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 any followers of Matt’s Meals know, I LOVE deli!  And while Michael’s in Brookline is the King of Corned Beef and makes knishes like you’ve never seen or tasted before, there are other elements that make this culinary category tops. Among these are such things as pickles, bagels, and, especially this time of year, gefilte fish.

That is why I am so looking forward to a new online presentation from the folks at The Gefilteria in New York! Called “Inside the Pickle Barrel,” this three-part course and seminar series will look at the history of some of the most famous elements of deli and also offer tips on how to make them at home!

As the title suggests, the first hour-long online class (which will take place on Tuesday, April 13) will cover pickles. Part two (on April 20) will discuss bagels. Part 3 (on April 27) will close out with knishes. Along the way, particpants will also discuss the history and cultural significance of these and other deli-cious foods (such as pastrami, lox, rye bread, and others) and of deli itself. All three sessions will also include cooking demonstrations that guests can follow in their own kitchens and open Q&A sessions. Weekly emails will also offer recipes and more info so you too can become a deli maven!

So even though you may not be allowed into New York, you can still get a solid feel (and taste) for the historic Lower East Side through this dilly of a class.

https://www.gefilteria.com / www.insidethepicklebarrell.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!

While millions will celebrate Easter on April 4, many also look forward to enjoying National Caramel Day on the 5^th. If you were not aware of this sweet and sticky celebration or want a new way to enjoy it, I recommend New York’s Clarkson Avenue Crumb Cake Co. who just came out with a creative take on their already amazing crumb cakes by adding a gooey layer of yummy homemade caramel!

As with all Clarkson Avenue cakes, the new caramel-coated cake is made with the finest ingredients available (including fresh butter and real Siagon cinnamon and Bourbon vanilla) and cooked in the traditional way it was done in its birthplace of Brooklyn for generations. So not only will their cakes take your tastebuds for a ride, they may take many back to a simpler time when food was delicious without being so processed.

In addition to the caramel cake, the Clarkson gang also offers a traditional crumb cake, a Big Apple cake, raspberry, blueberry, and PB&J cakes, and even a chocoaltey Brooklyn blackout cake and multi-colored birthday cake that is perfect for other celebrations as well. And while the full-sized cakes are tempting, the Clarkson Ave. gang also makes individual-sized “Crumbkins” that offer all of the flavor in a smaller package. They also have a cake of the month club that offers an ever-changing (but always delicious!) menu of options, all of which are delivered fresh to your door!

So put down the stickball bat, plop down on the stoop, and prepare to reminisce (or discover a new favorite) with the help of the authentic flavors of Clarkson Avenue.

By the way, while April 5 is Caramel Day, any cake orders during March are subject to a buy one, get one at 50% sale!

www.ClarksonAveCrumb.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!

While it may be difficult (if not illegal) to get away to the beautiful mountains of VT, it is good to know that you can get a bit of a taste of the Green Mountain State at this holiday season with help from our friends at Lake Champlain Chocolates.

While almost anyone can put chocolate on something and throw it in a basket of plastic grass, the chocolatiers at Lake Champlain put more care into their confections, making them an extra-special treat for your little (or not-so-little) bunnies.

Lake Champlain’s Hoppy Easter dark chocolate bar covers fruity pieces of raspberry and cherry gummies with rich, organic dark chocolate and their milk chocolate-covered peanut butter egg includes crispy rice and enough flavor to put Mr. Reese to shame! 

If you really want to make the annual egg hunt worth the effort, try hiding bags of Lake Champlain’s organic chocolate eggs that combine their amazing chocolate with such fun-tabulous fillings as vanilla cream and coconut cream, milk chocolate truffle, and peanut butter (but be sure to save a special stash for yourself!).

No matter which you choose, you are sure to hop for joy!

www.lakechamplainchocolates.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 many people see Easter and Passover as celebrations of renewal and assurance that the cycle of life will continue, many of the symbols of the season are round. Both Easter and Passover include eggs and, while the Jewish prohet Elijah drinks from a round cup of wine, the bunny goes even further with jellybeans.

Despite these traditions, there is nothing to say that the holidays (or any day) could not be enhanced by something square. At least, that seems to be the logic behind the popularity of The Happy Chocolatier, whose chocolate truffle Cubze also mark a time of rebirth with the encouraging messages nestled inside each colorful foil wrapper.

With flavors that range frommilk chocolate cookie and milk chocolate peanut butter to the more mature cappuccino milk chocolate, sea salt dark chocolate, and raspberry and orange dark chocolate, and messages like “Whoever is happy will make others happy too” and  “The path to happiness is not as elusive as it may seem,” it is no surprise how the Happy Chocolatier got their name and how they bring happiness to so many others!

What makes the Cubze all the sweewer is that, for every box you buy, the Happy Chocolatier is donating part of their proceeds to Feeding America so others can enjoy a holiday meal as well!

So if you want to make someone’s Seder plate or Easter basket more colorful or to just give a friend or loved one some encouragement as we all emerge from one of the darkest years ever, brighten their days with colorful and delicious Cubze from the Happy Chocolatier!

www.thehappychocolatier.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!

While many associate St. Patrick’s Day with clovers, there is a kind of clover that is appropriate for other holidays as well.

