Posted by chefmax on October 13th, 2009
I am already starting to miss summer. This is what my chives looked like just two weks ago. They are not looking so good today. Oh well. Time to winter garden.
Here are some of todays food related news stories that I found interesting.
From the LATIMES, By Andrea Nguyen. A great article on the making of Bao. This is one of my favorite Chinese dishes and I have always wanted to make them at home. I have made them when I was at the CIA and I eat one every time I go by the Slanted Door in San Francisco (the Vietnamese version) This article has the whole lot of information and technique. It is a good one to keep in your library. Thanks Andrea.
In a question to the some local Chefs in Arizona the ARIZONA REPUBLIC, asked ” What menu item bores you to tears? and why? I think my answer would be the stagnate menu itself. If it is not changing daily I get bored. I love opening restaurants and getting new programs started but I do not like to do the same ting over and over again.
Christopher Kimball has an op-ed article in the NYTIME on the demise of Gourmet magazine. Mr Kimball does a good historic deconstruction of the beginning to the end of the iconic food magazine and seems to enjoy (with what I imagine is a sly smile on his face) the fact that his magazine, Cook’s Magazine, and website are still going strong and Gourmet has gone the way of the dodo. Cook’s was purchased in 1990 by Condé Nast, the publisher of Gourmet, and cannibalized for its subscribers. Mr. Kimball restarted the magazine again in 1993 from the bones discarded by Condé Nast and has had great successes since. The thesis that Mr. Kimball eludes to in this op-ed is that we need to charge for our intellectual property. Advertising dollars are not focused and free content is pushing several good businesses into bankruptcy. I am dealing with this myself with A Flash in the Pan . We would love to give away all of our great recipes and planning tools but then we will be around 6 months. For a small monthly fee all your dinners are planned and all the tools you need to save time and money are at your fingers. For me, the end of Gourmet is not surprising. I used to love the magazine until I got my monthly issue and there was a perfume ad in it. The last thing I want to smell as I am reading about foie gras is flowery perfume. I hated that so much I canceled my subscription and never went back.
GFF building a united front with food manufactures and marketers on gluten-free products. Great info on GFF from Foodnav, By Caroline Scott-Thomas.
From CNN, By Val Willingham. You are what you eat. Start eating healthy to give yourself a good chance a staying healthy this flu season.
I hope you have a great day.
Chef Max 10-13-09
Tags: Bored to tears, flu season., gluten-free products, Gourmet, making of Bao
Posted in Chef Max Blog, Food News | 1 Comment »
Posted by chefmax on September 25th, 2009
There are still a few tickets for the up coming SUNDAY SUPPER on October 4, 2009 . It is 30 of the top bay area Chefs cooking family style with local farmers. Great event. Go to CUESA for information and tickets.
Todays Food news;
From the NYTIMES, By Christine Muhlke. Great article on editor Judith Jones.
Avant-garde or contemporary art? From the Washington Post, By Black Gopnik.
This weeks market watch from the LATIMES, By David Karp. Habanero peppers, Lychees, Peaches, and apples.
The uptick in culinary schools. The economy is helping with job training programs within the bay area culinary non credential classes. From SFGATE, By Carey Sweet. When I worked for the CIA at Greystone, I saw allot of job changers in the backing and pastry classes. The common thought with several of these students was that they wanted to do something easy like cooking. 10 hours on their feet later and…
Food industry is fighting to advertise junk-food in schools. From CSPI. Go figure.
Proctor and Gamble on the other hand has tabbed a billion dollars to Sustainable Innovation Products. FromProgressive Grocer. By Meg Major.
I hope you have a great weekend and thanks for reading.
Chef Max 9-25-09
Tags: advertise junk-food in schools, Avant-garde, culinary schools, Food News, Judith Jones, market watch, Sustainable Innovation
Posted in Chef Max Blog, Food News | 2 Comments »
Posted by chefmax on September 22nd, 2009
This is a heirloom strawberry pop corn from my garden. Very small bright red kernels and the cob is about 4 inches long. Cute. I have not popped them yet so I will let you know how it taste.
