Author: jenny.h

Fashion with Purpose

/ jenny.h

(published in the Jul/Aug 2014 issue of Edible Baja Arizona)

Chances are, before you see the beautifully cut dresses, the vibrant GMO-free cotton tees, or pencil skirts in every shade, you’ll notice the red-and-white message that hovers above the shop floor of the new Fed By Threads flagship store on Congress.

It reads: “Each garment feeds 12 emergency meals.”

Right below, you’ve probably just spotted the long, white Ishwari dress and thought about how great it will look at your next dinner party. You’ll also know that when you walk out of the store with dress in hand, Fed By Threads will have donated $1 to both the Community Food Bank and Feeding America.

With each dollar, the Community Food Bank can provide four meals and Feeding America can provide eight. One organic maxi-dress becomes 12 meals.

Fed By Threads, co-founded by Alok Appadurai and partner Jade Beall, began as a small T-shirt business operating out of The Movement Shala, their dance and yoga studio located at Third Avenue and Ninth Street.

Two years later, Fed By Threads now occupies a newer, more visible space on Congress Street. Fed By Threads also shares the block with new pizza joint Fired!, Gio Taco, HiFi Kitchen and Cocktails, and Planet Smoothie.

In addition to their commitment to hunger relief, all the pieces at Fed By Threads are made entirely out of GMO-free materials, ranging from organic hemp to cotton. Production of each garment, right down to the design, is U.S.-made. Prices range from $20 to $90 per piece.

“I know the farmers who grew the organic cotton. And I know that’s from the 2012 cotton crop, and I know where it was spun, knit, dyed,” said Appadurai of the Indi Tank, which he describes as the first of their items to be completely grown, designed, and made within the continental United States.

“The people that walk through that door, sure, they’re coming for hopefully a cute dress or a cute piece,” said Appadurai, “but they’re really coming because I believe people are good and want to be part of something that turns a corner [for change].”

Because of Fed By Threads’ all-natural garments and numerous humanitarian missions, a loyal client base from Tucson and across the United States continues to frequent the new boutique.

“I think it’s great that when you purchase a product, you know it’s not only made here in America, we’re not outsourcing it to other countries, but a percentage of the profits go to feeding people that are hungry,” said Gina Rooney, a frequenter of Fed By Threads from Illinois.

“I just like their philosophy,” she added as she folded the Locally Grown, Fresh from the Farm onesie she had just purchased for an expecting friend.  “We’re not in this alone. We’re in this together.”

Appadurai, in the spirit of community and dressing room self-esteem, also prefers to “experience pieces together” with just about every customer who walks through the door. “Part of what we are doing here is about positive body image,” said Appadurai. I don’t let people tear themselves apart in dressing rooms.”

Loyal fans Kate Lemke and Kay Wolferstetter have been coming to Fed By Threads for their T-shirts for over a year. The day after marriage equality had been made legal in their home state of Wisconsin, they came to Appadurai to discuss the statuesque couple’s impending courthouse ceremony, dress, and suit designs.

The pair not only wanted to celebrate their wedding in style, but was also looking for a way they could give back, themselves.

“We love it,” said Wolferstetter. “It’s super important to us that we keep it local and we keep it in the U.S. as far as keeping jobs here and not polluting our world.”

If you’re ever out on Congress with a little bit of extra cash to spend, Fed By Threads offers some good conversation and fashion with a purpose.

Fed By Threads. 345 E. Congress St. 520.396.4304. FedByThreads.com. 

One Super Cookie

/ jenny.h

(published in the Jul/Aug 2014 issue of Edible Baja Arizona)

With just one hundred dollars, a borrowed table, and a tray full of Super Cookies, Nicole Draper and Stanley Ryder weren’t sure what to expect at their first farmers’ market venture. The pair—now with a table of their own—are the founders of Whole Balance, a company that produces minimally processed foods and products made from nutrient-rich grain mixes.

The inspiration for their ancient grain revolution came when Draper fell ill with a serious kidney infection and found Western medicine an unhelpful solution. The couple started searching for natural treatments and soon discovered that the answers they were looking for really came from within. Literally.

They started eating gluten-free and anti-inflammatory foods, and found that their bodies rebounded when purged of wheat, synthetic chemicals, and preservatives. As soon as the Pop-Tarts and ramen they had been eating were replaced with raw, living foods, the couple found Draper’s health steadily improved.

