BYOB Futures
Calculating the risks of being an unlicensed restaurant in the Garden State leads to a most unhappy conclusion: Without liquor reform, most independent chef-driven eateries won’t make enough profit to survive.
Fortnightly 5
Heavy Hitters 06-05-23
It was an especially fine-eating couple of weeks, so this quintet gets an extra pat on the back for emerging triumphant. Make sure to catch ’em while you can.
Sunday Kitchen
A Cheese That Doesn’t Stand Alone
Ingredient inspiration goes nutty, creamy, sour, bitter, peppery – and maybe more, in a dish starring escarole, lemon and a new Garden State Pecorino Romano from Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley.
Hot on the Trail
One Fine Day
Cheese at noon, rhubarb to follow, herbs in the afternoon and the best smoked brisket ever, ever, ever in the evening: You’re gonna want all of this for your next day off.
Chef Train
David Felton, Wonder
The newest inductee into TPW’s elite chefs-pick-chefs club of top toques in the Garden State has left his distinguished mark on some of New Jersey’s most acclaimed restaurants. Today, he’s also one of the anointed at Wonder, a food-tech enterprise looking to revolutionize dining.
Food Find
Haht Stuff Coming Through
A most versatile beverage mix for the culinarily curious is a nuanced blend of fruits and chilies developed by an inquisitive talent.
Sunday Kitchen
A Samaha Salad
Garden State romaine is the foundation of a produce-packed toss you can keep simple or ramp up as desired.
Jersey Girl Cheese Open for Business
At the creamery at Hillcrest Orchard and Dairy in Branchville, the acclaimed cheeses are being made and sold onsite as well as at the farm’s retail shop in Rockaway.
Different Drumsticks
… and other dishes that beat out the usual prospects on a holiday weekend that kicks off the good ol’ summertime.
Culinary Q
Making Mozzarella: Sal Pisani, Jersey Artisan Co.
Stumped, befuddled, frustrated by a process that takes the joy out of cooking? (And sometimes even eating?) In our new column, Ella Rapp goes to the sources for expert advice, asking questions of top pros so you can take a cue from those most in the know. First up: Making mozzarella at home.
Fortnightly 5
Fried & New 05-22-23
Some things fried and some things brand new steal the spotlight and top the charts of good eats for the two weeks just past.
Life on the Farm
Regenerative Agriculture 101
You hear a lot about it these days, but how exactly does taking a look back at the way our ancestors farmed help to frame a brighter, healthier farming future? LOTF columnist Abigail Sickler shares methods and mind-set from her livestock farm in Stow Creek.
Sunday Kitchen
Cacio e Pepe
Splendid as is or given the zing of something extra, this pasta-of-the-moment is ready to partner with the salads of spring.
Czig Meister Brewing
What the family behind the esteemed brewery did for Hackettstown is exactly what local officials wanted them to do: help create a culinary hub. However, state laws are holding them, and others, back – and it’s state officials who will be to blame when more New Jersey breweries shutter.
Food Find
The Kim Wrap
At Wildflower Vegan Café in Millville, a proprietary sandwich hits on a rainbow of taste notes. It’s off-menu, and worth a query. Heck, it’s worth begging.
Sunday Kitchen
Strawberries
Ripe strawberries need no help; grab and eat. If by some unfortunate circumstance you find yourself with less-than-ripe berries, there is a mix and a method that can help.
Life on the Farm
Original Foragers
Beehives produce more than just honey, says homesteader Lauren Vitagliano, which is why the LOTF columnist and Rob Williams, the other half of the Pine Barrens Post, also harvest the bee pollen hunted and gathered by their buzzy neighbors.
Spring Preening
Favorite seasonal farmers’ markets are starting up again. Some of the best are being made even better by the addition of new vendors.
Fortnightly 5
Handiwork: 05.08.23
What do all these favorites have in common? Deft workmanship, precisely when it’s needed.
Sunday Kitchen
Same, Just Different
Familiar ingredients can take on new accents, new forms and new uses. Spice things up in order to change things up.
Baker to Baker
Michel Gras, Chez Michel
In the latest installment of TPW’s monthly column featuring Martha Rabello talking shop with a fellow practitioner of the pastry and baking arts, she visits with the legendary Michel Gras, a transplanted Parisian whose confections have made exclamations of “ooh la la!” common in the Cape May environs.
Food Find
The New Jersey Cookie
Baker extraordinaire Valerie Mangan is known for her iced cookies. One in particular captures New Jersey’s heart.
Chef Train
Kara Decker, 100 Steps
The newest inductee into TPW’s elite chef-picks-chef club of top toques in the Garden State hails from the same Union County community where she’s leading a kitchen today – and pushing boundaries to deliver detail-centric takes on the modern seasonal vernacular.
Sunday Kitchen
Spiced Trout Dip
While it’s in season, catch the opportunity to make a party dip that stars a fish at peak in our local waters.
Course Correction
Gov. Murphy and his team are failing in their efforts to reform New Jersey’s antiquated liquor licensing laws. They must immediately disseminate facts to counter the fiction emanating from opposition to reform and work on a plan for a new limited license to secure the future of chef-driven restaurants in the Garden State.
Honest ABE
All hail asparagus, which at the farms where it’s cultivated often is the first major vegetable to reach harvest in spring. McCormack Farms picked its first round on Wednesday and it sold faster than Taylor Swift concert tickets.
Fortnightly 5
Spring Flings: 04.24.23
Two curries, two ice creams … and asparagus? Well, why not indulge in longtime loves and let the heart have its way?
Sunday Kitchen
Ramps, Vintage of 2023
It’s been an uneven season for the onion family perennial that is the darling of spring for chefs and serious home cooks. So celebrate what you can find and only – only! – buy ramps from farmers and foragers who engage in proper, sustainable harvesting practices.
Ice Cream Favorites, Then and Now
Hitting that sweet spot between chef-y and manufactured ice creams are a quartet of long-timers - Curly's, Gracie's, Kohr and Jersey Freeze - that kick into high gear just when we need them most.
Food Find
Grandma Emma’s Cobblers
Eric Dawson channels the love and skills of his beloved grandmother to find the inspiration he needs to make vegan versions of her signature baked good.