Pennsylvania Wines

For many, a great meal just isn't complete without a perfectly paired wine to compliment it. Most think of France or California when speaking of exquisite wine, but great wine can come from many unexpected places. Take Pennsylvania, for example. The keystone state is definitely not the first place most would start looking for outstanding wine. However, PA's moderate climate and rolling terrain provides some of the best growing conditions on the East Coast.

With approximately 14,000 acres of grapes, Pennsylvania ranks 4th nationally in the amount of grapes grown (including juice grapes). The state also ranks 7th in the production of wine.

Pennsylvania's grape varietals include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Reisling, Gewurztraminer, Catawba, Cayuga, Chambourcin, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles, and even wine made in the Champagne manner.
Source: http://www.pennsylvaniawine.com

Next time you're looking for that perfect bottle of wine to go with your meal, try a wine from Pennsylvania. You might just find your new favorite pairing.

PA has over 140 wineries across the state.

 

If you're looking for more information on PA wines, visit PennsylvaniaWine.com.

Food Art

 Working in the foodservice industry is a busy job. When chefs find themselves with some free time, however, some chefs move beyond the plate to express their art. Photographers such as Carl Warner and chefs such as Joost Elffers and Saxton Freymann have been making food into art not just for their guests, but for art lovers as well. Here are some great examples of food art.

 

 

Source: http://www.weburbanist.com

Source: http://www.designbeep.com

 Source: http://www.weirdspy.com

 Source: http://www.weirdspy.com

 Source: http://www.weirdspy.com

 Source: http://www.weirdspy.com

 Source: http://www.weirdspy.com

These breathtaking landscapes are actually made entirely out of food:

Source: http://www.weburbanist.com

 

Source: http://www.weburbanist.com

 

Source: http://weburbanist.com

Dining in the Big Apple

New York City Dining! on PhotoPeach


I have always loved New York City. Growing up in the country, the Big Apple was a place I could only dream of living and working in. At the moment, it's still a dream... but Providence, RI isn't a bad starter city. After I finish my grad work here, I'm setting my eyes on NYC.

Here are some guides to dining in New York City:

New York Magazine's Restaurant Guide: nymag.com/restaurants
NYC.com's Guide to Restaurants: www.nyc.com/restaurants
NY Times Restaurant Reviews: http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/...
About.com's NYC Dining Guide: http://gonyc.about.com/...
NYC GO's Dining Guide: http://www.nycgo.com/dining/

Culinary Education

The College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Johnson & Wales University (JWU) houses multiple departments, including The College of Culinary Arts, The College of Business, The Hospitality College, The School of Technology, The John Hazen White School of Arts and Sciences, and The Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School.

The video above highlights JWU's College of Culinary Arts, which offers one of the most well-known Culinary Arts programs in the nation. JWU is also the largest foodservice educator in the world.

I attended JWU for my undergrad as a Culinary Arts major for both my AS and BS degrees, with three concentrations: Resort Management, Food and Beverage Management, and Leadership.

Square Watermelon

In Japan, space is typically at a premium. For years, consumers found it difficult to fit large, round watermelons in their tiny refrigerators.

Shipping round watermelon also expensive when space is limited.

A solution to the problem? Make it square. It's easy to ship, store, and cut.

That's exactly what one farmer decided to do in Japan. A farmer from Zentsuji in Kagawa began to grow watermelons inside of a square, glass box.

Viola! Square watermelon. The downside? Turns out that the price for square watermelon is almost three times the price of a normal watermelon.



Guess these won't be catching on anytime soon. But admittedly, they are, if nothing else, interesting.

Read more about square watermelon in this BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/...

The Food Industry

The foodservice industry is one of the largest employers in the United States and growing.

Over 16.5 million people are employed in the food industry in the United States alone.
Source: http://www.plunkettresearch.com/...

Our business deals with fast-paced consumer demands, government regulations, health concerns and evolving food trends in a variety of market segments.

The job, however, can be incredibly rewarding, but staying on the cutting edge is key in this ever-changing career.

Here are several resoucres industry professionals can turn to and stay current:

National Restaurant Association:
http://www.restaurant.org/

Food Managagment Magazine:
http://food-management.com/

Restaurants and Institutions: http://www.rimag.com/

Cheers! Magazine:
http://www.cheersonline.com/