A great article on food and health insurance by Michael Pollan in the New York Times.
From the NYTIMES, By Melissa Clark, a good article on Coconut Rice. I love coconut rice and this is a example of it.
I enjoy a good review as much as the next Chef but the ones that cover a restaurants flop are timeless. I do not take pleasure in other chefs problems and I am the first to want all Chefs to succeed but when you read a bad review there is just something in it that triggers a deep response. First it is probably ” Thank God that is not my review”! Then I usually re-read to see if the critic is being too harsh. This one has some ouch moments-From NYTIMES, By Pete Wells.
From the WashingtonPost, By Sally Sampson. An article on making fast food at home and the cost being cheaper. Sally does a good job here breaking down the cost and portions of the fast food equivalent of home cooked meals. I like her idea and she is correct in the assumption that it just taste better made at home. The biggest problem is people have forgot how to cook.
The USDA program to promote local foods. From SFGATE, By Miriam Morgan.
Have a great day.
Chef Max 9-22-09
Tags: Coconut Rice, Fast food at home, food and health, Food News, ouch review, USDA local food programs.
Posted in Chef Max Blog, Food News | 1 Comment »
Posted by chefmax on September 4th, 2009
The picture above is a look at my tomatoes. I have 15 plants with 4 varietals. They are producing some very yummy fruit tis year and I think I am going to make a sauce tonight for dinner out of some of them. Yum…
A look at the opening of Chef Rick Bayless new restaurant. From the Chicago Trib. If you want to see pictures of the trip to Mexico I took as an assistant for Chef Bayless just check out my Flicker account under Mexico. It was a very cool trip.
Monsanto and their image. From the Gaurdian, By Fred Pearce, an article on the green washing and water usage of the company Monsanto.
Improving School Lunches By Alice Waters. From Huffington Post. A very good read. What are we waiting for????
LA’s farmers markets map. Cool.
Do you want to know the timeline for acylamide? From Food Nav. By Caroline Scott-Thomas.
Have a great weekend.
Chef Max 9-4-09
Tags: and acylamide, Friday Food News, Improving School Lunches, LA's farmers markets, Monsanto (again)
Posted in Chef Max Blog, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by Chef Nancy on September 4th, 2009
Oh, tomato! How you tempt me with your late summer sensuality; your curved, shimmering skin giving way under delicate pressure to reveal a juiciness unbound, dripping down my chin… But our love was not always so. In youth, I did not understand you or your tiny-seeded ways. As a child, I used you and required you to be boiled down into a sauce and only then could the addition of cheese and crust make you palatable. I could not take your raw deliciousness then. It was too much. But now I understand that while you play well with others, you can stand on your own, too. Yes, tomato, now I understand.
My love for you obliges me to never, ever refrigerate your delicate flesh, causing mealy-blandness and Severe Tomato Blah (STB). I will choose you for your aroma and not just your looks, for looks can be deceiving. Your firm flesh will be tested to ascertain readiness, giving ever-so-slightly to the pressure of my fingertips. We will be happy together, you and I, until the moment that I eat you and then I will be happy and you will be digested.
Posted in Aphrodisiacs, Chef Nancy Blog | 2 Comments »
Posted by chefmax on September 3rd, 2009
Above is a picture of Thai Basil from my garden. I love it in curries, pastas, salad rolls, and with garden tomatoes.
From Grubstreet NY, By Ben Leventhal, A great question and answer article on the State of the Culinary Worlds Future. This is a cool article asking questions of some great minds in the culinary world.
9 hidden toxins lurking in food. From Mercola.
Obama and his White House Farmers Market. I am sure there will be a death panel involved some how. Maybe they will sell Soylent Green. Alert Glenn Beck!!! From OCA, A serious article on the FDA and President Obama’s promotion for local foods.
