Crop To Cuisine » Food, Drink and Culture

NYC Chef/Artist featured in HBO documentary

C2C — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:17:51 +0000

“I’m not a nutcase. I’m just an artist,” says Paul Liebrandt at the beginning of A Matter of Taste, director Sally Rowe’s film documenting the chef’s turbulent, and eventually triumphant journey through the kitchens of New York.

Liebrandt, a onetime Food and Wine Best New Chef, winner of multiple Michelin stars and now chef at New York City’s Corton allowed Rowe access to his restaurant kitchens and home life over the course of ten years – a development that surprised both of them. The film, which premieres on HBO tonight at 9 E.T. presents an intimate evolution of a driven, complicated, artful and often misunderstood chef in search of an appreciative audience.

Pairing Wine with Street Food

C2C — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 16:34:08 +0000

A Manhattan food truck now offers beer, wine and cocktails.

The Wall Street Journal says a street vendor called the Turkish Taco Truck is expanding its liquid menu starting Friday.

The truck is parked outside the space formerly occupied by Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

Under a one-year liquor license, the truck is allowed to sell alcohol that will be consumed within a seating area there.

The Journal points out that the restriction would likely hamper curbside food trucks, which have no enclosed spaces.

Does Food TV pack on the Pounds?

C2C — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:31:50 +0000

With hundreds of hours of programming devoted each week solely to the subject of cooking, creating, entertaining and eating, could the food TV onslaught be contributing to the country’s obesity problem?

“While many popular cooking shows feature foods and recipes that are high in fat and calories, this does not necessarily mean they are worsening our nation’s obesity problem,” New York-based dietitian and creator of the F-Factor Diet, Tanya Zuckerbrot, told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “These shows are cultivating better informed customers – from preparation to plating. TV chefs are inspiring legions of people who previously wouldn’t dare step into the kitchen and more folks are opting for a home cooked meal instead of fast food. This is significant considering that the average restaurant entrée has 60 percent more calories than the same dish created at home.”

However, Marlene Schwartz PhD, Deputy Director for the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, said that while no formal studies have been conducted on these shows, she thinks that the overall impact in the short-term is that they increase one’s hunger levels. More importantly, watching a lot of television in general is one of the strongest predictors of obesity in children.

With the exception a few shows like Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution,” and “Dr. Oz,” health foods rarely make appearances in the TV foodie movement. However, Zuckerbrot is hopeful that more shows will start to sprout up centered on nutrition-based cooking, with a particular focus on feeding children in a way that both tastes good and is good for you.

Lawsuit claims Yankee Stadium food servers are victims of theft

C2C — Tue, 10 May 2011 04:16:59 +0000

Waiters serving the expensive seats at Yankee stadium cried foul Monday in court papers that say their tips have been stolen and they’re owed thousands of dollars.

The menus in the seats’ cup-holders say “a 20% service charge will be added to the listed prices. Additional gratuity is at your discretion,” according to the suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court.

A draft beer listed at $10.50 costs $12.60 after the additional “service charge” has been added.

“In fact, the food service workers did not receive any of the 20% service charges,” says the suit filed against Volume Services America, which ran food services at the old Yankee Stadium and Legends Hospitality, which runs them in the new stadium.

The workers earn $35 a day, plus 6% of sales, which amounts to about $7,000 over the course of a 6-month baseball season, their lawyer, Brian Schaffer said.

Legends – partially owned by the Yankees – takes about $20,000 a year in these so-called service charges from the workers, Schaffer said. And workers are not allowed to tell fans where the “service charge” goes.