Ancient grains, like amaranth quinoa, millet, and buckwheat, are the primary ingredients in most of Whole Balance’s products. Each grain contains a number of proteins and amino acids, which, when combined and synthesized in the body, form protein structures that can help stabilize the mind, increase immunity, and help the body heal itself, says Ryder.

One of the couple’s signature items, the Super Cookie, is the perfect specimen of ancient grain fusion. When Ryder’s mother created a gluten-free treat for her co-worker’s going-away party, she bequeathed to Ryder a recipe for peanut butter-based chocolate cookies. He tried out the recipe, made a few adjustments, and the cookie dubbed “Super” was born. “I loved them and Nicole loved them and we gave some to some friends and they were like ‘Wow! That is a damn good cookie.’”

The recipe has evolved a bit since then. “First we soak raw Spanish peanuts, then roast them, and grind them into flour,” says Draper. “Then we grind millet and flax into flour, which helps stabilize blood-sugar levels. Last we add a pinch of organic cane sugar, baking soda, and water.”

Other products include a versatile Ancient Grain Multi-Mix, on-the-go packets of Nutrabuild Cereal, GMO-free specialty popcorn, and coming soon, all natural toothpaste.

Draper says that their goal is to not only bring delicious recipes to a wide variety of markets all over town but to also educate their customers about the benefits of healthful living. “We are dedicated to promoting health and wellness by connecting with the people we meet every day, educating and learning about healthy living,” she says.

Eventually, the couple hopes to bring their ancient grain mixture to local schools, restaurants, and resorts. They are also in contact with the Community Food Bank in hopes of donating their blend to Caridad Community Kitchen. “Everyone deserves a healthy option,” said Draper. “Even people who can’t afford it.”

Visit WholeBalance.net for a list of farmers’ markets where you can pick up some Whole Balance goodness of your own.

Jennifer Hijazi is a culture enthusiast and Tucson native who moonlights as a UA graduate student in journalism and Middle Eastern studies.

Debauchery Loves Company: A Different Look at the Man Called “God”

/ jenny.h

Jim “God” Anderson walked into his bar like a fairytale creature emerging from the pages of its own book. “Way to be” are the first words to come out of his goateed lips as he sauntered up to the bar top to check the mail.

Above his head, hundreds of pictures in dusty plastic frames hang on the walls. Jim with Jackie Chan. Jim in the military. Jim with scantily clad masses of women. Jim with Sugar Ray Leonard. Jim with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But mostly Jim with scantily clad women.

Under this shrine to his own infamy, Anderson flicked through envelopes, blue shorts hiked high above his knees. A massive gold ring shaped like a startlingly detailed phallus glistened every time he raised a hand to cover a raspy cough. Around his neck rested a gaudy pendant shaped in his likeness, evidence of a considerable ego and self-proclaimed God-complex.

Anderson is the founder of the Meet Rack, a quintessential dive bar located at the edge of downtown Tucson, flanked by ancient motels and refurbished neon signs that recall a distant past of Cadillac convertibles and smoky jazz lounges. A conversation with Anderson, like a drive down this street, is enough to take anyone back to a different era.

“You know, it’s like people say ‘what did you do in 2005?’ I say I got no idea. ‘What did you do in 2009?’ I got no idea. ‘What did you do in 1976?’”

Anderson answered: “What day?”

But he wasn’t so much the “unapologetic, megalomaniac, grammar-Nazi,” as fondly described by his bartender Jeff Farrell. Nor was he entirely the wild, dirty old man bashed and revered by patrons and the local media.

Instead, Anderson revealed himself to be an unorthodox Renaissance man, well traveled, well educated through experience and as adept at the bar business as he is at lewdness. He is a man who still hangs on to the wildness and simplicity of a different time. And, perhaps most important, he is a man who loves people, a trait that inspired many of his youthful misadventures, and endures as an unspoken philosophy of his establishment.

Growing up God

In ninth grade, at a pool hall in Rochester, N.Y., Anderson began his journey to debauched fame. A former straight-A student, he began his partying days as a teen, a stark contrast to an artistic mother, four shining siblings and a well-respected father who enjoyed a fair amount of success through community involvement.

At 16, Anderson was given a credit card by his father for use at the local country club. Showing his promise as a future businessman, Anderson used the card to fix and fuel his friends’ vehicles and pocket the money they gave him in return. He eventually accrued a $4,500 bill on his father’s account, an amount that could buy two Corvettes back in the 1950s, Anderson said.