The turnover in restaurants in New York. From the NYTIMES, By Florence Fabricant. The restaurant business is one of the hardest adventures that one can undertake. It is soooo volatile and back breaking and has a very small profit margin. You can do everything perfect and have a great following but if a new spot opens up down the street, you could lose a big percentage of your cliental over a period of weeks maybe months. The margin is so thin that if something like that happens, you could lose staff, not be able to pay purveyors on time and start cutting corners. The quality then goes down, you get a bad review and welcome to the death spiral. Been there. Not pretty.
Boudin Bakery’s brownies. From LATIMES, By Noelle Carter. I liked the picture and it made me hungry for a brownie. Here is their recipe for their brownies. Time to go preheat the oven.
Have a great day,
Chef Max
9-3-09
Tags: brownies, Food News, hidden toxins, State of the Culinary Worlds Future, turnover in restaurants, White House Farmers Market
Posted in Chef Max Blog, Food News | No Comments »
Posted by chefmax on August 29th, 2009
Please vote for A Flash in the Pan for top home based company of 2009. You can sign up to vote every day and the contest ends in October. We are almost to the top and just need a good push to get us there. Thank you!
From the NYTIMES, By Christine Muhlke, a really good story of a farming family that is fighting the good fight. They are also tied in with Chef Rick Bayless and he has helped them grow some really cool items. Great story.
If you are in the East Bay area this weekend there is a a Eat Real Event. From SFGATE, By Tara Duggan. Jack London Market, Jack London Square (at Embarcadero and Webster), Oakland. 4-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets for the beer shed can be purchased in advance, at $20 for eight tastes ($25 at the door). Cash only (credit cards accepted at beer shed). See eatrealfest.com for times, tickets and locations of special events.
A new study shows that consumption of wheat may contribute to type 1 Diabetes. From Healthday, an overview of this study.
Monsanto’s legacy. From the Organic Consumer Association, a report on a scientist in Argentina that has received threats over his findings that the herbicide has some serious health hazards. Not really a surprise is it? See FOOD INC.
Also form the Organic Consumer Association, a break down the real issues with the Swine Flu. You do not need to just blindly wait for a vaccine that may not work and contains very questionable ingredients. It is a good idea to know the facts and not just the propaganda.
Sorry to end on a couple of downers. I know we can change things for the better but we have to beat down the false information that is gobbled up by people that hate for no real reason. I hope you have a great weekend and I will talk with you on Monday.
Chef Max
8-28-09
Tags: Eat Real Event, Farming family, Food News, Monsanto's legacy, the real Swine Flu info., Wheat may affect Diabetes
Posted in Chef Max Blog, Food News | 2 Comments »
Posted by chefmax on August 26th, 2009
Just sitting at my desk waiting for a call back from My Web Grocer a possible strategic partner for our company A Flash in the Pan. They set up all the functionality for grocery stores e-commerce sites and we fit in perfectly with our menu planning service. We could send our customers to their member sites for fulfillment. We can contact all these grocery stores ourselves, and we have started with Raley’s who is interested in us, but it would be much more economical to work with My Web Grocer and share some of the wealth. We will see. Any way onto todays food news.
From Chelsea Green, A really good article on the farmer Joel Salatin and what his philosophy of farming is. If you have seen FOOD INC., Joel was the farmer talking about sustainable farms while he was cutting up chickens. He seems like a great guy and has a very strong understanding of biomimicry.
Schrute farm anyone? From NYTIMES, By Kim Severson a story about how to go a be a farmer for your vacation. I hope Mose will do his carving demo for us. $300 a night to wake up early and milk a cow? Would you do this?
I was just thinking about this the other day. A broker between home/ organic farmers and companies that produce products for schools or senior living facilities. Cool article by Jane Black for the Washpost. This company looks like they are doing a great job and it is a non profit. The company is called the Local Food Hub. There are a couple more in the article.
I am really interested in preserving this year,well not the year exactly, but the harvest. This is a story from the LATIMES, By David Mas Masumoto. No recipes but a great story. I can almost taste the raisins myself.
Here is a nice article on the 10 Maya foods that changed the worlds eating habits. It is by Christine Delisol and is at SFGATE. You got to listen to the guys that brought us Chocolate and the concept of Zero.
Time to move along. I need to revise the revision of my business plan. The life of an Entrepreneur is so glamourous.
