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.

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

While many of their colleagues are trying to figure out how to stop Covid, a dedicated group of Harvard professors have been working on a really important question- How does chocolate affect the body?

Silly scientists- We already know!

In fact, we even know that one of the best ways to get the maximum amount of the flavanols that make chocolate so good for your heart, mind body, and soul is to visit the folks at FlavaNaturals. ThisMarblehead-based chocolate maker packs 5-9x the flavanols found in typical dark chocolates and offers this deliciously health-supporting treat in such amazing flavors as blueberry and green tea, roasted almond and Himalayan sea salt, ginger and Saigon cinnamon, and others (many of which add additional health benefits to each bar). If bars are not your thing, they also offer their morning-coffee-friendly and smoothie-making FlavaMix. 

No matter which variety or form you try, you are sure to enjoy the taste and quality of premium cocoa beans processed with a unique protocol that amps up the nutrition and the flavor. 

Oh- and did I mention that the flavanols have also been shown to help with anxiety?

Go to https://flavanaturals.com as soon as you can so the healing can begin. But please- save some for me!.

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.

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

We all know that kids are already counting down to Christmas. But with all that we older folks are dealing with, maybe we need to start celebrating a bit early too!

Fortunately, my friend Judy and her friends at Scout & Cellar have put together a gift that will help make almost everyone a bit merrier (if not brighter).

The Scout & Cellar Celebrate the Season Box contains a hand-picked dozen of their independently-tested Clean-Crafted™wines that includes some pure vintages and limited editions as well as blends and bubblies, all of which are high in flavor and fun and low in sulfites. In addition to coming equipped with a QR code that reveals a special holiday message, the clever container is topped with a dozen individual doors, encouraging responsibly reveling recipients to open one per day, just like an Advent calendar. However, as they are available for order right now and as orders can be timed for accurate arrival, you can re-deck the halls every dozen days with a new set. It is a great holiday gift that need not wait for the holidays (and that you do not necessarily have to share with others)!

If you want a new mixer, Scout & Cellar’s Wilderness Road the Grove is a low-alcohol beverage that brings the flavors of naturalcucumber, lemongrass, ginger and other botanicals to whatever it is you already enjoy, making it another Scout favorite for the holidays or any day.

For more information, please visit www.scoutandcellar.com/judy and tell her Matt sent you!

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.

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

Despite the on-again, off-again pandemic prohibitions, I snuck up to Maine with my family a few weeks ago and made an amazing discovery. Not only was everyone happy to see us, but Maine has a drink that is worth the potentially law-defying trip!

It is called Green Bee, and while it may be classified as a soda, that term is not used pejoratively in this case, In fact, Green Bee is made from fresh carbonated water that is combined with sustainable Maine honey and natural fruits and herbs from the Pine Tree State. 

Starting with the well-named blueberry dream (for what better fruit to enjoy in Maine?), I quickly found my way to such other creative concoctions as the Rosemary-kissed lemon sting, honeycomb cider, and the ginger buzz that is made with fresh-pressed ginger and reminded me of another area fave- Töst. They also make a seasonal Love Potion that tastes like chocolate-dipped strawberries in a bottle (thank to he inclusion of fresh strawberries and real cacao nibs)!

Having recently won the National Honey Board’s Queen’s Choice Award, Green Bee is sure to be the buzz at your hive soon, so be sure to ask for it wherever you buy sod- I mean delicious drinks!

www.drinkgreenbee.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.

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

Though the Red Sox may not be much to speak of lately, there is still a lot going on around Fenway Park. We have spoken in recent months of the passing of the torch from Bud to Sam Adams, the opening of the new Upper Deck at Fenway above the House of Blues, and the inclusion of Lowell’s own J’enwey Tea. And who can forget the great foods and special view from the Bleacher Bar?

Now, another Matt’s Meals fave is getting the call.

