James Strine got an early birthday present in advance of his big 4-0 in October — the honor of being named head chef at Grato in West Palm Beach. Grato owner Clay Conley met Strine a few years ago when Strine worked nearby at Café Boulud. After Strine won first…
This December, the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival returns December 8 to 11, celebrating its decade mark with an expanded celebrity chef lineup and the addition of several new foodie-focused events. Headquartered at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, this year the 10th-annual festival will offer everything from intimate…
South Florida has two types of Italian restaurant: the upmarket ristorante with regional specialities aligned into indecipherable menu items that require a Google search, and their no-frills, red-sauce kinsmen that dole out the type of hearty, oleaginous fare any Sicilian grandmother would feel compelled to stuff every family member with…
In September, 50 Food Trucks from 50 cities nationwide will be competing in Thomas’ Breakfast Battle for the opportunity to win $25,000, and several South Florida food trucks are among the competitors. Broward-based B.C. Tacos, Palm Beach County-based Curbside Gourmet, and Tampa’s The Twisted Iron have signed on to be part…
Poised and elegant in her silk blouse, ivory foulard, and gold jewelry, you’d never know Raquel Valencia Gutierrez had a hard life. “I always knew I wanted to open a taquería,” says Gutierrez in Spanish, tapping perfectly manicured nails against a well-used table in the bustling Taquería Doña Raquel (791 S…
A lot of people want to eat healthy, but not everyone has the time (or the resources) to prepare organic meals. You carve out time to get to the gym, schedule in training runs for that marathon, and take your bike to work, but by the end of the day…
On Saturday, September 10 local celebrity chef Lindsay Autry (formerly Sundy House) and restaurateur Thierry Beaud (Pistache French Bistro, PB Catch) will open the doors to their long-awaited The Regional Kitchen & Public House in West Palm Beach. Over the past 18 months, the restaurant’s cofounders have worked tirelessly to…
Fans of the wildly popular vegetarian hotspot Christopher’s Kitchen in Palm Beach Gardens are in for a treat — or maybe three. Co-owners Richard Slawson and Christopher Slawson have just opened Meraki Juice Kitchen in West Palm Beach, with plans to expand south to Boca Raton and Delray Beach in…
You can add the Delray Beach Bacon & Bourbon Fest to the list of foodie-focused festivals Delray Beach will lose in 2017, now one of three such annual events its organizers, Festival Management Group (FMG), has decided to relocate, postpone, or cancel altogether so far this year. On Friday, September 2,…
Chef vs. Chef is a 16-week competition at Max’s Harvest hosted by chef Eric Baker that pits local chefs against one another, cooking up surprise ingredients for a panel of judges — and our tasting pleasure. This week, Jessie Steele of CWS Bar + Kitchen returned to battle Kevin Darr of City…
Forget farm to table: How about restaurant to table, instead? It’s a thing at 50 Ocean in Delray Beach, which recently debuted its own aeroponic and hydroponic in-house gardening system that allows executive chef Joseph Bonavita to grow everything from root balls of herbs and microgreens to lettuces and spinach. …
A new non-profit in Wilton Manors is the perfect spot to thrift, grab a beverage, and adopt a cat — all in the same building. Boomerang’s Thrift Store — the retail fundraising side of Boomerangs Animal Rescue Fund in partnership with Good Karma Pet Rescue and Lady Luck Animal Rescue…
Nearly two decades ago, American English Kitchen + Bar chef/owner Russ Simon wasn’t cooking in any fancy kitchen. Instead, he was studying business management at the University of Central Florida. At the time, no one — not even the future chef himself, who would go on to cook alongside a…
Instacart, an internet-based grocery and retail delivery service where personal shoppers hand-pick and deliver items from local partnered stores, is now available in Fort Lauderdale. The expansion into Broward County marks the second market to launch in Florida outside Miami-Dade. Starting August 24, Fort Lauderdale residents in 11 zip codes…
Chef vs. Chef is a 16-week competition at Max’s Harvest hosted by chef Eric Baker that pits local chefs against one another, cooking up surprise ingredients for a panel of judges — and our tasting pleasure. What do Hannibal Lecter, zombies, and Sicilian grandmothers all have in common (other than…
Hoffman’s Chocolates has launched its own food truck, and it’s serving up the sweeter side of things. Known as the Sweet Ride, the new mobile shop peddles all of Hoffman’s gourmet goodies, from chocolates and ice cream to a vast assortment of specialty confections. “Sweet Ride South Florida is our latest…
Like so many new businesses, Modern Juice Company in Jupiter began as a passion project, one that just so happened to become a successful (and healthy) endeavor. “Modern Juice Co. began as a lifestyle change for my family and some friends of mine,” says founder Jon Sullivan, who opened the…
Diners visiting 3800 Ocean at the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Resort & Spa can expect to see some changes at the hotel’s signature restaurant offering American regional cuisine. The menu — inspired by the cultural backgrounds of each of its chefs ranging from New England and Long Island to…
Imagine it — chicken, beef, salami, pepperoni, bacon, lamb, and gooey cheeses, made into entrée’s, salads, subs, wraps, soups, and dips in the culinary traditions of Mexico, China, Cuba, Italy, and the Middle East. And all of them are vegan. No, you have not died and gone to vegan heaven…
There’s brunch, and then there’s brunching towards a good cause. Through the summer, now you can do both at Coco Asian Bistro & Bar in Fort Lauderdale. Chef-owner Mike Ponluang, a longtime Broward County chef who has earned a devoted following for his Thai specialties and extensive selection of sushi,…
If you like tater tots, you’d be missing out if you didn’t try the ones served at Bar Red Beard in Fort Lauderdale. They aren’t your average thimble-size, deep-fried, hashed potatoes. These are as close to from-scratch tots as you’ll ever get, each one a mashed potato sphere the size…
Green Bar Express in Fort Lauderdale recently expanded its menu to include a large selection of vegan, gluten-free personal-sized pizzas. The new addition takes the restaurant’s motto, “veggies gone wild” to a whole new level, explains head chef Charles Grippo. The menu expansion coincides with Green Bar Express’ new summer…