Write to you later,
Chef Max 8-26-09
Tags: and Chocolate and the concept of Zero., Farmer Joel Salatin, Food News, Local Food Hub, preserving this year, Schrute Farms for real
Posted in Chef Max Blog, Food News | No Comments »
Posted by chefmax on July 29th, 2009
I have shared this before but I think it is a great little chart of what vegetables and fruits are lower in pesticides. Eat more goodness not pesticides. Buy organic in the Dirty dozen category. Happy Wednesday.
Now on to todays food news.
Chicago is the first city to pass a green food resolution. From NYT, By Jennifer Lee. New York is looking to pass something similar. This is interesting because it may push the change in the school lunch programs around the country. Good for you Chicago.
Here comes the Julia stories. From the AP, By Holly Ramer. This is an article on the influences that the TV personality Julia Child has created. I met her twice, once at the Culinary Institute at Greystone and at her birthday in San Diego where I got to help make her cake. I will write about that in a future blog.
Another story about Julia from the Washington Post. By Robin Shulman a review by some of Julia’s friends that are gathered together for a private viewing.
The new push for school gardens. From the LATIMES, By Krista Simmons. Very good article on the progress that has happened with the school garden programs. Very cool!
Georgeanne Brennan has a very good article on Tomatoes in SFGATE. Recipes and a list of local Chefs favorite tomatoes. Well worth keeping this one.
Fat tax? Here is a report on the possibility of taxing of “fat” products and using the money to underwrite healthcare. Interesting hypothesis. From Food Nav, By Caroline Scott.
Off to SF to have a meeting about A Flash In The Pan and hopefully a little Slanted Door nourishment.
Have a great day,
Chef Max 7-29-09
Tags: Fat tax, Food News, green food resolution, Julia, school gardens, Tomatoes
Posted in Chef Max Blog, Food News, Kitchen sync | No Comments »
Posted by chefmax on July 24th, 2009
We have entered into a startup contest and would love your vote. When you are at the site, there is a button to receive emails to vote everyday. The contest runs until October and we have a great chance if I can get enough friends to vote for us each day. Thank you in advance for any vote you cast for us
VOTE FOR A FLASH IN THE PAN for startup of the year at Startup Nation. VOTE HERE PLEASE.
Now lets move onto todays food news.
Kids menu items and products are starting to follow a healthier trend. From R&I, an article on some new healthier products being offered. A small example but some encouraging numbers.
Pot luck anyone? The sign of the times for our economy is an article on pot luck dishes on the NYT front page of the food section.
New companies that go to farms and get farm fresh ingredients. From the WashingtonPost, By Emma Brown, a great article on new companies popping up to service tis niche.
LATIMES, By Linda Burum, global sandwiches. Good new overview of several sandwiches from around the world. There are some very yummy sounding ideas here.
If you are going to San Francisco here is a pretty good list of ice cream places in the city. Also some home grown ice creams that are only availible in stores. From SFGATE, By Lynne Char Bennett. I would also add Citizen Cake Patisserie to the list. When Chef Elizabeth Falkner has ice creams there they are delicious.
A small list of food and wine dinners from the WSJ. Not very much info here but it is interesting where and how much they are.
California’s next food problem. From FoodNav, an article on how Climate change may devastate the states fruit and nut industry. Not that we have any other problems in California. I wish the deniers of climate change, (I know they are moving to the denying that it is human caused or influenced) would just get out of the way if they are not going to help us slow or reverse the impact on the earth. Frankly I have been in LA were the smog would cause my lungs to burn. We have an impact. A great documentary series from the BBC is the Earth:The Biography. It shows how are earth came to be and how the current systems works and why what we do may change it for a very unknown future. If you still have doubts after you watch it, then you will not be influenced.
Have a great weekend,
Chef Max 7-24-09
Tags: Earth:The Biography, farm fresh ingredients, food and wine dinners, Food News, global sandwiches, Healthier Kids Trend, ice cream in SF, Pot luck
Posted in Chef Max Blog, Food News | 4 Comments »
