Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

As Matt’s Meals fans know, I am a pickle fan. In fact, one of my favorite recent discoveries has been Ma & Pa Pickles from right here in MA!

While I have long loved pickles for their flavor, I have recently been reading about the health benefits of pickles as well! As a fermented food, pickles add probiotic bacteria. As they are most often cucumber-based, they also have the antioxidant beta-carotene.

The only downside to using pickles for improved health, it seems, is that it can be awkward to carry a glass jar wherever you go.

Fortunately, I recently found another product that offers most of the benefits without the potential drawbacks!

Pickle Juice Sport (made by Pickle Juice Company, LLC) is an organic, sugar-free shot of pure dill-iciousness that offers 10-15x the electrolytes of most sports drinks, along with a proprietary blend of vitamins and minerals that offers all of power of pickles in easy-to-carry plastic bottles. In addition to upping your energy and protecting your gut, Pickle Juice also helps stop cramps almost immediately, making it a fast favorite of many athletes and others who deal with pain.

It may sound silly (or is that “dilly”?), but pickle juice can do a lot more than just float around the cucumbers until a pickle fan like me has gobbled them all up. From your brain to yout gut, these little green beauties have what it takes to take your health to the next level!

www.picklepower.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

As many of us in this part of the world (and elsewhere) know, the fishing industry is hitting hard times due to climate change, government mishandling, and other factors. As a result, many long-time seamen and seawomen are getting off the water and looking elsewhere.

One of these is Myron Lapine, a long-time fisherman who started selling bait and eventually began baiting people with his amazing home-made pickles.

As the creator of Ma and Pa Pickle’s, etc., Lapine and his right-hand woman Michele (a.k.a, “PickleGurl”) make their own award-winning jams, chutneys, pickles, and pickled vegetables in a mouth-watering, lip-puckering line that includes sweet, Kosher and garlic dill pickles, okra, and green beans, all of which go great with any sandwich or right out of the hand-filled jars. Lapine also has a triple-threat combo of jalapeno, garlic AND dill which he calls the Wickle Pickle!

Having first found fame at the Topsfield Fair, the dynamic dill duo moved through farmers markets and won acclaim at the New Hampshire Pickle Festival (Yes, that is a thing!). They have also presented at the Institute of Contemporary Art and taught a pickle making class at the Vilna Shul Center for Jewish Culture. Even so, the pandemic has hit Ma & PA Pickle hard and they are now looking for support so they can continue to grow.

So whether you like pickles and jams or want to help some great pickle makers get out a of a jam, please look for to Ma & Pa Pickles, Etc. on facebook to reach out, help out, and pickle out.

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Even though National Honey Month is over, honey is still sticking in my mind (see what I did there?!).

And while I still love Bees and Thank You (with their great subscription service), local friends like Boston Honey Company, Maggie’s Farm, and Red Bee, Johnston Honey from MN, Nakakono from Africa, and Pacific Resources and Wedderspoon from New Zealand, I recently found another honey that is sweet for an extra special reason.

Savannah Bee Company is a GA-based hive (hence the name) that not only makes amazing honey, but also offers Bourbon barrel-aged coffee, bee-nies, bee-shirts, and bee-based hot sauce and health and home products. The even have a podcast hosted by founder Ted Denard who has been minding his bees and cues for 35 years!

Despite all these great offerings, my favorite item is their Peace Honey, every bottle of which results in a donation to the Boys and Girls Club. In addition to helping children, Savannah’s Peace Honey also supports the Bee Cause project that helps educate people about bees and protect their habitats so we all can enjoy more and protect not only the bees but the environment too!

And Peace Honey is not just a name- It is a lesson! After all, if all kinds of bees can live and work together to make such sweet products, to quote Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, “Why can’t we?

Savannah Bee products are available all over (including at Disney World!) but can bee most easily found at https://savannahbee.com.

So buy some honey for a good cause or just bee-cause.

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

It’s that time of year again.

Time to get a taste of pumpkin spice in pretty much EVERYTHING!

Unfortunately, much of that flavor is not from real pumpkins or actual, fresh spices and instead comes from chemicals and other things that may tastegood but ultimately make you feelbad.

Thank goodness for our friends at Golden Girl Granola and Undercover Chocolate, both of whom have come out with a new set of their authentically nutritious snacks just at the right time!

Undercover’s pumpkin spice adds real cinnamon, nutmeg, and other natural flavors to their scrumptuous chocolate-covered quinoa, making this healthy and fortifying snack not only more delicious (or at least asdelicious as their other flavors, which is saying something!) but also even more healthy. They make for a healthy treat for Halloween with no tricky chemicals to pronounce. Speaking of holidays, Undercover also offers a peppermint variety that will surely make a great stocking (or mouth) stuffer. All of their flavors are gluten- and nut-free, Kosher and Hallal, and give back to the rainforest farmers from whom they purchase their chocolate.