After his mother paid the bill to avoid seeing her son killed by an enraged father, Anderson escaped to the military, and was sent to Germany as a member of the military police.

“Whenever they tell you something, always say “Yes,” but never do it,” he said, recalling the best advice he gleaned from his time abroad. He followed this advice himself throughout his time in Europe, and was subsequently court-martialed three times for irritating and insulting his superiors. “They liked me as a person,” Anderson said. “They just didn’t like me as a soldier.”

Despite his indiscretions, it was this charm and way with people that would serve him well for the rest of his life and grant him success in the hospitality industry.

By 28, Anderson had started his life’s work in the bar business, eventually running two bars in upstate New York. “I took to bartending like a duck to water,” Anderson said of his first time behind the counter.

And after selling the bars, Anderson moved down to Tucson at the urging of his brother, and opened up the bar Someplace Else in 1976on Mable and Sixth streets.

The Congregation

Anderson’s arrival in Tucson marked the start of an extensive networking career that would make him a local celebrity.

After his third unsuccessful attempt in the 1980s at running for mayor against the sheriff, Anderson was slapped with 60 violations by his opponent, who wanted to permanently put Anderson’s campaign days to an end. As a result, his bar was shut down, and he was run out of Tucson. During his exile, he ran bars in Vermont, Florida, Las Vegas and Mexico.

When he returned to the desert in the 90s, the Meet Rack was born. “Here’s what I cater to—“21-to-26-year-old girls and everybody that loves them,” Anderson said of his clientele. “Period. In that order.” And as evidenced by the thousands of pictures covering every inch of wall, he has cornered his market.

And should curious guests need a good shock on a Saturday night, all they need to do is ask for a bar tour and Anderson will happily oblige. Along the way, Anderson’s audience will be treated to a host of stories and memorabilia.

There’s the Alcoholics Anonymous plaque, where former members can trade their sobriety coins for discounts on drinks. A few steps further, a pair of mechanical breasts “sing and dance” at a push of a button. The menu sitting on the bar top is full of mixed drinks named after various body parts (and functions). And near the entrance, Anderson will unlock the “Duty Hut,” a dark room filled with devices that would make Jerry Springer blush.

But thanks to the cult he has created for himself through his uncouth novelties and celebrity networking, Anderson has also fostered a home for a growing group of regulars. A home in which he has become the peculiar patriarch.

Long-time bartender and patron Farrell is still occasionally mystified by Anderson’s following. “I think it’s just so interesting like how he’ll sit over there in the corner, and friends will just come like from the years back…and he’ll talk to them like he holds court.”

According to other members of the fold, the relationship is much closer to kin than court. “We’re family,” said Lorriana O’Hanlon, a frequent fixture at the Meet Rack, just as her mother was before her. “We’re all dirt bags,” O’Hanlon said, “but we come here to congregate and most of the time have each other’s backs.”

As for Anderson, this human connection is the most important part of the Meet Rack experience. As much as he prides his infamous persona and vulgar reputation, the genuine love of his bar and the perceptions of the people who congregate there are what really make him tick.

“You either have what you want in this world or all the reasons why you don’t have it.” Anderson said. “Happiness is wanting what you have.” And what he has is plenty of company, one beer on tap and a lifetime of party stories memorialized by snapshots and a group of faithful followers who love them.

From Truck to Table: A Look at Tucson Food Truck Culture

/ jenny.h

It’s a lively Saturday night out in Tucson. Cocktail glasses have been emptied, pints spilled, laughs exchanged—and you didn’t even call anyone you shouldn’t have. By all accounts, this evening has been nothing short of ideal.

And then, without warning, the unmistakable twinge sets in your gut. The tug of an empty stomach. You consider turning toward the street, raising an arm and hailing a cab home to peruse the fridge.

Then it hits you. The wafting scent of grilling onions. The juicy goodness of sizzling beef. The winding line of your nocturnal comrades taking an intermission from their revelry for some wholesome food truck fare.

The food truck, with its appealing mix of convenience and novelty, is a popular trend among Tucson foodies. Trucks can be found at all times of the day, and the virtually limitless choices range from adventurous crepes to wood-fired pizza to Asian-Mexican fusion. An increasing number of trucks are collaborating with standing establishments, especially breweries with no kitchens of their own. This shared business venture means more options for local food lovers and more opportunity for restaurateurs to share their fare.

