by Roz Cummins

Posted 11 months, 2 weeks ago I was really happy to see this article.

The ads which cast doubt on corn syrup-related health problems are so bad that even Karl Rove must be shaking his head. (Besides, who takes a popsicle -- let alone one popsicle for two people -- on a picnic?)

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Posted 1 year, 2 months ago

All my life, I have wanted to be a professional tomato taster. I am happy to report that on August 18, 2008, I had the chance to serve as a judge (unpaid, so, OK, not exactly professional, but still ...) in the 24th annual Massachusetts tomato contest, organized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and held at City Hall Plaza in downtown Boston.

I was actually just chilling with friends who were going to serve… Read More

Posted 1 year, 2 months ago

For years, I've drooled over photos of summer pudding -- a traditional British dessert that's the same deep blue and purple color as a serious bruise. Summer pudding features a little bread and a lot of berries, and Massachusetts, where I live, is known for its delicious late-summer harvests of raspberries, blueberries, etc. One of these summers, I've long thought to myself, Olde England and New England will intersect in my kitchen, resulting in a stunner of a summer pudding.

Well, it's been a weird summer here in Massachusetts: lots of rain, lots of… Read More

Posted 1 year, 3 months ago

In my most recent article, I described my experience attending a hog-butchering workshop led by Boston chef Jamie Bissonnette. He mentioned during the workshop that he had been a vegan when he was younger. I wanted to find out more about what would make someone change his eating habits so dramatically, so I set up an interview with Jamie to talk about the influences and experiences that led him to follow a different path than the one he set out on as a young man.

After settling into a… Read More

Posted 1 year, 4 months ago

A few months ago, I decided to force myself to confront issues surrounding meat-eating head on -- so to speak -- by attending a hog-butchering class. Taught by Boston chef Jamie Bissonnette of KO Prime and offered through the Chefs Collaborative, the class focused on utilizing the whole animal, from head to tail.

As usual, I was beset by the dilemma of what to wear. What looks attractive, creative, and professional -- yet also looks good splattered in blood? I finally gave up… Read More

Posted 1 year, 4 months ago In her new book The Dinner Diaries: Raising Whole Wheat Kids in a White Bread World, Betsy Block writes compellingly about trying to feed one's family and oneself in a nutritious, sustainable, economical, and harmonious way -- and dealing with various likes and dislikes within the family dining unit.

I imagine reviewers will liken the experience of reading this book to sitting and talking at the kitchen table with a trusted friend, and they'll be right. How do I know? Because Betsy… Read More

Posted 1 year, 5 months ago

The Portola Café and Restaurant, the fine-dining venue within the Monterey Bay Aquarium, is an airy, light-filled space surrounded by windows on three sides. The soothing, understated interior showcases a breathtaking view of Monterey Bay, where one can watch otters wrap themselves in kelp while cormorants swim and dive nearby.

It is here that I have the chance to talk with Alton Brown, creator and… Read More

Posted 1 year, 5 months ago

About 15 years ago, a friend brought an organic wine to a dinner party I was giving. He explained to me that in addition to being made from grapes that are grown organically, organic wines don't contain any added sulfites (some sulfites occur naturally as a result of the fermentation process). Since I try hard to use organic products as much as I can afford to, I began to look for… Read More

Posted 1 year, 6 months ago

A couple of months ago, I wrote about how the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California comes up with its wallet-sized cards -- the ones that tell us what seafood choices are sustainable.

I got so interested in the topic that when I got an invitation to attend the aquarium's annual Cooking for Solutions conference, I couldn't pass it up. The event… Read More

Posted 1 year, 6 months ago I met with my friend, chef Didi Emmons, on a recent spring morning for breakfast in Harvard Square. We met at the Hi-Rise Pie Company, where we bought a loaf of potato bread and crept up the stairs to the little rooms filled with ancient chairs and tables.

Didi pulled a dark green glass bottle from her rucksack. I wondered what the other patrons thought, since it was a bit early in the day for a tipple. But once we tore our loaf of bread into pieces and… Read More