The Blog

Avital Binshtock: Cheese Graders: Experts Name Their Favorite Green Cheeses

2012-02-22T22:52:20Z

No matter how you slice it, mainstream cheese is inefficient fare: Almost 10 pounds of milk are needed to make a typical 1-pound wheel. But you need not forsake your favorite Gouda. Just choose a brand that takes sustainability into account. I asked five experts to name their favorites.

JEFF ROBERTS cofounded the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese. His Atlas of American Artisan Cheese was the first book to comprehensively survey small-scale cheese makers.

"Long before sustainability was celebrated, LAZY LADY FARM in northern Vermont utilized green practices. The farm operates completely on solar and wind power, while the hillside aging caves take advantage of ambient temperature and humidity to make a diverse array of seasonal and organic goat's and cow's milk cheeses. La Petite Tomme, a bloomy-rind disk from goat's milk, is a signature product. The soft surface yields to a moist interior with hints of mushroom, milk, and nuts." $11 for 6 ounces, available seasonally at gourmetlibrary.com

Affineur WENDY WU is the cheese expert for Classified, a European-style cafe and retail chain in Hong Kong known for selling artisan foods. Time magazine named Classified one of its top five restaurants for cheese lovers.

"It's wonderful to see production that follows the rhythms of nature and respects the land. BEAUFORT CHALET D'ALPAGE cow's cheese, from the French Alps, illustrates how those traditions are preserved. In summer, meadows and pastures are perfect for grazing, and herds move up the mountains at their own pace. The cows are not overmilked and only produce enough milk per year for about 300 66-pound wheels. This ensures the quality of the cheese and, just as important, avoids overworking the pastures, which would harm wildflowers and grasses." $19 for 8 ounces, available at gourmetfoodworld.com

JEANETTE HURT is the author of The Cheeses of Wisconsin: A Culinary Travel Guide and two other books about cheese.

"I'm a sucker for aged artisan cheeses, and Bob Wills of CEDAR GROVE CHEESE in Plain, Wis., makes amazing organic and ecologically sensitive products. His creamery is the first -- and still the only -- to use a Living Machine system to treat wastewater on-site. Though I adore Dante, a nutty sheep's milk cheese, his fresh cheeses are equally good -- and since they don't require additional energy to age, they're even greener. He's opening a new sustainable plant that'll use wind turbines for electricity." $10 for 8 ounces

Third-generation dairyman TODD MOORE owns Lucky Layla Farms, an artisan brand in Plano, Texas. Moore is committed to keeping his products handcrafted and his cows hormone-free.

"FISCALINI's Vintage Bandage-Wrapped Cheddar has a beautiful earthy taste with a slight crunch from the tyrosine crystals that form during the aging process. These are true handcrafted cheeses made on a century-old, family-owned dairy farm in Modesto, Calif. The company is vertically integrated, which lowers its carbon footprint since they don't truck milk back and forth. They also run their farm with an anaerobic digester, which produces fuel from cow manure and other waste products." $15 for 8 ounces

MIYOKO SCHINNER is a vegan chef in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as an author, a natural-food developer, and a former restaurateur. Her latest cookbook, slated for publication this summer, is Say Cheese: Vegan Alternatives to Make You Smile.

"I'm a fan of BUTE ISLAND FOOD'S Blue Style Sheese, a vegan alternative to blue cheese. Though it doesn't have the blue veins, it tastes remarkably like the real thing and is the only blue-cheese alternative I've found. It's great crumbled in a salad or with fresh pears and apples. And because it's plant-based, its production requires a fraction of the energy burned by its dairy counterpart." $7 for 8 ounces, available at veganstore.com

Images courtesy of Lori Eanes

Perry Garfinkel: What's the Buzz About at Atlanta's Park 75 Restaurant?

2012-02-22T21:46:08Z

First some facts foodies with their faces buried in shaved-truffle foie gras may not be aware of:

Billions of bees have disappeared in the last decade and, even more alarmingly, scientists have no idea why.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is the name given to the latest, and what seems to be the most serious, die-off of honeybee colonies.

The trickle down effect is devastating. Approximately one third of all the food Americans eat is directly or indirectly derived from honeybee pollination, according to the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF).

There's a reason behind the expression "busy as a bee." The winged little fellas have to go through about a million blossoms to make one ounce of honey.

While scientists scratch their collective heads, it's groups like the ABF, individual beekeepers, the White House bees and guys like Robert Gerstenecker who try to put a little bee in the bonnet of the rest of us as to why it's important to ever care about these insects... even if it stings (ok, enough puns, I promise).

For Gerstenecker's part, he has deduced that the quickest way to draw attention is by educating our palates. So, as executive chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, he has launched an awareness campaign by setting up two beehives on the hotel's fifth floor terrace, beside several enormous planters where he grows herbs and vegetables and a variety of edible flowers -- all of which end up in some form or another on diners' plates at the Four Seasons' Park 75 Restaurant.

Chef Gerstenecker, a Canadian who grew up on a farm outside Toronto, moved to the U.S. in 1995 and was appalled that even some of the kitchen staff had never planted anything that grew into something they could eat. As for honey, he quickly discovered, they knew even less. In fact even I, who has been contributing to the New York Times for some 20 years about food, health and other trends, was embarrassed to learn:

Seasonality. Honey harvested in spring is lighter in color and has a sweet taste. Fall honey is darker, and pungent to the palate. This is because the variety of the plant blooming in each season produces different nectars.

Regionality. Honey from downtown Atlanta will taste different from honey in Buckhead, only a few miles away. This also has to do with the soils and microclimates that produce different types of flowering vegetation.

Why the brands taste boring. Brands like Sue Bee manipulate honey to make its taste the same from season to season, from region to region, year after year. The masses like their lives consistent. They brands blend honey from the U.S., Argentina, the Ukraine -- wherever they can get the best deal.

Health implications. The natural liquid from bees contains B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and certain amino acids and minerals. It has a healthy Glycemic Index, meaning that its sugars can be gradually absorbed into the bloodstream, rather than the infamous spike effect of processed sugar. Honey contains natural antioxidants. It's a great natural source of carbohydrates. Its natural fruit sugars, fructose and glucose play an important role in preventing fatigue and it's cholesterol-free.

Don't buy it if the label says "organic." Why? Because it's a lie, unless beekeepers can guarantee the bees extract their nectar from pesticide-free plants, which they can't unless they contain the bees in some fenced-over well planted space, as birds are kept in aviaries.

Under chef's watchful eyes and very rarely stung hands, two queen bees and more than 100,000 gentle Italian honey bees live atop the hotel, contributing nearly 200 pounds of wildflower honey that he uses in entrees at the Park 75. The delicate tempura-fried squash blossoms (which come from his home garden and is only available seasonally) are filled with goat cheese and crowned with cherry tomatoes from the hotel's garden, as well as baby zucchini and nasturtium blossoms. It's drizzled with a vinaigrette made with honey and vinegar. It's also used for the salted honey caramels, and on a cheese and house-made Charcuterie plate.

So, yes, buzz on over on rapidly flapping wings.

Dr. Gary Ginsberg: A Bitter Sweetener in Baby Formula

2012-02-22T20:52:43Z

New data from Dartmouth College has found elevated levels of arsenic in foods and infant formula that are sweetened with rice syrup. The data demonstrate the gaping holes in the regulation of our food supply, which is not a new story. But there is a new twist here. Rather than the problem being imports from other countries (e.g. see my recent blogs on arsenic in apple juice from China; fungicide in orange juice from Brazil) in this case, it's the domestic product that is more contaminated. Why should rice raised in the U.S. be the problem? Well cotton on to this one.

Major portions of the U.S. cotton belt have been converted over to rice production, so much so that the U.S. south produces 12 percent of all rice on the planet. The majority of rice consumed in the U.S. is domestic. Cotton fields historically received high doses of arsenic-based pesticide and this arsenic is still sitting in the topsoil. When you flood fields, creating rice paddies, the arsenic is mobilized and goes right into the crop. The good news is that it's toxic to rice, causing a syndrome called straighthead disease. That should have been enough to kill the concept, especially since who would want to produce rice with high levels of arsenic, a well known nerve poison and carcinogen. Well, apparently our own U.S. Dept of Agriculture would want to. Their research into rice cultivars that are resistant to arsenic has been a huge commercial success in the southern heartland. They are still doing research to improve rice production in high arsenic soils. To be fair, USDA is also doing research to try to find cultivars that don't become so highly contaminated by arsenic. But this research is not protecting the American public from the bad idea of growing rice on old cotton fields. This is tinkering with the U.S. food supply to maximize profit with minimal thought given to food safety. Its sister agency, FDA, does not even have safety standards for arsenic in rice.

Fortunately, the Dartmouth research points out the dangers of growing arsenic-resistant rice. In this case, they tested products containing organic brown rice syrup, a processed sweetener derived from rice. There is obviously something wrong with the organic label if you can call something grown on high arsenic soils organic. But aside from that, the compounding of mistakes is mind-numbing. Taking a crop high in arsenic and concentrating it down into a syrup and then putting that into baby formula sounds like a terrorist plot on a TV drama. Unfortunately, it's actually happening. And it's even more outrageous when considering that simple sugars and empty calories are a risk for diabetes. This effect is now combined with arsenic, a chemical that can decrease pancreatic function and is linked to diabetes.

The Dartmouth research found two brands of infant formula that contains the rice-based sweetener. The inorganic arsenic concentration in these brands was double the federal drinking water limit and five times higher when you add in the methyl forms of arsenic that also have some toxicity. And the daily dose per body weight for an infant on this formula would be 10 times higher than what USEPA's reference dose for arsenic dictates is safe.

The take home messages at this point are:

Parents of infants: avoid formulas that contain rice syrup; apparently most don't, but read the label. The two brands Dartmouth studied with high arsenic are Baby's Only Organic Dairy Toddler Formula and Baby's Only Organic Soy Toddler Formula, both made by Nature's One.

Everyone else: 1) Rice syrup -- minimize consumption until we know more; a little is no big deal and its not in that many things, but if its in the things you like (e.g., higher end snack bars) you will want to moderate. Since high fructose corn syrup has its question marks, I'd head in the direction of honey or plain old sugar. If you stay away from refined highly sweetened foods to start with you are way ahead of the game. 2) Rice -- imported rice is lower in arsenic; look for whole grain (brown) basmati or jasmine rice, which come from India and Thailand, respectively.

FDA: do more testing, especially of baby rice cereal; as baby's first solid food, its urgent that we get arsenic data on rice cereal from the U.S.

Julie Tilsner: Don't Fear the Quinoa: Southwest Quinoa Salad

2012-02-22T19:42:29Z

I didn't even know how to pronounce quinoa until a few years ago,

"KeeNoA," I said. "Isn't that like a super grain the indians used to eat or something?"

"It's pronounced "Keen-WA," said my friend, who watched me silently while I danced around doing my best Karate Kid imitation. "Keeeeen-WAAAAAAA!!!!"

When I was done she added, quite seriously, "It's a very important and very nutritious grain."

Well. That may be. But I was still very wary of our friend quinoa.

In my abject ignorance, it ranked up there with the sorts of vaguely frightening and definitely unpalatable foodstuffs like tempeh and spirulina that uber-healthy sorts eat. And since I've always felt like my love of rice and beans and lentils should adequately pay my rent in the healthy eating food space, I didn't have to go out there into the wild outback of unpronounceable grains.

But then I saw a recipe for something called southwest quinoa salad. And for some reason, maybe it was the lunch hour, maybe it was the photograph, or the mention of black beans... it stuck and plagued me until I broke down and resolved to give it a whirl. Quinoa and everything.

First, I procured a box of quinoa from Trader Joe's.

I riffed on this recipe I found on my latest favorite blog, My Kitchen Addiction:

Here's her recipe, with my changes:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained  (or about 2 cups cooked black beans)
• 3 ears of steamed corn, cut off the cob (yeah, right. It's Jan. I used one 15-ounce can of corn)  ... or 2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Mixed greens (optional)
• Avocado slices (optional)

I rinsed the quinoa first. It's very small and light and a lot of it floats. So you have to strain it through a fine mesh.

Cook the quinoa in the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes.

While you're cooking the quinoa, chop the veggies and prepare the lime cilantro dressing:

Use the good chili powder, from Little India. Then:

• 1 lime (zest and juice)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup ( I used honey)

Mix all the veggies in a bowl, add the COOLED quinoa. Toss with the dressing and refrigerate for a few hours. Serve over greens....

The Drama Teen inspected this. "Are you making fish eggs?" she asked. No, I said. It's quinoa.

She's gotta learn this from someone, right?