Flavors on Wheels

The Indian food truck Twisted Tandoor glows in vibrant yellow glory. Owner Mukhi Singh extends a heaping plate of chicken tikka masala, nestled atop a steaming mound of yellow rice.

“This is how I grew up eating,” said the ever-smiling Singh. “These are the flavors that me and my wife chase in our head, and we want to share these with you.”

Sharing these tastes with the community is definitely a process. Some days are fabulous, he said, but others are not.

Ultimately, the constant flow of new people and energy keeps his motivation strong. “Everyday we meet a ton of awesome people,” Singh said. For him, this is the greatest reward.

The opportunity to reach out to a wide audience also inspires Travis Miller, who connects with his customers through his truck Serial Grillers, which he started with his brother.

Miller, a graduate from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, first had the idea to bring quality cheesesteaks to Tucson back in 2011. After being denied several loans, he sold mortgages in Scottsdale for a year to raise funds. He also purchased a trailer in Texas and worked 18-to-20 hour days to get the truck started. “Crazy what you’ll do for your dreams,” said Miller, who now owns a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Speedway in addition to his truck, which he parks at 22nd Street and Pantano Road every weekday.

For Miller, being his own boss is his reward. “Work isn’t work,” he said.

Trucks and Tastings

With your creamy chicken masala in hand, you search for a place to eat, and notice that Tap and Bottle has its massive steel-and-colored-glass doors open to the street. Inside, everyone is digging into a plate of Twisted Tandoor fare, too. Some are drinking dark beer, while others sip on a new Merlot that just arrived from Sonoma. All the diners enjoy combinations of their choice, thanks to the delicious trend of collaboration between bars and food trucks across Tucson.

Located in Gallery Row in downtown Tucson, Tap and Bottle is owned by Rebecca Safford and her husband, who rotate the beer and wine selection of T&B every week. The Saffords were inspired by their travels to vineyards and breweries around the United States and wanted to bring the experiences of tastings to Tucson.

“It took us a long time to get open,” said Safford, explaining that the concept had been in the works for up to a year before their doors finally opened. In addition to the lengthy liquor license approval, the Saffords deliberated whether to serve food. When it became clear that even small plates would require an elaborate kitchen system, they started considering other possibilities.

Instead of opening a kitchen, the Saffords developed relationships with food trucks. “It seemed to be just a perfect relationship cause we want to focus on beer and wine, and they want to focus on the food,” Safford said.

This emphasis on beer and wine without the kitchen distractions is also embraced by Robert Stout, tap room manager at Dragoon Brewery in Tucson. Stout, who books the food truck lineup for Dragoon, said scheduling and accommodating for food trucks is crucial, especially at a place that wants to concentrate solely on providing quality beer rather than lackluster food. “If you’re gonna do a kitchen you’re gonna do it right,” Stout said. “You need to absolutely have your heart and soul into it.”

And sitting in Tap and Bottle, enjoying hot food, good wine and pleasant company, customers benefit from this partnership of food truck and tap room. Patrons will follow their favorite mobile kitchens all over Tucson, which exposes them to new places and to each other. Businesses flourish and people connect.

“It’s just that much better when they’re like ‘Man, that food truck is awesome,’” said Stout, sipping on the latest brew from Tap and Bottle. “You know, sitting there with a nice plate of food and they got a beer and they just got a big smile on their face.”

Festival of Chefs

/ jenny.h

With the Tucson Festival of Books mere days away, we avid readers, locavores, and Tucson-aficionados all have quite a bit to look forward to.

Each year, 2014 marking its sixth, the Festival brings a veritable bounty of authors, entertainment, vendors, food, local arts and science organizations, and general literary revelry to the University of Arizona campus. It is, truly, an event that suits the fancies of just about everyone. Fortunately for us at Edible Baja Arizona, the Festival of Books also brings a little culinary love, too. And the schedule this year is sure to leave you wanting more.

Award-winning chefs from around the country and our own Tucson kitchens will gather at the Culinary Stages for two days of book signings, talk-backs, and cooking demonstrations sure to grab the attentions of at least a few bookworms from the recesses of their Russo and O’Connor novels.