As for our Golden Girl, Pumpkin Harvest is a new, seasonal granola that, as with so many good things, is only available for a limited time. Like their other flavors, Pumpkin Harvest is made with all-natural ingredients (including REAL pumpkin!) that are wholesome and delicious. You can taste the familiar flavors of fall with pumpkin and pecans, baked with pure maple syrup and traditional spices like cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg. 

Fall is a great time to take a moment to enjoy the flavors. Fortunately, we now have more ways to enjoy them in a healthy and authentic way!

www.undercoversnacks.com

www.goldengirlgranola.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

My wife and I recently crossed the border to visit Hudson, NY, for our anniversary, as is my practice, I reached out to the local tourism board (and a surprisingly large number of friends who had visited there recently) to get tips regarding places to eat and drink. While there were more than enough to choose from, one of my favorite stops was at Left Bank Cider.

Founded by a husband and wife who got into the cider game by saving the “unsellable” apples at local farmers markets and then pulping them in a food processor and squeezing the mash through pillowcases(!), Left Bank has assembled a more traditional pressing and bottling system but still keeps to their foraging roots, taking apples from the lands of local farmers who agree to let them use what they cannot sell. 

Many of these so-called “damaged” (and often rare) apples are on display in Left Bank’s hand-crafted tasting room (which, as the name implies, is on the left bank of Catskill Creek, which is a tributary of the Hudson River), but the real fruits of their labors are evident in the wide range of hand-crafted ciders that they make with hyper-local apples that are as fresh and flavorful as any and worth a visit to Hudson on their own. 

From the Old Gold that is made in honor of farmer friends named Goold and the similarly-named Mary Ann’s Mead to the wild-fermented Kabbin, the slightly sweeter Cherry Baby, and an apples and honey Spyser, Left Bank has a cider for every taste and offers a taste of the entire Hudson Valley in one cozy spot! Inspired by their poetic business partner, Left Bank’s tasting room also hosts readings and other cultural events, making it a great place to drink, listen, and enjoy the VERY local flavors along with the company of friends new and old.

If you like great food and drink as well as fun and funky shops and beautiful scenery, I highly recommendd visiting Hudson, When you are there, be sure to stay on the Left Bank.

www.leftbankciders.com/

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

While we have often discussed and tried to support my family and friends in New Orleans, there are other places in LA that are worth a visit, especially for food fans.

My favorite among these is Shreveport, home of Fertitta’s Deli, which is itself the official home of the “Muffy,” a unique (and trademarked) take on the historic Muffaletta sandwich that, I think, is the best in the nation.

After some time as a man of the cloth, Patrick Fertitta has followed the commandment about honoring your parents by coming back home to help his folks mind the store, In the process, he has also developed his own set of savory stuff that will enhance his family business and also any meal, even if it does not include loaves or fishes.

Padre Feritta Foods were born from the Fertitta family’s passion for great food and their desire to serve their community and the world with their generous portions and more generous spirit. Using his God-given talents in the kitchen, Pastor Patrick has taken that tradition to new heights with his Sicilian- and family-inspired marinated pickled vegetables (including his father’s famed olive mix, which is the basis for the perhaps more famous Muffy) that are truly heavenly and that will help Padre Ferititta support his family, his parish, and all who love good food made by and for good people.

With plans for olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a line of meats that combine Old World-style with contemporiary dietary checkpoints (such as being GMO-, gluten-, hormone-, and preservative-free), Padre Ferita is ready to maintain the proud traditions of his own family while taking their flavors into the future!!

As Pastor Patrick himself would say, “Holy moly, thatsa tasty!”

www.padrefertittafoods.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

What do the first multipurpose digital computer, the dialysis machine, the book Lions, Tigers, and…Bulldogs? (which, by the way, is available at www.LionsTigersBulldogs.com), and a new deck of cards that show off some of the most iconic foods in the world have on common?

Well, first of all, they were all created by people at the University of Pennsylvania and, secondly, they are all indispensible!

The Gourmand 52 deck features original, hand-drawn illustrations of some of the foods that have made New York famous and that have since migrated to other eateries (and eaters) all over the world. 

From Carbone and Cosme to Gramercy Tavern and Joe’s Pizza to Katz’s Deli and Russ & Daughters, the participating places and their popular plates have become legends in the food world and deserve celebrating. To help wash down such delicious dishes, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna waters have both come on board to support the project, as has restaurant marketing supporter Bentobox.

Speaking of support, 15% of all proceeds from Gourmand52 deck purchases go to ROAR (Restaurants Organizing, Advocating & Rebuilding), which is helping some of today’s and tomorrow’s top chefs to rebuild and thrive again after the pandemic.