I dished this out and passed it around. it looked good to me, but who knows what it tasted like.

Verdict?

"Excellent," said the lovely ex. And then fixed me with a look. "Who are you and what have you done with Julie?"

Audrey, a kitchen goddess, also praised this salad. "I can't eat all that," she said, when I presented her with a plate. And then she finished it all. I was thrilled. Because Audge knows good eatin'.

I'm warming up to quinoa. I'm not so afraid. It's not so crunchy after all. I think I can work with it.

I think next time I'll try this recipe. It includes feta cheese, and cooks the quinoa in chicken broth. A sinful (and flavorful) way to counteract the holy righteousness of quinoa.

Keeeeen-WAAAA!!!"

Solmaz Wein: Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

2012-02-22T18:37:45Z

I love orange-flavored cake, and when I found this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen I knew I had to make it -- not only does it incorporate blood oranges, but it's an olive oil cake, which I had never made before.

We were invited to a housewarming party, and I decided to prepare a gift package including this cake, the suggested honey blood orange topping and a can of whipped cream for serving.

To begin, you will incorporate the zest of two oranges with a cup of sugar:

Use your hands to mix together:

Next, Supreme 2 of the 3 oranges per the recipe:

Juice the 3rd orange (should result in about 1/4 cup) & add to the sugar/zest mixture:

After incorporating the juice, add the 3 eggs and 2/3 cup of olive oil to the sugar mixture:

Once the mixture is well blended, gently add the flour mixture to the wet batter:

Now stir in the prepared blood oranges:

Pour the batter into buttered 9x5" baking dish:

Bake in preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 50-55min until golden:

While the cake was baking, I prepared the honey blood orange topping by preparing 3 blood oranges as done above for inclusion in the cake. Place oranges in a bowl and top with a few teaspoons of honey, then allow to sit for 5 minutes before mixing together.

To gift this, I used a cleaned jar and tied parchment paper around the lid with twine:

I wrapped the cooled cake first in saran wrap, then parchment paper and a doily, all tied up with twine:

Ready to go!

p.s. - the cake was served at said party and was delicious! I will definitely be making this again...

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: Is There Arsenic in My Baby Formula?

2012-02-22T18:01:06Z

by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff
Executive Director/CEO
Healthy Child Healthy World
www.healthychild.org

Last week's findings of arsenic in organic brown rice syrup may be even more frightening to parents than last year's discovery of the cancer-causing substance in apple juice. That's because organic brown rice syrup is ubiquitous in natural products -- it's used as a substitute for high fructose corn syrup.

MNN reported on the Dartmouth study, which found concentrations of arsenic of 23 to 128 parts per billion (ppb) -- 12 times the Environmental Protection Agency's safe drinking water limit of 10 ppb -- in some cereal bars containing rice. (The EPA has not set safety levels for arsenic in food.)

High levels -- as much as 20 times the EPA's water safety level -- were found in two organic infant formulas that contained organic brown rice syrup, leading Dr. Richard Besser, ABC's Chief Health and Medical Editor, to recommend parents avoid formulas that contain the substance.

Where is the arsenic coming from? According to Environmental Health Perspectives, the arsenic is traced to residual pesticides, especially in areas of the southern United States where 1.6% of the world's rice is grown; rice grown in these areas contain 1.76 times more arsenic than rice grown in California, for example.

We checked in with our team for advice on takeaways from the study; our advisors recommended that parents be aware, but not unnecessarily alarmed.

"This new study underlines the need for the FDA to set safety levels for arsenic in food and beverages," said Dr. Alan Greene, author of the "Raising Baby Green" book series, founder of the White-Out movement and a Healthy Child Board Member. "For now, I recommend that rice not be the primary source of calories for babies, and that whatever rice they do get comes primarily from California and/or is tested for arsenic. Avoid conventional rice from countries still using arsenical pesticides. And, of course, I will welcome safety limits for arsenic in food and beverages that take the health of babies and pregnant women into account."

At press time, two organic baby formula manufacturers released statements. Earth's Best wrote that their formulas "do not contain brown rice syrup." Nature's One said that they depend on a "qualified, world renowned, third-party, independent lab to test arsenic levels in their organic brown rice syrup. Their testing results report undetectable amounts of arsenic at laboratory testing limits."

Finally, because arsenic is present in our water supply in varying amounts, especially if you are using powdered formula mixed with water to meet your infant's nutritional needs, you may want to check levels in your area. The Environmental Working Group provides a valuable resource to not only check the levels in your area, but also to find out which water filters can remove arsenic.

Julie Tilsner: The Last PB&J

2012-02-22T17:22:00Z

I don't buy Dino Nuggets anymore.

The little trog who sat in the high seat in his Batman cape and pirate hook hand and ate them for lunch and dinner is halfway through sixth grade now. He orders the chicken tenders off the adult menu and cleans his plate.

He's already as tall as I am. Which isn't saying much since I'm only 5 feet 2, but he's not even 12 yet. He already outweighs me. And he's starting to smell like a guy.

He is always hungry. If he liked PB&J's anymore at all, he would eat four of them in a sitting. This is the year I'll become a four-gallons-of-milk-a-week household. I can feel it. He's about to reach for family heights and girth -- the menfolk on my side look down on 6 feet -- and when seventh grade starts next year, I'm certain he'll be looking down at me.

The Drama Teen is now in high school. She looks me in the eye, rolls hers, and gets the hummus and crackers out of the fridge and spirits them up to her room. I have a photo of her, age two, with hummus, the same Trader Joe's brand, smeared all over her face and shirt.

My plan to make her moderate on sweets has backfired. I always allowed them after she ate her meal. They were never banned. I was not going to be one of those "no sugar" households that produce sugar-obsessed teens and young adults who hoard candy. But she's obsessed anyway. She'll find two or three dollars and run down to the store to bring back a giant box of Junior Mints or three boxes of red vines.

Of course I'm horrified. But didn't I do the same? Two dollars in my day bought four Archie comic books or two comics and four candy bars... I won't even eat a candy bar now.

So I think she'll grow out of it. The Drama Teen is also always hungry. And so are all of her friends. They show up at every hour and hang out and of course I try to feed them. Best way ever of working through your leftovers and any juice or milk in the 'fridge. I'm worried I'm not feeding them enough.

I used to worry they wouldn't eat enough. I never engaged in subterfuge when it came to feeding them when they hit the peak of their toddler pickiness. My mom told me to just find two or three things they liked and feed them that and don't worry, they won't starve.