As a prelude to the main events, Edible Baja Arizona asked a few of the chefs about their experience in the field, their cooking literature, and their philosophies on buying local. Below you’ll find just a taste of what to expect should you decide to head to the UA mall this weekend (both pen and fork in hand, of course).

Rick Tramonto
tramonto

Chef Tramonto is the long-time Executive Chef and founding partner of Chicago’s Tru restaurant, and that’s not the only award-winning establishment where you can find him. Tramonto is also the culinary director of Tramonto’s Steak and Seafood and RT Sushi Bar at the Weston Hotel in Wheeling, IL. In 2012, he opened R’evolution in in New Orleans with partner and fellow chef John Folse. He has eight books to his name including Scars of a Chef, a memoir written in 2011. Tramonto was awarded “Best Chef in the Midwest” from the James Bear foundation in 2012 (among may others) and has fostered a prolific career, both here and abroad.

EBA: Tell our readers a little about yourself and your current projects. Any new books? What are your presentation goals for the Festival of Books?

RT: I am opening a restaurant in the south and another in Chicago. Details to follow soon. I am also working on a seafood book.

How about about your cookbooks and literature? Any personal favorites? What is your process for choosing a theme and compiling recipes?

My last book was a biography, Scars of a Chef, and I really enjoyed that experience. I choose my themes by what I happen to be cooking at the time. Fine Dining equals Amuse Bouche and TRU. Italian restaurant equals Fantastico and Osteria. Steakhouse equals Steak with Friends. Etcetera.

Here at Edible Baja Arizona, we emphasize food shed localization and celebrate the unique food heritage of our area. Do you have similar philosophies for your cooking and establishments?

Absolutely. In my New Orleans restaurant, R’evolution, we focus on Cajun and Creole cuisine with a modern twist on it. My partner, Chef John Folse, actually raises some of the pigs that we use in the restaurant, so utilizing local food sources is something we take very seriously.

You’ve had quite the journey up until this point (from Wendy’s to Top Chef), what event, would you say, was a turning point in setting you on the path to where you are now?

When I worked at Gotham Bar & Grill in NYC, I realized that this is what I wanted to do.

What would you say is your culinary manifesto?

My Scars of a Chef book.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about yourself, your cuisine, or your cooking philosophy?

I am a Christian. I have learned to love the food of the south because of spending so much time in Louisiana. You have to love cooking to be able to do it everyday for the rest of your life.

Hugo Ortega
ortega

Chef Ortega is all too familiar with the value of hard work, and his career is certainly a testament to its rewards. This James Beard Award Nominee is currently the Executive Chef and co-owner of Hugo’s and Backstreet Café. Born in Mexico City, Ortega emigrated to Houston in 1984 and learned the kitchen ropes as a dishwasher and busboy for a few area establishments. Through talent, perseverance, zeal, and passion, he was quickly moved up the restaurant ranks and graduated from culinary arts school in 1992. By 1999, he was lauded as “Up & Coming Chef of the Year” by My Table Magazine. He opened Hugo’s in 2002, which has been equally praised by Gourmet and Bon Appetit.

EBA: Tell our readers a little about yourself and your current projects. Any new books? What are your presentation goals for the Festival of Books?

HO: I am from Mexico City and Puebla, Mexico. I didn’t go to high school but was able to enroll and graduate from Houston Community College in Houston. I came to Houston when I was young and worked as a janitor and dishwasher. Later I got a job on the line at Backstreet Cafe and Prego. After graduating, I became the chef at Backstreet Cafe and married in 1994. My wife and I opened Hugo’s restaurant, a regional Mexican restaurant, and recently Caracol, a Mexican coastal kitchen. I am not currently working on a book although I do have plans to write another one in the future. My presentation goals are to introduce people to the diverse culinary landscape of Mexico.

Tell us a little about your cookbook Street Food of Mexico. What was the process like?

None of our culinary team had ever written a book so we did it organically. We narrowed our focus from Mexican food to Mexican street food so that we could write something that had defined limits. However, even with that said, you always have to leave things out. We met many times to determine the scope, chapter titles, and individual recipes that we would include. When that was determined, I selected a few (usually about five) recipes to work on each week. I was very busy running two kitchens at that time so five recipes was as many as I could handle.

Here at Edible Baja Arizona, we emphasize food shed localization and celebrate the unique food heritage of our area. Do you have similar philosophies for your cooking and establishments?