Perhaps encouraged by our own accolades, the folks at Fenway have invited Abe Kamarckof True Made Foods to be their new condiment supplier.

Not only are True Made Foods condiments lower in sugar than most others, they are made with vegetables, so even Fenway Frank fans can get a bit of added nutrition and not so much junk in their system while enjoying a game (or at least pretending to).

What may be the best part of the partnership is that, as readers of my Vetrepreneurs© column learned over a year ago, Abe is a Veteran and hires other brave soldiers to support his brand. If for no other reason, then, Red Sox fans, healthy food fans, and condiment fans should all get into True Made so they can help themselves to delicious, healthy foods while helping those who help us stay safe.

Be sure to look for True Made’s no sugar ketchup, BBQ and hot sauces and their honey, brown, and yellow mustards at Fenway and at your favorite stores.

The Sox may not be great next year, but the Fenway Franks are still legend and now have toppings to match!

www.truemadefoods.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.

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

While many people in the Greater Boston area may still run on Dunkin’, those in the know head to Union Square for their eponymous donuts. And while the original Somerville shop may be a trek for some (though one many are willing to make), outposts in Boston and Brookline have helped. 

The most recent expansion involves the union of Union Square (which is now headed by Sarah Belisile, formerly of the equally dessert-able  Magnolia Bakery Boston)with the folks at The Bagel Table, who will now be selling the other best hole-y food at their Boston Landing location and plan on keeping the pair together in their Chestnut Hill and Ashland shops.

Each week, a rotating selection of rolling goodies (including such favorites as their Boston Cream, Sea Salted Bourbon Caramel, and Vietnamese Coffee) will appear at The Bagel Table (which is itself well known for their French toast, jalapeno, and signature Chestnut Hill challah-based bagels), making diners’ decisions even more difficult! 

It is a match made in morning pastry heaven and one that brings the two ventures’ tales of farmer’s markets to pop-ups to brick and mortars full circle (sorry!).

www.unionsquaredonuts.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.

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

At this time of year, we are all getting bombarded with appeals for myriad organizations to support others in various ways. Especially in these days when some of us are having trouble making ends meet, it can be downright overwhelming, especially when the ask is on behalf of people far away or an organization we may not know.

Fortunately, there is a serious problem that we can now get our hands on better than ever!

For over 40 years, Feeding America has been reaching out to people in need right in our neighborhoods to help them with food insecurity. Today, they are the largest such organization in the nation. So while I still have a big spot in my heart for the Greater Boston Food Bank (where I met my wonderful wife!), Feeding America is a favorite as well. 

Thanks to their gift catalog, people can now send a donation and know exactly how much food it is paying for! From apples and cheese to rice and turkey, Feeding America offers a manageable menu of offerings that can help save lives and make this season a little better for everyone! Through their partnership with gratitude-supporting people behind Turkey on the Table, they can also get donations from every turkey bought, which should make for a great addition to your Thanksgiving traditions (especially for this un-traditional Thanksgiving)!

The holidays can be stressful enough. Thanks to Feeding America, we can be sure to get gifts that will be just right and for which many will be grateful.

www.feedingamerica.org/ways-to-give.

https://turkeyonthetable.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.

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

I love chocolate. I especially love locally-made chocolate. It seems like, the smaller the batch and the more independent the company, the more you can taste the love in each bite!

Among my favorite chocolatiers is the Happy Chocolatier from my old stomping grounds of Acton, MA. In addition to hand-wrapping most of his decadent and diversely-flavored but universally high-quality and…well…happy chocolates, Paul McMahon and his talented team drop inspirational messages into each of their signature truffle Cubze (that’s “c-u-b-Z-E”), making them (and all who enjoy them) even happier!

In an effort to spread the happiness even further, the Happy Chocolatier will be donating 5% of all proceeds to Feeding America (each $1 of which can help feed 10 people at over 200 food banks nationwide). In addition to giving some of the profits that have been so eaten into for many independent food makers, Paul hopes to inspire others to give as well.

