Somali Restaurateur Defies Terrorists By Keeping Restaurants Open Despite Suicide Bombings
Ahmed Jama owns a series of restaurants, called The Village, in Mogadishu, Somali. He has built a successful restaurant business with returning customers. However, Jama has to take many precautions to keep his restaurants and patrons safe. This includes armed gunman and sandbags piled up around the gate in case his restaurants are bombed. His restaurants have been bombed by suicide bombers. In one attack twenty-five of his customers were killed. Jama keeps running the restaurants and his customers keep coming, refusing to submit to fear. Take a look:
Whole Food's Cattle Cam Lets You Watch What Your Meat Eats
Whole Food's April Fool's joke is the launch of a Cattle Cam so you can watch what your meat eats. Whole Foods' says, "Curious about what your meat eats? We've equipped each herd with cattle cams for full transparency from pasture to plate. No more wondering if that grass-fed beef you're buying was actually raised on petunias and pork rinds. Keep tabs on their munching habits with our cattle cam."
In the video, there is someone pretending to be a cow and not an actual cow. We can hear them but we cannot see them. Take a look:
Wolfgang Puck brought his gourmet delicacies on to the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday. Wolfgang and his team have created the menu for the Governors Ball for 18 consecutive years. The Governors Ball is the celebration following the Oscars.
Some of the items in this year's Governors Ball menu included:
Smoked salmon Oscars
Chicken pot pie with shaved black truffles
Pastry Chef Sherry Yard's gold-dusted chocolate Oscars
Lobster tacos with tomato and pickled Shallots
Beet salad with pistachio butter, burrata and citrus balsamic
Martha White and Lodge Cast Iron have announced the 17th Annual National Cornbread Cook-Off. Fans can enter the contest by submitting an original main dish recipe prepared with at least one package of Martha White Cornbread Mix and cooked in Lodge Cast Iron cookware. Ten finalists will be invited to compete during the National Cornbread Festival. The grand prize winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize.
Kitty Greenwald demonstrated how to make Deep Fried Pancakes for the Wall Street Journal's Slow Foot Fast segment. She's using a recipe by Chef Martin Picard, who runs a Montreal restaurant called Cabane à Sucre Au Pied de Cochon or Sugar Shack. Kitty says it takes about 30 minutes to make the dish. She says not to worry about the calories. You can find the recipe here. Take a look:
Michael Lomonaco Makes Skirt Steak Sandwich with Chimichurri Sauce
Michael Lomonaco, executive chef and managing partner of Porter House New York, makes a delicious looking Skirt Steak Sandwich with Chimichurri Sauce in this video for The Daily. Chef Lomonaco says it is the vinegar that makes chimichurri special. He says it will last for a week if kept refrigerator. You can find the recipe here. Take a look:
Chef Michael White of Nicoletta Pizzeria shared his recipe for Bianca Pizza with The Daily. Chef White uses several cheeses on the pizza, including mozzarella, Gorgonzola, taleggio and pecorino. At the end Chef White adds some basil. Basil is awesome. You can find the pizza recipe here. Take a look:
Eggland's Best (EB) has launched its "Your Best Recipe" contest. The contest, open to entries through August 12, 2012 seeks original egg recipes featuring at least two EB eggs from at-home chef. A $1,000 prize will be awarded in each of the following four categories: Breakfast, Appetizer, Main Course, and Dessert and one at-home chef whose dish best showcases the use of Eggland's Best eggs will be awarded a $10,000 grand prize. Details about the contest can be found here.
Judging the contest are are chef and cookbook author Candice Kumai, who also serves as a judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America, as well as Elizabeth Ward, a nationally recognized registered dietitian.
Chef Kumai says, "The test of a true chef is in knowing how to cook eggs properly, and selecting the best ingredients to cook wit. I personally use Eggland's Best eggs because not only are they more nutritious than ordinary eggs, but the yolks are also plumper, creamier and brighter in color. Their freshness and quality ensure my egg dishes turn out consistently every time."
Andrew Zimmern has announced the winners of The Munchies, a new People's Choice Food Awards launched by General Mills and Tablespoon.com. You can see the list of winners below. Here is Zimmern's announcement. Take a look:
Andrew Zimmern and General Mills Launch The Munchies People's Choice Food Awards
General Mills' Tablespoon.com has launched The Munchies, which are billed as the People's Choice Food Awards. The categories include topics like favorite food reality shows, favorite food blogs, best chef, best pizza, best food truck, best taco, coolest coffee shop. Online voting runs through April 30th.
Heather Reid, food content marketing at General Mills, says, "The Munchies will give food lovers a voice in celebrating the restaurants, chefs, media and food that deliver the most inspiring and satisfying culinary experiences. Plus, we'll be making a donation to Feeding America on behalf of all of the voters and panelists, so everyone who participates is also supporting a great cause. Every day, passionate food lovers visit Tablespoon.com to discover and share the freshest, most amazing ideas from the world of food and drink, so it's the perfect place to host The Munchies. We are excited to highlight the culinary tastemakers who are shaping America's food culture."
Here is Andrew Zimmern explaining The Munchies. Take a look:
Chef Patrick Connolly Makes Swiss Chard Salad With Apples and Chicken Skin
Patrick Connolly, executive chef of The Kitchen NYC, makes a swiss chard salad with apples and chicken skin. Connolly begins by crisping the chicken skin slowly in a pan with oil on medium heat for 25 minutes. He uses a lid to keep the skin in the oil. Connolly blends toasted coriander seeds, rice wine vinegar, EVOO and honey to make his salad dressing. You can find the recipe here. Take a look:
Gary Rhodes and Marguerite Patten Make Lemon Steam Sponge Pudding
Gary Rhodes recreated one of the first puddings he ever cooked, Lemon Steam Sponge Pudding. The recipe was created by Marguerite Patten and she joined Rhodes to recreate the pudding. Marguerite has published a staggering 166 cookbooks since 1947. The lemon sponge pudding looks awesome. Take a look:
Patrick Connolly, the executive chef of The Kitchen NYC, makes a dish called "Egg, Bacon and Cereal." Connolly joined The Kitchen as executive chef in January, 2012. His dish includes leek fondue, crispy grains, soft-boiled egg and guanciale. He uses an immersion circulator for the eggs. You can find the recipe here. Take a look:
Founders of Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Publish Book
Jake Godby and Sean Vahey are the owners of Humphry Slocombe, a popular ice cream shop in San Francisco with unusual flavors, such as Butter Beer, Foie Gras, Government Cheese, Secret Breakfast and Tahitian Vanilla. They say every ice cream they make has a story. Their new book, Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book, published April 25, 2012, contains 50 recipes for their ice flavors. It also contains recipes for sundae combinations and popular toppings such as marshmallow and crumbled curry cookie. Take a look:
Cooking Confidential's Gail Monaghan explains how to make truffle nuts in this video from the Wall Street Journal. She says you can roast nearly any kind of nut on a cooking sheet in a 350 degree oven. She roasts them for about ten minutes until they are golden. When the nuts are ready you toss them with truffle oil and truffle salt before they cool. She says to be generous with the truffle salt. Take a look:
