Hooray for Todd Erickson

Posted on 28. Jan, 2013 by Howard Salus in Dining, Entertainment, featured, Florida News

By Marguerite Gil

Local Green Chef Todd Erickson Tackles  Anthony Bourdain on The Taste

If you’re into food, you’ve no doubt heard of bad boy foodie Anthony Bourdain.  For a number of years Chef Bourdain, who is also an author, TV host, world traveler and notorious food critic, has eaten his way into our hearts…or not. Last year he ended his long-running “No Reservations” show on the cable Travel Channel and jumped right into his next boob-tube gig entitled “The Layover”

Chef Todd Erickson (l) with friends Chef Adrianne Calvo, Giovanny Gutierrez, Publisher Anne M. Owen, and Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli

Lately, Bourdain has been promoting his latest TV endeavor:  The Taste on ABC,    The show will pit amateur cooks against professional chefs.  Recently Bourdain visited The Chew, ABC’s afternoon, light-hearted cooking show starring Chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon and Carla Hall along with co-hosts Daphne Oz and Clinton Kelly where he was given a simple task…mash garlic in a pestle and add condiments, which just made Tony laugh and screw up the task at hand. He recalled being a guest on the Martha Steward show and said, “After Martha saw me perform some cooking preparations, she asked me if I had ever worked in a restaurant?” 

What will make The Taste show different from other shows that Bourdain has hosted in the past?  Well for one, he won’t be able to use profanity or cruelly criticize his guests.  Nigella and two other culinary pros, Chefs Ludo Lefebvre and Brian Malarkey, will co-host on prime time, so potty mouth statements are a no-no.  During the first episode, award winning Chef Todd Erickson of Haven in Miami Beach was eliminated.   Too bad for The Taste.  If they had considered Todd, they would have discovered that he’s really into local produce, supporting our Florida farmers, hand-picking many of the fresh ingredients that he uses in his preparations and is a considerate, conscientious chef.  Sadly he won’t be part of The Taste… but he’s ready to serve his clients, clean, lean, Florida fresh ingredients in every dish that he creates at Haven.  He may not have made the cut for TV, but he’s into making great, caring dishes for Miami and… that’s perfect for us.

World’s Premier Cocktail Festival

Posted on 16. Jul, 2012 by Howard Salus in Dining, Education, featured, Florida News

TALES OF THE COCKTAIL FEATURES  “MIDNIGHT MOON” “CATDADDY SPICED MOONSHINE” and FAB RECIPES

Nancy Powell Radlauer ( PowellReviews@aol.com)

Tales of the Cocktail® is the world’s premier cocktail festival, bringing together the most respected minds on mixology for five days of cocktails, cuisine and culture. Held annually in New Orleans, this international event has something for cocktail professionals and enthusiasts alike with a spirited schedule of seminars, dinners, competitions and tasting rooms where brands showcase their latest products. Tales of the Cocktail® returns in 2012 for a historic milestone—its 10th Anniversary of rocking the cocktail world. Join the celebration July 25-29, 2012 and see how Tales of the Cocktail® only gets better with age. www.talesofthecocktail.com

Piedmont Distillers, a craft distillery in the little town of Madison, NC, is considered a leader of the current moonshine and artisan distilling movement. Its reputation is one of creating authentic, superior quality, handcrafted spirits. Piedmont Distillers’ spirits are handcrafted in small batches, distilled from corn and triple-distilled. Piedmont Distillers is committed to preserving the moonshining legacy and distilling traditions that have made North Carolina the “Moonshine Capital of the World.” Coupling these traditions with one-of-a-kind recipes and a state-of-the-art distillation process has enabled Piedmont Distillers’ spirits to transcend moonshine from the backwoods, to be amongst the finest spirits available anywhere. For more information, please visit www.piedmontdistillers.com.

