Menu Makers

Menu Makers© are the people who make the products that restaurants and others use to make their presentations the best that they can be!

NUTS TO NIBS

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I was recently back at Boston Public Market for their annual Harvest Party and there is a lot of news to share!

In addition to hosting one of the largest pumpkins in the area, the carnival-themed fair offered guests opportunities to try their luck at various games and to enjoy free samples from many of the Market’s vaunted vendors.

In addition to such carb-y faves as pizzas from the Bagel Guild, popovers from The Popover Lady, and hot pretzels from Hearth & Hug that came with a mustard I wanted to bottle and take home, there were also fall-spiced popcorn from Curio Spice, mouth-watering sandwiches from Beantown Pastrami, and the widely-distributed but rarely bested ice cream from Crescent Ridge!

One of my favorite discoveries, however, was that Q’s Nuts (which has supplied many of my author talks and presentations of my book on the Ivy League with their delicious and nutritious snacks) was expanding their menu of offerings not just into more new creative flavors of fresh and healthy almonds, cashews, peanuts, and more, but into superfood-worthy cacao nibs!

While Q’s has been a favorite source of protein and energy (and also of gifts for family and friends), they are now adding addictively-delicious roasted nibs to their ever-expanding menu of tasty treats, making a visit to the Market or to qsnuts.com even more worthwhile!

The BPM Harvest Party means that winter and the holidays are around the corner. What better time to stock up on delicious nutritious snacks that CAN last through the season but that you will probably devour the day you get them?

Fortunately, Q’s always has new flavors and ideas coming so reordering is not only easy but required.

NOT FOR THE BIRDS

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As fans of Matt’s Meals may know, I am an olive fan. And while I am able to enjoy the best olive oils from food friends at Brelundi and the Greek International Market (which also has an impressive olive bar), I had never been such a fan of the pimento that is often placed inside the hole where the olive pit had been.

During a recent trip to Savannah, I came to see and taste how surprisingly satisfying this Southern staple was.

Unfortunately, I had difficulty matching the taste of the homemade cheese I enjoyed in Georgia until a company in Virginia called Birdie’s found out about my syndicated author interview show – “The Writer’s Block” – and generously offered to “sponsor” a show by sending their homemade pimento cheese for my audience to enjoy. They even included Snyder’s pretzels for dipping- How hospitable!

Having started as so many of Matt’s Meals’ favorite food folks do as a husband-and-wife team who sold their wares at the local farmers market, Birdie’s is now available nationwide.

And with flavors that range from their always appetizing traditional to recipes that add everything from dill and onion to garlic and parmesan to jalapenos and ghost peppers to a seasonal set with extra olives, it is easy to see how Birdie’s has been able to win over so many- including people who claim to not like pimento!

Let’s hear it for Southern hospitality…and Southern food!

GET FRESH ON THE CAPE SEPTEMBER 19

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While most of your friends may packed up their vacation houses by Labor Day, there are still plenty of reasons to go to the Cape!

One of them is a tasting event at Expressions Gallery in Chatham that will be hosted by Farmers to You on September 19 starting at 6:30 PM.

As the name implies, Farmers to You is a collaborative that works with over 150 farms throughout the region to bring everything from award-winning cheese and humanely-raised meats to pasture-raised poultry and eggs, organic bread, and milk that still has the cream floating on top of the bottle, and even creative prepared foods to over 2,000 patrons and locations throughout MA, VT, and NY.  

Among the featured foods and farmers at the Chatham event (which is free but for which registration is requested) will be sweet sauces from Butterfly Bakery (which is also the home of our favorite Fat Toad Farm Caramel!), upcycled crackers from Brewers Foods, Long Wind Farm‘s grown-in-soil tomatoes, Aqua ViTea kombucha, and cheeses from Farmstead Cheese Co. and Sweet Rowen Farmstead. 

In addition to fresh and delicious food, the event in Chatham will also offer the opportunity to discuss with Farmers to You founder Greg Georgaklis and to enjoy the refreshing visual produce of artist Steve Koppel.

Whether or not you can make the event, Farmers to You is always ready to serve through its enticing website (https://farmerstoyou.com), which offers beautiful pictures of every product along with the stories behind the people behind each one. It even has meal suggestions for those who might need a little encouragement with expanding their dietary palette. They also offer their own CSA and pickup or delivery in certain areas and are constantly growing- just like their products!

LOOK, MOM- NO GMO’s!

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I recently had the privilege of sharing my book on the Ivy League (www.lionstigersbulldogs.com) at the beautiful Barnes & Noble in Natick, MA (and will present it at B&N in Dedham September 14). And while I was thrilled to see a real bookstore doing so well and to meet all the people who came by to learn about my book and my syndicated author TV show, “The Writer’s Block,” I was also gratified to find that, just a few doors down was an amazing store that had only organic products, including many that I have discussed as part of Matt’s Meals!

