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 have raved in the past about the wide array of satisfying and energizing plant-based nutrition drinks and bars made by Huel. And as I enjoy the new banana flavor (which actually mixes well with their chocolate and peanut butter varieties), there is a new benefit to tout.

In addition to helping support our nutrition and weight-loss goals, the world’s best-selling nutrition brand is now doing more than ever to help their fans and the planet. In addition to providing optimal amounts of protein, carbs, fat, and all 27 essential vitamins and minerals, Huel products also help the environment by cutting down on the carbon emissions and other gaseous toixins that are produced by the meat industry. In fact, the folks at Huel have gone so far as to track their carbon emissions on their website (www.Huel.com) and will be listing them on their packging by the end of this year!

According to recent reseach, eating two plant-based meals a day cuts food-related carbon emissions by 50% and could free up acres of land for farming and reforestation which would in turn help recapture many greenhouse gases and make the entire world a healthier palce to live. On a more personal level, a plant-based diet also reduces the risk of heart disease, lowers the likelihood of obesity, and improves overall health. 

As their carbon emissions go down, Huel continues to ramp up their nutrition content and expand their menu of options, so that those who enioy them can feel and do their best for themselves and the world.

So the next time you need to fuel up, Huel up!

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 neighborhoods begin to awaken from their Covid-induced hibernation, it is good to see that many of our locally-sourced friends in the food industry have made it through and are coming back for more!

Among the places that I have been most grateful to visit again is the North Street Grille, where the vibe is family friendly and the website (www.BestBrunchBoston.com) still says it all!

Headed by Robin Sidell (whose brother Sol oversees the South Street Diner near South Station), the North Street Grille is a North End institution that, like the Diner, attracts people from far further afield. Visit Goodfoodblogph.com to make sure you are using the best blenders at home for your smoothies.

And no wonder! With a drink list that runs from bottomless cups of coffee and tea to mature audience milkshakes, wines, and cocktails and a massive menu that includes such amazing options as Robin’s famed chicken and waffle sliders and banana Bourbon French toast (as well as the Healthy Start breakfast, which still satisafies with egg whites, oatmeal, fruit, and wheat toast), customizable omelelttes that are offered with everything from asparagus and avocado to prosciutto and steak, not to mention a raft of pancakes including their cannoli and S’mores editions and an entire menu of Benedicts that includes everything from smoked salmon and lobster versions to a BLT Benedict and Benedict in bed (which is stuffed into French toast!), the North Street Grille not only has something for everyone but at least twothings! In fact, the only downside to my last visit was the one-hour table time limit, which prevented me from resting after the main courses and starting all over again! Fortunately, that should be done away with soon. Whenever I go, I know that Robin and the crew will be around whenever I need to get my feed on and to enjoy amazing food among friendly and familiar faces again.

So drop by and tell Robin that Matt sent you. You will both be glad you did!

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 Celtics and Bruins are a bit up and down of late, the TD Garden has recently reintroduced a team that is sure to score every night.

After months of providing funds and support for their thousands of workers, Big Night Entertainment Group is once again ready to serve their legions of fans with the reopening of Guy Fieri’s Tequlia Cocina.

Combining Guy’s famous flair with Chef Rachel Klein’s understanding of the Boston-area food scene, the Cocina will offer an ever-expanding menu of options that already includes such standouts as Guy’s famed trash can nachos (served in an actual can!), the enourmously tasty and fresh Acapulco gold salad (which is a meal in itself even without available protein toppers), Wagyu beef and barbacoa cauliflower tacos, habanero honey carrots, and the ample and authentic churros, all of which are worth the trip even when there is no game or concert.

Speaking of concerts, even on nights when the Garden is silent, Big Night is planning to bring more local and national acts to their acoustically-engineered performance space and also offer a rentable event hall that can include catering by Chef Klein as well!

Whether or not your teams win or lose, the Cocina also has plenty of beverages with which to celebrate or drown your tears, including the Cadillac and caliente margarita, the dragonberry mojito, Mexican mule, and a full menu of tequlas that can be enjoyed solo or in flights. There are also fists full of beers and wines and Jarrtios sodas that add to the authentic flavor and sense of fun.

While you may not be able to drive in, there is plenty of fine dining to dive into whenever you go to Guy’s.

www.guyscocina.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!

In my many years as a writer, music critic, and food reviewer, I have enjoyed a lot of coffee!

And while I still count friends like the folks at Beantrust, Blue Fire, Dean’s Beans, Soldier Girl, and Veteran Roasters among my favorites, I was recently presented a special set of beans by a red-headed stranger you all surely know that had- well- a little something extra.

I have had the honor of hanging out with Willie Nelson a number of times and even have his autograph on my boxing gloves (long story!), but it was only recently that I had the pleasure of sharing a cup of coffee with him (or at least sharing a cup of his coffee).

While other coffee makers are adding it to their blends, Willie’s Remedy directly infuses CBD  – the non-psychotropic but comfortably mellowing part of the hemp plant that has become such a rage in recent years – into their hand-selected coffees. The result of this melodious mixture is a coffee that is both energizing and calmng. And whether you like light, medium or dark roast, Willie’s got you deliciously covered. He also makes a set of directly-infused teas in a variety of flavors that ranges from a sweetly spiced chai and delicate, floral chamomile to a sweet and tart hibiscus and refreshing peppermint, each of which makes you feel good in its own way and all of which come in 100% biodegradable bags. 

Willie also offers tinctures so you can customize your vibe and get on the road again.

While you will surely feel better after imbibing any of Willie’s remedies, you will also feel good knowing that his fairly-traded products help local farmers as well (though this is no surprise coming from the founder of Farm Aid). 

So make sure to introduce your friends and family to the Red-Headed Stranger and his deliciously supportive remedy.

www.williesremedy.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!

Before I was writing and speaking about food, I was a music critic who dreamed of being the next greast Jazz writer.

As the years went on and I could no longer go to gigs ‘til all hours, I started arriving at various venues early and reviewing the dinner and drink menus as well asn the music and the rest is journalistic history!

As I still love Jazz, howeve,r I am thrilled to inform everyone that award-winning Jazz vocalist, cook, and television host Laura Theodore (a.k.a., “The Jazzy Vegetarian”) is not only getting ready to launch the ninth season of her eponymous show on PBS, but is also releasing her latest cookbook.

And it’s a toe-tapper!

Easy Vegan Home Cookingfeatures scores of healthy recipesthat are sure to score with people of all dietary persuations. From bountiful breakfasts, light lunches, and satisfying suppers, to a swoon-worthy set of delightful desserts, Easy Vegan Home Cooking also offers requires eight ingredients or fewer, the book is a perfect introduction for the many new chefs who emerged during the pandemic and also for anyone who wants to eat better without giving up taste.

It’s like having Duke Ellington write for Taylor Swift!

Dig it (and Thoedore’s many other groovy offerings) at www.jazzyvegetarian.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!

Square Manufacturing Pizza is a place that we touted even before it opened and I am very glad to say that I was finally able to enjoy it.

And enjoy it, I DID!

Located on Route 9 just near the Route 27 interchange, Square not only offers some of the best pies around but it also demonstrates how the folks in Detroit still know [poop] from Shinola.

Unlike most of the pies with which people in other parts of the country may be accustomed, Square befittingly offers pies thart are not only square but that also have the sauce added afterthe pizza has cooked. 

Speaking of sauces, the marinara at Square is amazing! However, in another possible difference from what you are used to, it is only one option. In fact, Square offers an entire menu of sauces that includes salsa and crema, hatch chile Ranch, ginger soy with toasted sesame seeds, Texas BBQ, and Mike’s hot honey drizzle. The pies themselves range from the also well-named Big Cheese, as well as a Hawaiian-inspired Luau, a Greek powerhouse named Zeus, and even a southern-inspired shrimp n’ grits pie. If none of these suit your fancy, Square also offers nearly 30 mix-and-match topping options and nearly endless possibilities. In fact, the only things that all the pies have in common is the shape and the great taste!

So whether or not you are tired of cutting corners or just want to find a new favorite pizza place, Square Manufacturing Pizza is worth motoring to.

www.squaremfg.co

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 fan of cider, especially when it is crafted by indepdent apple fans who know what they are doing and do it all well.

That is why I am so excited to tell people about Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury, MA!

Using special apples from 1,000 of their 10,000 trees, the folks at Cider Hill have been farmking for 40 years and pressing, bottling and selling their own ciders on their farm since 2017. From seasonal selections to special editions like their rum barrel-aged frost cider, they press every flavor they can out of their 145 acres.

