Food

UNC Researchers Map American Eating Habits

Will Michaels — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:55:23 +0000

Researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill are gathering massive amounts of nutritional information to create a better picture of what Americans are eating.

Scientists are looking at caloric data for every packaged food on the shelves and comparing that to food sales in order to see how they work into Americans' diets. Professor Meghan Slining says the research will show how quickly manufacturers change ingredients in each product and how that changes nutrition.

NC State Uses Herbs And Spices To Clean Produce

Will Michaels — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Researchers at N.C. State say oils extracted from herbs and spices could act as a natural disinfectant for fruits and vegetables.

A joint project with the University of Tennessee aims to find an alternative to chlorine used on produce grown for mass consumption. Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie is a horticultural science professor at N.C. State's research campus in Kannapolis. She says pungent spices tend to be best at fighting harmful germs.

"They have a very distinct odor, like cinnamon, for instance," Perkins-Veazie says.

2013 James Beard Awards Announced, No NC Winners

Laura Candler — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:03:57 +0000

The James Beard Foundation announced the recipients of the 2013 Restaurant and Chef Awards on Monday night. Raleigh’s Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner was in the running for Best Chef in the Southeast, but the final award for that category went to Joseph Lenn of The Barn at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. Christensen was North Carolina’s only James Beard Award Nominee (finalist) this year, out of 13 semi-finalists in the state. Hear her interview with WUNC's State of Things.

Top Raleigh Chef Takes The National Stage As A James Beard Award Finalist

Shawn Wen and Frank Stasio — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:26:34 +0000

To Ashley Christensen, a restaurant is not just a place where you sit down to eat. It’s an entire concept. She carefully plots an immersive experience for her diners.

The Triangle Foodie Scene Makes Way For Dogs

Laura Candler — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

The Triangle has some of the state’s most sought-after flavors: a recent slew of James-Beard Award semifinalists and Durham’s newest title, “Tastiest Town in the South,” have people chatting happily about the region’s good tastes.

A North Carolina Pie That Elicits An 'Oh My God' Response

editor — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:59:00 +0000

There are days for cake, and days for ice cream and cookies. But every now and then, you crave a different kind of finish to a satisfying meal. Enter Atlantic Beach Pie, a salty and citrusy staple of the North Carolina coast.

Katie Workman is the author of The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket. She says the Atlantic Beach Pie from Crook's Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, N.C., is the best pie she's ever had.

What Being The 'Tastiest Town In The South' Means For Durham

Leoneda Inge and Laura Candler — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:00:44 +0000

It’s a booming year for the Durham food scene. In February, four of its restaurants became James Beard semi-finalists, and today Southern Living magazine declared Durham the “Tastiest Town in the South.”

Raleigh Bartender Wins National Pisco Cocktail Contest

Laura Candler — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

If you’ve never heard of pisco, then you're not alone. But Mandolin bar manager John Anton hopes to change that. He wants to introduce pisco – a Peruvian grape brandy – to people in the Raleigh area willing to give it a go, and he believes that a trip to Peru to witness the makers of the spirit can help him do it. Anton will head to the Peruvian town of Ica next month, courtesy of pisco-maker Campo de Encanto, to watch a 90-year-old master pisco distiller in action.

Downtown Greensboro Welcomes First Grocery Market In 40 Years

Jeff Tiberii, Frank Stasio and Nicole Campbell — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:37:20 +0000

Residents in Greensboro haven’t been able to shop downtown for fresh produce, seafood and prepared meals in decades. The city had two A&P Grocery stores in the early 1970s, but since they left no other markets have filled the void. That changed this week when Deep Roots Market relocated to North Eugene St.

Why Phoebe Lawless Is Shocked To Be A James Beard Semi-finalist

Laura Candler — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:35:38 +0000

People who bake pies for a living usually do so because they love it. Not to win awards. So when Phoebe Lawless of Scratch bakery learned recently that the James Beard Foundation named her a semi-finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef – an honor she shares with only 19 others in the country – she was thoroughly shocked. “I certainly did not expect to find myself on the list,” she said. Lawless learned of the honor while at home on her couch, when someone mentioned it on Twitter.