Photo: dicktay2000/Flickr
LOCAL BITES:
Taste of Latin
Spice up your Thursday evening tonight as El Paneta presents the “Latin Taste of Boston” at Villa Victoria Cultural Center, 6-9pm, in the South End. Feast upon all-you-can-eat, Latin-inspired cuisine with DJ entertainment, a silent auction and cash bar.
Food For Free Celebrates
Know this local non-profit? Support it! Tomorrow evening at MIT the annual “Food for Free Gala” is being held at MIT’s Morss Hall, 6pm. WBUR will be there, too, in the form of Here & Now‘s Robin Young and the inimitable Car Talk guys, Tom and Ray Magliozzi — all of them long-time advocates.
Shifting Seasons
The weather has cooled, the leaves are turning, and pumpkins will soon meet their makers. Time to celebrate at the Harvard Community Garden’s second annual Harvest Festival, this Saturday, Oct. 15, 12-3pm. Enjoy live music, chef demos, pumpkin carving, cider pressing and more.
Joining Forces
A brilliant trio of Boston chefs — Bob Sargent of Flora Restaurant, Chris Schlesinger of East Coast Grill and Paul O’Connell of Chez Henri — are coming together to host a feast at the 4th annual Urban Barn Dance, Oct. 20, at the Dante Alighieri Center in Cambridge. This event will feature a farmers market-inspired meal, contra dancing, a silent auction and more.
Game on
Several well-known Boston chefs have left their posts in the kitchen (momentarily, anyway) and turned to Twitter to announce the Battle of the Heavyweights, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 6:30pm at Gordon’s Fine Wine Culinary Center. In one corner we have Paul Turano (Tryst Restaurant) and Jason Bond (Bondir Restaurant) and, in the other, Andy Husbands (Tremont 647) and Brian Poe (The Rattlesnake Bar&Grill). Call 781-893-1900 x3 or visit Gordon’s Wine site to reserve your spot and choose your side.
Thought for Food Chef Series
Ever wonder what goes on behind the kitchen doors of your favorite restaurant? Now you can find out, as Breville launches their new Behind-the-Scenes Chef Video series featuring amazing Boston chefs. On view now is Food and Wine’s 2011 People’s Best New Chef Jamie Bissonette, executive chef and partner at Coppa. Other videos feature chefs Andy Husbands (Tremont 647), Jim Sewall (Island Creek Oyster Bar) and Patricia Yeo (of the upcoming Moksa). Grab some popcorn and settle in to watch.
Goodbye Summer…
Summer passed by quickly this year, as did the Wayland Summer Farmers Market, which wrapped up yesterday. BUT, their Winter Season is already preparing its kickoff! Mark your calendars for Jan. 7 for start to Wayland’s Indoor Farmers Market. Check out their Facebook page for all the updates and more information.
NATIONAL TREATS
Presidential Dining
Let’s be honest, Michelle Obama looks great. As an out-spoken advocate of ending our nation’s obesity problem (Let’s Move!), it’s evident that the First Lady cares deeply about the issue of eating healthfully. But what does SHE eat?? To get a glimpse of Michelle Obama’s personal dining habits, Politico has compiled a list of 25 meals she has feasted upon. Read for yourself and decide if she practices what she preaches.
Styling Spaghetti
Last week, we showed you the complex mathematical equations associated with pasta noodles, but this week we’re moving away formulas and looking into what it takes to get pasta ready for a close-up. This week, David Segal of the New York Times provides a fascinating account of photographing and filming foods to make them look absolutely irresistible.
GLOBAL TASTINGS
Tour India Without Leaving Home
Indian food, at its best, is both delicious and visually beautiful. Accomplished Israeli photographer Stephi Bergerson has again combined these two concepts in a delectable book featuring a visual tour of India’s street food, as well as full recipes so that you can recreate the dishes at home. Before grabbing your copy, check out Ammini Ramachandran’s review of this exceptional book on Zester Daily.