Junior Johnson is a legendary moonshiner from North Carolina, who brought his family recipe to Piedmont Distillers in 2007. The Johnson family’s moonshine is considered to be the best. Junior grew-up tending to the family’s stills during the day and bootlegging ‘shine at night. Johnson’s incredible driving skills enabled him to stay two steps ahead of the revenuers. While never caught delivering his moonshine, Johnson was eventually arrested while firing up the family still. He served 11 months of a two-year sentence and then later received a presidential pardon from Ronald Reagan for his 1956 moonshining conviction. Junior used the racing and car building knowledge he acquired while bootlegging to become one of the most successful drivers and owners in racing history, culminating with his induction into the 2010 inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Johnson was the subject of Tom Wolfe’s famous essay for Esquire magazine in 1965 titled, “The Last American Hero is Junior Johnson. Yes!”

Junior Johnson’s legendary North Carolina moonshine Midnight Moon and Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine will roll into New Orleans on July 25 – 29, 2012, to celebrate its fifth year at the Tales of the Cocktail®, the world’s premier cocktail festival. From an exclusive five course meal with specialty cocktails to celebratory tasting rooms, Midnight Moon and Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine will the featured spirit that mixologists and enthusiasts won’t want to miss. “This festival is the culmination of the best the world has to offer in mixology and spirits. This is the place to be to mix with spirits enthusiasts, experts and influencers from around the globe.” said Sarah LeRoy, vice president of marketing for Piedmont Distillers, Inc., the makers of Midnight Moon and Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine.

Thursday, July 26, 8:00 p.m.: Midnight Moon Fruit Inclusions will be featured in five unique cocktails created just for this exclusive SOLD OUT “Barbeque Coast-to-Coast” Spirited Dinner Series event at Boucherie. Join Chef Nathanial Zimet, of the acclaimed Boucherie and Midnight Moon handmade moonshine, as we take a delicious tour of the country’s preeminent BBQ regions: North Carolina, Kansas City and Texas. Chef Nathanial will interpret the various techniques that make North Carolina, Kansas City and Texas BBQ legendary. Mixologists from each region will craft a cocktail pairing featuring one of the Midnight Moon varieties (Original, Apple Pie, Cherry, Strawberry, Blueberry or Cranberry) and each mixologist will be at the dinner to prepare their cocktail and speak to the guests. The attendees will receive a special Midnight Moon scrapbook featuring the cocktails from the evening and a history of moonshine. All six varieties of Midnight Moon will be available for straight tastings.

Friday, July 27: Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine and its Southern 75 cocktail will be featured during the “Dame Hall of Fame” Spirited Luncheon at 12:30 p.m. at the Omni Royal Hotel. Joy Richard from The Citizen, Boston, will be our mixologist. Tales of the Cocktail® and Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) are coming together to honor today’s most influential female mixologists and honor the first class of inductees into the Dame Hall of Fame during the luncheon and tasting event.

Friday, July 27:, A new flavor t hat will be unveiled for the first time and served at the “Meet the Craft Distillers” tasting event at

 Hotel Monteleone from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Come meet 24 of the world’s top craft distillers as they sample their handiwork and discuss the artisan and sometimes old-fashioned techniques that make their spirits much bigger than the number of barrels they produce.

Saturday, July 28: Catdaddy’s “Christmas in July” Tasting Room, Hotel Monteleone from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to sample Catdaddy’s spicy-meets-sweet flavor of the holidays in our so tacky it’s hip tasting room. We will deck the halls of Bonnet Carre and transform a summer day in New Orleans into a spirited Christmas party. Three Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine cocktails will be featured, as well as moonshine-infused holiday breakfast sweets.

Midnight Moon fruit inclusions are available in delectable flavors like Apple Pie, Cherry, Strawberry, Blueberry and Cranberry. Midnight Moon follows the Johnson family’s generations-old, small batch recipe that is triple distilled to craft a smooth, clean-tasting spirit and authentically infused in Mason jars with whole pieces of gourmet fruit. Although people perceive notes or hints of cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, only the Founder and Master Distiller know the exact recipe of Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine. Catdaddy’s all natural ingredients are blended with a handcrafted spirit that is made from corn in small batches and triple-distilled to achieve an ultra-smooth finish and it is the only spiced moonshine on the market.

  TALES OF THE COCKTAIL 2012 SPECIALTY COCKTAIL RECIPES

Picnic (Created by James Denio, of Boucherie New Orleans)

2 oz Midnight Moon Strawberry Moonshine

1 oz Amestoi, Getariako, Txakolina (semi-effervescent white wine)

.2 oz fresh squeezed lemon & lime juice (equal parts, cut with equal amounts of water)

Watermelon Granita (one watermelon, small and ripe)

Remove seeds from watermelon & puree until liquid. If necessary, add a small amount of fresh lemon & lime to get the watermelon to near water-like consistency (a small amount of foam is normal.) Freeze watermelon juice in an ice tray. Add ice, Midnight Moon Strawberry, lemon & lime juice to a mixing glass. Shake vigorously. Add white wine. Crush 1-2 watermelon ice cubes with the concave side of a heavy spoon. Add crushed watermelon granite to the drink & serve.

Bluegrass Moon  (Created by Joel Finsel of Manna in Wilmington, NC)

1.5 oz Midnight Moon Blueberry Moonshine

4-6 fresh blueberries

0.5 shredded stalk of lemon grass

2 springs fresh mint leaves

1 oz honey syrup

2 oz unsweetened green tea

Muddle blueberries, mint leaves & shredded lemon grass in a mixing glass with honey syrup. Once extracted, add Midnight Moon Blueberry, tea, & ice. Shake 15-20 seconds & strain over fresh ice or in a coup. Garnish with fresh blueberries & mint.

Splitdog Fizz  (Created by Alberto Sanatoria of Extra Virgin in Kansas City, MO)

1.5 oz Midnight Moon Strawberry Moonshine

.5 oz simple syrup

.75 oz fresh lemon juice 5 dashes of Kansas City smoked bitters

Shake & strain over ice. Top with Boulevard Wheat (Kansas City craft beer). Garnish with a mint sprig & a strawberry.

Libacious Lunation (Created by Sly Cosmopoulos, Corporate Mixologist National Accounts, RNDC)

1.5 oz Midnight Moon Cranberry Moonshine

1 oz Apricot Brandy

1.5 oz Fresh Squeezed Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

.5 oz Almond Syrup

3 Dashes Fee Brothers Peach Bitters

1 Piece Apricot

3 oz Shiner Bock Beer Muddle all ingredients, except beer.

Shake over ice. Top off with beer. Roll then strain into champagne glass. Garnish with cranberries & grapefruit twist.

Dame Hall of Fame Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine  Southern 75 (Created by Piedmont Distillers)

1 1⁄2 oz Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine

1⁄2 oz lemon juice

1⁄2 oz simple syrup

1 oz Champagne Shake over ice, except the champagne.

Strain over fresh ice or serve up, top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Catdaddy’s Christmas in July (Created by Michael Glassberg of Domenica, New Orleans)

Bayou Moon

1 1⁄2 oz Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine

2 oz apple cider 1⁄2 oz Steen’s Molasses

1⁄4 oz Gran Gala

1⁄4 oz Bonded Applejack

Combine all ingredients. Serve warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Liza’s Eggnog   (Created by Jay Early, Zely & Ritz, Raleigh, NC)

1⁄2 cup sugar

6 eggs (separated)

1 cup Catdaddy Spiced Moonshine

1 cup milk 1/4 tsp salt

1 cup whipping cream

Gradually add sugar to 6 egg yolks, beating until thick. Beat in milk & Catdaddy. Chill. Add salt to 6 egg whites, beating until soft peaks form. Whip cream until stiff. Fold egg whites & whipped cream into 2 cups of yolk mixture. Chill 1 hour. Makes 45 oz.

