Farewell Gourmet

Gourmet magazine announced earlier this month that the November issue will be its last.  Publisher Conde Nast has decided to pull the plug on the iconic magazine after months of falling ad revenues.

The magazine has been in publication since December of 1940 and has approached the subject of food as culture ever since.  The magazine has featured such writers as Junot Diaz, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer  Prize for The Brief Wondrous  of Oscar Wao, David Foster Wallace and Anthony Bourdain.

The Johnson & Wales North Miami Library retains Gourmet magazine from 1964 to the last issue.

eBook – The American History Cookbook

The American History Cookbook by Mark Zanger covers a wide range of American history cookery from the pre-colonial to school lunches.  Many of the recipes were selected from historical cookbooks with the intention to illuminate techniques used by the people of the time, and thus history.  The book is arranged chronologically by time periods (50 Chapters in total) and each chapter opens with a brief historical background then gives a typical recipe of that period.   The recipes include detailed instructions on how to prepare the dish authentically with instructions for substitutes for hard to find ingredients and difficult techniques.

The American History Cookbook is available as an eBook through Greenwood Digital Collection database.  To access this resource go to the library homepage, select databases, then scroll down to Greenwood Digital Collection and choose your location (either on or off campus).  Once you are in the database, click on “American History” subject heading to expand your options, then expand “American History (General)” and you’ll see The American History Cookbook.

Emerging Opportunities for “Green” Wine

“Going green” is becoming an increasingly hot topic in the wine industry. It appears that it also becoming more profitable for wine retail and this will certainly affect restauranteurs and consumers alike. According to a recent article in Cheers, retail opportunities for wine produced with sustainable practices is on the rise. Sarah Baisley, contributing editor of Cheers and the wine steward at Malibu Pavilions, states that “the public is beginning to believe that “healthier” can also taste good–the term “quality” is starting to be applied to wines produced by green methods.” This article provides evidence that there is increased market growth for these products. Read the article yourself! Follow the steps below to access the journal through the Culinary Arts Collection database:

1. Go to http://library.jwu.edu
2. Choose Databases
3. Scroll down to Culinary Arts Collection
4. Choose On Campus or Off Campus (enter name and barcode)
5. Type the keywords: green wine into the search box
6. Click on the article title: Green movement sprouts opportunity for wine & spirits.(Guide to Green Wines).

Dining Out For Life – Thursday, Apr 30th, 2009

Dining Out For Life is a one-day international fundraiser that benefits HIV/AIDS organizations in participating cities.  The funds raised locally from this event will go to Care Resource, a local non-profit organization dedicated to help those living in South Florida infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Information on Care Resource can be found at:
http://www.careresource.org

The DOFL spokesperson for South Florida is Top Chef’s Howie Kleinberg.

For more information, and for a list of local participating restaurants for the Apr 30th event, please visit:
http://diningoutforlife.com/miami

Taste 2009: Q&A

Last week’s Miami New Times (Feb 26 – Mar 4) included an insert (Taste 2009) that featured interviews with six local chefs:

Jonathan Eismann – chef/owner of Pacific Time
Cindy Hutson – Ortanique on the Mile
Clay Conley – Azul
Michael Schwartz – Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
Allen Susser – Chef Allen’s
Kris Wessel – Red Light

If you missed the opportunity to grab your own copy of Taste 2009, you can download it using the link below (please note that the document is 32mb — 28pgs, so it may take a while to load for you):

http://digitalissue.miaminewtimes.com/publication/xml/3263/13185/13185.pdf

Food Protection Trends

Recent headlines warning of salmonella poisoning and the recall of various peanut products have once again raised our consciousness concerning foodborne illnesses and food safety. Food Protection Trends is published by the International Association for Food Protection. The scope of this journal states that it is targeted toward persons working in industry or regulatory agencies, individuals teaching in the field of food science, or anyone interested in food safety and food protection. Your JWU North Miami campus Library has electronic and print formats available from 2003 to the present.

The January, 2009 issue contains an article describing a study of several cooking shows on the Food Network. “A Content Analysis of Food Safety Measures on Television’s Food Network” by Erica Goss Irlbeck, Cindy Akers, and Mindy M. Brashears, critiques the programs by rating how well the shows conveyed common consumer food safety measures. The article points out that the Food Network is a very popular cable network (it is distributed to over 85 million households) and that over the past five years, many people have learned cooking preparation techniques by watching the programming on this network. The article also states that food safety experts believe that instances of foodborne illnesses that are contracted in the home are far more common than what is reported in the media.