And, as usual, she was right. They would eat carrots and edamame beans and corn on the cob. They'd always eat pasta and string cheese, scrambled eggs and any fruit put in front of them.

Of course they wouldn't eat a salad nicoise, but what self-respecting four-year-old would? Just give them the hard-boiled egg, sliced up in a little red dish, and another dish, blue, with olives, and let them have at it.

Of course I'd always use the favored cup. Little kids are like that. And the magic spoon. And the small plastic dishes with kitty cats or monsters on them.

I've still got the magic spoon, you know. But nobody requires it anymore. Same with all those little colored cups and dishes. The kids eat off of the regular crockery now. The girl will eat my tortilla Espanola or vegetable cous-cous and thank me for it. The boy can make his own scrambled eggs. He wants sea salt and sliced tomato on his bagel. Both can use chopsticks like Samurai.

I can take all those little plastic bowls and cups from Ikea out of my cupboards, I guess.

It's a whole new parenting enchilada, this 'tween/teen thing.

Jeffrey Hollender: A Safer Way to Catch Tuna

2012-02-22T16:48:04Z

Canned tuna is not a product generally synonymous with innovation. The grocery store staple has in fact been relatively motionless in terms of progressive development since the dolphin-safe revolution in the early nineties. It seems that this is beginning to change as more and more tuna brands and retailers are throwing their weight behind a movement promoting a more sustainable and responsible tuna industry.

We have already seen major shifts in other parts of the world, most notably the UK, where every major retailer and tuna brand has now pledged to transition to less destructive fishing methods. The methods receiving the most support are pole-and-line, where fishermen actually use individual poles and hooks to catch tuna and FAD-free purse seining, where large nets are drawn around free-swimming schools of tuna. The benefits of both of these capture methods are that they are far less destructive to the oceans ecosystems themselves.

A FAD (fish aggregating device) is a floating object that serves to attract nearby marine life. When a net is set around a FAD, it ensnares not just its target tuna, but many other types of animals as well. In fact, it is estimated that ten to fifteen times as many sharks, rays, juvenile fish, and other animals are killed when these vessels use FADs as compared to when they do not.

The transition to a better way of fishing is thankfully not limited to just the UK market. US retail titan Safeway announced on February 10, 2012, that it was transitioning to 100% FAD-free tuna for its entire own-brand "Safeway Select" line of light tuna. Safeway sells about 4.5 million cans of this type of tuna every year -- if you were to take these cans and stack them one-by-one on top one of another, you would build a tower of tuna about ninety miles high.

Greenpeace, where I serve as a Board Chair, has been running a campaign targeting Chicken of the Sea, a tuna company that is heavily dependent on FAD use, for several months now. While Chicken of the Sea continues to deny the problem, it is becoming more difficult for the company and others like it to hide from the reality of what is happening to our oceans.

Safeway is the first major US supermarket to make this change, but will almost certainly not be the last. Already rumblings from within the retail sector indicate that others may soon follow, either towards FAD-free product or to pole-and-line. Either way, it is a change that has come not a minute too soon -- there is no denying that our oceans are in grave peril, and the conventional tuna industry now must make a choice: fish more sustainably, or lose market share to those who do.

Andrew Kimbrell: "Agent Orange" Corn: Biotech Only Winner in Chemical Arms Race as Herbicide Resistant Crops Fail

2012-02-22T16:25:20Z

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently deciding whether or not to approve an application by Dow Chemical for its controversial genetically engineered (GE) corn variety that is resistant to the highly toxic herbicide 2,4-D, one of the main ingredients in Agent Orange.

Today, the USDA extended the public comment period on this issue until the end of April 2012, largely due to pressure from the Center for Food Safety (CFS), the nation's leading organization in the fight to regulate GE crops. If approved, CFS has vowed to challenge USDA's decision in court, as this novel GE crop provides no public benefit and will only cause serious harm to human health, the environment, and threaten American farms.

Dow's "Agent Orange" corn will trigger a large increase in 2,4-D use--and our exposure to this toxic herbicide--yet USDA has not assessed how much, nor analyzed the serious harm to human health, the environment, or neighboring farms. This GE corn will foster rapid evolution of resistant weeds that require more toxic pesticides to kill, followed by more resistance and more pesticides--a chemical arms race in which the only winners are pesticide (aka biotechnology) firms.

The advent of Dow's 2,4-D resistant corn is a clear indication that first-generation GE, herbicide-resistant crops--Monsanto's Roundup Ready (RR) varieties--are rapidly failing. RR crops, which comprise 84 percent of world biotech plantings, have triggered massive use of glyphosate (Roundup's active ingredient) and an epidemic of glyphosate-resistant weeds. These resistant "superweeds" are regarded as one of the major challenges facing American agriculture.

2,4-D corn is only the first of many new herbicide-resistance crops being developed by the biotechnology industry to usher in a new era of increased chemical use that represents a very significant opportunity for Dow, Monsanto, DuPont, Bayer, and Syngenta. These "biotechnology" companies are actually pesticide firms that have acquired a large portion of the world's seed supply, and they use biotechnology to create synergies between their seed and pesticide divisions. In short, biotechnology = pesticide + seeds. One indication of this is that nearly two-thirds of GE crops pending approval by our USDA (13 of 20) are herbicide-resistant.

Dow now falsely suggests that 2,4-D crops (2,4-D soybeans and cotton are also under development) are the solution to weed resistance. Far from solving the problem, however, a peer-reviewed study recently published in the prestigious journal Bioscience, entitled "Navigating a Critical Juncture for Sustainable Weed Management," suggests that these new GE crops will foster a huge increase in 2,4-D use, and thereby pour oil on the fire, triggering an outbreak of still more intractable weeds resistant to both glyphosate and 2,4-D. This study validates similar findings made by CFS in a 2008 report and in Congressional testimony on resistant weeds in 2010.

2,4-D drift and runoff also pose serious risk for environmental harm. Because it is such a potent plant-killer, 2,4-D can harm animals by killing the plants they depend on for habitat and food. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Marine Fisheries Service have found that 2,4-D is likely having adverse impacts on several endangered species, even now. 2,4-D is currently used to control weeds primarily in cereal grains, golf courses and lawns. Its use in corn has been extremely limited. USDA's approval of 2,4-D resistant GE corn will sharply increase the overall use of this toxic herbicide, worsening these impacts and likely placing many other species at risk.

