The Culinary Institute of America Is Starting a Scholarship in Anthony Bourdain’s Name

“The Culinary Institute of America announced it will start a scholarship in the late Anthony Bourdain’s name. It will go to one or two students a year, helping pay — fittingly — for their studies abroad. The late author and television personality graduated from the school in 1978, and worked in restaurants for decades after, a life he documented in Kitchen Confidential.

As the New York Times reports, the C.I.A. was approached about doing the scholarship by Eric Ripert, Bourdain’s close friend. He came up with the scholarship — “I thought it should be a celebration of Anthony Bourdain,” he tells the Times — after discussing ways to honor Bourdain with José Andrés, another friend of Bourdain’s, and Bourdain’s estate. After discussing the idea with the institute’s president, Dr. L. Timothy Ryan, they created the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship. How much money the scholarship will provide has not yet been determined, as the fundraising has only just begun. Ryan tells the paper of record that he hopes there will be enough money for the scholarship to be an endowment fund.”

Read more here.

Chelsea Market Lands a Promising New Pop-Up Vendor

Image result for gorsha food

“A new pop-up space in Chelsea Market will highlight Ethiopian fast casual this summer. The NYC-based culinary training nonprofit Hot Bread Kitchen has a new pop-up space in Chelsea Market that will feature rotating menus from members and alums of its culinary incubator, which is based in East Harlem. First up is Gorsha, a fast-casual Ethiopian restaurant from Hiyaw Gebreyohannes. There is another location in DC’s Union Market, but here, the restaurant will have specials specific to Chelsea Market. There will be build-your-own bowls for around $13 with proteins like berbere chicken and braised lamb. It’s open now from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will run until October 31.”

Read more here.

Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr. are bringing back Froot Loops Mini Donuts

Froot Loops Mini Donuts return to Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants for a limited time.

“Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. are bringing back their popular Froot Loops Mini Donuts.

The miniature doughnuts, inspired by the Kellogg’s cereal, will be available for a limited time starting Feb. 25 at participating Hardee’s and Feb. 27 at Carl’s Jr. restaurants, parent company CKE Restaurants announced Tuesday. They come in five colors – red, yellow, purple, green and blue – and taste like their smaller cereal counterparts. A five-pack starts at $1.99 and they will be available all day, not just for breakfast.

“Froot Loops Mini Donuts are the perfect anytime snack and will bring any consumer back to their childhood,” Owen Klein, CKE Restaurants vice president global culinary innovation, said in a statement. “We know our fans craved these nostalgic treats, and we’re thrilled to bring this fun innovation back to our menu this spring.”

Read more here.

One of West Africa’s Most Accomplished Chefs Opens an NYC Restaurant Soon

“Former Le Grand Dakar chef Pierre Thiam — who strives to be an ambassador of Africa’s culinary history — will open a Pan-African restaurant in Harlem’s Africa Center next month, where he’ll showcase his native cuisine in fast-casual format.

Teranga, which translates roughly to “hospitality” in Wolof, a language spoken in Senegal, will focus on Senegalese cuisine, as well as foods from Nigeria, Mali, the Ivory Coast, and Guinea in bowl-like formats.

The menu is molded by West African ingredients like sorghum and millet paired with dried fruits for breakfast, as well as fonio, a grain that’ll be served within salads and bowls during lunch and dinner, Thiam told the Times in August.

Vegetable and protein bowls like grilled chicken and caramelized onions over Liberian red rice will also be available, plus other vegetarian options like a sweet potato and black-eyed pea stew. Drinks range from hot and cold African coffees, teas, and juices. The menu is gluten-free; see it in full below.

The location of Thiam’s new restaurant within the cultural center makes sense, as he is a vocal advocate for Africa’s culinary history and even appeared in a 2016 episode of the late Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown in his native Senegal. The restaurant will take up a 2,000-square-foot space in the center, overlooking Central Park.”

Read more here.

The Best Restaurants on the Upper East Side

1. Flora Bar
945 Madison Ave., nr. 75th St.; 646-558-5383

Sure, the location is a little eccentric by local standards (the dining room sits on the semi-bunkered basement level of the Met Breuer museum on Madison Avenue). The decor is a little spare, too (did we mention that it’s in the basement of the Met Breuer?), and local gourmets will complain that the chef, Ignacio Mattos, is an interloper from the wilder, much more unruly culinary regions further downtown (he operates two popular restaurants below 14th Street). But we’d argue that the mingling of high culture and high cuisine at this unlikely three-star establishment creates the kind of alchemy which is unique not just on the Upper East Side, but to the city as a whole. Throw in Mattos’s refreshingly ingenious brand of high-low cooking (where else on the block can you get your crème fraîche and caviar served with house-frizzled potato chips?), the elegantly accessible lunchtime service (yes, there’s a Wagyu burger), the exceptional all-day coffee-and-pastry bar, and one of the better brunch menus in this brunch-crazed part of town, and you have the ideal Upper East Side restaurant for this unfussy, post-gourmet age.

See more restaurants here.

Rice, bean bowls have become fan favorites

“Bowl builds are a powerhouse on menus today, fueled by a number of significant drivers. First, consumers love them so the demand is high. Thanks to a halo of wholesomeness, a promise of satiety and a bowlful of intriguing flavor combinations, that demand doesn’t look like it’s subsiding any time soon.

Second, bowls play well in a number of dayparts, from breakfast and lunch to that all-important snacking segment. “Bowls are easy to eat, they tend to look very pretty and for some reason, they open the door for people to be more adventurous with their menu choices,” says Jorge Cespedes, culinary creative director with Marlin Network, based in Springfield, Mo.”

“From an operator perspective, bowls have a place on every menu and in every daypart, playing into so many different trending flavor combinations.” They also are an ideal delivery system for the plant-forward trend, offering a perfect format for greens, grains, beans and legumes.”

Read more here.