Although all the shows reviewed by the researchers provided food safety information from time to time, such as washing fresh produce and proper hand washing, the conclusion is that the amount of food safety information available on the Food Network could be improved. Recognizing that time constraints prevent TV cooking show hosts from showing all food safety steps, the researchers suggested that graphics or “pop-ups” be used and food safety discussions and instructions, such as always using a meat thermometer when preparing meat, be included. Adding a section to the Food Network’s web site to educate consumers on food safety is also recommended.

If programming executives from the Food Network are aware of this research, they may be looking for different ways to present culinary arts and food safety techniques. The researchers suggest that a follow-up study be conducted in a year or two to see if any improvements in food safety practices were made on the shows they studied.

So many talk shows include a food preparation segment in the programming. What shortcuts have you noticed that could result in transmitting a foodborne illness?

The Chef’s Garden; A Model of Sustainability

Located in Ohio’s Huron County, the Chef’s Garden is a laboratory, seed bank and research-and-development center. I didn’t know that until I read about it in the current issue (January ’09) of The National Culinary Review, the official magazine of the American Culinary Federation. The article titled Back To Our Roots, by Jan Greenberg, emphasizes the trend toward sustainability in farming and food production techniques. Over 500 chefs visited the farm last year. The farm attempts to provide the chefs with what they need and want, rather than the chefs having to make do using what is produced in conventional farms. The point is made that using the best ingredients makes any chef’s job easier and results in having happier customers.

The National Culinary Review is a monthly publication. Current and back issues (2002 to the present) are located in the Library. Electronic access is also possible by searching for articles in LexisNexis Academic, Biography Resource Center, Business & Company Resource Center, General Business File ASAP, Science Resource Center, Academic Search Premier, and MAS Ultra – School Edition.

The King and Queen of Spices

If you didn’t know that pepper is the King of spices, then you might not be aware that cardamom is considered to be the Queen of spices. The January, 2009 edition of The Herb Companion can help fill you in on the details of how the aromatic herb, cardamom, earned its regal recognition. The article “The Spice Is Right: Discover Cardamom” by William Woys Weaver, provides a brief history and description of cardamom (it is native to the monsoon forests of southern India and Sri Lanka, it was mentioned in ancient Sanskrit, and it is a member of the ginger family) and suggests additional ways the herb can be used in food and beverages. The oil is used in perfumes and medicines. The cardamom plant likes warm climates and can be grown in your Florida herb garden.

The Library subscribes to The Herb Companion. It is a bimonthly publication.

Herb Companion Essay Contest

The Herb Companion is celebrating its 20th anniversary. To add to the festivities, you are invited to enter an essay contest on the topic of what you image the role herbs will play 20 years from now. In 600 words or less, convey your vision of the difference herbs will make in our future. Winners are eligible to receive prizes with a total value of up to $750. For a complete list of rules and to enter online, visit http://www.herbcompanion.com and type “essay contest” for the search term.

JWU Subject Sites

 The Johnson & Wales library has a web page which offers links to internet resources by subject. This can be extremely useful for finding valid information on the Web that has been vetted by a JWU librarian. You can browse by subject and then follow the link to a variety of internet resources that may be useful during your research process.

 

The direct address to the JWU Subject Sites page is:

http://library.jwu.edu/research/websites/index.htm

 

Or you can find it by going to the main library webpage at:

http://library.jwu.edu

>Then go to Research Resources and then click on Subject Sites.

 

For example, suppose you are looking for culinary resources. You can click on the link to Culinary & Food-related websites. Here you will find links to pages which cover a wide variety of cookery, cuisine, food industry and nutrition subjects: Baking, beverages (alcoholic/non-alcoholic), career information, cookbook reviews, cookery, ethnic/regional cuisine, food industry, food safety, menus, newsgroups, nutrition, professional associations, recipe archives/indexes, restaurants, specific foods, and tables (conversion/measurements).

 

Or perhaps, you are looking for information on International Business Etiquette. This page offers a variety of topics dealing the cultural aspects of conducting international business and general advice about etiquette expectations abroad.

 

Check it out! You won’t be sorry!

 

**Of course, don’t forget to always keep a critical eye on web-based information if you follow links from a web page as it may lead you outside of that website! You want to be sure to evaluate any website source you use by adhering to some basic guidelines:

• Check out the author. What type of credentials do they have?
• Is there a bibliography?
• Does the funding source or site of the research imply a bias?
• Who is the intended audience?