New Farm to Table Restaurant

Posted on 25. Oct, 2011 by Howard Salus in Dining, Eco Tourism, featured, Florida News, Green Business

FARM TO TABLE RESTAURANT: Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa Now a Full Service Retreat on the Hudson River

Nancy Powell Radlauer(PowellReviews@aol.com)

The recent opening of Henry’s Farm to Table restaurant at Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa in the 300 year old Hudson River-side hamlet of Milton, NY, completes the property’s evolution from charming bed and breakfast to country chic resort – one with a decidedly green sensibility.  The new contemporary American 60-seat dining destination restaurant embraces the
locavore movement by sourcing locally to showcase the bounty of the Hudson Valley and complements Buttermilk Falls Spa’s eco-friendly use of solar and geo thermal power.

Henry’s Farm to Table reflects its name in an unusually literal manner since much of the produce and eggs used by Executive Chef Paul Kelly comes from Buttermilk’s 40-acre working organic farm – Millstone – just across the property’s enchanting Swan Pond from the restaurant.

Every day, Chef Kelly and his culinary team harvest organic greens, vegetables, fruits and herbs, which they combine with other ingredients from nearby organic farms as the foundation for their seasonal menus and daily specials.  The menu at Henry’s Farm to Table is inventive, yet unpretentious. With the extraordinary resources of the Hudson River Valley just beyond his kitchen, Executive Chef Paul Kelly and his team create mouthwatering dishes showcasing the amazing local ingredients. Henry’s offerings change daily based on what our culinarians harvest from Millstone Farm, so be sure to check our site for Daily Specials.

Representative dishes include: Spinach and Coach Farm Goat Cheese, Shaved Fennel, Millstone Farm Raspberries, Toasted Walnuts and Millstone Farm Raspberry-Lavender Vinaigrette; Organic Whole Wheat Penne with Zucchini, Artichoke, Tomato, Tossed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Millstone Farm Basil; Hudson Valley Cattle Company Grass Fed Strip Steak with Wild Mushroom Ragout, Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes, Haricots Verts and Horseradish Demi-Glace Sauce; Roasted Full Moon Farm Half Chicken for Two with Lyonnaise Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and Veloute Sauce; Southern Style Ribs with Sweet Potato, Sauteed Swiss Chard, Cornbread & Espresso BBQ Sauce and Hudson Valley Artisan Cheese Plate (Changed Daily) with Assorted Crackers and Seasonal Fruit, currently from the inaugural crop of Millstone Farm grapes.

The dining room is intimate and stylish, with hand-made wallpaper, rich barn wood tables and field of dramatic glass wine jugs-cum-lighting fixtures sprouting from the vaulted ceiling.  Large windows throughout the second floor space invite the outdoors inside. Two decks and a patio afford al fresco meals and / or cocktails with entrancing views of Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa’s bucolic Swan Pond during the warmer months.

Henry’s Farm Table offers a memorable culinary experience
year round.  Nestled in a corner of the state-of-the-art kitchen framed by French doors opening out to one of the decks and the patio, the majestic antique table can be reserved for up to 10 for the opportunity to interact with Chef Kelly and his team as they prepare the Farm Table diners’ food.

Diners are invited to enjoy the grounds of the farm with a pre-or post-meal stroll. A network of trails lead to breathtaking views of the Hudson River, flowering gardens, bubbling brooks, the property’s impressive eponymous falls, enchanting ponds, fecund orchards and verdant organic growing
plots. During a Millstone Farm walk-about, diners encounter captivating
collection of livestock – heritage chickens, peacocks, angora goats, llamas and alpacas, as well as the beehive that produces  the restaurant’s honey.

Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa has consistently been heralded as
an idyllic retreat for relaxation and healthful rejuvenation on the Hudson, since opening in 2004.  Just 70 miles from New York City, this 75-acre estate is an oasis of calm and natural beauty, featuring 17 rooms in the main circa 1764 building and guest houses, a spectacular eco-spa with a number of signature “soil to spa” treatments, drawing upon the resources of Millstone Farm and, now, an exciting restaurant and bar.

Hands-on cooking classes for the novice to experienced are fun-filled events which allow you to enjoy the dishes prepared. 
In addition to our regular cooking classes, Henry’s Farm to Table Eatery also offers private parties, company events, and corporate team building. At Henry’s they truly believe that as you improve the quality of your food, you improve the quality of your life.

Henry’s Farm to Table, named after Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa owner Robert Pollock’s three-year old son, is open Wednesday thru Sunday for dinner, Friday and Saturday for lunch and on Sundays for brunch.

Buttermilk Falls Inn + Spa, 200 North Road, Milton, NY www.buttermilkfallsinn.com (845) 795-1500; Henry’s Farm to Table: www.henrysatbuttermilk.com

150 Central Park Goes Genuine

Posted on 17. Oct, 2011 by Howard Salus in Dining, Eco Tourism, Environment, featured, Florida News, Healthy Foods

Multi-Course Tasting Menu Celebrates Locally-Sourced Ingredients

 Nancy Powell Radlauer

Royal Caribbean International has joined forces with James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami to create new menus for “150 Central Park” onboard the spectacular Oasis of the Seas cruise ship. The restaurant will be transformed into an upscale and intimate dining experience.

It’s the perfect pairing: a chef with a commitment to sustainable and seasonal food sourcing and a cruise line that continues to offer guests innovative dining concepts and the freshest, most distinct ingredients.

Michael Schwartz

150 Central Park by Michael Schwartz will launch October 29, 2011, with new pairs of menus rolling out every three months during the one-year collaboration. Seasonal tasting menus will be customized with wine pairings to deliver an exclusive culinary experience featuring two rotating six-course menus per voyage.

Chef Schwartz personally chose two of his stars from Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink (MSFD); Chef de Cuisine James Seyba to oversee the execution of the new menu and engage with guests on a daily basis, and Sommelier Eric Larkee to develop the dynamic wine-pairing program. Also on hand, is Chef de Cuisine Molly Brandt who, at the helm of the 150 Central Park restaurant on the Oasis sister ship, Allure of the Seas, was herself a first-time cruise chef after winning the coveted job in a chef search with the Culinary Institute of America. Molly will join the MGFD team on the mainland as a guest chef.

Best of all, the menus onboard will incorporate produce from small Florida farms. Throughout this collaboration, Schwartz will share his expertise in sustainable and seasonal food sourcing to help the cruise line integrate produce sourced from small, family-owned Florida farms like Swank Specialty Produce in Loxahatchee into its supply chain.  

The menus will include new dishes, as well as some of Schwartz’ seasoned favorites from his restaurants in Miami and Grand Cayman. Feature menus items pulled from his debut cookbook, MICHAEL’S GENUINE FOOD: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat, include jumbo lump crab cakes with a carrot butter sauce, mahogany Black Cod with whipped parsnip, baby Bok Choy and Mustard Sauce, slow roasted and grilled Harris Ranch beef short ribs with roasted Cippolini onions. 150 Central Park Restaurant is the centerpiece of the lush Central Park neighborhood on Oasis of the Seas. For more information, visit www.royalcaribbean.com 1-(866) 562-7625

Bon Voyage & Healthy Dining!

President Clinton: One Vegan’s Appreciation

Posted on 06. Oct, 2010 by Howard Salus in Dining, Education, Florida News, Green Events, Healthy Products

from Huffington Post

   Sandy Pukel, vegan cook book author, licensed nutritionist/counselor

What’s this? No more burgers for Bubba? Ten years ago the thought of Bill Clinton as a poster child for healthy living would have seemed absurd (Click here).. But oh how the times have changed: and none-too-soon.

