The Juicy Bits
If you like cooking, you'll love this Fall's bumper crop of new cookbooks. Critic Paula Forbes guides you through the good stuff. Or maybe you're getting back into restaurants these days? If so, check out Food & Wine's 34th class of Best New Chefs in America. Oh, you're in Canada, eh? Then have a look at the country's first ever Michelin Guide and its 13 newly starred restaurants, mostly in Toronto. Just think twice about ordering Maine lobster, now on the "avoid" list of the Seafood Watch program. Maybe get the halibut instead. And when you get home, consider watching Batali: The Fall Of A Superstar Chef. This cautionary tale helps explain why restaurants everywhere are reinventing themselves these days. In policy news, last month's White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health had two important outcomes: 1) an $8 billion (billion!) allocation toward ending hunger in America by 2030, and 2) a proposal by the FDA to quantify the "healthy" claim on food products. Ambitious moves, both worth making. In other good news, French Bordeaux grapes may be better than ever this year due to climate change. Whoulda thunk it? And ICYMI, Lay's potato chips now makes more than 200 different flavors like Mexican Chicken Tomato and Pickled Fish. Food pro Carolyn Phillips profiles nearly a dozen offbeat flavors here. Now I know what to munch on during tonight's video viewing! -Dave Joachim
Cooking
It's Prime Cookbook Season: Here's A Preview
Image Source: Courtesy of Stained Page News
The year's biggest cookbooks are published in the Fall. Critic Paula Forbes has insights on all the good stuff. A few highlights: Home Is Where The Eggs Are by Molly Yeh, Eat Plants B'tch by Pinky Cole, and Art of The Chicken by Jacques Pepin. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Restaurants
Food & Wine Names Best New Chefs 2022
Image Source: Food & Wine
Here's the most exciting culinary talent emerging in the US today, according to Food & Wine. Editor Khushbu Shah ate her way through 24 cities and found 11 chefs running bold, visionary restaurants with highly personal, unapologetic food. All worth a visit.
More Restaurant News
Canada's First Ever Michelin Guide Awards Stars To 13 Restaurants
Cooking School Enrollment Drops As Restaurant Staffing Needs Soar
Batali: The Fall of a Superstar Chef Reveals Rampant Sexual Harassment In Restaurants
California's Landmark Fast Food Regulation Act Becomes Law, And McDonald's Fights Back
Beverages
Drought And Early Harvest Yield Superior Bordeaux Grapes
Image Source: Associated Press
Severe drought and heat waves forced French winemakers to adapt and harvest a full month earlier than usual this year. The upshot? "Better ripeness, better balance" in the grapes, according to Fabien Teitgen, technical director of Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte in Martillac, south of Bordeaux. "Global warming is very positive," says Teitgen. At least, so far.
Supply Chain
Ukraine War Creates Worst Global Food Crisis Since 2008, Says IMF
Image Source: Reuters/Umit Bektas
About 345 million people now face life-threatening food shortages, according to the International Monetary Fund. The primary cause? Grain and fertilizer supply chains disrupted by the Ukraine war and climate change. Price hikes have increased import costs for the 48 most vulnerable countries by $9 billion. Its recommendations include eliminating food export bans and increasing humanitarian assistance by $1.3 billion through the World Food Programme.
More Supply Chain News
48 Charged For Stealing $250 Million From Pandemic-Related Food Aid Program
New Biden Plan Aims To End Hunger In US By 2030
Spanish Olive Oil Producers Devastated By Worst Drought Ever
Seafood Watch Group Lists New England Lobster As Seafood To Avoid
China Targets Global Fish Supply As It Owns Seafood Stocks Disappear
Health
FDA Proposes Updated Definition Of “Healthy” Claim On Food Labels
Image Source: Getty Images
The FDA wants to align food products claiming to be "healthy" with current nutrition science. Good move! Under its new proposed rule, for example, breakfast cereal labeled "healthy" would need to include 3/4 ounces whole grains and no more than 1 gram saturated fat, 230 milligrams sodium and 2.5 grams added sugars per serving. The rule would also encourage using the "healthy" claim on more plant foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. Score one for healthy eating.
Last Bite
A Guide to Lay’s Chinese Potato Chips
Image Source: Michelle Min
Most folks have their faves...BBQ, Sour Cream & Onion, or Salt & Vinegar. But Lay's makes more than 200 other potato chip flavors, including Pickled Fish and Mexican Chicken Tomato, mostly for customers in China. Curious? Carolyn Phillips profiles 11 of the more out-there flavors from Lay's. Check your local Asian market if you want to taste them.