Sleek Dumpling Options Popping Up Downtown

October 21, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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For years cheap dumplings have been a staple of NYC’s Chinatown. Prosperity Dumpling – which recently relocated from Eldridge St. to Bensonhurst in Brooklyn – long offered 5 for $1 dumplings to hungry patrons with little money to spare. Vanessa’s Dumpling House, which has two locations in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn, likewise offers 4 dumplings for $1.50. Recently though more expensive options have been popping up. Nom Wah Tea Parlor offers Dim Sum offerings at its tiny walkup counter on Kenmare St. for those who wish to spend a bit more. Additionally, Mimi Cheng’s opened a location on Broome St. which offers composed Bento boxes for hungry lunchers looking for tasty dumplings. Seemingly the market will support both kinds of establishments serving different types of dumpling seekers.

You can read more about these two recent openings here.

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Orange Juice Shortage on the Horizon

October 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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Florida is facing its worst orange harvest in a century according to reporting from The Guardian. Effected by disease and recent hurricanes, orange harvests are projected to be down as much as 14% from 2015. Orange juice futures are already trading at nearly double the price from last year as market analysts react to reports from the USDA. Many farmers in Florida are worried about their futures as they face a very bleak harvest this year, but the Florida Citrus Mutual cooperative offered a statement to reporters indicating that some farmers were holding onto a rosier outlook. Approximately 62,000 people are employed in one way or another through orange harvesting in Florida, so only time will tell what the wide-reaching impacts of this will be.

You can read more about this topic here.

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SlowMoney NYC’s Good Food Spotlight is next week

October 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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The Good Food Spotlight is a monthly event for food business owners, investors, and advisors. Referred to as a “pitchfest” by SlowMoney NYC, this event has something for everyone interested in NYC food businesses. Expect business challenges to be presented to a panel of experts and an interactive crowd. Go for the information or simply to network, perhaps you will be inspired by something you hear or someone you talk to.
The event is this upcoming Monday the 24th at 6:30 PM in Brooklyn.

Presented in partnership with Brooklyn Food Works, this should be a great learning and networking event.

You can register and find more information here.

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An Apple a day for a Baby’s Brain

August 30, 2016 by Leave a Comment

We’re all aware that fruit is a recommended part of the daily diet.  However, new research suggests that fruit may be even more important for expecting mothers by increasing the intelligence of a normal, healthy baby.

The University of Alberta study found that each additional serving of fruit the pregnant participants consumed corresponded with an increase in cognitive scores for their children a year after birth. The results from 688 children tested are preliminary and best seen as a suggestion for future studies.  However, the data is interesting because only fish has been linked to enhanced cognitive development.

After analyzing the data, Piush Mandhane, an associate professor of pediatrics at University of Alberta and one of the two senior authors of the paper, was so surprised that he sought out a colleague to double check the results using fruit flies–which yielded similar results.

What’s perhaps less surprising is that half of the pregnant women surveyed did not meet the US government’s guidelines of 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fruit a day.  This is roughly equivalent to an apple and a large banana per day.

To read more, click here.

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Mount Mozzarella: The US Cheese Surplus Piles Up

August 30, 2016 by Leave a Comment

CHEESEThere are 1.3 billion pounds of cheese in storage this year.  That’s a lot.  That’s the record, in fact, and it’s a global phenomenon that we’re struggling to deal with.  Two years ago, dairy farmers responded to a spike in demand by massively increasing production, but that demand has trailed off, and our supply is now bulging like a ball of mozzarella.

Fortunately, the USDA is making a conscientious move to help those in need: by purchasing $20 million of the surplus to give to food banks across the country.  This is great for food banks, which don’t usually get much of the good stuff.  However, it’s only a small shred in the pile–less than 1% of the 1.3 billion pounds in storage.

Additionally, it won’t do much for the falling milk price, which is hurting groceries across the country.  In fact, “The Chicago Mercantile Exchange spot prices for cheddar cheese were down following the announcement,” said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

To read more, click here.

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Good News for Soda Tax Advocates

August 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment

pouring-sugar-out-of-soda-can.jpgA recent study on the soda tax in Berkeley, the first in the nation, brings good news for advocates of such taxes nationwide. Since January (when the tax went into effect), the city has apparently seen a one-fifth decline in sugary drink consumption.

The study, done by researchers at UC Berkeley, compared soda sales from April through July of 2014 with January through May of 2015 and found a 21% reduction in low-income neighborhoods. Since such neighborhoods are more likely to suffer from the health consequences of sweetened drinks, this is great news for tax advocates. The researchers do concede that there are flaws to such a study and it may be unwise to base too many policy decisions off their work. Soda consumption has already been on the decline, and the public battle between big soda and politicians may have had as much of an effect as the tax itself by raising awareness of soda’s health consequences.

To read more, click here.

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Organic Food Joins the GMO Scuffle

August 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Last week, we discussed the new law that Congress and President Obama passed that would require GMO labeling, and the industry pushback against the bill.  This week, the story continues with organic food producers who are roiled by non-organic but non-GMO packaging claims.

