Boston rocks Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” premiere party @ Bell In Hand July 26th

While Boston has some of the best chefs and entertainers in the nation, not all of them are satisfied to rest on their local laurels. Some in fact are willing to pack up the truck, and head to Beverly … Hills that is.

On Thursday, July 26th at 7:30pm, join Celebrity Chef Kevin Des Chenes, and truck mates Boston Comedy legend Christine Hurley and Culinary Globetrotter Chef Eddie G, along with KEEL Vodka and Sam Adams, at the historic Bell In Hand Tavern in Boston for the Season 9 premiere of Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race w/ Tyler Florence (www.foodnetwork.com/shows/the-great-food-truck-race).

For the nationwide competition, the talented trio has loaded up their New England Grill food truck on lobster, pot roast sliders and other Yankee faves and taken the taste of the northeast all the way across the country. They’re looking to bring home glory and $50,000 but six other food trucks stand in their way!

Headlining food and wine festivals across the U.S., Chef Kev D is partnered with Main Entrée, Flint & Flame, and KEEL Vodka, and has been a Chef Expert for Bobby Flay and Gordon Ramsay. In addition to supporting numerous charities and non-profits throughout New England, the author of “Beyond My Chef Coat: Cuisine & Cocktails with Chef Kev D” has also appeared on The Today Show and was previously named Top Chef at Las Vegas Food & Wine Festival.

For more info on Thursday’s premiere party at Bell In Hand, go to www.facebook.com/events/844277189102403/ … then get ready to (lobster) roll!

Though they have been known for their annual Ride for Food (which will take place this year on September 2), Three Squares New England (www.threesquaresne.org) has been adding another popular and productive event to heir repertoire in the form of their Ultimate Food Rescue Challenge, which took place this year at Capo in South Boston on June 19 and raised over $30,000 for Three Square’s vital cause.

While so many of us are privileged enough to not only choose where and when we eat but also how much (with the result often being TOO much!), millions in MA and elsewhere face food insecurity every day. What makes the situation even more tragic is the fact that thousands of pounds of food are also wasted every day in homes, schools, and restaurants.

That is where TSNE comes in.

Working with other organizations and also with many starts of the food industry, TSNE encourages saving and helps redirect what would otherwise become wasted food to people and organizations that can put it to much better use (as in saving lives better!).

At the Food Challenge, super chefs like La Morra’s Josh Ziskin, Culinary SWAT’s Stephen Coe, the dynamic duo of Women’s Lunch Place’s Sherry Hughes and Jody Adams of Porto, Trade and Saloniki (which is soon to open in Harvard Square), amateur chef David Candeias, independent chef Joe Gatto, and Capo’s own pastry professional Kate Holowchik, and international kitchen king Travis “T-bone” Talbot rolled into Capo around 10 am to take possession of food items that had been saved from such popular purveyors as Chestnut Farms, Russo’s Produce, Red’s Best seafood, and Verde Farms meats to assemble the best possible plate they could. And as any of the over 200 in attendance can tell you, the results were amazing!

As guests enjoyed and voted on each dish, they also enjoyed beverages from Artifact Cider Project, Cipriani, Left Hand Brewing, Ideal Wine & Spirits, Lower Falls Wine, and Magnolia Wine, many of which were later available as part of the evening’s amazing auction, which also included items from Loon Mountain, the New England Revolution, and many generous others. At the end of the night, each guests was sent home with a delicious butterfly from Fancypants Baking Co. and the good feeling that comes not only from making sure no food was wasted but also that they had done something to help others in their community.

Speaking of community sponsors for the event included Direct Federal, BitSight, Noble & Greenough School, Goodwin Procter, Needham Bank and Walpole Cooperative Bank, Rev’d, and Sisti Marketing Group.

Those who wish to get involved or get ready for the Sept 2 ride can go to www.threesquaresne.org/ride-for-food/.

Whenever I go to a restaurant, either in a professional capacity or just as a fan, I always do my best to order just what I want and what I can eat. Even when the chef is kind enough to bring out special items, I actively adjust my order so I waste as little as possible. After all, in addition to all the hard work the restaurant’s staff does, there is infinitely more work behind each delicious bite.

I know I am not alone in this ethos and thank everyone who does what they can to keep their eyes and mouths in alignment. Despite their best efforts, however, over 1 billion pounds of food are wasted each year and much of it is completely safe to eat! Fortunately, there are organizations like Massachusetts-based Three Squares New England (www.threesquaresne.org), led by Executive Director Kati Sigel, that help stem the tide by raising awareness and funds for local hunger relief organizations. Their annual fundraising event, the Ride for Food, enables nonprofits, like those rescuing leftovers, to raise necessary funds for their programs. The Ultimate Food Rescue Challenge helps cover their overhead so their partners get the maximum benefit from the Ride..

On June 19th, Three Squares will host a team of Boston’s talented chefs at Capo (www.caposouthboston.com) for the latest edition of their Ultimate Food Rescue Challenge. The culinary roundup includes Chef David Candeias ~ Chef Mark McMann of Lil Pig ‘n Potato ~ Chef Joe Gatto of From Scratch ~ Chef Josh Ziskin of La Morra ~ Chef Sherry Hughes of Women’s Lunch Place with her Sous chef James Beard winner Chef Jody Adams of TRADE, Porto, & Saloniki ~ Chopped champion Chef Stephen Coe of Defined Palate & Culinary SWAT ~ and Capo’s Pastry Chef Kate Holowchik who’s hosting the event for the second year in a row at Capo!