After teaching and advocating for a holistic lifestyle for the last forty years, I’m thrilled to see that people are waking up, and that the mainstream is finally listening to what both science and alternative medicine have told us for so long. But I’m even more excited about the cache that Clinton brings to the vegan lifestyle. The message of leading a healthy lifestyle transcends politics and is a vital issue for a former president with 100% name recognition to lend his prestige..

The reality that led up to the president’s monumental life change is the reality that faces more and more men and women every day: the seemingly unstoppable downward spiral of coronary heart disease. Even though he had a quadruple bypass in 2004, Clinton’s heart required two stents last year, not as a result of the bypass veins collapsing, as is often the case, but because within only five years they had again become completely clogged again.

The president finally got the message that the public needs to get: what we eat is really a matter of life and death. Clinton’s decision to adopt a plant-based diet was not so much about losing a few pounds for Chelsea’s wedding, but about living long enough to see his grandchildren. Clinton’s decision to go vegan was also influenced by the ground breaking research of Dr. T. Colin Campbell (Click here), author of the The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health.

There are cases far more extraordinary than Clinton’s and in my own clients, I have seen these miraculous transformations through the healing power of food (Click here).By eliminating meat, dairy,processed sugars and preservatives, clients have reversed diabetes, high cholesterol, and a host of other chronic illnesses. Several clients have even completely recovered from terminal cancers after embracing a macrobiotic diet (Click here). Turns out that the truism “You are what you eat” is spot on. Food creates the body and has a great influence on our mind and spiritual life.

However, the deadly seriousness of diet hasn’t been enough to make most people change their ways. The reluctance towards veganism has been less about the medical proof of its effectiveness, and more about social perceptions. How many more studies need to be commissioned to show us that our mothers were right each time they admonished us to “eat your veggies!”

The meaning of food for us goes deeper than simple health and nutrition. The vegan lifestyle is unfortunately associated with self-deprivation. As Dean Ornish, one of Clinton’s doctors, joked about healthy living in a recent CNN interview, “Am I going to live longer or is it only going to seem longer.’”

Habit, taste and tradition also create barriers to change. For many, even those facing life risk, it is inconceivable to give up foods that they grew up with and associate with pleasurable events, such as the Sunday barbeque, hot dogs at the ball game or an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.

This is precisely how most people view their food choices – as unhealthy indulgence or unbearable privation – with little grey area in-between. But this view is based on misconceptions and outdated stereotypes.

What we really need is a change in consciousness about our food. People aren’t going to embrace a holistic lifestyle as long as it’s stigmatized as a punishment. And this is exactly why Clinton’s personal awakening is so important for the public at large.

Holistic living is about enjoyment. What people forget is that the current explosion of degenerative diseases has not only led to an increase in premature death, but also to a significantly reduced quality of life. Healthy diet offers so many benefits, but most people never take the time to discover the possibilities.

This lifestyle has come quite a ways in the four decades I have been involved in the natural food movement. This isn’t your mother’s vegetarianism. It doesn’t have to mean tofu: it can mean soul food, or Asian fusion, or even cupcakes. With the proliferation of vegan restaurants and cooking classes (Click here), it is easier than ever to maintain health.

Our current venue for spreading the message is Holistic Holiday at Sea (Click here). We provide a friendly, supportive and educational environment with like-minded people who have either discovered the health benefits and enjoyment of eating well or are just finding out what it is all about.

President Clinton you are welcome aboard anytime!

NOTE:  Sandy Pukel has been intimately involved in the natural foods industry for over three decades and has established an international reputation as a leader in this field. He is a natural foods icon and vegan cook book author, licensed nutritionist/counselor located in South Florida where he taught vegan/macrobiotic cooking in the early 1970s and owned and operated the landmark Oak Feed natural foods store, a Mecca for people interested in health and well being.