American farmers are also rightly concerned that the introduction of 2,4-D resistant corn will threaten their crops: 2,4-D drift is responsible for more episodes of crop injury than any other pesticide. As Indiana farmer Troy Roush told me: "In my experience, 2,4-D is an herbicide that can and does drift considerable distances to damage neighboring crops. We can expect greatly increased use of 2,4-D with Dow's new corn, and that could wreak havoc with soybeans, tomatoes, and other crops my neighbors and I grow."

If approved, millions of acres of Agent Orange corn could be planted as early as next year, raising concern for its adverse health impacts. 2,4-D was one of the main ingredients in Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant used by the U.S. in the Vietnam War. Agent Orange was contaminated with dioxins, a group of highly toxic chemical compounds, which are responsible for a host of serious medical conditions--from diabetes to cancer to birth defects--in Vietnam veterans as well as Vietnamese and their children. Industry's own tests show that 2,4-D is still contaminated with dioxins.

Many studies show that 2,4 D exposure is associated with various forms of cancer, Parkinson's Disease, nerve damage, hormone disruption and birth defects, according to Dr. Amy Dean, an internal medicine physician and President-Elect of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine. Dr. Dean believes that because it poses significant health risk, exposure should not be increased, but significantly reduced to protect the public's health.

USDA's public comment period on 2,4-D resistant corn is open until April 27, 2012. Tell USDA that you don't want "Agent Orange" corn. Comments may be submitted to the agency through our action link at: http://bit.ly/AgentOrangeCorn. For more information on 2,4-D corn, see our two-page fact sheet and more extensive Food Safety Review.

Scott Bridges: The Water Grill: Seafood and Sophistication

2012-02-22T16:24:53Z

The historic Pacific Mutual Building is a monument to a glorious Los Angeles downtown of yesteryear. So it is only fitting that the building house a restaurant of similar reminiscence. The Water Grill is a reminder of what great dining is all about.

The lighting is dim with incandescent illumination, the walls black and tastefully decorated with maritime memorabilia. Wine bottles are featured prominently throughout, and at the center of the restaurant is a circular-style bar. The music supplies a bustling tempo at a relaxed volume. Downtown style applies; men are not overdressed in jackets (there is a coat rack) and women can wear stylish dresses -- it's unlikely you'll find yourself sitting next to someone in beach attire.

The menu is simple and explanatory and the staff is helpful and well-versed in everything seafood. The wine list, on the other hand, is extensive. Not to worry, there is a page of wines by the glass, and after that is an extraordinary array of bottles for the serious connoisseur.

"We just couldn't edit it," says Jeff Goodman, chief operating officer of the King Signature Group, which includes some of the finest seafood restaurants in Southern California.

After beginning with the bartender's choice cocktail -- the Casino (Beefeater gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and orange bitters -- for me, and the Airmail (Champagne, rum, honey syrup and lime juice) for my date (there are about half a dozen house specialty cocktails), it was on to the Grand Platter. There are several platters available; the Grand is a perfect sampler for a party of two. It is beautifully presented on a bed of ice and includes a half-dozen oysters of three varieties, scallops, jumbo shrimp, Prince Edward Island mussels, lobster and even some periwinkles, which required a bit of an excavation to extract the meat, but worth the trouble. The platter was accompanied by six delicious sauces.

For our entrees, we enjoyed Chilean sea bass with kale in a delicate white sauce and California spiny lobster from the waters off Santa Barbara, with a side of Yukon gold mashed potatoes. The sea bass was amazing. It was as though butter had become reincarnated in the form of a light, flaky fish. You can't go wrong with this dish.

The spiny lobster, a little bit more expensive than the Maine lobster, came in three portion sizes between a pound-and-a-half and two pounds. The wood-grilled flavor of the meat gives it a smoky taste, and the texture is crisp on the outside and silky underneath.

With the smiling approval of manager Jamie Boalbey (who seemed to anticipate every need at every table), I paired my meal with first a white Burgundy -- the 2000 Latour -- and then, the 2011 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The contrast was stark. For those interested in subtle, earthy French terroir, it is hard to beat a Burgundy. The Sauvignon Blanc, on the other hand, popped with intense grapefruit on the palate.

Choosing a dessert was like choosing a favorite among one's children. We opted for the pecan cheesecake with bourbon whipped cream. If that's the sort of dish that perks up your ears, you can only imagine what it will do to your taste buds. All I can say is be prepared to embarrass yourself with gluttony.

Actually, I can say more than that. Enjoy it with a glass of Cognac or scotch. I chose the scotch. If you enjoy a fragrant, complex, lightly smoky and peaty taste, try the Ardberg 10-year-old single malt.

General manager Jason Klingsberg has been influential in revamping the Water Grill, both renovating the interior to a more open, inviting atmosphere and hiring a new executive chef, Damon Gordon, who worked previously at the Jefferson Hotel and ran Damon Gordon's Quarter Kitchen at The Ivy Hotel. The result is a masterpiece of a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, which is also available for events -- let me recast that -- special events.

Linda Novick O'Keefe: The Moment You Missed at the Super Bowl

2012-02-22T15:38:52Z

You probably missed it. It came just before Madonna stepped onto the stage amidst marching, gold-plated body builders and sometime after the first touchdown by the Patriots. In that moment the camera panned briefly to the corner of the field, where a kid, grasping a football and smiling from ear to ear, ran out onto the field to hand the ball to the referee. You may have missed that moment, but I'm sure that he'll never forget the time he got to stand on the field during the Super Bowl.

That elementary schooler got the opportunity to participate in one of the biggest sports events in America through his participation with Fuel Up to Play 60, a program run by National Dairy Council in partnership with the National Football League and the US Department of Agriculture. This program provides schools with the resources to design their own initiatives around physical activity and healthy eating and uses the star-power of NFL players to get kids excited about exercise. Over 70,000 schools across the country have pledged to join the program so far -- that's nearly two out of every three schools in America.

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to speak with Jean Ragalie, R.D., President of National Dairy Council. Jean is a registered dietitian whose interest in food began at a young age when she was put in charge of the salad at her daily family dinner table. She was one of the first dietitians to transition to the communications field, holding positions at brands and agencies before beginning her role at National Dairy Council. She is not only an excellent salad-maker, but she firmly believes in the importance of getting physical activity every day and makes exercise a regular part of her own life (did you know she ran a marathon?).

