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Monday, December 15, 2014
Food News Charlotte’s first edible walkway is planted
Posted By Keia Mastrianni on Mon, Dec 15, 2014 at 4:11 PM
The historic Wilmore neighborhood made history on Saturday as the first neighborhood in Charlotte to plant an edible walkway at the intersection of Mint Street and Kingston Avenue. In a most excellent display of community, Wilmore residents, church members of Calvary United Methodist (the church that owns the property where the walkway is planted) and sustainably minded Charlotteans gathered together on a chilly Saturday morning to plant fruit and nut trees that will one day bear fruit for all of its residents to eat.
The idea stemmed from an observation made by Wilmore resident Kris Steele, who witnessed children walking up the street to get “food”, only to see them coming back from the convenience store with processed food items laden with salt, sugar and fat. Steele, who is also co-founder of Crown Town Compost, had a vision for something better and dreamed up the idea of an edible walkway. In Steele’s mind, an edible walkway would provide a sustainable source of fresh food, accessible to all.
“Imagine being able to just grab a piece of fruit from a tree,” says Steele.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Food News The Yolk re-opens in Rock Hill
Posted By Alison Leininger on Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Last year, the Charlotte food scene was abuzz about a great new breakfast place in Rock Hill called The Yolk. Located in a dumpy strip mall, it boasted a homey atmosphere, intriguing specials and lines out the door every weekend. Say the word "pancakes" near me, and I'll tell you the best ones I've ever had were at the Yolk (and believe me, I've had my share of pancakes).
Owners Greg and Subrina Collier already had a relocation in the works when an electrical fire last August shorted out their plans. Finally, after months of insurance claims, construction and inspections, the Yolk has risen from the ashes, opening its new doors last Wednesday.
The restaurant's second home at 1912 Mt. Gallant Road is another shopping mall, only 50 years newer and in a better location. Ignore the old "Big Wok II" sign high on the façade and look for the small banner over the door announcing that breakfast is back in town.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Food News Charlotte-based app Foodl.es could help you preserve your family recipes
Posted By Keia Mastrianni on Wed, Dec 10, 2014 at 4:25 PM
For anyone who has ever treasured a family recipe, this app is for you. Whether cookbook junkie, recipe hound or sentimental foodist, a recipe is often much more than a recipe. It is a story, a legacy, a piece of a loved one left behind.
For Charlotte-based tech duo, Jill Bjers and husband Torgny, the loss of a beloved family recipe spurred the development of Food.les, a digital cookbook and recipe archive designed to preserve recipes online and in print.
Bjers lost her grandmother 10 years ago and with her, the recipe for Divinity, a Southern confection similar to nougat. Bjers calls it a dense marshmallow. Though she can recreate Divinity through other recipes, it just isn’t the same. As a mother herself, Bjers realized the importance of preserving recipes and began researching online recipe archives to see what was out there.
The tech goddess, who throws big brains behind some of Charlotte’s most notable tech events like TedXCharlotte, BarCampCLT and most recently, Geek Girl Camp, uncovered a need for a more comprehensive online archive. Bjers, who loves the feel of flipping through cookbooks, wanted the online space to feel the same but could find none who did it successfully. She also found a wealth of sites that allowed for recipes to be archived but made it requisite to share with the public at-large. She didn’t want to do that either.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Beer A fine brew grows better with age
Posted By Jonathan Wells on Mon, Dec 8, 2014 at 5:43 PM
We’ve all heard the idiom: “Like a fine wine, you grow better with age.” But what if I were to tell you that beer could be aged as well? No, I’m not off my meds, it’s true. You can have the same aging experience with certain beer styles, and achieve greater results in less time.
First off, don’t start looking at that leftover Miller Lite can in the back of the fridge with delusions of grandeur. Only certain beer styles will undergo a fascinating transformation; others will just get increasingly worse.
Why age beer, though? Well, think of it as an experiment in chemical composition over time. Or, if you prefer, just consider it a tasty and easy science experiment. It interests me to see how some existing tastes will fade away, only to let a new flavor profile emerge. For example, an alcohol-forward beer may see that booziness drop off and get replaced by molasses or caramel. Coffee notes may give way to brown sugar. Sherry aspects may suddenly appear out of the ether. Basically, I age beer to see how it changes over time, and if you’ve lost your sense of wonder then this practice just isn’t for you.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Events Wake 'N' Bake-Off starts holiday season on a high note
Posted By Alison Leininger on Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 2:12 PM
If chewing on some beer-infused baked goods and downing a glass of Wake 'N' Bake sounds like the perfect way to help a good cause, stop in at Salud Beer Shop this Sunday, Dec. 7. Terrapin Beer is teaming up with Salud and Pure Intentions coffee to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Terrapin's Wake 'N' Bakecoffee oatmeal stout, while raising money for Changed Choices.
Supporting women currently in or transitioning out of incarceration, Changed Choices offers inmates guidance and support to make positive life decisions. The bake-off proceeds will be used to help provide their children happier holidays. "It's not necessarily going for toys," says Terrapin's Jennifer Davis. "It may mean food for their children or just keeping their houses warm."
