how "natural" is changing the wine industry

August 22, 2018

"Throughout history, numerous experts and critics have attempted to codify the mysterious world of wine, developing rating systems to guide novice drinkers in forming opinions about what constitutes a good or a bad bottle. In turn, readers shared these opinions with friends and family, reinforcing the notion that there was a right and a wrong way to drink and think about wine.

Yet in recent years, more sommeliers and winemakers are challenging this status quo. Their personal opinions may (or may not) adhere to traditional codes of what a “good” wine tastes like, and in fact, a greater diversity of opinion is exactly what they are trying to cultivate. Yet the most radical idea these professionals present isn’t that casual drinkers should trust their own sense of taste; it’s that customers should know—and care—about what is actually in the bottle."

native son: jeremiah langhorne’s search for mid-atlantic flavor

June 07, 2018

"Championed by such writers and cookbook authors as James Beard and Edna Lewis, the recognition of American heritage cuisine largely began in the South and continues today under the guise of such chefs as Sean Brock and Vivian Howard. Yet beyond biscuits and collard greens, catfish and pecan pie, a new generation of chefs is applying this Southern-born curiosity to other regions of the United States. Among them is Jeremiah Langhorne, a D.C.-native credited with conjuring the Mid-Atlantic cuisine of our forefathers at The Dabney in Washington D.C."

Image Compliments of La Colombe Coffee Roasters

early to rise: chef tracy obolsky's rockaway beach bakery

March 30, 2018

"Tracy Obolsky has had 3 hours of sleep, yet she looks better rested than the whole of Manhattan. 'We had a party last night for a new female-run surf brand,' she explains. 'It was such a chill group of women – including this amazing female DJ. I’m running on fumes, but I still woke up this morning to paddle out.'

Toned and tan – with a smile so broad it garners the descriptor ear-to-ear – the immediate reaction to Tracy is, “I’ll have what she’s having.” (Which, at the moment, is a tall to-go mug of iced drip coffee.) But her buzz is more compelling than simply caffeine: after ten years of keeping the grueling schedule of the city’s culinary elite, this first-time entrepreneur is finally getting a taste of her just desserts."