2009 – A Year of Culinary Types

Food provides nourishment and is central to our lives. But the people who grow, cook and share food are those who give it context and relevance for our sustenance and our celebrations. During 2009, the stories of “Culinary Types” reinforced how important individuals are to our understanding, enjoyment and collective appreciation of food.

We started the year shopping for the Perfect Pantry item at Dean & Deluca with blogger Lydia Walshin. The quintessential community organizer and nurturer, Lydia’s Drop In & Decorate Cookies for Donation will soon mark the donation of a total of 10,000 cookies to local nonprofit organizations serving basic human needs.

Community is key in Lydia’s Perfect Pantry

Cousin Meg created a cake for Valentine’s Day that was as big as her generous heart.

Jan Hazard, the Kitchen GadgetGal offered a primer on the best culinary tools on the market.

We sampled burgers in the Big Apple and then joined Zany and Mad Me-Shell as we chased the food trucks of Manhattan. The sidewalk feast was extraordinary - waffles, dumplings, sweets, burgers and the ultimate schnitzel.

Pursuit of the Schnitzel Truck was - at last - rewarded

The urban gluttony continued as we went “dawging” with Ford McKenzie. And, a continent away in the Pacific Northwest blogger Brett Burmeister took us on a lively lunchtime tour of the famous food carts of Portland.

Brett Burmiester is Portland’s food cart ambassador

We sampled homemade bread made from local grain with writer Eric Steinman as he began to chronicle the stories of Edible Hudson Valley.

Chef John MacPherson published the elegant Foster Harris House Cookbook and we observed Chef John’s creative process during a visit to the Foster Harris House.

We met Casey Blankenship, an outstanding New Jersey teenager who showed us how a passion for cookies can actually help the community.

Casey Blankenship sells his homemade cookies and donates profits to charity

We explored the local food of Long Island. Karen Catapano shared how outstanding animal care results in the extraordinary goat cheese available at the Catapano Dairy in Peconic, Long Island.

Karen Catapano and her husband produce award-winning goat cheese on the North Fork

Entrepreneur Rich Stabile took us on a tour of Long Island Spirits in Baiting Hollow, and talked about how Long Island potatoes had inspired the creation of LiV Vodka.

Long Island potatoes inspired Rich Stabile’s creation of LiV Vodka

And, we spent a glorious season at Restoration Farm.

Greens, carrots, snap peas, sweet potatoes, beans and luscious berries were just part of the stunning bounty, and we learned from head growers Dan Holmes and Caroline Fanning about the challenges and rewards of producing sustainable food.

Restoration Farm’s head growers Caroline Fanning and Dan Holmes were collaborators in my kitchen

Indeed, the farm, the sense of place, the soil, the elements and the standard of care all contribute to the pleasures of the table.

Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year to all!

©2009 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved