It is strange to see Danny Meyer, well-known New York City restaurateur and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, appear in an article about the federal minimum wage and workers in restaurants he likely never sets foot in, and yet there he is. This is because Danny Meyer, the man behind Union Square Café, Shake Shack and Gramercy Tavern, among others, has set out to eliminate tipping at all of his restaurants, beginning with The Modern and followed by the remaining 12, by the end of 2016. 

The "cider" revival refers to traditional alcoholic cider, made by fermenting apples, usually of more than one variety. It's produced like wine, which is fermented from grapes. A number of farmstead cider makers have emerged in New York, turning the beautiful heirloom apple varieties of upstate New York into delicious, unique ciders. These are often less sweet and more nuanced than mass-market ciders Americans may be used to.

Chef Jon Matsubara is chef de cuisine at Japengo in Waikiki, an Asian fusion restaurant serving island classics and seasonal tasting menus. He said Hawaiian food has seen positive change during his career. “We are using more local ingredients than ever before and have been able to share our progress through various social media channels,” he said. “I am equally excited and honored to play an active role in the Hawaiian food movement.”

Drip coffee. French press. Espresso. Double espresso. Cold brew. Latte on draft. There are very few things people are as loyal to as they are to their favorite coffee - from bean to brew method to barista. We consume 12 billion pounds of coffee per year worldwide. About 83 percent of adults in the U.S. consume coffee. Ninety percent of coffee production takes place in developing countries, with Brazil at the number one spot.

Bone broth was the first big food trend in 2015, and so far, it’s stuck. Though not everyone has replaced their morning coffee with chicken broth, the trend has appeared on restaurant menus, in health advice columns and has even inspired its own recipe books. An incredibly simple and primitive idea, serving bone broth dates back to mid-18th century France, where it was served at inns and known as a restoratif, inspiring the word ‘restaurant.’

The South is an area known for its struggles and its dichotomies - its lush landscape saw slavery tarnish its beauty. The South is a place with a rich array of luscious and hearty foods, but it’s also a place where food and place have been completely intertwined. Of course slavery serves as the ultimate example of Southern struggle and contradiction. According to PBS, corn was grown on the larger plantations, while smaller ones stuck to the profitable cotton crop. It was grown by slaves to make up most of their diet.

Regardless of how cheese came about, it is evident that cheese production has significantly increased and found its way to nearly every continent on the face of earth. Cheese has evolved culturally, with new variations birthed from creativity and a passion for all things cheese. Fairly new cheeses to the market, which arrived only about 500 years ago, include Gouda, Parmesan, and Cheddar. It is surprising to learn that these more poplar cheeses are relative babies when compared to its ancient counterparts, such as the curd varieties. 

The first bottled cayenne sauces appeared in 1807 in Massachusetts, and the oldest surviving commercial hot sauce is Tabasco. The first recorded crop of Tabasco chiles was in 1849 in New Orleans on a plantation owned by Colonel Maunsell White, who advertised a hot sauce using the chiles in 1859. He then gave the recipe and seeds to his friend, Edmund McIlhenny, who began planting on Avery Island. Production was halted due to the Civil War, and the McIlhennys relocated to San Antonio, Texas. Operation picked up again in 1868, and the sauce sold for $1 per bottle. The sauce was patented in 1870.

But forge on to the mains, which should not be missed. Billed as “Kick Ass MaC & Cheese,” this creamy delicious kid-friendly dish is here made with Argentinian pork sausage, organic mixed cheeses and crumbs; or grilled king prawns in Singapore black pepper sauces served with fried buns, which, Goldstein notes, he learned how to make “from my Uncle Raymond in Singapore;” or roasted salmon steak with Thai yellow egg crab curry and crispy garlic bread, a dish he mastered “from my Thai chef Pachuen at the Aberdeen Marina Club.” 

When touring guests around New York City, one usually hopes to spend ample time outside the hectic hoopla of Times Square, Midtown and Union Square. Food people know that the best stuff lies in the outskirts, and though it can still be difficult getting get people “all the way” to Brooklyn, most tourists will at least take a trip to the Lower East Side, just across the bridge from Brooklyn but still in Manhattan’s borders.