Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

A lot of our segments have to do with beer. After all, as Penn Founder Ben Franklin said,“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” While many may know about beer (or at least know after they hear from us), not as many may know (or even think about) what happens to the ingredients after the beer is brewed and bottled.

Most beers start with grain, And while much of the grain’s goodness is imparted to the beer, a considerable amount is left over. In fact, much of the fiber and protein are concentrated in the allegedly “spent” grain and so have plenty left to give in terms of nutrition.

Powered by a pair of experienced homebrewers and their patented technology, Regrained uses that used grain to make delicious bars, puffs, and other products that pack all the extra energy that beer can sometimes take away. In addition to making their own nutritious noshes, they are also seeking partners with whom to make even more upcycled foods that have more fiber, protein, and probiotics than other grains, foods, or beverages.

The menu so far includes BBQ, cheese, and sea salt-flavored puffs as well as honey cinnamon, chocolate coffee, and blueberry bars, all of which are packed with supergrains and also some superfoods like turmeric and Manuka honey. 

To check out the latest offerings or to suggest something new, go to www.regrained.com and see what entrepreneurial energy can come from beer!

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

Raise your hand if you have children who are a bit fussy when it comes to eating.

Now raise your hand, please, if your kids (or significant others) are not the most eager when it comes to helping out around the house.

If any of you raised your hand (along with me, I will admit), I have a great food-related book for you!

It is called Zachary’s Dinnertimeand was published here in Cambridge by Star Bright books. Author Lara Levinson has been a writer for many years and clearly understands young kids and their proclivities, especially when it comes to the dinner table.

In this brightly-colored and diversely-peopled book, Zachary is depicted as a young boy who feels put upon by his nightly duties of preparing and cleaning up after dinner. In an effort to avoid peeling and washing, he goes to a series of friends’ houses to eat. Over the course of a week’s worth of international courses, he learns about cuisine from other lands and also comes to appreciate what he had at home. In the end, he is happy to play host to his many foodie friends!

The book has inspired me to look into more international options for my own family’s meals and has also inspired my girls to do more to help prepare them.

Hands down- this is a GREAT book!

https://starbrightbooks.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

While many people think of Chicago or New York when they think of American takes on the Chinese-Italian creation known as pizza, another American metropolis has been laying claim to its own style of late and, is now bringing it to the Boston area.

Created by Motown native grad Kris Gullapalli and her Detroit-trained team, Square Mfg. Co. in Natick takes the deep dish phenomenon from nearby Chicago nut uses a four-sided crispy cheese-laden pan, resulting in the counter-service spot’s titular square pie.

Though she adds everything from fennel sausage and crispy chicken to charred peppadews, pineapple, and hot honey to her square pies (which also come in such forward flavors as carnitas street tacos and shrimp n’ grits), Gullapalli will not cut corners on anything and uses only fresh, locally-sourced meats and produce to ensure that every custom-made pie is exactly what the customer orders and the best it can be! Even the chicken wings, salad dressings, and big n thick double chocolate chip cookies are handmade in-house and come in a variety of tempting flavors that also bring people back again and again.

Even if you drive a Prius and and don’t know poop from Shinola, there is nothing kike the all-American taste of authentic Detroit pizza! Come by Squre and taste foe yourself!

www.squaremfg.co

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

While it may not be possible to tour their facility and while it may also be difficult to see how they can make such great chocolate a mile high in the thin Denver air, Hammonds’ candies continues to bring delicious new treats that seem to come out of thin air (or at least from their website, https://hammondscandies.com).

Created over 100 years ago, the Hammond family started a small candy shop in the mountains. Since then, they have been expanding their menu and their reach and reaching new heights with every sweet step.

In addition to their famed sour bites, classic art candies (which come in such shapes as peace symbol and smiley face), Mitchel Sweets (which wrap caramel in a sweet marshmallow confection), and an array of lollipop and candy cane flavors (many of which are organic!), Hammond’s also offers Australian-style licorice, cake-flavored cookies, and big bags of flavored marshmallows and popcorn. Among their 18 chocolate bar flavors are PB&J, soda pop, and even chicken and waffles!

Having revived the recipe for Old Dominion sugar pecans, Hammond’s also sells creations from other confections, including Mega Smarties and Air Heads. For the calorie-conscious, they offer Marshmallow Fluffs, with fewer than 100 per serving and also puzzles and other inedible treats that make for great additions to any gift package!

https://hammondscandies.com/

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

I love my girls and I love food (in that order, thank you!).

However, they do not love too many different kinds of food right now.

Fortunately, we have found a set of tasty treats that are also packed with nutrition upon which we can both agree when hunger pangs strike (as they so often do for busy Zoom-schooled kids these days).

Created by similarly-supportive parents, My Super Foods is a well-named set of snacks that take real, good foods and turn them into really great snacks! From acai berry granola bites and chocolate cookies that are made with organic grains, chia seeds, and other parent-approved ingredients to flavor-bursting bags of gluten-free quinoa, sunflower seed, and corn cakes called MySuperPops that my wife and I often find our hands in, MySuperFoods not only have something great for every kid (regardless of how fussy or diversity-lacking they may appear) but for every member of the family too! If you can’t decide, they also offer variety packs that give a taste of almost everything and that will surely make you and your friends and family hungry for more!

www.mysuperfoodscompany.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

My family and I recently ran away to the Berkshires where I found a treasure trove of great food and drink. Among the most potable (and portable) favorites is Nine Pin Cider from New York State. 

