| Entree into the kitchen
The question is a hot topic in certain food circles: Why are outsiders being hired to open certain top-drawer Washington restaurants? Isn't the reputation or education of home-grown talent good enough?
Celebrity chefs Eric Ripert and Wolfgang Puck are scheduled to head up two first-class eateries in the District next year, following others who have come to the region from other large cities.
It's not the quality of local cooking schools that is in question, suggest District chefs Jeff Tunks of Passion Food Hospitality, a restaurant group that includes Ceiba, DC Coast and TenPehn, and Vikram Garg of Indebleu, but the high stakes of being successful in an extremely competitive field where problems include keeping young chefs who often think moving from job to job builds a more impressive resume.
Junk sleep damaging teenagers' health
Teenagers are damaging their health by not getting enough sleep because they are distracted by electronic gadgets in their bedrooms, according to a survey. UK advice body The Sleep Council said "junk sleep" could rival the consumption of unhealthy junk food as a major lifestyle issue for parents of teenage children. Its poll of 1,000 youngsters aged 12 to 16 found that 30 per cent managed just 4 to 7 hours sleep as opposed to the recommended 8 or 9 hours. Almost a quarter said they fell asleep more than once a week while watching TV, listening to music or using other electronic gadgets "This is an incredibly worrying trend," said Dr Chris Idzikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre. "What we are seeing is the emergence of Junk Sleep - that is sleep that is of neither the length nor quality that it should be in order to feed the brain with the rest it needs to perform properly at school." Nearly all the teenagers had a phone, music system or TV in their bedroom, with around two-thirds possessing all three.
British Columbia's Fraser Valley is a connoisseurs' delight
Fraser Valley is the kind of place where some winemakers double as your host during your wine tasting. It's the kind of place where the artisanal cheese makers and farmers will leave their posts to greet you at the door. That kind of place. Fraser Valley, located north of the Peace Arch Crossing, stretching as far east as Hope and west to Vancouver, merits being a destination -- a wine trip, a ''slow-food'' theme excursion or an agri-tour, perhaps. But definitely a destination. You can conceivably ''u-pick'' everything, including hazelnuts. Feast at barns specializing in smoked salmon or smoked turkey. Visit a wasabi farm. Take cooking classes. The choices are almost limitless. The only constraint is time. On our recent valley visit, wine and artisanal food were the themes.
CULINARY CALENDAR
Compassionate Gourmets The Compassionate Gourmets, a social dining group for vegans and vegetarians, will dine at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at Treviso in the Ringling Museum Pavillion, 401 Bayshore Road, Sarasota. Chef Phil will prepares three vegan dishes for $16 each. Also, vegan hors d'hoeuvres and desserts will be served; $5-$8. RSVP by Sept. 2 to 923-6464. Cooking demonstration MacAllisters, 8110 Lakewood Ranch Main Street, will hold its first monthly Cookery Demo 6-8 p.m. Sept. 24. Chef Scot will cook a three-course meal, and guests will get the chance to participate in the demo. Spaces are limited. Cost: $50 per person, which includes the meal, wine and the demonstration. Information: 359-2424. Wine events • The Bijou Café will host wine dinners at 6:30 p.m.
|
