Yum - Annual 2012 - Buffalo, NY

05/04/12

Nickel City Chef 2012 Video: XVII: Van Wagner vs. Mercado in Battle: Greens

Featuring fresh greens from the greenhouse at Buffalo's own Massachusetts Avenue Project

Posted at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

03/26/12

Our picks for Local Restaurant Week - Spring 2012

Local Restaurant Week, as one of my dinner companions put it the other night, really does just two things, but does them reliably. It lowers people’s guard about eating out, and it raises the bar in regards to what type of meal you can get for an Andrew Jackson or two.

As members of the press we were invited to a preview dinner. Last year they were kind enough to tote us all around, nibbling at a variety of participating restaurants. This year, organizers allowed us to luxuriate in the private room at Sea Bar while seven of the area's chefs fed us options from their upcoming Local Restaurant Week menus. Tough job, right?

Some were preview portions, others were larger, but all in all it was a very...

Posted at 05:39 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

03/22/12

Reds at Reif: A Winemaker's Luncheon

Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Reif winery will host “An Open Barrel,” a luncheon event with winemaker Roberto DiDomenico, in the winery’s barrel room on Saturday, April 21. The meal will feature beef carpaccio with caper mustard dressing followed by lamb papardelle with wild mushroom sauce paired with new reds from the magnificent 2010 vintage: Cabernet Franc and Meritage, respectively. “Our April luncheon will mark the release and showcase of our 2010 reserve reds,” says winemaker Roberto DiDomenico. “This vintage was an ideal season for full-bodied reds and the richness and complexity of the wines will be highlighted by a menu that we have developed with

Posted at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

03/21/12

Side Dish 3/21/2012

I've been a fan of Spar's European Sausage & Meats for several years now, and have had the privilege of documenting their growth in many arenas. As a foodie I rely on this shop for terrific staples like bacon, merguez (which I wrote about in the March 2011 issue of Spree), and calabrese. But what I love most about Spar's is that on nearly every visit I discover something new. When I took WKBW's cameras with me earlier this week I learned that chef and owner Joe Kennedy is now making his own head cheese, a real delicacy when made with care, from local pork supplied by the impeccable T-Meadow...

Posted at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

03/15/12

2012 WNY Pro Start Competition

Each year the local chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association hosts Taste of Education, a fundraiser that provides financial assistance with travel and uniforms to young culinary students slated to compete in the state-level ProStart cooking competition. Year round, ProStart strives to develop talented young culinary students by blending classroom learning with hands-on experience and the opportunity to work with local industry leaders. It provides high school students with a solid footing from which to pursue further culinary education.

Taste of Education, an annual event, consists of area cooking schools tabling a series of cold and warm hors' d'oeuvres that fall under a specific type of cuisine. This...

Posted at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

03/08/12

Side Dish 3/8/2012

This week, Chef Mary Ann Giordano, the longtime executive chef of Williamsville's Creekview restaurant, released a cookbook chronicling her passion for the feast employed to celebrate St. Joseph's Day. The book, published by Buffalo Heritage, documents her family's longstanding traditions surrounding the Catholic celebration, the history and lore of the feast among Sicilians and Sicilian Americans, and many, many recipes.

I took a moment to speak with Giordano for WKBW's Eyewitness News. You can see the video here, on the WKBW website. The book is for purchase at the Buffalo Heritage website, and...

Posted at 04:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

02/29/12

Ontario's Cuvée weekend provides unique wine tasting opportunities

March in Western New York couldn’t feel any further from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood or the luxurious decadence of Napa Valley tasting rooms, yet this weekend the Niagara Community Foundation and Wine Country Ontario are bringing a little slice of both to the region with Cuvée 2012.

The event is centered on the Cuvée Awards Gala held at the Fallsview Casino Resort Friday March 2nd and extends throughout the weekend with the Cuvée En Route passport program (PDF).

The Gala—dubbed “The Oscars of Canadian Wine”—a black-tie optional fundraising event, will be the place to be this...