Yes, we do. In many cases though the ingredients we use are hard to come by. I have made arrangements with local growers to grow particular crops just for us. We also buy some unique ingredients directly from Mexico, like cocoa beans.

You’ve had quite the journey up until this point, what event, would you say, was a turning point in setting you on the path to where you are now?

Getting the job at Backstreet was definitely a turning point in my life. I met my future wife and learned how to cook there, went to school, and graduated while working there.

What would you say is your culinary manifesto?

To honor my country through my cooking.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about yourself, your cuisine, or your cooking philosophy?

I’d like readers to know that I am not where I am because I am an expert. I am no more of an expert on Mexican cuisine that the tens of thousands of home cooks that prepare the authentic dishes of Mexico every day. I wrote a book because it was my dream to do it. I wanted that more than anything else to prove to myself that I could accomplish that. It has been very fulfilling. I am doing what I’m doing because I love cooking and I love my country. I am cooking from the heart the food that I love. My food memories are rich with the vivid flavors of my Mexican childhood and inspired by the classical training of my culinary education and my life in the diverse city of Houston. While I left Mexico as a teenager, I always carried Mexico in my heart. My goal is to share my knowledge of and love for the rich heritage of true Mexican cuisine. My restaurants and my cookbook on Mexican street food are tributes to the cuisine of my native land and, most importantly, to its people, who keep its traditions alive, one dish at a time. When I cook, I cook for them.

Suzanne Goin

suzanne_goin_2014

Suzanne Goin, celebrated chef and restaurateur, owns and operates multiple establishments in the Los Angeles area including a.o.c., Lucques, The Larder, The Hungry Cat, and Tavern. She was named Food and Wine Magazine’s “Best New Chef of 1999” and was awarded the 2006 James Beard Award for “Best Chef: California.” Before her career took off, Goin studied at Ma Maison and, subsequently, worked under the tuteledge of chefs at multiple successful restaurants both in the U.S. and in France. Both Goin and business partner Caroline Styne still receive accolades from such publications as Los Angeles Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Food and Wine, Bon Appétit, and Zagat.

EBA: Tell our readers about a little about yourself and your restaurants. Any current projects you’re excited about?

SG: Since launching my first restaurant Lucques in 1998, my business partner Caroline Styne and I have enjoyed a lot of growth doing what we love, including our other restaurants a.o.c., Tavern and our Larders throughout Los Angeles. At the moment, I’m most excited about our Larder Baking Company which will bring our baked goods – that we’ve been doing for years – to a much wider audience through wholesale and retail outlets.

Any new books in the works? What are your presentation goals for the festival of books?

My latest work is The A.O.C. Cookbook, published in October and it’s been a busy year meeting people all over the country who enjoy cooking. In Tucson, I’ll get to introduce some of my favorite dishes for spring. The book is purposely designed for the seasons so there’s always something that fits for every time of year.

Tell our readers a little more about your cookbooks and literature. What is your process for choosing a theme and compiling recipes?

I based the book on the recipes and format of my second restaurant a.o.c. And because I cook very much seasonally, it only made sense to divide the book into seasons like my “Sunday Suppers at Lucques.” Just like writing a menu, when writing a cookbook it’s important to make sure to utilize all the available produce of a season but also balance light dishes with my robust and heavy ones, to provide something for vegetarians and something for meat lovers. It was hard at times to narrow down which recipes to include because, after eleven years, there are lots of favorites!

Here at Edible Baja Arizona, we emphasize food shed localization and celebrate the unique food heritage of our area. Do you have similar philosophies for your cooking and establishments?

My food is so influenced by the richness of our Southern California products and colorful cultures. I encourage all cooks to seek out the best of your own markets and local heritage to make you menus feel close to home whether influence by Italian, French, Spanish or any other cuisines.

What event, would you say, was a turning point in setting you on the path to where you are now?

I would have to say it was working at Chez Panisse. My parents turned me onto great food as a child, especially rustic and soulful French and Italian food but it was at Chez Panisse that I learned to let the local produce be the driving inspiration for what to cook. Plus, working there I was surrounded by so many amazing cooks it really was like grad school!

What would you say is your culinary manifesto?

Always cook from the heart with rigor and passion (oh, and use local ingredients!).

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about yourself, your cuisine, or your cooking philosophy?

