Time to polish my crystal ball and think about where food is heading in 2017.  Professional trendologists- yes it’s a career path– started months back, looking for threads in breakout snack foods and hot new restaurant concepts to identify what we’ll be craving in the New Year.  Flavor and the Menu Magazine, a foodservice trade publication I’ve written for, started looking at eating patterns back in the fall in preparation for the top 10

The other day, I shared a list of favorite bakeries, café and boutiques with Rachel, my web guru. She and her family are going to Paris at the end of the month. And I told her about one of my favorite travel tools, the index card, Paris by fiche, my low tech way to plan a trip to Paris or anywhere. My obsession with index cards dates to high school when I learned how to

What is “food writing” but writing with food as the protagonist? Or perhaps food is the pretext for writing about family, adventure travel, science or social history? That’s what we’ll be exploring at Gateway Community College in New Haven where I have been invited back to teach Food Writing starting in January 2016. The 15 week course, which will meet on Tuesday evenings starting January 26, covers the personal food essay, restaurant reviewing, recipe writing,

  See those low red tiled roofs through the smog? They are longtong, the alley ways where you’ll find Shanghai’s famous street food.                   No menu needed. Unless you know Mandarin, order with your eyes. On an unanticipated business trip to Shanghai, I got to sample its street food.  Without any guidebook nor advance planning, I found “breakfast street”, one of dozens traversing busy Nanjing Road. (Click on any photo to get a closer view.)  

Last Friday, members of the International Association of Culinary Professionals honored Jacques Pépin at a gala birthday party in Washington, DC. Under the direction of Bill Yossis, former White House pastry chef, more than 80 people donated cakes made in honor of Jacques’ 80th birthday. I was among them, a nervous wreck. “Of course,” I said when asked. And of course I knew I had to make the cake myself, although Bill had arranged for

Brutal weather grips much of the country. The raised bed where we traditionally plant peas on St. Patrick’s Day sits under 6 feet of snow. An upcoming trip to Boston, where brawls break out over shoveled-out parking spaces, terrifies me. Bostonians want the city declared a disaster area. Yet today I committed an Act of Optimism. I ordered seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds out of New Gloucester, Maine. A talented gardener and friend introduced me

Not since the 1970’s have there been so many choices in colorful home appliances and accessories, Lea Eiseman told the audience at last years’ International Housewares Show. (She directs the Pantone Color Institute and helps select the Color of the Year.) But would a Lavender Cream stand mixer make me more likely to bake this weekend? I am not sure but I do know that manufacturers and retailers are banking on color to attract elusive