So if you want to bring joy to a would-be trick or treater, thank a postal worker or other neighbor or friend, or just treat yourself to a moment with more happiness than madness – all while helping the growing list of hungry people in this nation, go to www.thehappychocolatier.com and make everyone smile!

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.

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

As the pandemic wears on and on, I am going a bit nutsola.

And I must say, it’s delicious!

For those who have not heard, Nutsola is a delicious snack that comes complete with all-natural, preservative-, gluten-, dairy- and soy-free superfood ingredients you can spell and pronounce (like almonds, dates, and coconut), and that even has its own cooking kit so you can turn the yummy mix (which is great in yogurt, on ice cream, of by the handful) into convenient and nutritious bars!

With an expanding menu of flavors that includes cherry, banana nut, peanut butter cacao, and a convincing PB&J that is made with cherries and chia seeds, Nutsola has something for everyone’s taste. And as it can be used in so many ways, it can even work as a family activity in a pandemic pinch.

Speaking of family, Nutsola was created by an entrepreneurial father and son who were inspired by their family to find new ways to get healthy foods into themselves and others they loved. As so often happens, the home kitchen eventually grew into a commissary and now people are getting Nutsola all over the place?

If you are not one yet, be sure to go to www.nutsola.com and find something else to be crazy about!

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.

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

I was recently watching “Shark Tank” and saw a husband and wife who had put apple cider vinegar into sparking juice and come up with a drink called ”Mother” (which refers to the raw, undistilled vinegar bacteria culture that is alleged to hold most of the new superfood’s power). It was a hit!

By the time the shark’s had taken their respective bites, however, the drink had undergone a major change. In fact, it had gone from Mother to Poppi.

Could this be the age of gender-fluid beverages?

Regardless of its persuasions, Poppi is sure to persuade many others who may have shied away from the intense taste of apple cider vinegar to try it, thanks to their use of such amazingly refreshing, all-natural fruit flavors as watermelon, strawberry lemonade, ginger lime, pineapple mango, raspberry rosé and peach tea, all of which have no GMO, only around 5 grams of sugar and a healthy dose of Mother in each can.

So if someone you know has suggested trying apple cider vinegar for whatever ails you (and we ALL have things ailing us these days!), don’t go running to mommy. Try Poppi!

www.drinkpoppi.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.

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

While I am still a devoted fan of Farm Grille in Newton, I am always up to try new takes on Greek food.

That is why I am so excited about Krasi, the new meze and wine bar in Boston’s Back Bay that is being run by the folks behind GreCo and Committee Ouzeri + Bar.

As befits the name (Krasimeans “wine” in Greek), the new spot offers over 180 Greek wines and other great drinks (including their signature Krasimimosa, Aphrodite’s bellini, a bloody Mitsosmade with spicy feta olives and chicken skin, and over 25 kinds of tsipouro, ouzo, mastiha, tenturaand more), but their latest offering – a new Greek take on brunch –  will surely bring more people out of hibernation and into this Hellenistic hotspot.

The new meze-style brunch menu explores and celebrates many lesser-known Greek regions, flavors and techniques. Guests can either try a few new faves a la carte or enjoy the Feast Like The Gods option that includes a little bit of everything.

Among the Olympian options are baklavamuffins, creamy bougatsacustard, fried lemon-filled pancakes known as lalagites, and partatesmade with fried egg, goat cheese cream, and shredded poitatoes.

For those who wish to imbibe with brunch, Wine Director Evan Turner has hand selected a group of grapes that are being offered for only $30 a bottle, making for a great opportunity to try new wines as well. And there is even a spiked frappe for those who want to wash their feast down with a bit of naughty sweetness!

With outdoor seating for 30, indoor barriered seating, and takeout, Krasi is a great place to pick at or pick up your new favorite Greek treats.

www.KrasiBoston.com