Have you heard of molecular gastronomy before? No? You’re not alone, molecular gastronomy is a modern style of cooking, and practiced by scientists and chefs who take advantage of many technical innovations from scientific disciplines. Put more simply, think of mixing up drinks like Nitrogen Cooled Lemon Drop Martinis. Or …
Read More »Chefs: How To Decide Between Apprenticeships or Culinary School
Having a formal education is a wonderful thing to be able to put on a resume. Training under an experienced Chef can also teach you just as much practical information. There are pro and cons to both. Culinary schools are more structured environments. Apprenticeships are more unstructured environments. If you …
Read More »Brazilian Chef Recognized On The International Stage
Chef Alex Atala, son of Lebanese immigrants and raised in Brazil, is himself a blending of cultures separated by huge geographical distances and divergent attitudes. Perhaps this is why he is perfectly suited to bring the flavors of Brazil to global prominence. Chef Atala achieved recognition by creating a hybrid …
Read More »Italian Grandmas Run Staten Island Restaurant
The Enoteca Maria restaurant of Staten Island, NY serves truly authentic Italian style home cooking every evening. They can make such a bold claim, because anyone who ventures into the kitchen in this small 35-seat restaurant will find an actual Italian Grandma bent over the stove conjuring up classic recipes …
Read More »Fish Fraud: Tempting, But Definitely Not Worth It
Customers love ordering good fish when they go out to eat. Species with powerful name recognition like orange roughy, grouper, and salmon are great sellers on the menu and can be found in restaurants across the country. But are consumers getting exactly what they pay for? Some fish species, especially …
Read More »Menu Trends: Smaller Portion Sizes Seen As A Big Value
National chains like The Cheesecake Factory, Chili’s, and T.G.I. Friday’s have rolled out smaller, leaner, competitively priced menu items that are having considerable success targeting two primary consumer concerns: watching their weight and watching their wallets. For years the trend in the food service industry was towards bigger and bigger …
Read More »Hungarian Pigs Are Cool Again
100 years ago, a Hungarian breed of pig called Mangalitsa was the preferred pork breed for restaurants across Europe and the eastern U.S. Over the last century their popularity declined for a variety a reasons. The Mangalitsa also fell out of favor with pork producers, because they require open pasture …
Read More »The Long Hard Road To Sushi Greatness
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa always knew he wanted to be a sushi chef. From the first time his brother took him to a sushi restaurant in his native Japan, Matsuhisa he has aspired to make people happy with top quality sushi using only the best ingredients. With 22 restaurants all over the …
Read More »Menu Trends: Potatoes Make A Comeback
Everyone remembers the bad rap potatoes got when the Atkins Diet was at its peak – too many carbs meant the potato should be avoided at all costs. But times, and attitudes, have changed as more and more people realize diets are less about all protein and more about making …
Read More »Time To Move the Beef!
Some restaurateurs are taking advantage of a 7 year low in choice and prime beef to offer their customers some great values on more expensive beef cuts like sirloin, T-bones, and ribeyes. As consumer spending has ground to a halt, expensive cuts of beef have languished while affordable options like …
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