Category Archives: Uncategorized

cook like chef andy dombrowski: fennel salad

Funny thing – I used to dislike fennel. And I don’t really know why. Perhaps it’s the anise smell (of which I never cared for and had a bad reaction to Sambuca once and therefore developed an aversion to anything that reminded me of it). This all changed when chef Jonathon Sawyer was at Bar [...]

taste of the browns & your chance to attend

Here we go Brownies, here we go.
I am a big Browns fan. Huge. What Clevelander isn’t, right? I grew up a tom boy and followed football and this team for as long as I can remember (and pretended to be Bernie Kosar in my neighborhood after school football games growing up).
We love and [...]

q&a with tom heinen

I’ve been a loyal Heinen’s shopper for the past 10 years. Now, it’s not the only place I shop at. I’m also a regular at Miles Farmer’s Market (pancetta and Jeni’s practically each week), Whole Foods, area farmers’ markets, Fresh Fork CSA and The West Side Market, though not as often as I’d like. But [...]

recap: twilight at the zoo

Twilight at the Zoo. It seems that just about everyone in Cleveland has attended. Even my folks have gone once or twice. But not us. Not until last week that is.
Twilight, which benefits the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, is this town’s biggest fundraiser. Roughly 6,200 people attended last Friday evening raising close to $500,000.
The event, which [...]

where our seafood comes from. q&a with marty gaul at heinen’s

“Am I talking too fast?” asked Martha Gaul, the person behind all seafood at Heinen’s. “I’m just so excited; I want to tell you everything!”
To say Gaul has passion for her job would be an understatement. It’s genuine and quite refreshing. I spent some time with her last week in an attempt to get a [...]

natalie josephine girbino

This week I lost my grandma, Natalie Girbino. I know this blog is about food and I rarely get into anything too personal, but to know my grandma is to understand where my love for and appreciation of food comes from. Without her influence, there is no doubt that my life would be completely different. [...]

review: zinc bistro bar bakery

These are the posts I don’t look forward to sharing. But you can’t like everything and you opt to come here because you want my honest opinion – no matter what. So here goes it.
I went to Zinc a few weeks ago on behalf of Metromix. I had heard prior to my visit that the [...]

q&a with olivier kielwasser

With Vintage Ohio next weekend, here’s a q&a with someone heavily involved in Ohio wines and responsible for selecting which ones to carry as well as educating consumers and staff. Olivier Kielwasser isn’t just in charge of wine for Giant Eagle, it’s a long-time passion and he’s become quite the fan of local wines in [...]

i heart wine dinners (as in abc wine at greenhouse)

“What kind of wine do you like to drink?” asked Jim Clendenen, named winemaker of the year in 1991 by Food & Wine and in 1992 by the Los Angeles Times for his Santa Barbara winery, Au Bon Climat. “Usually cabs – heavy, full-bodied, cabs,” I replied. “Oh. Then I’m afraid I’m not going to [...]

a unique ohio wine sampling experience

Do you think the glass you use to enjoy your wine makes a difference?
On August 5, Maximillian Riedel will be in our area to  sample Ohio wines and to demonstrate exactly how his family’s stemware provides an exceptional tasting experience vis a vis ‘regular’ wine glasses.
Riedel, as you may know, has been in the glass [...]