Published on December 2nd, 2008
According to the New York Times (NYT), the mess that is COPIA (offically the American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts), the ambitious Frankenstein’s monster in the heart of Napa that was founded in a large part from money donated by the late Robert Mondavi, finally filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.
Anyone who has been following this soap opera for the past several years can only shake their head in bewilderment. COPIA was and is a good premise that got caught up in to much self importance and pretentiousness. No one wanted to come and no one came.
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Published on December 1st, 2008
On my short list for job candidates who should be Obama’s White House Chef: Kurt Micheal Friese. As our President-Elect takes office and struggles to wrest the Farm Bill from the deathgrip of one of our nation’s largest lobbyist groups, I think Chef Friese would be ideal to serve up some good advice along with Obama’s dinner. (Pictured left, with his wife, Kim McWane Friese.)
My only worry is that the restaurant owner (Devotay in Iowa City), author of A Cook’s Journey, Slow Food in the Heartland, member of the board of directors for Slow Food USA, Edible Iowa River Valley editor-in-chief and contributor on Grist just might be too booked for the job. Chef Friese found a few moments, however, to fill out the “application.” Read the rest of this entry »
Published on November 29th, 2008
As you recover from your day of Thanksgiving feasting, you might be curious as to whom you should really thank for your day off from work or school day of celebration. There are many stories, myths, and misinformation surrounding Thanksgiving. Equally significant are the many strong emotions and opinions evoked this holiday, including everything from the feel-good and sense of hope, to doubt and downright condemnation of the infamous feasting day.
But there’s a little-known truth about Thanksgiving that you may not realize. The real reason we celebrate the fourth Thursday of every November as “Thanksgiving” is because of a journalist, not the pilgrims.
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Published on November 28th, 2008
What a wonderful time of year to express gratitude for our natural world and how it nourishes us. Discover through this free visual guide how an enriched school or family environment can enhance student understanding of personal well-being and the natural world.
The guide is available for download in pdf format, and while it is designed for kids in a learning environment, there is something in there for everyone to learn from.
It’s graciously offered by the Center for Ecoliteracy which is dedicated to education for sustainable living. Their work is based on these four guiding principles:
- Nature is our teacher
- Sustainable living is rooted in a deep knowledge of place
- Sustainability is a community practice
- The real world is the optimal learning environment
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Published on November 28th, 2008
Brace yourself. It’s that time of year again.
I love Christmas as much as the next guy. The lights, the color, the celebration, the sharing, and especially the eating and drinking. The spiritual side of Christmas often goes a little unnoticed amid the mad rush of present buying, decorating and food preparation. Many traditions have played a part in forming Christmas as we know it today but it seem the most important is the spirit of commercialism.
In keeping with the true meaning of Christmas, I’m going to give you some helpful hints in choosing sustainable gifts for those on your list. These aren’t you ordinary boxes with colorful ribbons and fancy bows.
So, let’s go shopping.
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Tags:
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Published on November 27th, 2008
From local turkeys to seasonal root crops, Thanksgiving gifts us with a list of seasonal opportunities to green the holiday. While these all rank tangible, important actions to take, let’s not miss the golden green opportunity rooted in the inherent concept of Thanksgiving: gratitude.
A mindset of green gratitude emphasizes positive abundance, relishing the glass half full perspective. An important concept to keep on the front burner, especially as tanking economies fuel table conversations that tend to serve up sentiments of fear, scarcity and deprivation.
Add a dash of green reflection and gratitude to your Thanksgiving table by throwing these three questions on eating and drinking better into the conversation mix: Read the rest of this entry »
Published on November 26th, 2008
As part of our Behind the Burner food series, I had the unbelievable opportunity to chat with John DeLucie, Executive Chef and Partner of one of New York City’s top celebrity hang outs, The Waverly Inn, a spot so exclusive, the dining is by invitation only.
Needless to say, this gastronomic gem has catered to the highest of high profile crowds, making it a venue to see and be seen while serving up some of the most extraordinary cuisine this side of Eden. But thanks to the passion of Divya Gugnani, chef, foodie and founder of Behind The Burner, a website that brings the most coveted tips and trends in the culinary scene to the masses, dining like a star is as close as this blog post.
So, read on as we literally go Behind the Burner of the Waverly Inn and inside the creative mastermind that has turned dining into a red carpet event.
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Published on November 26th, 2008
A Year of Mornings began as a daily photo conversation, in blog form, between two friends that live 3191 miles apart:
Maria Alexandra Vettese (left images) is an artist living in Portland, Maine. She has two cats and her “perfect day includes an early rising-time and bedtime. In her dreams she sits at a table in a sparse but warm room and writes letters by hand all day.”
Stephanie Congdon Barnes (right images) is from Portland, Oregon. She has two kids, loves the woods as well as making little things out of wool and linen. “The first thing she does in the morning is put water on to boil for coffee.”
It lasted the entire calendar year as an artful blog and the project has now been transformed into a book.
Visit the new photo blog, A Year of Evenings, which highlights the ambiance that arises in the evening somewhere around dinnertime.
Another couple fun visual sites I adore are Simply Breakfast, and Read the rest of this entry »
Published on November 26th, 2008
With the Thanksgiving Holiday just a few days away, you are probably focusing on how to have a green Thanksgiving. I have enjoyed reading tips and ideas from around the Green Options network and the blogosphere. Here are some of my favorite green Thanksgiving posts:
NBC11 recorded a segment on how to have a sustainable Thanksgiving as part of their Green Week coverage. I got to spend the morning with them talking about heritage turkeys, organic vegetables and ways to create a natural Thanksgiving Centerpiece.
To view the segment click here.
Do you want to get the kids involved in your green Thanksgiving plans? Watch this video to see how these kids helped out.
For full story go here.
SustainLane, a green living company provides 5 top tips for a Green Thanksgiving.
Read here for full story.
The talented crafters at Etsy have some very special holiday how-to tutorials to share this season. Earlier this week they featured this adorable “patchwork trivet for your table. You can spice up your home decor, whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving or a potluck with friends!”
For full story go here
A local Thanksgiving is a green Thanksgiving. It is not hard to eat local during the Holiday. Beth Bader tells you how.
For full story go here
Nothing like pumpkin at the Thanksgiving table. Here are 10 pumpkin recipes to satisfy your savory side and take advantage of the current farmers market bounty.
For full story go here.
Have the kids help you create a natural Thanksgiving centerpiece. The folks at Green Gorilla show you how.
For full story go here.
Tags:
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Published on November 25th, 2008
While we are on the topic of enjoying a local turkey day, I’m reminded of the trusty local foods wheel that was created by three brilliant women to help Bay Area folks decide what’s in season at the grocery store.
Hopefully a local foods wheel will be created for each and every spot in the US, but for now they are focused on the San Francisco Bay Area and New York Metro Area. The concept is simple, just choose the month we’re in, and rotate the wheel to reveal the local foods available. They explain: Read the rest of this entry »