Having just offered a kosher boxed meal for Passover that came complete with mitzvah matzos and kiosher wine, Clover Food Lab is now offering a set of hoppy Easter boxes and natural egg dye kits that will not only brighten dark days for those who receive them but also for the local farmers who help make them!

The boxes (which are available for pick-up and/or delivery betweenThursday, April 1st and Saturday, April 3rd) can serve anywhere from 2-10 people and include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert options. Among the Easter eats are Berkshire Mountain Bakery’s San Francisco pan bread, “ham-glazed” Spring Dug parsnips, French onion soup, a savory golden mushroom Dutch baby, and farro salad. Be sure to keep dessert out of reach from the Easter Bunny as menu items include heirloom carrot cake and semolina orange cake.  

The limited-edition egg dye kits include a trio of dyes made with  all-natural ingredients and come with two-dozen farm-fresh brown eggs. 

Among the beneficiaries of these Easter offerings are Maine Family Farms and Maine Grains, Rhode Island Mushrooms, Backyard Farms, Grafton Village Cheese, and Winter Moon Roots. 

All boxes are available with free delivery within 30 miles of Clover’s Cambridge commissary and those who prefer contactless pickup will receive a $20 credit toward their next meal box order!

So hop on down to Clover and keep the luck going all April long!

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. 

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

Just when I thought I could not enjoy the sweet treats from Newton’s own MMM…Chcolate any more, Chef Liron Gal has come out with a set that is not only amazing but adorable!

While many may associate this season with sticky-sweet eggs or marshmallow animals that can survive the Second Coming, Chef Gal offers a more mature and even more delicious take on these traditional treats. Her Easter chocolate chicks are made from French Valrhona chocolate and filled with a hazelnut praliné ganache over crunchy caramelized milk chocolate with cookie pieces. If you want the egg to come first, be sure to try her luxurious eggs that combine unique, handmade designs with delightful flavors and textures that include chocolate caramel, chocolate marshmallow, chocolate-hazelnut, crunchy chocolate pearls, as well as vanilla bean salted caramel, caramelized white chocolate ganache, caramel cookie marshmallow, and crunchy caramel cookie pieces. For those who like their Easter eggs more colorful, MMM…Chocolate has eggs that are filled with mango-passion fruit caramel or passion fruit ganache.

Though it may be a bit late for Passover shopping, the Israeli-born chef also has an amazing collection of Passover-appropriate sweets that can be enjoyed with levity on any day! Among the “chametz-free” flavors are berry pate de fruit with creme fraiche ganache and crunchy meringue pieces, a creme brulee, a caramel-hazelnut praline, a mango-passion fruit caramel, an orange blossom halva, and a simple hot chocolate that goes great with Afikoman.

No matter what you celebrate, the season will be sweeter with help from MMM…Chocolate (and couldn’t we ALL use a bit more sweetness this year?).

https://mmm-chocolate.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 know April Fool’s Day is coming, but I am not fooling when I say that Chef Jose Duarte’s Tambo22 is reopening in April!

In fact, I am literally salivating waiting to try the authentically contemporary Peruvian-inspired treats!

After an open and shut case that rocked and rolled through the pandemic, Chef Duarte assures me that this time the doors should remain open longer. As with all local favorites, however, they cannot make it without our help, so I urge everyone to drop in, even if you have never had Peruvian cuisine before.

Their well-named better than Buffalo wings are worth a visit on their own, but when you add other hits like their creatively-concocted ceviches, tongue-grabbing grilled beef skewers, fresh fried yucca, and plenty of Andean lupini beans (many of which come with Duarte’s homemade rocotohot sauce), not to mention an amazing drink menu, you have a meal that any Peruano or Gringo can enjoy.

Any restaurant reopening is cause for celebration, but the return of Tambo22 calls for a fiesta!

www.tambo22chelsea.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 get psyched (or at least prepared) for Red Sox opening Day (April 1, ironically enough), it is encouraging to know that, even if the games are not so great and Fenway Park is not selling out anymore, there will still be a great time and some terrific food to be had on Lasndowne Street.

That’s right, Folks- Bleacher Bar, Lansdowne Pub, Loretta’s Last Call, and Game On! Are all scheduled to be open for business by opening day.

Even if you are shut out of the loge, you can still catch the action from a sanitary distance at Bleacher Bar while enjoying great local brews and upscale ballpark eats like their famed soft pretzels, Fenway dogs, and pastrami sliders.

Game On! is also located within Fenway’s footprint and allows access to batting cages and even parts of the locker rooms (at least when safety protocols allow). Even if you can’t actually get into the game, you can get into it at Game On! thanks to their 30 tv screens and 36-seat patio right on Lasndowne! There are also ping-pong tables and cornhole courts to help pass the time while we wait for October.

On the other side of the street, Lansdowne Pub will also offer a patio, as well as traditional Irish fare and drinks.

If Southern food is more your thing, Loretta’s Last Call can put some South in yo’ mouth while you catch the Yankees. It too offers a wrap-around patio and rentable space for socially-distanced private events.

Whether you want to catch the game, eat and drink, or conduct a single-street pub crawl, the venues on Lansdowne Street are a sure hit!

www.bleacherbarboston.com

www.gameonboston.com

www.landsdownepubboston.com

 www.lorettaslastcall.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!

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 @MattsMeals73and 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!