Gourmet Highway: Zelda, Angel From Alabama By Doc Lawrence - MONTGOMERY, Alabama—Timing is everything. On the eve of the release of the new movie of “The Great Gatsby,” I’m standing in the living room of the home where the author of the classic novel once lived. America remains fascinated by F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, enjoying tales of the “Lost Generation,” glimpses of life through the Woody Allen movie, “Midnight in Paris,” and the new best-selling novel, “Z,” a wonderful tale...

Best Ever Chill-Out Soups of Spring By Jeanette Carlson - The warm days of Spring are here proclaiming fresh local fruits and vegetables of the season. It’s time to visit those farm stands and farmers’ markets and gather up ingredients for the first course of your next dinner party – cold soup. Beautiful colors, delicate flavors, creamy or silky texture and garnishes that can become the signature of your table, cold soups can make you next meal memorable. Treat your soup with respect and...

Restaurants and Home Cooks Embrace Egg-centric Dishes By Chef Judi Gallagher - Eggs are having a renaissance. Sure, they’re used in everything from cake batter to carbonara, and they always will be, but these days you’ll find egg-centric dishes on just about every restaurant menu and in the pages of every food magazine. It’s become almost common to see salads or sliders topped with a quail egg. Take deviled eggs, for example. What used to be the home hostess’s cocktail party staple are now...

Soapstone – What’s Old is New Again By Steven V. Philips - For counters and sinks, soapstone is making a big comeback. In the April issue of F&M, I credited the renowned Professor Soapstone from Vermont Granite, Marble, Slate AND Soapstone, as the expert who answered my antique soapstone sink construction question. I might note that this inside information crowned me as Old Sink Expert at Flavors & More. Time for my raise. Note: “old” means sinks, not me. Feeling guilty gratitude,...

Restaurants Define Themselves – How Do You Fit In? By Marsha Fottler - In the restaurant industry, the words “fast food” don’t exist anymore. Today,  places such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s or Popeye’s  call themselves is Quick Service. The product and the delivery system haven’t changed, just the name because in today’s cuisine world, fast food sounds cheap and unwholesome, which it is. The categories that eateries place themselves can tell consumers a lot about what to expect in terms of...

Travel Confidently When You Pack This Book By Anna Dantoni - This is the month for firming up those summer travel plans with hotel, flight and cruise ship reservations, a draft itinerary, and a list of those famous restaurants you want to try during your adventures. There’s a book that should be tucked into your carry-on luggage. It’s a paperback with a long title, Let’s Eat Out with Celiac/Coeliac & Food Allergies! and its a reference for special diets that will make your vacationing days...

Regional Celebrity Chefs Excel at Cookbooks By Marsha Fottler - One of the best things about travel lately for culinary adventurers is the plethora of wonderful regional cookbooks written by local celebrity chefs. Collecting one in each city that you visit is a sure way to maintain a connection with the cuisine of that area. You cook from the book and recall good times. A regional cookbook is a memory keeper and a practical guide to expanding your repertoire in your home kitchen. Start collecting....

Gone Fishing By Chef Judi Gallagher - It’s no secret that we all need to start thinking more about our food—from its source to how much we eat of whatever is on our plate. It’s scary how many foods these days are pumped full of hormones and preservatives and sugar—in fact, Mark Bittman just published a great op-ed in The New York Times about sugar and how toxic it is to our bodies (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/its-the-sugar-folks/). Yikes. As for...