Here is what Jean had to say about Fuel Up to Play 60, National Dairy Council, and her vision for a healthier America:

To start off, could you describe some of the programs that you're working on?

Sure. The major program that we run is Fuel Up to Play 60, which aims to help schools create healthier environments for students. School is one of the biggest battlegrounds for tackling the childhood obesity epidemic. This program is about helping schools make real change -- helping them to get kids eating better and moving more.

How many schools are participating?

Right now there are more than 70,000 schools that have enrolled in the program. That's 36 million kids that have the potential to be reached. Fuel Up to Play 60 is exciting because since our launch in 2009 we've seen that it can make a real difference; nearly two-thirds of the adults that are enrolled in Fuel Up to Play 60 say the program is helping students make healthier food choices. The program has two core components -- to get kids eating more nutrient-rich foods in their schools, and to encourage more physical activity -- but it is also about getting kids to develop a deeper understanding and desire for healthier foods. In that way I think that it aligns with your mission at Common Threads. It is about getting kids to become participants in the effort to get better foods to schools.

Could you explain how this program is established at a school? What is the basic structure and who implements it?

What the program does is provide tools and resources that allow schools and students to design their own initiatives around healthy living. We begin with an adult advisor within the school. That advisor identifies students that are interested in improving school health and recruits them to help design the program. This group then operates like a club or team. They examine the specific resources and barriers of their school and try to find opportunities to encourage healthier foods and physical activity. Our website, fueluptoplay60.com, provides resources and ideas as well as a place to share comments and stories. We also mail posters and a how-to guide to each school. All of these resources are free and schools have the opportunity to win funds to carry out certain initiatives, like having a cart that serves healthy food between classes. The key is that it's not a prescriptive program. It doesn't have to be done only in the classroom. You can do it before, during, and after school. You can hang posters, have rallies, start walking clubs, and do taste tests in the cafeteria. It gives the advisors and students the power to do the things that are most interesting to them and most feasible in their own school.

That sounds great. I'd love for you to talk more about some of the partnerships that you engage in at National Dairy Council.

Addressing the childhood obesity epidemic can't be done by any one individual or program. It's going to take us all to work together to achieve healthier kids. When we designed Fuel Up to Play 60, we knew that even though National Dairy Council had a long history in the area of nutrition education, especially as it relates to schools, we couldn't do it alone. So we partnered with the National Football League, the USDA, and other health professional organizations. We also chose to work with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, an organization of registered dietitians, because we knew that it would be critical to align ourselves with individuals who are extremely knowledgeable about nutrition. In the past year, we provided a grant to the Academy to get dietitians involved in our schools. We had more than 50 registered dietitians in over 100 schools, helping to implement Fuel Up to Play 60 and get kids engaged. We think that other health professionals could play a role in our programs as well, and we've already started working to get pediatricians and school food service directors involved.

What does a healthier America look like to you? More specifically, what would you like to see change in the next 20 years?

Getting kids moving more and eating better is clearly first on the agenda. But the second long-term priority is getting kids involved in the experience of food. It is so important to teach children how food fuels their bodies, how good food can make them healthier and smarter, and how healthy habits can improve their quality of life. Success will be reversing the prediction that kids won't live as long as their parents. Right now, diabetes and hypertension are affecting younger and younger kids. Our goal is to get rid of that in a generation.

Are there any personal experiences that you'd like to share that have shaped who you are and your views on healthy living and philanthropy?

I come from a family of eight children -- I'm number six. Every morning growing up, my mom made sure that all of us ate a good breakfast. We also had to drink milk in the morning, whether it was in our cereal or from a glass. You just couldn't leave our house without eating and drinking something nutritious. As a dietitian I now know that kids who eat breakfast perform better in school. My mom didn't know the science, but she knew by experience that breakfast was important.

My mom also made sure that there was dinner for ten on the table every evening. I was the salad girl, so every evening I was in charge of making the salad. I really relished that responsibility, and I would try to make the salads special by adding all sorts of different ingredients. Over the years the salads got better and better. I think that this experience had a lot to do with my desire to understand food and with my choice to study nutrition.

In terms of philanthropy, I am inspired by the people that I encounter every day at my job. I am so honored to work for National Dairy Council because I get to meet the American dairy farmers that support us, and they're incredible. They live with such ethics and integrity, and they believe strongly that dairy foods feed and grow children. They also believe that it's not just important that kids eat dairy foods but that they eat a good, balanced diet. They've always been involved in programs around nutrition education. Our philanthropic work at National Dairy Council is also so much bigger than just dairy products. It's about eating nutrient rich foods, about understanding nutrition, and about engaging kids in that dialogue about their food.

My last question. I know you're a mom of three. Between work and family, how do you find balance?

For me, good nutrition and physical activity are essential. I have to exercise. I know that when the pressure comes on, sometimes working out can be the easiest commitment to drop. But when you eat right and exercise you perform better, whether it's at work, with your family, or in school. I believe that very strongly. I ran a marathon last year. I climb mountains. I love to do different things to keep it exciting and interesting.

It's also important to me that my kids share this belief. I can see that my role-modeling pays off when my kids consider nutrition and physical activity an important aspect of their lives, rather than something extra. Occasionally teachers perceive nutritional education and physical activity as a barrier to learning because it takes up classroom time. But the facts show that kids perform better in school when they eat better and exercise. One of my core beliefs about maintaining balance is that no matter how busy life gets, it is important to eat right and exercise so that you can perform at your best.

Richard Jennings: Petite Sirah: French Reject Excels in California

2012-02-22T15:32:08Z

Robert Biale's excellent Petites are benchmarks for the grape

Petite Sirah is, along with Zinfandel, one of California's heritage and most distinctive grapes. It can produce wonderfully complex, rich, black fruited wines, often with floral, blueberry, tar, licorice and peppery dimensions.

With several years of bottle age, the wine's huge tannins start to soften and additional savory characteristics start to show. I have had wonderful examples with 20 years or more of age.

Petite Sirah has been grown in California since the 1880s. Its true origins, however, weren't finally established until 1998.

Turns out that over 90% of what's been identified as Petite Sirah in this state was originally the result of a cross between Syrah and Peloursin, an obscure French grape with resistance to powdery mildew. This crossing happened in southern French vineyards tended by Dr. Francois Durif, a botanist at the University of Montpellier in the 1870s. Dr. Durif gave the resulting vine his own name, Durif, and marketed it starting in 1880 as a mildew-resistant alternative to Syrah, a condition that plagues Syrah in many parts of France.