Posted at 06:12 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

02/24/12

WNY and Buffalo's best fish fry

Check out our food editor's favorite and tell us about yours.

Posted at 06:47 AM | Permalink | Comments: 5

02/16/12

Buddy "The Cake Boss" Valastro

The “Cake Boss” will return to Western New York this weekend as the “Kitchen Boss.” Buddy Valastro, star of Cake Boss and Kitchen Boss on TLC, will provide an up-close, interactive, Italian cooking demonstration at the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets start at $25 and are on sale at all Seneca Casino box offices, through Ticketmaster, and by phone at 800-745-3000.

Valastro, a 34-year-old fourth-generation baker and owner of Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, N.J., gained fame with the reality show Cake Boss in 2009 and has since starred in Next Great Baker and his latest, Kitchen Boss, which debuted last year....

Posted at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/25/12

Side Dish with Christa Glennie Seychew [01.25.12]

Today we begin a new food column. Called Side Dish, this segment will look at food, drink, and restaurant topics as they pertain to WNY. We've partnered up with WKBW for this; you can catch me on every other Wedensday's Eyewitness News talking about topics we'll expand upon here.

This morning we looked at food trends, both those that have a good foothold and those that are just arriving.

2011 food trends we are Beginning to sEE in Buffalo

Flexitarianism goes mainstream (meatless Mondays)

A tough economy and health concerns mean that people are eating less meat. Designating a night or two each week to enjoy a vegetarian meal can be an affordable and healthy choice. But that...

Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/04/12

Toronto Eats

I’ve convinced myself that Wegmans and our proximity to Toronto are two of the biggest quality-of-life benefits of living in Western New York. My family and I make a habit of going up to Canada’s megalopolis as often as possible to experience the world-class, big-city vibe.

It’s only recently that we’ve started exploring some of the truly amazing culinary destinations that Toronto has to offer. Following Toronto foodies like Mary Luz Mejia and Ivy Knight through social media, as well as keeping up-to-date on goings-on through BlogTO and the