Started (as so many great food companies are) as a one-person operation, Mom’s Organic Market is now in six states (including MA!) and growing fast.

Though it is part of a national chain, as Mom’s supports so many independent food makers (including our friends at Runamok and Effie’s) and still offers a full bulk food section that saves money and packaging (as do the recycling and composting stations in each store), as well as a large selection of carbon-friendly foods, I cannot help but try to help them! 

In addition to some of your favorite (or soon-to-be-favorite) brands of food, organic produce, and kindly-raised meats, Mom’s also carries a growing list of money-saving but just-as-delicious-and-nutritious private label items, a full retinue of organic beers and wines, supplements and health and beauty aids (including CBD products), and even clothing! 

What they do NOT carry, however are products made with over 250 ingredients that they have literally banned. Among these are artificial preservatives, sweeteners, and colors, dangerous oils and chemicals, products that pander to kids, and product-wasteful bottled water.

Thanks for lookin’ out for our health, Mom’s!        

COOKING IS CARING

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As I also teach at the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office. I have a special place in my heart for individuals who face challenges in their lives and figure out ways to overcome them and for organizations that help them do it.

That is why I was so gratified to be invited to the second annual Bubbles and Beats event at the culinary school at New England Center for Arts and Technology (NECAT).

NECAT offers job training and employment support to people who have been involved with the justice system, new immigrants, and others for whom getting and keeping a job may be a challenge, and if this event was any indication, they do a great job at it!

At the event, staff and students showed off their beautiful facilities (which include a fully-stocked auditorium/demonstration kitchen and art gallery that will soon be available to rent) and showed how they both offer and deserve community support.

While the food, drink, and music were terrific, the highlight was an impressive cooking demonstration, during which Boston Jerk Fest champ Chef Chris Faison threw together a sauce that I insisted he throw in bottles and sell while Chef Niurka LeBron decimated an onion in mere seconds with her superior knife skills.

Before and after the sushi-grade showcase, program supporters were invited to mingle, dance, and enjoy some of their students and alumni’s most creative creations, including community-minded oysters and freshly-baked s’mores cookies.

Many NECAT alumni have gone on to great culinary careers, including NECAT Instructor Michelene Desmoreau, who has her own catering business and line of spices and is about to open a restaurant in Quincy!

It’s a great way to help people who are motivated to help themselves while supporting the community.

MAZAL TOV, STEVE!

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I know that there are few people we talk about more than Steve Peljovich of Michael’s Deli in Brookline. However, as this meat-minded mensch just ran through another Relay for Life to raise funds for the American Cancer Society and is also celebrating his 13th year as the King of Corned Beef, I wanted to wish him a mazal tov on his personal passion and productivity and his business bar mitzvah.

In addition to offering the best in traditional deli in the area (including meats that are “imported” daily from Brooklyn), Steve has maintained a menu of masterfully mishegas-ed knishes that have offered ingredients that have ranged from traditional potato and kasha to Fruity Pebbles and Nutella, with the only consistent theme being their deliciousness.

While it is always fun to drop by and be treated like family at Steve’s Coolidge Corner location, my family always loves it when I bring things home and we have often asked Steve to use his favorite family recipes (including Auntie Bev’s noodle kugel and his mother’s heavenly homestyle meatloaf) to serve and satisfy our family and many others. From finger sandwiches to yard-long subs, Steve has everything you need to bring more flavor and fun to all sort of events – including bar mitzvahs!

When not supporting his friends and neighbors with food (which he also readily donates to area shelters and sports teams, including the Boston Bruins and the Shawn Thronton Foundation), Steve also supports cancer patients and other neighbors and is always ready with a warm smile and friendly greeting, which somedays is more sustaining than even his delicious food.Thanks again, Steve!                   

TIME TO RE-KONNECT

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Before inclusion and diversity were buzzwords, Boston’s Queen of Connection Colette Phillips was forging relationships across neighborhoods, aisles, and other barriers- both real and perceived.

On July 30, Boston’s savviest soiree-ers and supporters will gather at Big Night Live to celebrate her pioneering work and the contributions of her Get Konnected network at the 10th anniversary edition of A Taste of Ethnic Boston. 

Though Boston may be known for its Italian North End (which was originally a Jewish and African-American neighborhood) and its still somewhat Irish Southie, there are neighborhoods and flavors that are just as important that may not get the same publicity (at least not on other media platforms). Get Konnected is out to change that!

During this premiere showcase of Boston’s diverse dining destinations, chefs from all over the area will share their stories and their recipes in a celebration of culinary community.

As part of the decade-marking celebration, the event will include the naming of Get Konnected!’s Top 25 Ethnic Restaurants and Top 10 Chefs of Color in Greater Boston, most of whom get little recognition from most other media outlets. It will also kick off the first A Taste of Ethnic Restaurant Week in Boston, which will encourage diners to expand their restaurant repertoires with special meals and deals at participating venues.