Unfortunately, the grape also inherited from its Peloursin parent thin skins and a tendency to bunch very tightly. These characteristics made it highly prone to grey rot when grown in the relatively humid conditions of most French vineyards. As a result, farmers there quickly quit using it and it became virtually extinct in France.

Fortunately for those of us who love the big, bold flavors of the wine and its tendency to age well, the grape also made its way to California in the 1880s. Here it was typically planted along with other black grapes, like Syrah and Zinfandel, in field blends. Some growers called it "Petite Sirah," which was a name by which it was known in France, because the grapes were smaller than Syrah grapes. Eventually, in the Italian winegrowing families in which very old vines of the grape became a legacy, the name contracted to something like "pettasera."

While it was suspected among grape experts that many old vines identified as Petite Sirah might be Durif, due to their appearance, a definitive answer wasn't available until U.C. Davis Professor Carole Meredith published her 1998 DNA study showing that over 90% of the old vines known as Petite Sirah in California were actually Durif. Those that aren't Durif are misidentified vines of Syrah, Peloursin or a crossing of Peloursin and Durif.

U.C. Davis Professor Emeritus Carole Meredith

California's relatively warm, dry wine-growing climates allow Durif to ripen with relatively little of the grey rot that derailed the grape in France. The grape likewise does well in Australia's warm Rutherglen region, where it has been grown since the early 1900s.

Because of its dark color, high tannins and strong black fruit flavors, it was historically used as a blending grape. A small percent helps to make more structured and ageworthy Zinfandels. Ridge and Rosenblum are among the producers that have long included it in many of their Zins. It was also added to Cabernets and Pinots in years when those grapes lacked color or needed a shot of tannin.

Livermore Valley's Concannon was the very first producer to bottle wine from the grape under the label Petite Sirah, in 1964, after prodding by a Pasadena grocery store buyer who promised to take the whole production. Now there are dozens of Petite Sirah producers in California, and it's become a very popular grape among many winemakers.

A Petite Sirah advocacy organization, PS I Love You, was formed in 2002 after a symposium devoted to the grape was held at Foppiano Vineyards. This past Friday, over 55 producers of Petite Sirah participated in the fifth annual public event devoted to the grape -- an event called Dark & Delicious -- at Rock Wall Winery in Alameda.

"Dark & Delicious" annual Petite Sirah tasting event

There I got to check in on a lot of producers whose wines I've enjoyed over the years, as well as to learn about a couple of new ones whose wines were quite good. I highly recommend the event too for the delicious food that's offered, by over 35 purveyors, to show how well Petite Sirah/Durif pairs with a variety of food, from barbecue, pulled pork and meaty pastas to dark chocolate.

Producers who do an excellent job with the grape, and whose wines have a track record of aging well, include Corté Riva, Foley, Freemark Abbey, Ridge, Robert Biale, Rosenblum, Stags' Leap and Turley. Other newer producers who are producing delicious versions are Aver Family, David Fulton, Gustafson, Heringer Estates, Mettler Family, Stanton and Tres Sabores. A brand new, small Sonoma-based producer I was quite impressed with is Trueheart. Good producers of bargain priced versions of Petite Sirah are Concannon and Lava Cap.

On the downside for a lot of wine consumers is the fact that some of the best Petites require several years of aging to show their best. I cannot recommend highly enough, however, the ultimate rewards of letting these bottles sit for awhile.

See the full report on the tasting on my blog for notes on 77 wines sampled from 42 producers, including indications of which ones are ready to drink now and how long it will take before some of the bigger, more tannic versions are ready for drinking.

Steven Kurlander: Has Anyone in Washington Noticed the Price of a Box of Pasta Lately?

2012-02-22T15:30:48Z

I took my daughter to the local Walmart supermarket over the weekend to return a movie and get some school groceries when we passed a display with boxes of the chain's "Great Value" pasta. I couldn't believe the price displayed -- $1.79 for a box of pasta -- and it was being advertised as a special.

I am used to paying about $1 for a box of pasta on sale. Pasta has always been very cheap to buy.

It seems that food, and I mean basic items like a pound of bacon, a package of Swiss cheese, a head of lettuce, and yes, a box of pasta, are continuing to go up in price. Every week, going food shopping is getting more and more expensive. Ask the average American shopping in the supermarket and he or she will tell you that over the last year, there has been a significant rise in prices.

Before last year, while Americans have already cut back significantly in discretionary spending during this Great Recession (Depression), most did not significantly reduce their expenditures in a similar way for basic items at the grocery store. That changed with a substantial increase in energy and food prices early last year.

While most Americans spend about 10% of their family's budget on groceries, about one-third of them actually spend closer to 20%, so large increases in grocery prices means less spending on consumer goods, which account for a great portion of our economic activity. That in turn hurts chances of a near term economic recovery.

If you believe the government, we have no immediate threat of inflation at all and everything appears to be fine. The Department of Labor reported last week that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased only 0.2 percent in January, an increase for only the second time in four months. For the last twelve months, the CPI was up 2.9%. The Fed is forecasting a target for inflation at 2% for 2012.

But the CPI, the standard benchmark of inflationary pressures, excludes food and energy prices (a truly dishonest gimmick to keep increases in payments like Social Security, which are indexed to the CPI, at a minimum). Thus, the CPI alone is a false indicator of true inflation situation.

The Department of Labor does keep separate indexes for food prices, but you never hear about them in the context of discussing inflationary pressures. These separate indexes for "food at home" and "food away from home" for the prior 12 month period were up 4.4% and 5.3% respectively.

The new spike in gasoline prices which are predicted to surpass $4.00 a gallon by the summer will lead to greater transportation costs for food, and judging on the price of a box of pasta, we are already seeing the beginning of another spike in prices in the supermarket again.

It's going to get worse. The Obama Administration and Congress are setting up for an epic battle in regard to the expiration of a farm bill that provides farmers with massive subsidies for crop insurance and food production. The president wants to cut $23 billion from this program and reform crop insurance -- interestingly enough in line with a similar proposal by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin last year.

Republicans, particularly from the farm belt, are looking instead to save money in this area by making huge cuts in food stamp and nutrition outlays, which are used to preserve farm programs.

Either way, such cuts could eventually translate into even higher costs at the supermarket to allow farmers to cover expenses once now paid for by government agricultural supports.

