The Culinary Scoop

When winemaker Bob Blue set out to make wine in 1983, wine barrels were not widely available.  So what did he do? He purchased and neutralized used bourbon barrels and the rest is history.  

Today, you can say that the once necessity is now part of the brand’s winemaking process. And instead of neutralizing the barrels, they are used to give the wine its final personality and complexity that has championed its story over the years.

The name 1000 Stories is inspired by the pioneering spirits and quest for discovery that is celebrated in America. “I don’t know if I’ve always been a storyteller, but 30 years of winemaking have given me a lot of material for terrific stories! The story of this wine is really fun to share; experimenting, revisiting techniques from my early days as a winemaker, and every batch really tells its own story,” says the winemaker.

The iconic champagne brand, owned by Shawn ‘JAY-Z’ Carter, announces the U.S. release of its rarest cuvée.

Only 3,535 bottles created for the world.

Champagne Armand de Brignac announces the U.S. arrival of its Blanc de Noirs Assemblage Three (A3), the third assemblage of its ultra-prestige cuvée. The highly-anticipated debut follows the inaugural blend, awarded #1 Blanc de Noirs champagne in the world in 2016, following a blind tasting of 250 cuvées as part of the annual rankings by FINE Champagne Magazine and Tastingbook.com, and the Blanc de Noirs Assemblage Two (A2), which received 96 points from Decanter Magazine.

Only 3,535 bottles of Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs A3 were created for the world, disgorged on April 9, 2019 after resting on lees for six years. Produced by 13^th-generation champagne growers, the Cattier family, the cuvée is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir grapes carefully sourced from some of the best Pinot Noir producing villages in the Montagne de Reims including Bouzy, Verzenay, Chigny-les-Roses, Ludes and Rilly-la-Montagne. A winemaking signature of all the Armand de Brignac champagnes, only the very first and freshest portion of the cuvée press is used to create the Blanc de Noirs A3, and a trio of vintages (2009, 2010, 2012) create more depth and character than a singular vintage expression.

Show off your best dish for the chance to win a trip to Spain!

“’One Dish, One Story’ Presented by BBVA” invites contestants to create a Spanish dish that tells a story – perhaps how the dish impacted their life or the lives of others, and share it on Instagram or Twitter. Interested participants can follow @AllStarChefClassic and @bbva_usa on either Instagram or Twitter, snap a photo of their original interpretation on a Spanish food dish, and include a caption with the dish name, the story and significance behind the dish, and use the #BBVA and #OneDishOneStory hashtags when posting.

THE PRIZE

A trip to Girona, Catalonia, Spain to shadow the Roca Brothers at restaurant El Celler de Can Roca.

• November 18 – November 21*
• Lunch at El Celler de Can Roca
• Hotel & Transportation

* Round-trip airfare is included.

One lucky football foodie has the chance of a lifetime to earn $500 as a food taster for the NFL season.

Pickswise is on the hunt for an NFL food taster for the 2019 season, with the selected expert set to travel the nation in pursuit of the best signature dish across the league.

No experience or qualifications are required, but we’re looking to fill the vacancy with someone who has experience in gameday cuisine as the winner takes on the job title of Pickswise’s Official NFL Taste Tester.

The job description includes traveling to NFL stadiums to taste the finest tacos, nachos, burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches the league has to offer, with Pickswise providing $500, tickets to the games and an allowance to buy food at the stadiums.

The winner will be required to report back to Pickswise about their experience and rank the food against the other teams’ efforts.

Will Philly’s cheesesteaks be crowned the MVP or will the Steelers take the glory with the Pittsburger? We want to recruit you to find out what the real champion dish in the NFL is!

KQED’s James Beard and Emmy Award-winning Check, Please! Bay Area is seeking passionate young local foodies for a new series of episodes of the popular program, which puts amateurs in the role of food critics. Check, Please! Bay Area Kids, which premiered in Fall 2018, will give a new handful of children the unique opportunity to dish out about their favorite local restaurants under the guidance of the show’s host Leslie Sbrocco.

In response to a growing demand for information and application of a plant-based diet, St. Louis, MO will be home to the nation’s first fully plant-based nutrition and culinary education center – the Center for Plant-based Living (CPBL) which opened on August 13.

Caryn Dugan, AKA STL Veg Girl, (http://stlveggirl.com/) adopted the diet in 2008 in response to both her father’s untimely passing from cancer and her own diagnosis exactly 10 weeks later. She soon became St. Louis’s official plant-based nutrition, culinary and lifestyle go-to gal.

Over the years Dugan earned her spurs as she sought out the gold standard in plant-based nutrition and culinary education. She shares this information with the St. Louis community through in-person classes in several venues; presentations, including collaborations with Washington University physicians; hosting a plant-based nutrition summit at Washington University; and though regular morning television show segments.

All-star panelists include series host Andrew Zimmern and chefs Rick Bayless, Traci Des Jardins, Dan Giusti, and Kwame Onwuachi

The Culinary Institute of America announces celebrity chef speakers and programming for Conversations at Copia, hosted by four-time James Beard award-winning TV personality, author and chef Andrew Zimmern. Held at The CIA at Copia in downtown Napa, this new live talk series brings together pioneers and innovators within the world of food to share their stories of positive change.

The topic kicking off the 2019 series on September 7 is Culture & Cuisine.

Chefs will come together to discuss the question, “What does it mean to be authentic and who gets to cook what?” Featuring Mexican cuisine expert Rick Bayless from Frontera, modern soul food trailblazer Tanya Holland from Brown Sugar Kitchen, Emiliana Puyana, program manager at La Cocina, and Michael Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene, the conversation will center on how chefs prove their authority around a specific cuisine and how they are adopting, embracing, and immersing themselves in the cultures that have inspired their cooking.