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. 

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

Remember those great ads for Life cereal where Mikey (a.k.a., John Gilchrist) and his real-life brother debated the benefits of a nutritious breakfast, with the brother concluding that, “Mikey likes it”?

Well now, there is something new for Mikey to like, and not just because of the name.

Created by Culinary Institute alumnus Michael Tierney, Mikey’s foods are a selection of dairy-, grain-, gluten-, and soy-free products that are all made with healthy, high-quality, and allergy-sensitive ingredients. From Mikey’s orginal eight-ingredient English muffins that come in traditional, toasted onion and cinnamon raisin and breakfast pockets that combine egg, ham, and cheese or just egg and cheese to a keto-friendly pizza crust and pizza pockets that range in flavor from traditional and pepperoni to broccoli, cauliflower, and cheddar and Buffalo chicken to a set of superfood tortilla shells made with such super stuff as cassava flour, sprouted broccoli and spnach, turmeric, or sweet potatoes and beets, the range of products is a bit eclectic, but they are all really yummy!

As they taste so good, they are a great way to add more veggies to any diet- even those of picky eaters of, say, the age of eight.

And unlike many other gluten-free products, they do not use artificial ingredients to take up the slack!

What’s more, they offer free Purple Power tortilla shells (made with purple carrot and cauliflower) with every order! So be sure to check out www.eatmikeys.com.

Mikey likes it and so will you!

www.eatmikeys.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. 

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

I am HUGE condiment fan. The only problem with this is that I have so many, it can be difficult to choose which I want for what meal.

Fortunately, some of the latest addtions to my collection have also quickly become my favorites.

After making the big boys of the ketchup world play catch-up with their low-sugar, vegetable-based variety, our Veteran friends at True Made Foods continue to raise the bar with their BBQ and hot sauces. While I love everything they make, (not only thanks to the great flavors but also thanks to the fact that each bottle has tons of veggies in it, making them easier to swallow for picky eaters of all ages), their veggie sriracha and cayenne hot sauce have been appearing on my table more than perhaps any other bottles in my vast arsenal of flavor enhancers. Both have just the right amount of spice and sass to bring out the best in everything from burgers to tofu to- who knows what will be next?

The Spirit & Co. line from Spencer Foods also stands out because, in addition to havng great flavors like BBQ, mustard, ketchup and hot sauce, each of their vegetarian-friendly and gluten-free delights sneaks in a bit of adult beverage that helps the spice and heat go down smooth. For example, the honey nustard has a bit of Irish Whiskey and the steak sauce is dressed up with Cabernet Souvignon. Also, a part of all proceeds goes to Starlight and helps kids dealing with serious health issues.

What’s not to love?

https://www.truemadefoods.com

https://spiritsauces.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. 

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

It is so great when so many local independent companies come together as they have through the efforts of Daniel Brassloff of Freed Foodies!
An experienced entrepreneur who is currently associated with the food folks at BranchFood, Brassloff was founding environment- and food-industry supporting entities in high school and at Babson College that offered everything from compost to cakes. Before founding Freed Foodies, Brassloff also worked with our old friends at Waku Beverages and also currently works with Dragonfly Commerce, where he helps support and grow e-commerce brands. He is also helping other independents by using their ingredients for his Freed Foodies offerings. As Brassloff has experienced the difficulties that come with having food allergies, he is also dedicated to offering foods and working with partners who offer options for such folks.

For example. Freed Foodies’ pizza crust kit comes with just enough of Sherman and Cherie’s Beezy Bees honey and New England Olive Oil to make their gluten-free and allergy-friendly pie base. Freed Foodies also offers a multipurpose flour that can be used in other recipes (many of which are on the website) and other items that are great for people with allergies or without! First-time customers who go to https://freedfoodies.com can also get special offers that will further encourage home cooks and restaurant chefs to try these delicious and safe-to-eat baking ingredients. 

Thanks for all the help, Daniel!

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. 

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

Since I raved about the African jam, honey, and coffee maker Nakakono, I have been put in touch with many other amazing African ambassadors and had my tastebuds taken on a tantalizing trip!

One of my new faves is 3 Mountains, a woman-owned company that supports women in Africa through their own nonprofit, Healing Exchange.

While the cause is important, 3 Mountain’s products are worth trying on their own! Their line of organic Tima Teas from Rwanda includes a wide range of leafy colors and flavors – from black and green to rarer white and silver varieties – all of which are pesticide-free and earth-safe. According to Founder Sara Stender Delaney, they are also made with the Spirit of Resistance, which makes tham all the more satisfying!

If you can’t wait for your tea to steep, check out their pre-brewed cans of vegan and naturally gluten-free Sarilla, which combine amazing organic teas with other natural flavors like lemon, apple juice, ginger and hibiscus. All of these are made with just enough pure cane sugar or monkfruit, offering peak flavor and refreshment without Kilamanjaro-sized blood sugar spikes.

Climb to a new level of sustainable and supportive flavor at www.3mountains.org (that’s the number “3”), www.DrinkSarilla.com, and  www.DrinkTimaTea.com, and for more about Healing Exchange, please go to www.HealingExchange.org

PS Sarilla recently launched on Amazon and is offering a coupon for early adopters, so get to it!

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. 

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

As much as I love talking about independent food and drink makers, I love it even more when they get together to make something new and different!

That is why I am so excited to talk about Berkshire Mountain Distillers’ Craft Brewers Whiskey Project!

Five years in the making, this pairing of local libational legends combines Berkshire Mountain Distillery’s award-winning whiskey with a set of single-source beers and breweries that includes UFO White Ale from Mass. Bay Brewing Co. of Boston and Windsor, VT, Boston’s Sam Adams, Hampton, NH’s Smuttynose, Srtatford, CT’s Two Roads Brewing, and Berkshire Mountains’ Sheffield, MA neighbors at Big Elm Brewing. As there are currently set to be a dozen participating partners and as the mash-tun mashups are being released in the order in which they were distilled, there is more to come, so be sure to look out for your favorite breweries. In the meantime, this is a great way to get a taste of some new favorites wih the help of an old favorite like Berkshire Mountain.

Unlike Berkshire’s wildly popular Cask-Finished Bourbon Project, the beer-buffered bottles will be available outside of Berkshire’s tasting room and the state where each participating brewery is located. To celebrate the partnerships, Berkshire has also been hosting socially-distanced meetings with participating brewers and Project–focused dinners at select area restaurants.

For more information about release dates, tasting notes, and events, visit craftbrewerswhiskeyproject.com or berkshiremountaindistillers.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. 

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

As we all know, there is nothing like home cooking! And while many of us have expanded our recipe repertoires during the pandemic, it is somethimes nice to let others at least contribute.

That is why I am so in love with a family-run company called From Gracie’s Table!

Started during the pandemic by Brookline, NH’s Christiana Lehman (who is apparently a big Connoisseur’s Corner fan!) in honor of her late mother, Gracie’s Table offers everything from marinades and rubs to candied nuts and made-to-order pies that taste as if they came fresh from cooling on the windowsill. Items can be ordered individually or in spicy sample sets and beautiful gift baskets that can brighten anyone’s day (including your own) at www.fromgraciestable.com. 

Christiana is also looking to sell to and through restaurants, so if you know anyone in need of great seasonings, sauces, and desserts, please pass the word so we all support this independent food maker.

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. 

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

Especially as we come out of the Valentine’s Day-Easter season, many may admittedly be chocolated out (as if there is such a thing!). However, I do have one more chocolate company to discuss (or maybe two).

All dark chcolates have at least some heart- and brain-boosting flavonoids. MA-made Flava Naturals, however, offers up to nine times the flavanoids of most other brands!

Another super-health-conscious brand that I have recently discovered is Elements Truffles. And while these delicious bars, cocoa mixes, and coco fuels (which combine organic cocoa nibs with pure Vernmont maple syrup) contain all the nutritional plusses contemporary fans demand, they are based upon healthy concetps that go back centuries.

Ayurveda means “the science of life” in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit. After immigrating form India, the founders of Elements became Wall Street traders and so became familiar with how stressful life can be. After finding their own way back to their ancestral roots, they designed Elements Truffles to bring the best of both worlds- health-sustaining, delicious, fairly-traded chocolate and spirit-sustaining simplicity.