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Keia Is Hungry Eat This: Roasted Scallops at Halcyon
Posted By Keia Mastrianni on Wed, Dec 3, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Remember Halcyon? That restaurant attached to the Mint Museum made notable by a certain chef Marc Jacksina who brought Southern and seasonal together inside the elegant rustic space? Yeah, that one.
It’s been well over a year since Jacksina left the building to pursue other endeavors (he is now at Earl’s Grocery in Elizabeth) and executive chef James Stouffer took over. For some inexplicable reason, the foodie fangirls and boys abandoned ship here for no good reason. Since Jacksina’s departure, Stouffer has been quietly executing dishes centered around the seasons, employing classical technique and European-inspired touches for offerings that are as colorful as they are comforting. Farmers pay Stouffer a visit each week, delivering fresh produce to populate the ever-changing menu. On any given night, you can find him joyfully cooking in the tiny shoebox of a kitchen with his team. You won’t find the trendiest tricks or even a sous vide machine, for that matter. What you will find is a passionate chef cooking, truly cooking, honest food.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Down and Dirty Locally Twisted Dinner raises funds for scholarship program
Posted By Alison Leininger on Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:29 AM
When the Art Institute of Charlotte hosts a Locally Twisted Dinner on Dec. 4, beef-tongue ravioli will not be the most unusual aspect of the evening. That's because, unlike most foodie fundraisers, this dinner does not boast a team of well-known local chefs. Instead, everything about the event — from original recipes and hand-crafted drinks, to the logo and restaurant décor — comes from the efforts of five students enrolled in the culinary program's Senior Practicum.
Diverging from typical cooking courses where chef instructors determine menus and hand out recipes, the practicum hands the reins to students about to enter the culinary workforce. "We have a chef instructor, but pretty much all the ideas and concepts have come from the students," says senior Kristen Beasley, who spoke to me as the event's marketing manager. "Instead of class lectures, we have meetings about how to [run] the restaurant."
Monday, November 17, 2014
Beer OMB stands tall in national competition
Posted By David Aurelius on Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 5:45 PM
The folks at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery have been making moves to set themselves apart recently, and are now calling on Charlotteans to help them do that on a national level. What they’re asking for is simple, but it could have pretty long-lasting effects.
Currently, OMB is ranked by USA Today and 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards as having the No. 1 brewery tour in the country, but that could change if the city falls asleep at the tap. OMB has been neck and neck with Magic Hat Brewing Co. from Burlington, Vermont, and is the only brewery from the Southeast that made the list. Major breweries such as New Belgium, Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada, Stone, and Dogfish Head are all trailing.
Ryan Self, director of sales, hopes that Charlotteans will continue to vote to keep them at the top of the list. “We think if we can get Charlotte behind us, we can win this,” Self said in an interview with the Charlotte Business Journal.
OMB offers an experience unique from its competition in the fact that it adheres to a very strict German Beer Purity Law — The “Reinheitsgebot.” No inferior ingredients are allowed in their production process. Barley, hops, water and yeast. That’s it.
Readers can cast their vote for OMB until the ballot closes on Dec. 1 at noon.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Down and Dirty In which a northerner works to understand greens
Posted By Alison Leininger on Thu, Nov 13, 2014 at 10:00 AM
One of the worst moments of my childhood was the day some horrible person told my parents that beet leaves were edible. Spinach was bad enough, but now there were two kinds of nasty green bitterness they could torture me with.
Obviously, I am not a greens lover, and perhaps as obviously, my parents are not Southerners. Otherwise they would have known that "greens" is a multitudinous category of plant matter. This fall, as they multiply in the market, I turned to Dani Rowland of Rowland's Row Family Farm in Goldsboro to educate me.
When I stopped at her stall in Atherton Market to ask how many types she and husband Joe grow for market, the sprite-like young farmer needed some time and all her fingers to count. The list finished at 11, including three kinds of kale, and cabbage as a possible contender. Yes, beet greens and spinach were on the list, along with collards, turnips, rutabagas, mustard and bok choi.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Keia Is Hungry Eat This: Porchetta at Little Spoon Eatery
Posted By Keia Mastrianni on Wed, Nov 5, 2014 at 10:10 AM
If you didn’t already know this about me, I’m a proud supporter of swine consumption. I like pig in all of its delicious iterations, and I’ve never met a meat sweat I didn’t like. To be fair, I’m an equal opportunity carnivore, and when I walked into Little Spoon, the Selwyn Avenue breakfast and lunch eatery open since late July, I was looking for a different dish. Thanks to a chance run-in with one of my most trusted food advisors, I was swayed by the siren call of pork when she ordered the porchetta ($11).
- Keia Mastrianni
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Dish on this: Charlotte-based chefs join ACF Culinary Team USA 2016
As fall approaches, local chefs prepare for a culinary battle in Germany.
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Recipe: Roasted Vegetables with Dijon Béarnaise Sauce
Vegetables. Cheese. Béarnaise. These are things you're going to put in your mouth shortly after reading this.
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What's hoppening at Unknown?
I had to check out the brewery's inaugural Improper Glassware Night.