When I cook with meats, fish and fowl, my recipes are inspired by the fruits, vegetables and grains they are paired with as much as the meats themselves. As a true omnivore, I set a goal to make it all delicious. Furthermore, it’s important to be willing to change your plan if the product isn’t perfect or not really in season. Don’t make something with stone fruits in winter; capitalize on wild fish when it’s selling fresh in the markets; use a fresh bright chard rather than wilted mustard greens if you’re making the choice and modify your menu.

Above photos, from top to bottom, by Ben Fink (Rick Tramonto), Penny De Los Santos (Hugo Ortega), and David Young-Wolff Photography (Suzanne Goin)

Back to Basics

/ jenny.h

Chefs Sanford D’Amato and Jeff Michaud bring simplicity, patience, and seasonality back to the table.

In our over-stimulated world of 3-D cinema, technological reliance, fast trains, and even faster microwave dinners, it’s easy to forget how to slow down and take a little more time living, rather than racing.

And what’s more, there’s a chance our lives may actually depend on it.

In a recent study done by the American Psychological Association, less than 40 percent of adults claim to be excelling at managing stress or eating healthily. And according to a report by the National Research Council, Americans across the wealth spectrum live comparatively shorter lives than their international neighbors.

With this sobering news, maybe it’s time to think about not just what we do with our lives, but how we’re living them, too. So what better way to slow things down than by putting down the smartphone and picking up (dare I say?!) a good book.

Lucky for you, the Tucson Festival of Books will be in town this weekend on March 15 and 16 on the University of Arizona Mall. In addition to the literary, scientific, and artistic festivities that will be in full force all weekend, the Festival is also bringing back its wildly-popular Culinary Schedule, which will feature local and national award-winning cookbook authors giving talks and conducting cooking demonstrations.

Two of the renowned chefs in the Festival lineup, Jeff Michaud and Sanford D’Amato, are sure to provide all the necessary inspiration required for slowing your pace and savoring new priorities.
Habits that, they believe, can also start at the dinner table.

Table Transformations

Michaud, Executive Chef of Osteria in Philadelphia and author of the book Eating Italy: A Chef’s Culinary Adventure, is also an active member of the Vetri Foundation for Children, an organization founded in 2008 that emphasizes healthier eating habits in youth around Philadelphia.

Together with Marc Vetri, Michaud developed Eatiquette, a school lunch program that exposes children to healthier foods and, perhaps more importantly, new ways to eat them.

“It wasn’t just about eating fresh food, it was also about the style, the way that they were eating,” said Michaud about the program. “We have them eating family style. So we put in large round tables, everything served on large platters, they learn how to pass, they learn table manners. The program’s a whole process.”

Michaud explained that, in today’s busy environment, parents may not have the time to prepare fresh, varied meals, let alone have the time to serve it à la Leave it to Beaver.

Through Eatiquette, kids are introduced to the taste of real food, nothing processed or prepared with the use of a microwave oven (for example, the difference between a real strawberry and the artificial flavor additive). And while they enjoy their new taste experiences, they learn how to interact and share a dining table. As a result, they reap both the physical and mental benefits of a healthier lifestyle.

“I think by serving family style like that, that they got to see other kids trying things,” said Michaud. “It definitely gets the kids very interactive while they’re sitting at the table.”

The Good Life

Sanford D’Amato and wife Angie are intimately familiar with the concept of “life on a slow simmer.” After owning and operating the award-winning Sanford Restaurant in Milwaukee for 23 years, the couple sold their venture in 2012 and moved to Massachusetts to open Good Stock Farm and cooking school on the banks of the Connecticut River.

Five years in the making, the school is situated on a two-acre farm that produces the fresh, seasonal ingredients used in D’Amato’s dishes and classes. Most of the crops on the property take a while to “come around and mature,” and include sixteen fruit trees, asparagus, horseradish, rhubarb, and berry bushes.

“So the idea of the school is we’ll do small, probably maximum 10-12 people at a time, classes,” explained D’Amato. “Hands-on, where we can just go out in the fields and pick whatever is at peak at that time and then go ahead and cook with it.”

Should they need anything their own property cannot provide, the D’Amato’s look to local farmers and vendors for fresh products. The Pioneer Valley they call home offers meat, veggies, and the opportunity to support local agriculture. In an area of vibrant homegrown culture and CSAs, support of the tightly-knit farming community and its seasonal fare is all-important to D’Amato.

