Gill St. Bernard’s School: The Taste-and-Talk Project
POPCORN, SPICE AND FINDING FLAVOR Two dozen students in the Upper School of Gill St. Bernard’s School, Gladstone, spent the days of their annual year-end unit exploring new foods, learning the art and science of tasting, and talking about how to accurately convey their experiences. In this four-part series in The Peasant Wife, the student food critics speak out about flavor as well as what foods they tasted and favored during their wide-ranging week of eating. In this, the final installment in our series, the students talk about pinpointing flavor by tasting popcorn seasoned with various spices. Three of the seasonings were purchased from Adventure Kitchen, Montclair. Founded and operated by Lynley Jones, spice merchant and culinary teacher (who also runs a summer culinary camp for kids), Adventure Kitchen is exactly what its name states: a source for curious cooks of all ages to have adventures in food. Lynley recommended the Gill students season their tasting vehicle – the popcorn – with something smoky and somewhat hot (AK’s Ground Chipotle Chiles); something tart-acidic and citrusy-sour (AK’s Staghorn Sumac, a ground bush berry popular in the Eastern Mediterranean); and something that leans sweet, but definitely is not one-dimensional (AK’s Mexican Piloncillo, a raw form of pure cane sugar often referred to as Mexican brown sugar). For more on Adventure Kitchen, visit www.adventurekitchen.com. – Andy Clurfeld
Gill St. Bernard’s School: The Taste-and-Talk Project
CAFÉ SAPORI Two dozen students in the Upper School of Gill St. Bernard’s School, Gladstone, spent the days of their annual year-end unit exploring new foods, learning the art and science of tasting, and talking about how to accurately convey their experiences. In this four-part series in The Peasant Wife, the student food critics speak out about flavor as well as what foods they tasted and favored during their wide-ranging week of eating. Today: Café Sapori is an Italian restaurant in Gladstone, a mile from the Gill campus. It opened in 2017 and serves the surrounding community. For their assignment, the students were instructed to choose a starter and entrée, plus dessert, and to evaluate the food, setting and service. Read on for a panoply of opinions, starting with an overall scene-setter and continuing with detailed descriptions of a range of dishes. Café Sapori is located at 12 Lackawanna Ave. in Gladstone. Phone: 908-375-8730. Email: info@saporicafe.com. Website: www.saporicafe.com. – Andy Clurfeld
Gill St. Bernard’s School: The Taste-and-Talk Project
JERSEY GIRL CHEESE Two dozen students in the Upper School of Gill St. Bernard’s School, Gladstone, spent the days of their annual year-end unit exploring new foods, learning the art and science of tasting, and talking about how to accurately convey their experiences. In this four-part series in The Peasant Wife, the student food critics speak out about flavor as well as what foods they tasted and favored during their wide-ranging week of eating. Today: Jersey Girl Cheese, with its creamery and farm stand located at Hillcrest Orchard & Dairy in Branchville, Sussex County; a cheese shop in Rockaway; and stalls at many farmers’ markets, is owned and operated by head cheesemaker Sal Pisani. Not yet 30 years old, Pisani makes masterful Italian-style cheeses from the milk of Jersey cows right at Hillcrest’s farm. It’s like Italy’s very, very best, only made in the Garden State – and fresher. Details: www.jerseygirlcheese.com. – Andy Clurfeld
Gill St. Bernard’s School: The Taste-and-Talk Project
SWEET CAROLINE'S BAKESHOP Two dozen students in the Upper School of Gill St. Bernard’s School spent the days of their annual year-end unit exploring new foods, learning the art and science of tasting, and talking about how to accurately convey their experiences. In this four-part series in The Peasant Wife, the student food critics speak out about flavor as well as what foods they tasted and favored during their wide-ranging week of eating. First up: Sweet Caroline’s Bakeshop, an online bakery that’s the domain of acclaimed pastry chef Carey Bell. Based in Pittstown, a community located in the agricultural heart of Hunterdon County, Bell mines area farms for produce, eggs and dairy, and buys many of her grains from River Valley Community Grains, Long Valley. Details: www.sweetcarolinesbakeshop.com. – Andy Clurfeld