The Big Cheesy
A sultry, vibrant place on the muddy banks of the Mississippi River, New Orleans is unique among American cities because of its Creole culture and tradition, which predate anything considered colonial America. As a local, I see how that early Creole foundation continues to define New Orleans’s own way of doing things. Whether it’s our cuisine, […]
Portland Inside Out
Behind every great food city is a public that feeds off on the excitement of its new cuisines, cooks, and eating experiences. Portland is no exception. Heck, we’re even devotees of dining al fresco at food carts despite the infamously unpalatable Northwest weather. Fiercely supportive of independent businesses and individuals who strive to create unique […]
Triple Play in the Triangle
Our love of cheese precedes us. Like most Southerners, those of us in the Triangle—Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill—are known for our allegiance to pimiento cheese: a simple spread of grated cheddar, pimiento peppers, and mayonnaise. The stuff shows up at almost every spot where cheese is sold. In fact, we eat so much of it […]
Star Search
When I moved to Los Angeles from New York in 1991, I couldn’t understand why LA seemed so lacking when it came to gourmet provisions, including serious cheese. The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills was the exception, but it was beyond my grad student budget; I couldn’t find much else. Twenty years later everything’s changed. […]
Seek It in Santa Fe
Sparkling in the foothills of the Rockies, this 400-year-old desert city is an oasis of indulgence
A Western Union
We’ll let you in on a little secret: There’s been a mighty shift in Salt Lake City and the surrounding Wasatch Front in the past five years. We’re not talking seismic changes, but culinary ones. Thanks to a critical mass of young, creative talent and a rekindling of an agricultural past, there’s more artisan food […]
Montréal Moves
What sets Montréal apart from other Canadian cities is not just dazzling skill in the kitchen. Most of all, this French-speaking city shines gastronomically because it is blessed with provenance. It is surrounded by rich agricultural lands and heritage, a supportive Québec government, and ingredients that encourage artisan food producers to blossom. Nowhere is this […]
Chicago
Not long ago, specialty cheeses had a bumpy ride in this town known as the “City of Big Shoulders.” In the mid-1980s, when I arrived at the Chicago Tribune to write about food and wine, cheese was of more than routine interest in only a few select restaurants—mostly French—and the occasional Italian and Germanic food […]