In terms of delivering food to its citizens, the US government has done a good job in maintaining constancy in availability and cost management through its agricultural policies. The abundance and variety of staples in the US food supply and the relative stability in pricing at the supermarket has been an unappreciated given for generations.

An extension of the farm bill is likely this election year, but this time two years from now, the price of gasoline combined with serious government cutbacks to agriculture could result in much higher prices, a decrease in food production, and even shortages at the grocery stores.

It would be nice if there were changes in the CPI index to give Americans an honest number in regard to inflation, particularly at a time when increased energy costs and changes in the way we pay our farmers are going to greatly influence prices at the grocery store.

Instead, keep monitoring the price of that box of pasta, not the CPI, if you want a true indication of how inflation and food costs impact the American economy and lifestyle.

Join Steven Kurlander's blog Kurly's Kommentary and read his columns in the Sun Sentinel and Florida Voices. Email him at kurly@stevenkurlander.com.

Jeryl Brunner: Child Wonder and Pierogies: A Recipe for Creating A Great Chef (Like Ryan Artim)

2012-02-22T15:30:11Z

Chefs are some of the most passionate people I know. Think of what the great newspaper columnist, Harriet Van Horne once said, "cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."

Just ask Ryan Artim about one of his fondest childhood memories. The talented executive chef at the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach remembers standing beside his father, a home economics teacher, watching and learning how to make pierogies. Says Artim, "It's how I fell in love with cooking."

Artim honed his skills at the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts and worked closely with Master Chef Lawrence McFadden. He won a gold medal when he participated in the American Culinary Federation's Culinary Super Challenge.

Now he shares his joy, overseeing various Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach ocean view restaurants including Temple Orange and Breeze. His newest baby is Angle, the hotel's sleek candlelit supper restaurant, which offers locally grown and indigenous fare including line-caught fish, and dry-aged prime beef. The mirrors, chocolate velvet walls, and onyx and amber chef's table add to the dreamy allure. (Plus, the fact that they're one of the few restaurants to serve pours of vintage 2000 Dom Perignon by the glass is awfully nice too.)

Artim is a self-described "food whisperer." Because, as he explains, "I talk to guests through food. And I'm always thinking of how to take it the next level." That means coming up with creative dishes like a terrine of sliced beets with goat cheese fritters. The butternut squash cappuccino soup is served in a giant café au lait cup because it's best sipped slowly to inhale textured layers of flavors. And there's Artim's duck confit pot pie with sweet potato and Winter Park blue cheese and foie gras.

In fact, this past December, Artim put his fierce devotion to fresh locally grown ingredients into full force when he and his staff created a killer 9-course (plus 4 dessert) feast at Swank Specialty Produce. The hydroponic farm works closely with the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach restaurants providing fresh greens, cress, produce and herbs galore. "I really love sourcing the best and freshest ingredients and staying true to what food is about," says Artim. "Plus making a guest smile is the icing on the cake."

And to think that it all started out with a boy with a passion for watching his dad make pierogies.

www.anglepalmbeach.com

Marcus Samuelsson: Savoring Harlem: Watching the New Harlem Renaissance Come Alive

2012-02-22T15:11:18Z

As the famous Langston Hughes poem entitled "Harlem" starts, "What happens to a dream deferred?" many often think that the line refers to Harlem itself. That somehow some grandiose dream of what Harlem was or could be has withered or in this case "dried up like a raisin in the sun." Well, I'm here to testify that that's not the case! The Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem is alive and thriving, more so now than ever before, and in many cases food is at the center of Harlem's new economic growth. Within the midst of great history and cultural diversity lies a food side of Harlem just waiting to be discovered by those foodies who seek it. My goal is to show you just that, and that's why I invite you to join me this Friday at 8pm ET/PT for a Food Network special where I show you my neighborhood, Harlem as we cover its current food revolution.

Harlem's rich culture and impressive ethnic diversity inspired me to move to Harlem eight years ago. I knew when I moved here that one day I would want to open a restaurant in Harlem that would represent Harlem's diverse community and be a place people from around the world would want to visit. What makes Harlem special is that at any given time, food seekers can not only find food deeply rooted in Southern, Latin and African traditions, but also can taste the newer Senegalese, Chinese, and Italian influences as well. Virtually every type of cuisine now has a place in Harlem.

For decades, Harlem has also been the birthplace and safe haven for the arts and social movements like jazz, American poetry, and many other ideals that still resonate in our country today. In one of its most flourishing times, known as the Harlem Renaissance, great poets, musicians, actors, athletes and intellectuals roamed its streets finding inspiration in its people, buildings, and living institutions of thought and culture. It was home to dozens of theaters, restaurants, and even speakeasies -- and all shared the purpose of housing creativity, entertainment, and brotherhood. Even at Rooster, we take inspiration from an original Harlem speakeasy.

While many thought opening a restaurant in Harlem was a lost cause because of its economic decline in the past couple decades, I knew through its deep artistic and cultural history there could be a resurgence of the types of restaurants that made the original Red Rooster a prime destination for everyone from politicians to musicians. With a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the city (18% as compared to 4-5%), Harlem has been hit hard by the recession, yet in recent years, Harlem has seen an influx of new shops, restaurants, and businesses that are starting to bring it back to how it once was in its glory days. These businesses are not only bringing commerce to the neighborhood but are also hiring within the neighborhood as well. When I opened Red Rooster in 2010, I quickly learned that you can't help improve a neighborhood unless you bring everyone along with you. We made it a priority to hire the majority of our staff from Harlem. I constantly think about affordability when planning out my menus, since inclusion of the community is what drives my interest for Red Rooster.

Slowly, we're starting to see great improvements in Harlem and city dwellers are starting to see plenty of reasons to come uptown, not just to be entertainment but as a new place to live and create new business opportunities. Harlem currently has a higher percentage of growth in new housing units, population growth, and growing median household income than the rest of Manhattan, according to the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. With a cheaper rent base and available vacant spaces, Harlem is starting to see an influx of diverse city dwellers that are moving uptown. When new businesses like Harlem Shambles butcher shop meet classic Harlem institutions like Sylvia's, the hope to revitalize Harlem starts to shine.

Join me on Friday, February 24 at 8pm ET/PT for my Food Network special, Savoring Harlem, as I share with you what all the excitement in Harlem is about! You'll not only get to see the new food revolution happening in this great neighborhood but you'll also get to witness what truly makes Harlem so great.