Salt City Battle Chefs - Who Will Reign Supreme in the Syracuse Cuisine Scene

What happens when you take two seasoned chefs, put them in a restaurant kitchen, provide them with secret ingredients, and give them one hour to create something amazing? Well, when you add in the consummate host, Chance Bear, we can tell you that you have one fantastic time! This is exactly what we experienced Monday night when we visited The Ridge in Chittenango for the Salt City Battle Chefs throw-down. After watching many seasons of Iron Chef on the Food Network, it was exciting to see something similar a little closer to home. John D’Amore (aka Chef Broccoli) of Strada Mia 313 and Jason Jessmore from The Chef & The Cook battled it out to create two dishes using the secret ingredients: strawberry grouper and chioggia beets.

Food EventsKatharine JohnsonNovember 18, 2018

Kasai Ramen - More than Just Noodles and Broth

Not many Syracuse restaurants have future patrons chomping at the bit for when they are going to open their doors like Kasai Ramen. Through the last few weeks, we’ve been at Kasai Ramen three times - once for a private tasting/photo event, once for a pop up dining event, and most recently for the Farm to Fork 101 “All Hallows Eve Dinner”. During our tasting, people were continually coming to the door and looking to see if it was open. People who hear us talking about our amazing experience with Kyle and his team always ask two questions, “When is it opening?” and “Have you seen the menu?” Our response hasn’t changed, “It’s not opening soon enough.” and “Yes, we can’t say anything about it, but we can tell you that it is going to be epic and we will eat there all the time.” While we can’t reveal all of the menu items, we can show everyone more of a sneak peek of the deliciousness that they have been serving through all of these visits!

Official Chef Challenge - Giving Chefs a New Culinary Challenge

Back in January, Chris got an email inviting us to a Chef Challenge event taking place at the Lincklaen House in Cazenovia. The premise was simple: a mystery box of produce and meat from local farms was being delivered to the restaurant and the chef and his team were challenged to create a 4+ course dinner experience. Being avid fans of Chopped on the Food Network, we were intrigued to experience this for ourselves.

Food Events, Local SpotsKatharine JohnsonSeptember 4, 2018food events, local, farms, artisans

Fork & Cork: The Sherwood Inn with White Birch Vineyards

It's no secret that Chris and I love food; we love to shop for it, prepare it, order it, and share it. I have always felt an affinity with food and never found it intimidating. A voracious reader from a young age, cookbooks were in my hands as often as a good fiction book. I remember fondly sitting with my grandfather when he was cooking dinner one night when I was around nine and declaring rather resolutely that the tomatoes from the garden would be that much better if I sprinkled them with sea salt before bringing them to the table. The milestones of my life are often marked by meals and more often than not, I can't remember what I was wearing on any given day but I can tell you what I ate. That's just how it is with food. Wine, on the other hand, is a relatively new experience for me. I enjoy drinking wine, but have very limited knowledge about it. There are so many varietals and regions, and people who love wine often seem to be speaking a foreign language. I live in fear of someone handing me a glass and asking me to discuss the tasting notes or guess the region it's from. There is so much information and I want to learn, but the entire process is rather intimidating. So, when Chris and I were invited to attend the five course wine dinner at the Sherwood Inn featuring White Birch Vineyards, I was excited to dip my toes into the water and learn a little more about local wine in a more intimate setting.

Farm to Fork 101: Presents Seeds To Roots at the Stoop Kitchen

My family had a dear friend who had the most incredible garden while I was growing up. It took up a huge section of his backyard and it was his pride and joy (second only to his family)! Visiting his garden and picking the fresh vegetables was something we looked forward to all winter and spring. Bringing home the vegetables and preparing them in new ways was almost as fun as getting to spend time with him! He would pickle and can the vegetables in the fall and gift them throughout the winter. Not only was he generous with his bounty, he would happily teach you how to pickle the copious amounts of green beans he grew each year! Seeing how much he loved his garden and the passion he had for all of the vegetables he grew made everything that much tastier. Not all of us are fortunate enough to have a friend with a garden or if we do have access to home grown vegetables, we may not know what to do with them once we bring them home. The various farmer's markets we have around Central New York can be a bit intimidating if you have absolutely no idea what to do with all of the local produce procured. This predicament is the inspiration behind Farm to Fork 101.

our journey.