In the United States, “Organic” labeling laws are very strict and can require hefty investments in infrastructure and licensing.  However, “non-GMO” labels–not so much.  For organic food producers, this has become an unsettling situation, because annual sales of the Non-GMO Project-labeled food have skyrocketed from $7 billion two years ago to $16 billion today.  Meanwhile, the Non-GMO Project products tends to cost less than organic.

Thus, organic food companies are beginning to speak out with concerns, even though many of the first companies involved with the Non-GMO Project are in fact organic producers.  The Non-GMO Project started when organic producers wanted to test their foods for GMOs–a step not required by Organic labeling laws.

For the consumer, this creates a dissonance.  Most shoppers aren’t fully aware of the difference in expectations, or that the FDA has repeatedly stated that there is no health benefit to avoiding GMOs. “It’s a little frustrating, to be honest,” says Jesse LaFlamme, CEO and owner of Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs. “OK, it’s great that there’s a non-GMO symbol on there. But do you understand that that product might have been produced with pesticides, antibiotics, and with no regard for animal welfare?”

Laura Batcha, executive director of the Organic Trade Association, puts it this way: “Non-GMO is agriculture before GMOs were introduced, which is still chemical agriculture.”

To read more, click here.

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Ikinari Steak Comes to New York from Japan, with Prime Rib and No Chairs

August 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment

The popular Japanese steakhouse Ikinari steak, known for it’s unusual ordering style and standing-room-only dining room, will soon come to the East Village. Ikinari currently has more than 50 locations in Japan, and in areas with a large office population some Ikinari outposts feed as many as 500 office workers a day.

The fast-casual concept allows guests to order the exact number of grams of steak they’d like, which are then eaten at standing tables with a precisely calibrated height. Chef and Restaurateur Kunio Ichinose explains that such tables discourage diners from putting their forks and knives down between bites, allowing the restaurant to move guests through as quickly as possible. That throughput allows Ikinari to target workers with lower incomes than many steakhouses; a 7-ounce steak comes to about $16, a particularly good deal in Japan.

If such a fast paced setting doesn’t seem like your ideal way to eat steak, there may be some hope. Ikinari’s LES application for a liquor license indicates they may tweak the concept slightly for the New York market, encouraging guests to stay a moment longer and possibly even giving them a place to sit. After all, it’s hard to hold a fork, knife, and a beer through a full 7 ounces.

To read more, click here.

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Obama Signs GMO Labeling Law

August 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment

In addition to the standard Nutrition Facts labels, products will soon have to include another identification.  On Friday, President Obama signed by S.764, which creates a standard for foods produced with genetically modified organisms.  Congress passed the legislation to necessitate labeling on all food packages to indicate the presence of GMO’s.

However, the exact definition of the label is not nailed down.  While White House spokesperson Katie Hill has said that the “measure will provide new opportunities for consumers to have access to information about their food,” food-labeling advocates are pointing out the pit-falls.  Companies are allows to use QR codes and 1-800 numbers as a form of labeling.

This is a valid concern given that GMOs are estimated to be in 75%-80% of our food supply.  While the Food and Drug Administration has already stated that these ingredients are safe for consumption, advocates of the labeling law are the point is the right to know what is in our food.  Thus, some critics of the law are even calling the bill the DARK act, for “Denying Americans the Right to Know.”

And while industry titans and analysts suggest that more specific labeling will be too expensive, 64 countries already require the identification.  The Department of Agriculture has two years to complete the rules.  To read more, click here.

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Fashioning Cast-Iron Pans for Today’s Cooks

July 21, 2016 by Leave a Comment

One of the oldest cooking tools in the kitchen is the cast-iron skillet.  These pans are sometimes passed down through generations because of their beauty and usefulness.

In the last five years, three new companies have begun to produce cast-iron skillets, promising to make improvements with a combination of handwork and modern technology.  Finex, Borough Furnace and Field Company got initial funding on the Kickstarter funding website.  Hundreds of small backers will eventually receive pans in return for their financial support.  The Finex 10-inch skillet sells for $165; the Borough Furnace model sells for $280, and the Field skillet sells for $100.

A well-used, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is an all-purpose pan.  Nonstick to cook eggs, hot to sear anything and useful for roasting, stewing, simmering and baking.  The nonstick surface of a cast-iron pan is achieved with natural ingredients like flaxseed oil and lard, rather than synthetic coatings like Teflon.

People are willing to pay a hefty premium for these cooking tools because of their craftsmanship.  The modern-day skillets share qualities of those made between the 18th and 20th centuries: light and thin with a smooth cooking surface.

How about cleaning and seasoning?  Skillets of the past had natural coatings formed by cooking with fat, and bonding fat molecules to the metal surface.  Use the pan often for projects like frying, cooking and browning.   Scrape the cooking surface clean, rinse with hot water, add a drop of soap and put in back on the stove over low heat until dry.  Store dry skillets in a cupboard or oven to protect them from dust.

Please click here to read more…

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