In addition to supporting area chefs and eateries, Phillips’ event will again spread the wealth around by donating part of the proceeds from Get Konnected to The GK Fund, a nonprofit social impact fund dedicated to funding BIPOC entrepreneurs.

Boston is an incredibly diverse city. Especially as so much of the world is falling apart, it is surely time to Get Konnected. And if you can eat great food at the same time- all the better!

(WO)MAN-NING THE MARKET

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I recently raved about the new farmers market that is being hosted on Thursday afternoons by Boston Public Market on the Rose Kennedy Greenway between Milk Street and India Street. As usual, there is even more food news coming from inside the Market- This time having to do with a trio of new vendors.

Curio Spice Co., Parlott Chocolatier, and Oohjacquelina Jewelry are all women-owned and operated businesses that will surely add sweetness and spice to the mouthwatering mix at the Market (which was recently named one of the 10 Best Public Markets in America by USA Today!).

Long a favorite in Cambridge Curio now brings its unparalleled collection of ethically-sourced global flavors to Boston so more home and professional chefs can enjoy. From Sri Lankan cinnamon and Turkish salt to seaweed mixes from Maine, Curio has all you need for any summer recipes and will also be partnering with George Howell Coffee to make a rose cardamom latte just for the Market! 

Brazilian-born Lu Parlott grew up helping her mom make chocolates with the beans her father farmed. As fans of her Westwood store know, that familial love comes through in every bite of her bars, barks, and brigadeiros, all of which are made from the finest ingredients with passion and style.

For those who want to look great in the kitchen or at any summer soiree, Oohjacquelina’s founder Jacquelyn Wells combines semi-precious stones, pearls, and hypoallergenic-waterproof metals together in customizable creations of hand-hammered harmony that are built to last and to impress. 

Whether inside or out, the Boston Public Market always has great things to taste and try and these designing women will surely keep that tradition going strong!

GOING (MORE) PUBLIC

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As Matt’s Meals fans know, there’s always good stuff going on at Boston Public Market!

Before I get to the latest news. I wanted to take a moment to thank the folks at Q’s Nuts for sending the delicious assortment for my guests when I interviewed Jordan Rich at the Needham Free Public Library. I hope to be able to share more delicious treats with more great people when I bring my author interview series back in September and to bring more authors to the Market as well!

In the meantime, I wanted to let people know that the Market is reopening their popular outdoor farmers market on Thursdays from 2-6 PM on the Rose Kennedy Greenway between Milk Street and India Street.

Among the venerable vendors who are scheduled to participate are the forward-thinking farmers of Building Audacity from Lynn and We Grow Microgreens in Hyde Park, as well as Ragged Hill Cider from West Brookfield, and Craic Sauce from my hometown of Lowell. Coffee fans can sample the wonderful wares of Cambridge’s Cini Coffee and Somerville’s Del’s Coffee, and those who prefer tea can steep with Forestopia and Hillside Herbals, all while enjoying something sweet from Quincy’s Asian-inspired Fuful Bakery. For animal lovers, there will also be all-natural, locally-sourced dog treats from Kettlebones in Danvers and appearances by the alpaca farmers at Inkasisa Farm in Salisbury, NH, which is part of the market’s ever-expanding footprint in the regional food space.

If you can’t make it on a Thursday, there are always great things to enjoy at the main location over Haymarket Station, including Beantown Pastrami, the Bagel Guild, Crescent Ridge Ice Cream, Red’s Best seafood, Seven Hills Pasta, Siena Farms, and, of course, Q’s Nuts, which are perfect for author interviews or any other occasion.

BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME

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Though I grew up in the Merrimack Valley, my writing career first took root when I lived in Marblehead.

And when you consider that my family shopped at Shubie’s all the time, it may be no surprise that I now write about great independent food makers.

As they have been around for over 75 years, it is a safe bet that I am not the first person to fall in love with the wonderful wares of independent makers with help from the Shube family. 

From freshly-prepared foods, handcrafted salads and sandwiches, and customized cakes at their recently-renovated Foodbar to candies and treats from other local legends like Harbor Sweets and a wide selection of gifts that includes great books to wine and spirits from around the corner and around the world, Shubie’s has everything you need to feed your family, sparkle a party host, and find a new favorite every time you visit! 

If you need help finding new favorites, be sure to take suggestions from third-generation Shubie, Dougy. 

If you need help finding great food for more than just yourself, Shubie’s also carters and consults on menus that are perfect for any occasion. And while a visit to the store is always fun, Shubie’s also offers online consultation and ordering and can deliver even to far-flung festivities beyond the beaches and beauty of the North Shore so you can keep enjoying even if you do not live nearby anymore (though I hope to go back soon!).