events/no-kid-hungry-dinner-st-louis.

“More than 16 million children in America don’t have enough food to eat and are going hungry,” says Kevin Nashan. “As a father and chef, this is a cause close to my heart and I’m honored to share my kitchen with some of the Midwest’s brightest culinary talents who also feel passionately about ending childhood hunger, and look forward to an incredible evening.”

Here is the full chef line-up for the dinner:
Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Cafe (St. Louis, MO)
Gerard Craft, Niche (St. Louis, MO)
Stephanie Izard, Girl & The Goat (Chicago, IL)
Michael Paley, Metropole (Cincinnati, OH)
Jason Vincent, Nightwood (Chicago, IL)

Kevin Willmann, Farmhaus (St. Louis, MO) Bob Zugmaier, Sidney Street Cafe (St. Louis, MO)

About Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® Seated Dinners Share Our Strength’s national series of No Kid Hungry® dinners are hosted by renowned chefs who join together with their peers to prepare multi-course meals with a cause: ending childhood hunger in the United States. Guests enjoy a one-of-a-kind dining experience and by doing so, help raise funds for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. Select events feature guest speakers and unique culinary, travel and lifestyle auctions. Since 2005, these dinners have raised more than $7 million to support the work of the No Kid Hungry campaign as it connects kids to effective nutrition programs like school breakfast and summer meals, and teaches low-income families how to shop for and cook healthy, affordable meals. To learn more about the No Kid Hungry campaign and dinner series, please visit NoKidHungry.org.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Northside and Tacos

Dishcrawl Cincinnati continue its search June 26 to find the best tacos this side of the Ohio River. This time we are going to Northside a walking friendly neighborhood so don't put away your Tabasco sauce yet; Local blogger "Food Hussy" recently coined Northside as the 'Taco District." The blogger aptly named it for the three new taco joints within two blocks. Will Northside be able to defend its new title? Find out when Dishcrawl Cincinnati puts the feet to the pavement to find out whose tacos deserve the title! Purchase tickets by visiting www.dishcrawl.com/tcns

Dishcrawl is a walking tour of three to four restaurants in one night and Northside is the perfect walking neighborhood. The last four events received rave reviews from participants, especially at Taqueria Mercado, Bakersfield OTR, Arnolds, Mynt Martini, Jimmy G’s, Blue Wisp & Fusian! About Dishcrawl Dishcrawl is designed so anyone can experience multiple restaurants satisfying their cravings. Our mission is to share food with food lovers in establishments in their neighborhoods. Your local Dishcrawl Ambassador, Chef Michael Belanger, will lead you through Dishcrawls, progressive dinners, prix fixe dinners, neighborfoods, and many other fun food events! Dishcrawlers can enjoy dinning experiences in San Francisco, Columbus, Toronto, NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, DC and many more. Visit www.dishcrawl.com

Monday, June 3, 2013

IHOP Celebrates 55th Birthday with New Summer Signature Pancakes

IHOP® restaurants will be marking its 55th year of bringing guests “everything they love about breakfast SM” with an exciting new trio of signature pancakes: Jelly Donut, Tiramisu and Banana Graham. These tasty new treats will be available in participating IHOP restaurants beginning June 3, 2013 for a limited time through July 21st. IHOP officially marks its 55th anniversary on July 7, 2013.

“We’ve decided to kick off the summer season and celebrate 55 years of IHOP in July by doing what we do best: bringing our guests three brand new signature pancakes in flavors that are fun, unexpected and most of all, absolutely delicious!” said Natalia Franco, Senior Vice President, Marketing, International House of Pancakes, LLC.

The three new signature pancakes are:

· Jelly Donut Pancakes – Fluffy buttermilk pancakes filled with layers of luscious raspberry jelly then topped with glaze, more raspberry jelly and powdered sugar.
· Tiramisu Pancakes - Buttermilk pancakes and sweet mocha cream topped with a drizzle of chocolate, whipped topping and a dusting of cocoa powder.
· Banana Graham Nut Pancakes - Sliced fresh bananas grilled inside buttermilk pancakes layered with marshmallow cream, graham cracker crumbs and crushed honey-roasted pecans then topped with cinnamon cream cheese.

These three new delicious flavors are available starting at $4.99. Guests can purchase these flavors as yummy treats alone or as part of an IHOP Combo, which can include two eggs, done the way they like them, optional choice of crispy bacon, pork sausage links or a grilled ham slice, along with IHOP restaurants’ signature golden hash browns.