The food is being sourced from our community-conscious sponsors Russo’s, Verde Farms, Chestnut Farms and Red’s Best, and if anything is left at sight’s end, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine will make sure it all goes to people in need at area shelters and kitchens immediately! Accompanying these culinary tastes will be libations from our gracious beverage sponsors including wine from Ideal Wine & Spirits, Ball Square Fine Wines, Vinolytics and Magnolia Wine Company, beer from Left Hand Brewing Company and Cider from Artifact Cider Project …. plus everyone will go home with a special treat from Fancypants Baking Co.

Incredible live & silent auctions are in the works, led by international hospitality cowboy & TSNE Advisory Board member Travis “T-bone” Talbot, that already includes​ Jay-Z & Beyonce concert tickets; Belmont Wheelworks; Castle Island Brewing Co., Clown Shoes Beer, Aeronaut Brewing Company, Ipswich Ale Brewery, Newburyport Brewing Co., and Artifact Cider Project craft beer & cider packages​; MAHA Chocolate treats; and artwork​ from Raquel Fornasaro, David Williams-Bulkeley, and Steven J. Duede; Maine Lake House in Seven Lakes region for a week; round of golf at The Country Club in Brookline; Waterville Valley season passes … with more being added! Additional sponsors supporting local hunger relief efforts include Aloft Boston Seaport District, Sisti Marketing Group, New England Revolution, Matt’s Meals, Noah’s Table, Sunny Florists, Peak Organic Brewing, Mad River Distillers, Café Mangal, Dedham Country and Polo Club, Dana Siles Photography, and Direct Federal Credit Union.

VIP and general admission tickets are still available at Ultimate Food Rescue Challenge tickets so grab them now and be sure to bring your appetite for great food to support Three Squares New England’s food rescue efforts at Capo on June 19th for the #UltimateFoodRescueChallenge.

For decades, the South Street Diner (www.southstreetdiner.com) has been a staple on the Boston food scene. As the only 24-hour eatery in the downtown area (Ed note: Sad but true!), it offers traditional diner fare (e.g., corned beef hash, omelets, pancakes, etc.) as well as a surprisingly diverse and always delicious menu that includes their famed Chocolate Fantasy French Toast, a slew of subs, wraps, burgers, and kabobs, freshly-baked pies, and over 15 types of eggs Benedict. And did we mention a full beer and wine menu (another rarity in Boston)?

Perhaps it is no wonder, then, that Sol Sidell’s super servery has been spotted in television commercials, films, and even in a recent Batgirl comic book. While it has recently been featured in the wolrd-crushing video game Fallout 4, the latest big news is the appearance of the Diner as a “gym” in the smash hit Pokemon Go! game. At times, these games can get so difficult that even pro gamers may need hwid spoofer or other cheats to get an upper hand and crack the game.

“This is a great way of new customers finding you,” says Sidell. “It’s an old school diner staying current.”

Though he is not exactly sure which friend helped turn his corner diner into a Pokemon training center, the well-connected and well-loved Sidell is greatful for the opportunity, even if it is only a virtual one.

“I am not sure how it happened or how long it will stay because the gyms move,” he explains, noting that, for the time being, the Diner is to be found on Level 4.

In addition to bringing throngs of new customers in (and tons of regulars back), Sidell says the game has also had the added advantage of expanding the profile of the already world-famous restaurant.

“It’s just cool to be involved international phenomenon,” he says.

As the Taiko drums called to every corner of the Museum of Fine Arts, the gustatory perfumes from 30 of the region’s most popular eateries grabbed hundreds of guests by the nose and took them through the grand hall in the MFA’s Art of the Americas Wing, where Ai Weiwei’s cycle-ical sculpture shared space with Dale Chihuly’s glowing emerald tower and an artistic take on the traditional Asian Wishing Tree that promised good fortune for all who came near.

Though the evening did an impressive job of raising awareness of and support for the Asian American Diabetes Initiative at the world-famous Joslin Diabetes Center (www.joslin.org), the promise of over two dozen top chefs in one room may have had at least something to do with the fact that, despite a late snow, hundreds of people turned out in their finest to eat, meat, and mingle. From the eternally youthful seafood Sultan Jasper White and the thankfully ageless Jacky Robert to kitchen giant Jose Duarte of Taranta and the ever-shrinking chickpea champ Avi Shemtov, to the Needham-based one-two-three punch of Dave Becker from Sweet Basil, Vinod and Shukha Kapoor from Masala Art, and the Lord of Tremont Street Andy Husbands (who is soon to open his long-awaited BBQ capital in Kendall Square) and both local legend Joanne Chang and Top Chef champ Karen Akunowicz from Myers & Chang and Flour, the bursting Greater Boston food scene was well represented. And, as befit the evening, there was a special focus on Asian fare, as highlighted by international TV star Ming Tsai and a raft of restaurateurs from Boston’s historic Chinatown. No matter which table guests stopped at or how many times, they were sure to be nearly as amazed and impressed with the edible innovations as those that are part of daily life at Joslin.

This year’s event honorees were founding event committee member Bik Fung Ng who has been integral in assembling not only the menu and chefs but also the silent auction and Joslin VP Dr. William C. Hsu. Despite the mouth-watering buzz, when the honorees spoke, the room fell respectfully silent, eager to hear about all the latest advances that are helping the Asian American community in particular battle a condition that seems to pick on them disproportionally. Once the speeches were through, however, the restaurant-fuel revelry continued long into the snowy night and everyone went home as full of food as they were of hope for the future for those struggling with diabetes.