In addition to the cards, the Gourmand team hosts a podcast on which they interview top chefs and hospitality honchos (kinda like Matt’s Meals!) and have also hosted heir own industry events.

Deal me in!         

www.gourmandcommunity.com/

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

As a fan of fresh local food and fresh local chefs, I am very excited to share that our long-time friend Jason Bond (the James Beard “Best Chef in America” semifinalist behind Bondir, which was itself named one of the top 10 best restaurants in the country, according to no less a judge than Bon Appetit) will be taking over as Executive Chef of local legend Clover Food Lab.

As a long-time New Englander, Bond is well aware of the amazing bounty our region is privileged to enjoy and how to put it to best use. This will work well with Clover’s established reputation of doing the most good with local food and of serving the community all while helping to fight climate change and community hunger (all of which Bond supports wholeheartedly).

In addition to serving as Executive Chef, Bond is also preparing a curated line of Clover’s famed meal boxes that allowed Clover’s many locations to continue to provide and support their neighbors even during the pandemic and which continue to allow guests to grab and go culinary convenience without compromising quality. Among the latest offerings is the new Umami Box, which includes Clover’s already popular Brussels sprouts sandwich, as well as kimchi, tofu, Dorito-flavored popcorn, black walnut oat-bran bread and white chocolate mousse, all of which truly take flavor to a new dimension! 

Bond also has some cooking classes and pop-up events in mind that will allow him and Clover to reach out to even more people in the area in more satisfying ways.

So if you feel lucky to have Clover in your community (as we all should!), get ready to Bond with your favorite food fixer in a whole new way!

www.cloverfoodlab.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

I recently sang the praises of New Leaf Tree Syrups, which uses interesting alternatives to and combinations with maple syrup to protect the well-tapped (but potentially endangered) trees and to bring new flavors to the maple-loving masses.

I recently came upon another independent company that is taking what many may consider simple products and bringing them to new heights and dimensions.

At first glance, Cooper’s Daughter Spirits at Olde York Farm in Hudson, NY, is a distillery that makes its own New York-sourced white oak barrels for perfectly-controlled alcohol aging. While this may be interesting enough, a closer look reveals even more delicious distinctions. 

In addition to offering a wide range of imbibements, the woman-owned and family-run business has its own bed and breakfast, as well as an event space and a cozy cocktail garden that comes complete with music, food trucks and fire pits for year-round enjoyment. 

While all of these offerings set Cooper’s Daughter apart, what really makes them stand out is their vast variety of products.

Among Cooper’s creative creations (all of which are made with locally-sourced ingredients) are a clean wheat vodka, a lilac liquer that is made with real flowers, as well as a rhubarb and honey vodka, a mulled peach whiskey, a smoked maple bourbon (naturally!), and a cacao maple vodka that features 100% Peruvian cacao (which may be the only imported ingredient in the bottle).

While a trip to the Farm is a lot of fun, most of the Daughter’s descendants are sold at farmer’s markets and other venues throughout the area, and are always available at https://oldeyorkfarm.com. The website also has recipe recommendations that can encourage every enjoyer to take the forward-thinking flavors even further.

No matter which you pick, you are sure to be over the moon about being over these barrels!

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

While the focus of Matt’s Meals is food, most of our favorites come with a story that is as fulfilling and satisfying as the foods themselves.

Mona Ahmad, a resident of Saugus, MA is a diplomat’s daughter who was lucky to travel the globe and migrated from Pakistan when she was 2 years old.  As a hard-working mother of three she often found herself facing the same dilemma of many parents- how can I feed my family healthy foods in the limited time I have?  She also wanted some of the dishes to be the traditional foods she grew up with. Her response? Start her own food company!

These days, Mona is the founder and chief executive officer of Mona’s Curryations, a Pakistani and Indian-inspired collection of delicious and cleanly permissible (a.k.a., Halal) foods that offer a broad menu of pre-mixed meals that come frozen yet taste as fresh as if your own mother made them when you cook them. Maybe that’s because Mona uses recipes her mother passed down to her and because she also uses only the freshest and finest ingredients, including such healthful spices, such as turmeric and cumin.  Her concept is simple- just defrost the entree, cook on the stovetop or instapot for a few minutes and enjoy! 

Among the authentic options are such curried crowd pleasers as Tandoori Chicken and Tikka Masala in both chicken and plant-based chickpea, a vegetarian Palak Paneer, and, of course, freshly-baked sides of Naan bread that come with every meal and are perfect for sopping up every last delicious remnant of these entree options.

Select varieties of Mona’s creations are available in the freezer aisle at most Stop & Shop stores and also available via instacart.  You can learn more at www.monascurryations.com.  As each bag serves two and costs less than $15, you will not find a better deal here or anywhere else Mona has traveled!

Aish Karna!