A Practical (and Tasty) Solution to the Food Truck Logistical Challenge

Not knowing quite what to expect, I drove up to an industrial warehouse-type structure situated on West Rich St in the Columbus community of Franklinton. It was only a bit past 6pm but the crisp fall into winter air paired with the quickly darkening skies. I knew I had arrived to my destination as I saw three lit trucks parked alongside the building; having parked within easy walking distance, I made my way into the parking lot where one of the first images to greet me was a huge painted slice of bacon. This growing evening crowd of foodies was clearly in the know that Dinin' Hall was open for business.

In Celebration of Terra Madre Day 2012

Happy Terra Madre Day! Unbeknownst to many, I'm sure, the Terra Madre project (yes, linked to the Terra Madre conference I've mentioned a few times before throughout the blog) was launched by Slow Food International in 2004. In 2009 Terra Madre Day was lifted up as an international day of celebrating local food, the celebration of which emphasizes Slow Food's philosophy of good, clean and fair: "good for our palate, clean for humans, animals and the environment, and fair for producers and consumers." In honor of Terra Madre Day, our local Slow Food chapter held a Terra Madre Day potluck last night at the home of Board Chair Bear Braumoeller whom I've been fortunate enough to meet at other Slow Food Columbus events throughout the past semester (1, 2 and 3; and he even presented at our Food and Culture Colloquium). Alongside the great local, organic and/or sustainable food that made their way onto the potluck tables, I truly appreciated the opportunity to explore another sliver of Columbus life and meet even more wonderful people (read: foodies) who, as I've claimed time and time again throughout this blog, represent diverse experiences that find common ground around something as "simple" as food.

ITKP: "Holiday Culinary Culture"

As many of  you may already know, I have come to enjoy and appreciate the challenge of creating complicated programmatic menus. And today's In the Kitchen Practicum--the final one for the semester--was no exception. On the proposed menu: baked brie en croûte with caramelised onions; hand made sundried tomato ravioli with roasted red bell pepper and acorn squash, topped with oregano browned butter (made solely with fresh oregano and heavy cream); dry rubbed beef short ribs with Kansas City style barbecue sauce; and homemade gingerbread with cinnamon and salted caramel swirl ice cream.

Mo and MA Back on the Food Scene: Commonwealth Sandwich Bar & Other Columbus Visits

This past October, I went with local foodie and Denison staff member Maureen to the Terra Madre Local Chef's Dinner at Basi Italia. Chef Stefan Till of Commonwealth Sandwich Bar had dined with us and the other wonderful foodies at our table, and his cousin Chef Erik Till (chef/owner of Commonwealth) was one of many local chefs who contributed to that evening's menu, by way of a very memorable rhubarb lacquered pork belly dish. This evening, after a very much anticipated wait, Maureen's and my schedules intersected, just in time to visit the Tills and Commonwealth for one of the best culinary food deals I've heard of existing in central Columbus: $5 Sandwich Wednesdays.

FCC: Food and the Humanities

Quite fittingly, our final Food and Culture Colloquium lecture for the semester focused on food writing, with particular emphases on food literature and food blogging. This session, co-presented by Associate Professor of English Dennis Read and Assistant Director of the Writing Center Susan Kanter (both of whom also teach food-themed first-year seminars), also served as a wrap up to our month-long focus on intersections between food and liberal arts. To set the stage, Dennis and Susan shared with us the first half of this video (if you're more of a Hulu fan, you can check out the same video here). A direct response to Pete Wells's New York Times review of Guy Fieri's recently opened restaurant in New York, the cut SNL skit prompts us to think about the thematic curiosity of whether or not food writing means anything to anyone these days.

2012 Thanksgiving Cookery

In what Thanksgiving dish could apples possibly belong?

Quite interestingly, and now less unexpected as the years have pushed on, one of the questions that seems to accompany "what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" has been "so, will you be cooking for Thanksgiving?" I have no reason as to why I never seem to have an answer prepared for that one, but after getting back to campus, I can definitely say that yes, I did do a bit of cooking.

Inspiration from the Nearly Expired: Culinary Transformations before Heading Home

bacon, brie and spinach turnover

I don't know about you, but I take issue with the thought of knowing that items with a limited expiration date would be left behind and go to waste while away from campus. In my world, there are two things that should be done: 1) throw out everything that you should have consumed before it ever got to that point or 2) make a dish or perhaps even a meal out of it. I imagine that, especially if you're a returning reader, you know which route I chose.