“My philosophy has been the same since…I started cooking. It’s to, you know, find the best in season product.”

And according to D’Amato’s new book Good Stock: Life on a Slow Simmer, storytelling is about as important as seasonality when it comes to good food.

“Every good chef puts in, not only their techniques that they’ve learned over the years and the experience that they’ve learned working for different people, but they have to put in their own taste memories.”

D’Amato insists that without a few culinary anecdotes, of which his book has many, the recipes would probably not exist at all.

“Recipes are soulless frames unless you really understand where the recipe came from,” said D’Amato.
“That’s what the book tells; it gives the story behind the recipes. So that people, after reading it, they have an idea of where my food is coming from and it would make it easier for them to prepare it.”

For more information about Eating Italy and Good Stock, as well as the chance to meet the chefs behind the stories, check out the Tucson Festival of Books this Saturday and Sunday. In addition to talk-backs and book signings, both Michaud and D’Amato will also conduct live cooking demonstrations with other local and nationally recognized chefs from around the U.S.

 

Takis for Change

/ jenny.h

Every Friday, Madeline Kiser passes out hand-written letters to a circle of teens.

Discussion ensues; thoughts are provoked and opinions given, all in hopes of cultivating the next leaders of environmental action and food justice in Tucson’s low-income neighborhoods. These youths are engaged in raising awareness for sustainable employment opportunities, especially for those living in vulnerable areas.

And what’s more, these future leaders are coming directly from the Pima County Juvenile and Adult Detention Centers.

Kiser created the Inside/Out program in 2003 as a way to immerse adults and teens in a variety of community conversations. Kiser’s meetings function as informal discussion groups, in which participants from the Pima County Jail exchange letters with teens from the Pima County Juvenile Detention Center on a number of issues including empathy and leadership. The letters function as conversation starters, where kids can express their beliefs and broaden their horizons in preparation for re-entry and life in general. Recently, Kiser has brought environmental concerns like climate change to the table.

And when the national environmental advocacy organization Green for All chose Tucson as one of its campaign cities for environmental and social justice issues, Kiser’s Inside/Out youths became part of a much bigger dialogue.

As part of the Southern Arizona Green for All Coalition, Kiser’s kids are tackling the issue of food justice and sustainability, a topic of utmost importance in Baja Arizona. After attending a food and finance forum in January, Kiser began facilitating dialogues about eating healthy and buying food locally.

“Young people in low income neighborhoods are really driving that conversation,” says Kiser regarding Green for All’s missions against poverty through green employment. The former environmental journalist stresses that kids from these backgrounds are just the kind of unique leadership needed to push for and initiate change within Tucson’s barrios.

As part of the discussion, she targeted a popular but highly processed snack–Takis–as a possible source of mobilization.

“It came out that a lot of kids were spending between 30 to 50 dollars a month on Takis alone,” said Kiser. And with just a thousand of those teens taking that 50 dollars and spending it on a local alternative, what would that fifty thousand dollars look like in support of a local chef? Or perhaps a local refugee agency? Of even greater relevance to these kids, how could the creation of a local alternative to Takis, from production to advertising, create new jobs for hundreds of people with barriers to employment?

True to Inside/Out tradition, the kids used letters to call for help. One young lobbyist wrote: “I’m writing you this because I know Takis are bad…and with your help and our ideas, I think we can make a snack as good as Takis and make a healthier community.” Other teens had personal stories of adverse health effects brought by Takis, while some even included art work (a rendering of the “Monster Takis” being one illustration demonstrating particular skill and persuasion).

“The Takis really, for us, became a way to talk about local food and what that would mean,” said Kiser of her focus groups. “And [the kids] got, really, really excited about it.”

In addition to lobbying for a local, healthy alternative to processed snacks, these youths also correspond with other food justice and environmental action groups in the area, such as Tierra y Libertad and Sustainable Tucson.

At the end of the day, said Kiser, these young adults are assuming leadership roles not just to pave the way for accessible jobs, but for jobs that will contribute to their communities on a deeper level.

“These kids are much savvier than people may think. And they really care deeply about their neighborhoods and their families, and they want to…be part of something that’s healthy and true.”

To learn more about Green for All and it’s mission to create a green economy against poverty, visit their website. While you’re there, take a look at their recent campaign video featuring Tucson amongst their cities for change.

To offer your support of the Takis project, contact mkiser@dakotacom.net.