The drinks come in slim cans and sharable bottles and are made from the freshest local apples and other fruits. In addition to such crisp, complex, and amazing flavors as ginger and blueberry, Nine Pin also offers a set of lo-cal ciders from local farms that come in New York apple, lavender lemon and cranberry orange and make a bit of imbibed indulgence easier to take. 

In addition to such specialty ciders as blueberry peach cobbler and the famed Cider Monster, Nine Pin has also produced such seasonal flavors as a proper Earl Grey, a floral rosé and a hunny pear that Winnie the Pooh would love if he were old enough to drink. Their creative cider masters are always looking for new ways to share their Empire of flavor, so be sure to keep an eye on www.ninepincider.com.

For the devoted fan, membership in the CiderMakers Cellar offers special shipments of reserved ciders and special online access. It (and any Ninepin products) makes a great gift- even for yourself!

www.ninepincider.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

As is true of so many of us, my family and I have been baking a good deal. As such, we are becoming much more aware of the many kinds of flour that are available. Among our faves are locally-sourced King Arthur and the flavor and nutrition-enhancing flours from Pereg (especially the almond, banana, and buckwheat varieties). As is also true of many, I am now more aware of the presence of GMOs and other unnecessary additives and do all I can to avoid them. That is why I am so excited about Flourish Flour!

Made right here in Boston with help from local family farmers, Flourish Flour represents the first all-purpose flour with all sorts of health benefits. Despite having fewer carbs and five times the usual amount of digestion- and immunity supporting prebiotic fiber, Flourish is non-GMO and can be used in any recipe that any other flour fits in just the same proportions (with maybe just a bit more water, which is also good for you!). So you can make your favorite sourdough or family recipe cupcakes and feel even better knowing that you are doing more good for your body than the butter or frosting on top may reveal.

It’s a flavorful, fiber-full revolution in baking that comes from the family business around the corner!

www.flourish-flour.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

As a kid who grew up ion the Sunday morning shmear, facing the facts about carbs has been a difficult part of growing older.

Fortunately, I recently found a bagel that is (as the name implies) better when it comes to staying healthy while enjoying everything  bagel can be.

The Better Bagel is an all natural, gluten- and dairy-free bagel that comes in sesame and everything. Each bagel has 8 grams of protein, 120 calories, and the same carbohydrate content as two grapes. 

Created by students form Wharton (who I hope have checked out www.lionstigersbulldogs.com), the bagels are challenging the status quo of nutrition while making breakfast a thing again for many potential abstainers. To make the partakers feel even better, the bagels come packaged in a shiny happy gold box that includes even more information about the nutrition that comes packed in each tasty bagel!

Shmearers of the world unite- Your better bagel has arrived!

www.betterbagel.co/

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

With the release of Designer Protein’s new quinoa-packed protein bars, I am reminded of my first love in the quinoa-cacao space- Undercover Chocolate.

And while others play catch up, this clever company keeps adding to the menu to keep a step ahead in the healthy sweet treat race.

The latest set of offerings are apparently inspired by the Holiday season but will surely become year-round favorites in short order! Among them are dark chocolate with pumpkin spice, and both dark and milk chocolate with peppermint. Apparently aware of the potential for cravings for their new creations and for their inherent giftability, the folks at Undercover have also released new shiny tubs of treats that com with holiday-themed stickers, making them a great thing to bring to or at least drop off at the front door of your favorite would-be holiday hosts (or to just have around the house for whenever you want something delicious that is also nutritious).

Leave it to graduates of Penn to come up with such a great gift for the holidays. Speaking of which, I recommend combining their treats with copies of my book, which can be found at www.lionstigersbulldogs.com. No matter where your friends and family went to school, these holiday gifts cannot be beat!

www.undercoverchocolate.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ 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.

The following is a “script” for one of Matt’s segments:

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

As Matt’s Meals and Connoisseurs Corner fans know, I love chocolate and am always looking for varieties that offer new flavors and/or new health benefits. I have recently sang the praises of the dairy-free delight known as Schmilk Chocolate, the secret superfood snack known as Undercover Chocolate, the body-boosting benefits of Flava Naturals, and the brightly-wrapped bon bons from the Happy Chocolatier, but I have also come upon a pair of new sweet treats that bring new benefits to the table (at least until I eat them, that is!).

Though it is made by the same master European craftspeople that create many of our favorite chocolates, Red Chocolate has half the calories of most, making a Holiday (or ANY day) indulgence easier to bear. In fact, one piece of their all-natural and deliciously decadent-tasting dark chocolate has the same calorie count as a slice of apple. It has almost more patents than calories and comes in such tempting varieties as extra dark, dark with orange and almond, and milk with hazelnut and macadamia, so there is something for almost everyone and less for everyone too!

Another recent rave is for my old friends at Designer Protein, who have recently released bars that have only 7 grams of sugar, but also 10 grams of whey protein and 85 percent natural dark cacao! I have used DP products for eons but these bars raise the bar big time! One even has quinoa, making it much like my long-time fave Undercover (who are actually releasing new flavors for the holidays, so be sure to check them out!).

With all the chocolate choices, it can be hard to choose just one. Fortunately, as so many offer so many benefits, indulging has never been so good!

www.designerprotein.com

www.flavanaturals.com

www.red-chocolate.com

www.schmilkchcolate.com

www.undercoverchocolate.com