Posted at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

	05/04/12 Nickel City Chef 2012 Video: XVII: Van Wagner vs. Mercado in Battle: Greens Featuring fresh greens from the greenhouse at Buffalo's own Massachusetts Avenue Project Posted at 04:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0
	03/26/12 Our picks for Local Restaurant Week - Spring 2012 Local Restaurant Week, as one of my dinner companions put it the other night, really does just two things, but does them reliably. It lowers people’s guard about eating out, and it raises the bar in regards to what type of meal you can get for an Andrew Jackson or two. As members of the press we were invited to a preview dinner. Last year they were kind enough to tote us all around, nibbling at a variety of participating restaurants. This year, organizers allowed us to luxuriate in the private room at Sea Bar while seven of the area's chefs fed us options from their upcoming Local Restaurant Week menus. Tough job, right? Some were preview portions, others were larger, but all in all it was a very... Posted at 05:39 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0
	03/22/12 Reds at Reif: A Winemaker's Luncheon Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Reif winery will host “An Open Barrel,” a luncheon event with winemaker Roberto DiDomenico, in the winery’s barrel room on Saturday, April 21. The meal will feature beef carpaccio with caper mustard dressing followed by lamb papardelle with wild mushroom sauce paired with new reds from the magnificent 2010 vintage: Cabernet Franc and Meritage, respectively. “Our April luncheon will mark the release and showcase of our 2010 reserve reds,” says winemaker Roberto DiDomenico. “This vintage was an ideal season for full-bodied reds and the richness and complexity of the wines will be highlighted by a menu that we have developed with Posted at 06:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0
	03/21/12 Side Dish 3/21/2012 I've been a fan of Spar's European Sausage & Meats for several years now, and have had the privilege of documenting their growth in many arenas. As a foodie I rely on this shop for terrific staples like bacon, merguez (which I wrote about in the March 2011 issue of Spree), and calabrese. But what I love most about Spar's is that on nearly every visit I discover something new. When I took WKBW's cameras with me earlier this week I learned that chef and owner Joe Kennedy is now making his own head cheese, a real delicacy when made with care, from local pork supplied by the impeccable T-Meadow... Posted at 10:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0
	03/15/12 2012 WNY Pro Start Competition Each year the local chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association hosts Taste of Education, a fundraiser that provides financial assistance with travel and uniforms to young culinary students slated to compete in the state-level ProStart cooking competition. Year round, ProStart strives to develop talented young culinary students by blending classroom learning with hands-on experience and the opportunity to work with local industry leaders. It provides high school students with a solid footing from which to pursue further culinary education. Taste of Education, an annual event, consists of area cooking schools tabling a series of cold and warm hors' d'oeuvres that fall under a specific type of cuisine. This... Posted at 02:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0
	03/08/12 Side Dish 3/8/2012 This week, Chef Mary Ann Giordano, the longtime executive chef of Williamsville's Creekview restaurant, released a cookbook chronicling her passion for the feast employed to celebrate St. Joseph's Day. The book, published by Buffalo Heritage, documents her family's longstanding traditions surrounding the Catholic celebration, the history and lore of the feast among Sicilians and Sicilian Americans, and many, many recipes. I took a moment to speak with Giordano for WKBW's Eyewitness News. You can see the video here, on the WKBW website. The book is for purchase at the Buffalo Heritage website, and... Posted at 04:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0
	02/29/12 Ontario's Cuvée weekend provides unique wine tasting opportunities March in Western New York couldn’t feel any further from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood or the luxurious decadence of Napa Valley tasting rooms, yet this weekend the Niagara Community Foundation and Wine Country Ontario are bringing a little slice of both to the region with Cuvée 2012. The event is centered on the Cuvée Awards Gala held at the Fallsview Casino Resort Friday March 2nd and extends throughout the weekend with the Cuvée En Route passport program (PDF). The Gala—dubbed “The Oscars of Canadian Wine”—a black-tie optional fundraising event, will be the place to be this... Posted at 06:12 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0
	02/24/12 WNY and Buffalo's best fish fry Check out our food editor's favorite and tell us about yours. Posted at 06:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 5
	02/16/12 Buddy "The Cake Boss" Valastro The “Cake Boss” will return to Western New York this weekend as the “Kitchen Boss.” Buddy Valastro, star of Cake Boss and Kitchen Boss on TLC, will provide an up-close, interactive, Italian cooking demonstration at the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets start at $25 and are on sale at all Seneca Casino box offices, through Ticketmaster, and by phone at 800-745-3000. Valastro, a 34-year-old fourth-generation baker and owner of Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, N.J., gained fame with the reality show Cake Boss in 2009 and has since starred in Next Great Baker and his latest, Kitchen Boss, which debuted last year.... Posted at 06:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0
	01/25/12 Side Dish with Christa Glennie Seychew [01.25.12] Today we begin a new food column. Called Side Dish, this segment will look at food, drink, and restaurant topics as they pertain to WNY. We've partnered up with WKBW for this; you can catch me on every other Wedensday's Eyewitness News talking about topics we'll expand upon here. This morning we looked at food trends, both those that have a good foothold and those that are just arriving. 2011 food trends we are Beginning to sEE in Buffalo Flexitarianism goes mainstream (meatless Mondays) A tough economy and health concerns mean that people are eating less meat. Designating a night or two each week to enjoy a vegetarian meal can be an affordable and healthy choice. But that... Posted at 08:01 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0
	01/04/12 Toronto Eats I’ve convinced myself that Wegmans and our proximity to Toronto are two of the biggest quality-of-life benefits of living in Western New York. My family and I make a habit of going up to Canada’s megalopolis as often as possible to experience the world-class, big-city vibe. It’s only recently that we’ve started exploring some of the truly amazing culinary destinations that Toronto has to offer. Following Toronto foodies like Mary Luz Mejia and Ivy Knight through social media, as well as keeping up-to-date on goings-on through BlogTO and the Posted at 06:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 0