Welcome to the CulinaryWoman Newsletter and Happy Mother’s Day to the mothers among you. Above, you see my mother and Maxine on a wonderful day at Comerica Park. Sending special love to people who find Mother’s Day difficult. Do something nice for yourself today.
The Crisis In Feeding The Hungry
When I was preparing to leave New Orleans earlier this spring, I knew I would be putting my household goods in storage for a while. My friend Tess Vigeland, who spent three years traveling in Asia, advised me not to store pantry items and spices, because they’d go stale while they were stashed in a warehouse.
I had two rolling carts full of good quality but now excess ingredients. New Orleans chef Amy Sins, who specializes in food insecurity activism, suggested I contact David Roe. He is one of the movers and shakers behind Nola Fridges, part of the global community refrigerator movement.
Launched in Europe earlier this century, the fridges operate as food pantries, only stocked with prepared meals. There are at least 500 community fridges in the U.S. and U.K., with fridges also operating in Japan, Brazil and elsewhere. Here’s a video that explains the program.
Dave leads a collection of New Orleans cooks who whip up dozens of takeout boxes at a throw, with all manner of menu items. They drop the meals off at fridges around town, where the items are free to anyone who wants one. My pantry items, sauces and spices were welcomed by Dave, who thought they could liven up future meals. The volunteers also place produce in the fridges while some have shelves for dry ingredients and personal hygiene items.
Barely making a dent
As I’ve learned since I became aware of Nola Fridges, however, there is an enormous amount of food insecurity in New Orleans and elsewhere.
The University of Southern California says the number of people without reliable access to food may be far higher than government statistics show. In 2021, the USDA estimated that at least once during the previous year, 10 percent of all Americans did not know where their next meal would come from. The figure was 16 percent for Latino families and 20 percent for Black families.
However, if families are asked whether they could not find food during the previous month, at least 33 percent overall said they experienced a problem, USC’s researchers estimated. They theorized that as time passed, the respondents had trouble remembering specific occasions of hunger, but could more easily recall recent ones. The data is crucial since underestimating food insecurity has enormous ramifications for public health, the researchers said.
If the problem is indeed that big, it means the fridges are barely making a dent in community hunger, and the meals may not be reaching everyone who wants one, despite the best efforts of these volunteers.
Enormous demand
The meals are free for the taking and no limits are imposed. Nola Fridges volunteers regularly post the types and numbers of meals they have dropped off at the fridges. They say it’s common to see area residents who live near a fridge keep watch for deliveries, sometimes following the drivers to their destination. Lines often form while volunteers are placing meals in a fridge. It is often emptied as soon as it is filled.
Some people seeking food walk away disappointed, and have posted appeals on Facebook asking to be privately notified before the food arrives. There is a fledgling effort to deliver meals directly to those who want them for a small fee, sort of a Meals on Wheels style activity.
Finding a fridge
The need for more volunteers and food donations is everywhere. There are resources on the Web for finding fridges, and instructions on how to start one. Here is one organization, called Freedge. https://freedge.org/locations/
You might also look on Facebook to see if your city has an active program. (Ann Arbor may soon get a fridge system.) And if you can’t find a fridge, a local food pantry can surely use your help.
More Controversy For The Beard Awards
The James Beard Awards have had a rocky decade. The pandemic, coupled with #MeToo and the past award winners’ lack of diversity, prompted the awards to be put on hold in 2020. They returned in 2022 with a number of changes to judging criteria and eligibility.
Last week, with the Chicago ceremony looming in June, one of this year’s finalists was disqualified, the first time it has happened under the new rules. Timothy Hontzas of Johnny’s Restaurant in Homewood, Alabama, was informed on Wednesday that his nomination was tossed out, AL.com reported.
Hontzas was a finalist for Best Chef-South, but says he was told he had violated the Beard Foundation’s code of ethics. In an interview with the Washington Post, the chef said an independent investigator informed him there were allegations that he yelled at customers for not shutting the restaurant’s front door; yelled about an ice machine not being filled; and yelled at the kitchen staff. He also was accused of getting into a physical altercation with a staff member.
Along with addressing the allegations in multiple interviews, the proud Greek-American posted his own response on Instagram. He says he made up with the staffer in question, who still works for him. Customers rallied to support him, with record restaurant sales after news of the disqualification circulated.
The step angered several of Hontzas’ friends, including Beard Award winners John Currence and Vishwesh Bhatt, both based in Oxford, Miss. Currence posted a photo on Instagram of a smashed picture frame containing his Beard medal, while Bhatt took his off the wall and denounced the move in an emotional post. Meanwhile, Todd Price, a correspondent for USA Today, stepped aside from a Beard judging panel.
I don’t have a Beard award, I’ve never been invited to judge, and as an independent writer, I have found the entry fee for the journalism awards to be prohibitive, so I sit them out.
However, I know a Beard medal means a lot to many people in the culinary world. Winning, or even becoming a finalist, can mean increased business and visibility. Moreover, the Beards have become a brand onto themselves.
The award festivities have turned into a mini-Oscars, complete with red carpet and a lively weekend of events, akin to the White House Correspondents dinner in D.C. With all that hoopla, no one expects them to simply disappear.
But given the other culinary awards out there now, particularly Guide Michelin, which is on a growth push, and the real time role that social media plays in illuminating restaurants, the Beards may simply no longer be the arbiter they were during the past 30 years.
If you start to see other chefs take down their medals, remove Beard citations from their bios, and decline to participate in future Beard events, you’ll know its value as a credential has been diminished.
A Flight Attendant’s Imaginative Eating
As an airline child, I have always loved chatting with flight attendants and have respect for their responsibilities. I found this flight attendant’s food diary for Bon Appetit absolutely delightful.
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/food-diary-queens-ny-61k-year-salary
The unidentified crew member has an entertaining and wildly diverse way with food, from home cooked meals to hotel buffets to warm nuts eaten aloft.
She shares some of FAs’ tips for shopping abroad (French butter, Campari, Camembert) and frankly eats some pretty disgusting sounding stuff, too. But what a fascinating tale she spins.
The Bear Will Return
It’s absolutely no surprise that FX has renewed The Bear for a second season. The Chicago-set series will return June 22, and will be streamable on Hulu.
Chicago Eater reports that the show has been filming since February at places like the chocolate and ice cream shop Margie’s Candies; Kasama, the only Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant in the world; and even outside the Lincoln Park location on West Armitage (above) where legendary chef Charlie Trotter’s restaurant stood.
Also, actor Bob Odenkirk from Better Call Saul will be joining the cast.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
I’ve got the luxury of spending the next few weeks at home before I head out in June to visit four Michigan libraries. Here’s where I will be.
Thursday, June 9: Tecumseh District Library, Tecumseh, Mich.
Tuesday, June 13: Otsego County Library, Gaylord, Mich.
Wednesday, June 14: Bellaire Public Library, Bellaire, Mich.
Thursday, June 15: Glen Lake Community Library, Empire, Mich.
Please let me know if you attend any of my events. Copies of Satisfaction Guaranteed will be available for purchase.
My book makes a great graduation or Father’s Day gift. I am happy to send you a signed bookplate if you email me a proof of purchase and any dedication that you would like.
Contact me at culinarywoman (at) gmail dot com. You can find me on Instagram (at) michelinemaynard. I’ve also been posting regularly on Post (at) mickimaynard.
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I’ll be back tomorrow with Red Beans and Advice for paid subscribers. See the rest of you next Sunday.