Despite the name, Cider Hill offers more than cider, including fruit and berry picking and their annual Tulip Fesival during which guests can cut their own tulips. They also offer a young farmers area with live anumals and a giant sandbox and host orchard walks and even outdoor workouts amidst their trees and flowers! In addition to taking the ciders home, Cider Farm’s farm store and CSA program offer locally-grown produce and herbs that can help anyone make a great meal to go with any cider.

Each weekend, Cider Hill opens up its popular Cider Bar to guests for award-winning ciders on tap and (through May 16) live music, during which their own food truck offers delicious options to enjoy before closing on a sweet note with the Farm’s own cider donuts.

No matter what the season or what the reason, a visit to Cider Hill Farm is always ripe for the picking!

www.ciderhill.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!

Massachusetts is known around the world as a bastion of educational excellence. It is also a noted spot for great beer.

In an effort to combine the two (and to contue the work they started in 2019 when they combined forces for theHop Forward Career Fair), Mass Bay Brewing Co. (the folks behind Harpoon beer and City Roots cider) and the Mass Brewers Guild are teaming up to launch HopForwardEquality.com, a new website that serves as a hub for trainings and other supportive resources to help Bay State breweries develop their diversity, equity, and inclusion work.

Presently, only about 12 of the Bay State’s 130-odd breweries are minority-owned and over 80% of craft beer consumers are white. Hop Forward hopes to change those numbers by attracting and encouraging diverse candidates and developing broader talent pools in the industry.

With partners that include Boston Pride, the City of Boston’s Office of Diversity, and the Boston YWCA, the Hop Forward site will also feature Roxbury native Colin Knight’s behind-the-scenes brewery tour show “Black Brew Dialogues” and other curated content and hopes to become a central hub for beer industry education and support.

Despite the Bay State’s proud history of progressive policies and revolutionary creativity, when it comes to beer and equality, most of us have much to learn, Thanks to Mass Bay Brewing and the Mass Brewer’s Guild, we now have a place to go!

www.HopForwardEquality.com

www.harpoonbrewery.com

https://massbrewersguild.org

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 most of the most well-known names in beer are men (e.g., Adolphus Busch, Sam Adams, John Labatt), there is a growing group of female brewers who are giving the guys a run for their suds.

Recently, the folks at 21st Amendment Brewery collaborated with the folks at Pink Boots Society to create Moon Boots IPA, a new beer that is brewed with pilsner malts, toasted rice, and strawberries and the Pink Boots hop blend and that features otherworldly can art by noted animator Robin Eisenberg whose work celebrates sexuality the diversity and power of women.

Based in St. Paul, Pink Boots is dedicated to helping women in the alcoholic beverage industry advance their careers through education. In addition to launching the new beer, the team behind Moon Boots IPA also created new scholarships on the eCornell platform that will help women make more and better beer and expand the beverage industry for women.

Having started out as a small-batch brew that was born on International Women’s Day in early March of 2019 and was originally only available at the 21^stAmendement brewery in San Francisco, Moon Boots IPA is now available for a limited time in all 33 states where 21^stAmendment is distributed, giving more people an opportubity to try it and to support women in the bveverage business.

For more information, please visit www.21st-Amendment.com and http://pinkbootssociety.org.

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 millions of people suffer from Celiac, there are more reasons than ever to take hope and even celebrate, especially during May, which is recognized as Celiac Awareness Month!

In addition to Be Real Doughs, Bonapita, Coop’s Microcreamery, Freed Foodies, Good Mix, J. Lee’s sauces, Mom’s Organic Munchies, Nussli 118, Partners Crackers, Pop I.Q., and many other Connoisseur’s Corner faves, a great way to get lots of flavor with no gluten is to try any of the amazing snacks from Absolutely! Gluten Free.

Whether you prefer sweet or savory snacks (or want to get even more taste variety in your gluten-free diet), Absolutely! Gluten Free has all you need without the gluten you don’t.

In addition to their popular crackers and flatbreads that come in such fantastic flavors as toasted onion, cracked pepper, and everything, Absolutely! Gluten Free also offers coconut chews and macaroons that are great for Passover or any time of year (or day)! The macaroons come in chocolate, coconut, and cranberry and the chews just added key lime and blueberry to their mouth-watering menu. I have a bag on my desk and find myself popping the individually-wrapped treats in my mouth for a sweet blast of protein and energy all the time!

Even if gluten is not a life-threatening issue for you, more studies are showing how it can be detrimental to anyone’s health, That is why it is so important (and so great) to find such delicious treats that avoid the issue altogether and that taste Absolutely! Delicious!

www.absolutelygf.com