Food & Drink

 America has been a bit obsessed with all things pumpkin since Starbucks debuted their Pumpkin Spice latte in 2003. Since then pumpkin spice flavor has found its way into everything from beer to Cheerios to flavored oatmeal. I too find myself getting swept up in the moment. This past weekend nothing was going to stand […]

If you ever get into a food discussion with my children, ask them to tell you about the time their mother (and longtime Illinois Times food writer) Julianne took them to a dim sum restaurant and watch them roll their eyes. Years ago, my family had driven me up to O’Hare International Airport so I […]

It’s fundraising season again. Kids are returning home from school with cookie dough and popcorn order forms, and churches and community groups are gearing up for their annual holiday bake sales. It’s hard to say no to the bright-eyed kid selling candy bars to raise money to buy new baseball uniforms, and why should we? […]

It’s smelly, spicy, scary-looking and quite possibly the world’s healthiest food. It hisses and foams when you open its jar. It is revered by Koreans and reviled by many Americans. Kimchi – you either love it or hate it. I’ve long been a lover of kimchi, though in my early days it was a social […]

Gardener Garrick Veenstra showing off some of the seed varieties that were planted for the Oct. 1 Ark of Taste dinner. PHOTOS COURTESY SLOW FOOD SPRINGFIELD Consumers today seem to have more choices at the grocery store than ever before. My great-grandmother would have marveled at the red strawberries available in grocery stores in the […]

Steak cooked to a perfect “medium” PHOTO BY PETER GLATZ My two favorite avocations are music and cooking; I have found that camping at music festivals in Bertha Bus, my mobile kitchen, gives me the perfect opportunity to enjoy both. Over the years, as my meal preparations have become more elaborate and time consuming, I […]

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY MEYER Just because summer is drawing to an end and the kids are back to school does not mean that farmers market season is over. The Old State Capitol Farmers Market continues to run Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. through Oct. 31. True, corn and peaches will be done […]

Monterey chicken PHOTO BY ASHLEY MEYER Again it’s Labor Day, when, without a hint of irony, we celebrate our country’s workers by taking a day off from work. For most professionals, a day off is assumed to entail doing pretty much anything other than their job. To be sure, as much as we chefs love […]

It seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in our family. My daughter has loved olives since she was a baby. The only time I ever had to simply abandon my shopping cart and remove my wailing child from the grocery store was over olives at the olive bar. I have to monitor […]

King salmon with blueberry sauce. PHOTO BY PETER GLATZ Fish can be a beneficial component of a healthy diet. Fish are the major sources of long-chain omega-3 fats, are high in protein and low in saturated fat. Evidence suggests that eating fish or taking fish oil is good for the heart and blood vessels. The […]

There are few things that one can do to have an immediate and positive impact on one’s health. Increasing physical activity and changing one’s diet are critical steps in improving overall health and vitality, but persistence, organization and dedication are required to get results. Thankfully, there is something everyone can do to instantly improve their […]