Roberto
TuscanyRoberto, at da Roberto Taverna in Montisi, does not cook with salt any more.He said salt is bad for you. It raises the blood pressure and is bad for the heart. He believes too many chefs cooks...
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Sandra and Ulisse at Podere Il Casale
Sandra and Ulisse at Podere Il Casale see to it that all of their sheep are milked by hand.Podere Il Casale is a small organic farm outside of Pienza, dedicated to helping their guests get closer to...
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Pizza in Torrenieri
One evening, we drove from Castelmuzio to Torrenieri to eat at a pizza place. This absolutely wonderful pizza has informed my own pizza making ever since. The crust was thin and very flavorful and the...
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Wineries in Montalcino and Montepulciano
We visited many wine-making operations while in Italy.I was intrigued by the production techniques of two in particular: Icario Winery in Montepulciano and Casato Prime Donne Winery in...
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Pici – The Traditional Pasta of Tuscany
A few nights before we were set to leave Tuscany, we learned how to make the traditional Tuscan pasta known as pici. No recipe. No proportions. Just the information and practical experience about how...
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Weighing The Ingredients
There tends to be a certain amount of carry-over from a person’s work life to their personal life. For example, it seems to me that people who are organized at work are more likely to be organized in...
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Basic Science
Here is a quick refresher, or primer, on all the science you’ll ever need to know. (If you believe that, have I got a deal for you!)MatterThere are three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. For...
View ArticleWintry Mix – Part 1
Our friend, Ada, made the social media remark: “Tis the season for the phrase ‘wintry mix’.”To which Julie commented: “Is that a cocktail? I think it should be! Bartender, I’ll have the wintry mix, on...
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Wintry Mix – Part 2
By the time the holiday party we were hosting for our neighbors had gotten in near-full-swing, I had exhausted the supply of cranberry nectar for the “Portland Wintry Mix” cocktail of the evening. Not...
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It costs how much?
Have you ever fixed a meal and wondered, how much did that cost me to make? Or maybe you have a favorite recipe that you’ve thought about going commercial with but are unsure of how you should price...
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Food Product Costing – Part 1
I am under the impression that there are many people operating food businesses who do not calculate their product costs on an item-by-item basis. While I don’t have any hard cold statistics to confirm...
View ArticleFood Product Costing – Part 2
In my previous post (Food Product Costing – Part 1) I talked about the impression I have that many food business operators don’t know their product costs on an item-by-item basis.Here are some...
View ArticleFood Product Costing – Part 3
In my previous two posts, I talked about the reasons I hear most often for why people running food businesses don’t calculate their product costs on an item-by-item basis.I disagree with people who say...
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Canning Salsa
For the past several years now my husband and I have canned salsa. Our desire to can salsa was driven by our love of spicy food and the beautiful roma tomatoes that we’d spy on our weekly trips to the...
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Costing Salsa
In years past, when my husband and I would can our salsa, we’d have a basic idea of how much our ingredients cost us. However, we had no idea how much each jar of salsa actually cost and whether or not...
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DePaul Packaging
One of my favorite things to do is to see food businesses in action and to tour food processing plants. So when my friend and colleague, Ken Wetherell invited me to visit DePaul Packaging to get a...
View ArticleProcessing Options For Your Food Business Startup
If you are in the beginning stages of your food business, you probably have a lot of questions. More questions, in fact, than you have answers to. Many of these questions are probably about the making...
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Getting Your Recipe To Market
It’s the dream of many talented home cooks and food service professionals: take a favorite culinary creation and develop it into a successful retail product. Friends and family all agree, “You should...
View ArticleHome Recipe to Commercial Recipe
Every time I have a conversation with someone who’s considering starting a business selling their own food creations, I begin by emphasizing the importance of converting their recipes so they’re based...
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