Daily Loaf

Whether you are a food blogger or Food Network mega chef, you always have someone with whom you seek “foodie” counsel. This person is in essence a foodie`s foodie, and is great at pointing out new foods/experiences based on their experience. Being a CL food blogger gives me the fortune of having some pretty savvy food and wine people at my fingertips, which became quite evident when I planned a weekend getaway to Sarasota.

It was a beach and food trip, and I’d done research and was convinced that I had found a great fine-dining spot for dinner. I made my reservations and packed the Nexium. Then, in passing, I mentioned my culinary plans to my friend Taylor, who suggested I touch base with CL food editor Brian Ries. He immediately had me change reservations to the relatively new Mozaic restaurant in downtown Sarasota.  Armed with his advice, I placed my fate in the hands of Chef Dylan Elhajoui. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have been paying attention to all of the ads and the commercials on Bravo, you’ll already know that the Top Chef series is back (and we’re hoping you’ve watched). This time, there’s a twist: 24 well-known, seasoned chefs go head-to-head and compete in challenges just like they’ve put the contestants from past seasons through, all to win money for their charity of choice.

Top Chef Masters is a bit different than the original show, though. Instead of sticking all 24 of the “masters” in an apartment and make them eat, sleep, booze, and live together, four of them at a time compete in an episode. I was thoroughly surprised when I saw this – they didn’t mention that in the previews, but I can understand why this was done. (Do you really think these chefs are going to give up the reins of their uber popular restaurants and two months of their lives just for a TV show? Though I would liked to have seen a Hosea-Leah hookup scenario between, say, Roy Yamaguchi and Cindy Pawlcyn.)
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The author furiously at work decorating cakes for class

 With the rise of all-things-cooking has come a slew of television shows, celebrity chefs, designer cookbooks, and yes, that one-time silly-frillyness formerly relegated to weddings and 3rd grade birthday parties: cake decorating. The cake decorating movement, in line with the new consciousness about cooking (see: slow food, organic food, food competitions, gourmet food, Top Chef, and more), is breaking boundaries and setting new artistic standards as the general public gets excited about everything food-related. Programs such as The Food Network’s Ace of Cakes highlight the possibilities (due in large parts to the liberal use of rolled icing, or fondant) that cake bakers, caterers, and decorators have these days. And possibilities are in abundance! The imagination is truly the only limiting factor as cakes take the shape of buildings, airplanes, dirt-bike racing courses, designer purses, and more. Read the rest of this entry »