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01/15/13Show Some Love Today for Memphis Urban Farm School By Shopping at Whole FoodsYou need groceries before buckling down for today’s winter weather, right? Then head straight for Whole Foods Market where 5 percent of your purchases will be donated to The Memphis Urban Farm School, an innovative startup to connect food entrepreneurs with business and agricultural training. The program will provide low-cost classes to food entrepreneurs, utilize blighted or vacant land for food production, and connect new farmers to local retail markets, explained Mary Phillips, the project’s co-director along with attorney Wes Riddle. “Basically, we want to help make local food accessible and affordable to more and more people,” said Phillips, an early advocate for the city's local food movement and the farm manager... |
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01/14/13Passport to Oregon: Michael Hughes Explains the Magic of Oregon's Wines and WinemakersWine expert Michael Hughes, who is also the general manager of Joe’s Wines & Liquors in Midtown, says it’s difficult to put into words what makes Oregon wine so special, but he did a great job nonetheless with a handful of questions about the store’s upcoming wine tasting called “Passport to Oregon.” The popular event will be held February 21 at the University Club and will feature several dozen wineries from Oregon along with appetizers that reflect the tastes of America’s much-loved northwestern corner. Last year’s event was a sellout, and Hughes' enthusiastic description of Oregon wines explains why. Memphis Stew: The first “Passport to Oregon” was very popular. Why do you think people are... Posted at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments: 4 |
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01/11/13Cooper Street 20/20 Throws a Party (and the Food is Excellent Too)The one-two punch of a prominent article in "The Commercial Appeal" and free food turned the official opening Thursday evening of Cooper Street 20/20 into one great party. Owner Kathy Katz admitted that she was “a little overwhelmed” by the turn out before greeting another well-wisher with a hug and a thank you. Katz, a popular participant in local farmers markets, opened her new grocery with freshly prepared foods to-go last month after closing her restaurant at the Southern College of Optometry in Midtown. Stephen Sciara, the restaurant's chef, joined her in the new venture, and I asked him at Thursday's opening if he has a favorite 20/20 dish. “If I had to pick, it would probably be the... |
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01/10/13Karen Carrier's Bar DKDC To Open Saturday in Cooper-YoungEvery once in a while, I feel like a foodie insider. Such was my reaction earlier this week when an invite to the opening party for Karen Carrier's new bar on Cooper Street popped into my Facebook page. The party celebrates the official opening on Saturday at 5 p.m. of Bar DKDC, located next to Carrier's Beauty Shop in the former location of Do Sushi and Noodles. Since Carrier's restaurant ventures always combine fun, hip and delicious, I'm looking forward to the the newest addition to the Cooper Young neighborhood. The bar will focus on speciality cocktails, craft beers and Carrier's favorite: global street food. “We are starting with Spain and Mexico, and we'll be going all over the world,” Carrier said in a... |
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01/08/13Cooking With Elvis: Where to Eat at Graceland on the King's 78th BirthdayTo share some of my new book, “Food Lovers’ Guide to Memphis,” I thought it would be fun to periodically post excerpts on Memphis Stew. Since today is the birthday of Elvis Presley (he would be 78 ), here is a comprehensive guide to eating with the King: "It’s time to dispel a food myth about Elvis Presley. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches weren’t his favorite meal. He preferred bacon, and a lot of it. (But if you insist on the recipe, here it is!) The ultimate night owl, Elvis liked to sleep until late afternoon when his cook, Nancy Rooks, brought “breakfast for dinner” to his bedroom. Typically, the tray included a pound of bacon fried extra crispy, coffee, toast, pancakes and eggs. ... |
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01/04/13The Elegant Farmer Ready To Extend Hours and Mix Up MenusElegant Farmer fans, listen up: The popular farm-to-table restaurant in East Memphis will soon be open seven days a week. Beginning January 20, the restaurant will serve Sunday dinner from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering the restaurant’s lunch menu now served on weekdays plus specials. The extended hours also will include Mondays for lunch and dinner, with an evening menu that mixes up menu themes. Here’s how owner Mac Edwards explained the upcoming Monday menu plan: breakfast for dinner on the first Monday of the month; burgers on the second Monday of the month, including such variations as ground chicken and ground lamb; lunch for dinner on the third Monday of... |
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01/03/13English Muffins from Cucina Breads: A Fine Way to Start Your DayRemember Wolferman's English muffins? They were one of my favorite mail order food finds from the 90s. I loved the muffin's thick size and the little jars of jam that came in the box. These days, buying local has pretty much squelched the appeal of mail order food for me, so I was thrilled to discover English muffins from Cucina Breads at the Saturday Tsunami Winter Farmers Market. They are thick like Wolferman's but taste even better. I made a fried egg and bacon sandwich as soon as I got home and sailed through the rest of the day. The distinctive texture of English muffins has always been a mystery to me, so I asked Cucina's Sheri McKelvie to explain. She said she combines commercial yeast with a sour dough starter and then lets... |
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12/31/12Sunday Funday at Hog & Hominy Includes Ramen and Italian ToastSmoked garlic chicken broth, a chicken wing, duck sausage, crispy pig ears, pickled shitake, daikon, noodles, nori and a softly poached egg. That's how our server at Hog & Hominy described the restaurant's new ramen, and I ordered a bowl immediately with little regard to the rest of the menu. I'd never eaten pig ears or chicken wings in ramen before, but the ingredients promised a cozy antidote to the cold weather outside. When the aromatic bowl of ramen arrived at our table, I ate the chicken wing first, admired the bowl's color combinations and then mixed in the egg. Its thick yellow yolk blended seamlessly into the broth. I felt a little like a chemist. Much of Hog & Hominy's menu is deconstructed, and the ramen holds... |
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12/29/12Owen Brennan's Shrimp & Grits: A How-To Lesson From Chef Jody MoytWhen I did a book signing at the Cooper-Young Farmers Market before Christmas, I was lucky enough to share the community table with Jody Moyt, executive chef at Owen Brennan’s in East Memphis. Moyt was demonstrating how to make the restaurant’s signature shrimp and grits. He also passed around generous tastings of the finished dish. I ate at least three. It was a privilege to watch an accomplished chef like Moyt cook with ease as he prepared Owen Brennan’s Cajun classic. I envied Moyt’s memory of the recipe and how he mixed the ingredients with a skillful shake of the pan. Moyt had prepared the grits ahead of time, but he shared a few secrets while he set up. He uses stone-ground grits from the Original Grit Girl in Oxford... |
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12/27/12Southern Meat Market: Serving Rock ‘n Roll, Service and Good PricesAfter more than 100 years in the same building, Southern Meat Market is moving to a new location on Park Avenue not far from Pete and Sam’s. The move, tentatively set for mid-March, will be a homecoming of sorts for owner Randy Stockard, who operated a much-loved bar called Poor Red’s not far from the market’s soon-to-be new home. “We need a retirement home for all the old rock ‘n rollers,” Stockard said with a laugh, relishing his long-standing ties to the Park Avenue location. “And it’s time to move. There’s only so much you can do with a building that dates back to the Civil War.” Tenants think the building that straddles Southern and Highland avenues will be demolished and... Posted at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments: 3 |
Memphis Stew is a food blog that celebrates our city’s community table and the people who grow, cook, and eat Memphis food. It is written by Pamela Denney, food editor of Memphis magazine, who sees food as a delicious way to build families, friendships, and a more healthy and sustainable future.