In addition to helping customers feel better, Elements also donates a full 25% of proceeds to Care for Children (www.CareforChildren.org), which helps kids in the founders’ native India. So this a is a chocolate that you can feel good about eating any time of year!

www.flavanaturals.com

www.elementstruffles.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. 

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

As more people get their vaccinations and prepare to venture out again, it is great to know that more great places are also getting back to business.

Among the latest reopenings are Chef Anthony Caturano’s quartet of excellent eateries, including Prezza in Boston, Tonno in Wakefield and Gloucester, and The Blue Ox in Lynn. In response, people from the North End to the North Shore are cheering and inviting those from other areas to get in on the celebration!

Though these four dining rooms are now taking reservations (or inspired drop-ins), they are also offering other options for those who are not quite ready to get back to “normal” but still want amazing food.

In addition to their indoor dining and traditional takeout options, The Blue Ox and both Tonno locations are also offering complete takeout dinners. The Blue Ox also has a set of “Take ‘n Bake” dinners for two that simply need to be heated at home and both Tonno locations are offering what they call Nonna’s Family Dinner for at-home parties of four to six.

For those who still like the idea of eating outside, all four restaurants are planning to open patio areas as well, making them great places to baby step towards dining out again.

For more information and ordering options, please visit www.prezza.com, www.theblueoxlynn.com, and www.tonnorestaurant.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 and look for my latest food-related writing in Food & Beverage Magazine.

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

Bon appétit!

Had you asked me a few weeks ago what my favorite food from WI was, I would have enthusiastically said the AMAZING soft pretzel from the award-winning Winzer Stube in the historic border town of Hudson.

As I am now composing a story about the maple industry, however, I have had my eyes and mouth opened to the facts that, not only does WI have a maple industry, but that some of their farms make AMAZING stuff as well!

Case in point is Anderson’s Maple Syrup, an award-winning, family-run, friend-employing, sustainable sugar shack that has been pumping out sweet liquid amber for over 90 years! 

In addition to the Grade A syrup with which you may be familiar, Anderson’s Maple Syrup also offers organic syrup, apple syrup, maple cream and sugar, maple nut popcorn, and a specially-prepared pancake syrup that is a bit thinner but just as delicious! Sold across the country, Anderson’s Maple Syrup offers customized labels that make great gifts for any event. And as maple has a lower glycemic index and more vitamins and minerals that sugar, it is also a go-to ingredient for many chefs and health-conscious cooks. In fact, their website (https://andersonsmaplesyrup.com) has recipes not only for breakfast faves, but also for grilling, desserts, and holdays, so there is always a reason to try some!

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. 

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

Passover may be…well…over, but if you want a great wine to take you through March Madness or to help you get over your favorite pro team hitting the skids, have I got news for you!

Asthe world’s largest purveyor of kosher wines and spirits, Royal Wines offers something for everyone. And now, they are offering a special something that is just right for hoops fans-  a new set of wines hand-picked by NBA legend Amar’e Stoudemire (אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר‎ ,a.k.a.)

The NBA Rookie of the Year, five-time All-Star, and Olympic team player is also the 2020 Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVPand owns a significant share of Hapoel Jerusalem (with whom he won a championship within 2017). Using his dual citizenship and celebrity status, Stoudemire has decided to develop wines that are as good for Passover and other Jewish holidays as they are for celebrating other events or just enjoying on any night (even if it is not different from all other nights). In so doing, he has become the first kosher winemaker of color (and a darn good one at that!).

After establishing a line of kosher wines produced in the Upper Galilee (with help from the boutique Tulip Winery),Stoudemire has recently expanded his cellar through acollaboration with Herzog Wine Cellars in CA and released Stoudemire Origins (a rich Cabernet) and Stoudemire Clarity (a refreshing Rosé). These two new wines expand Amar’e’s already amazing menu that includes a private collection blend called Jerusalem, a grand Reseve Cabernet called Capernaum (after the city where Jesus preached), and his Galiliee Cabernet.

No matter which you choose, be sure to swish them in your mouth so you can enjoy every point.

www.royalwine.com