Eat Local Miami
Coral Gables Farmers Market
Now in its 19th year, the market is better than ever!
On Saturday mornings, from 8am - 1pm, you won't want to miss the 19th Annual Coral Gables Farmers Market. The Coral Gables Farmers Market, located at 405 Biltmore Way (in front of City Hall), is designed as a small outdoor European-style green market, with historic Coral Gables City Hall as the backdrop.
Each week, in addition to just-picked produce, baked goods and plants, the Coral Gables Farmers Market offers free activities for Market shoppers.
At 9:00 a.m., a free gardening workshop is conducted by a local expert. In case of rain, the workshop will be held in City Hall.
At 10:00 a.m., a master chef from one of Coral Gables' fine restaurants creates a dish for shoppers to sample.
At 11:00 a.m., there are wonderful children's activities for our younger Market shoppers. Come on everyone! Don't miss out...
Each week, in addition to just-picked produce, baked goods and plants, the Coral Gables Farmers Market offers free activities for Market shoppers.
At 9:00 a.m., a free gardening workshop is conducted by a local expert. In case of rain, the workshop will be held in City Hall.
At 10:00 a.m., a master chef from one of Coral Gables' fine restaurants creates a dish for shoppers to sample.
At 11:00 a.m., there are wonderful children's activities for our younger Market shoppers. Come on everyone! Don't miss out...
Pinecrest Green Market
When: Market is every Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm until April
Where: Pinecrest Gardens (the former Parrot Jungle), on the corner of Red Road (SW 57 Avenue) and Killian Drive (SW 112 Street)
How much: Admission to Pinecrest Gardens is free.
This market is a larger version of the South Florida Farmers Market that was held at Gardner's in the past. Now opened by The Market Company, it will bring fabulousness every Sunday till April!
Many of the regular vendors from Gardner's are present amongst the many local and homegrown businesses. And the selection of items for sale are outstanding. So much to choose from!
A great local grower at the market is Hani Khouri, selling his delicious Mediterranean goodies : goat cheese, hummus, baba ganouj and goat milk ice cream.
The market is buzzing with people and friendly farmers and growers ready to help. I'm so excited to share the wealth with everyone!
Send me an email and lets do breakfast or lunch at the market. There are just so many fabulous foods to choose from. Join Me!
Where: Pinecrest Gardens (the former Parrot Jungle), on the corner of Red Road (SW 57 Avenue) and Killian Drive (SW 112 Street)
How much: Admission to Pinecrest Gardens is free.
This market is a larger version of the South Florida Farmers Market that was held at Gardner's in the past. Now opened by The Market Company, it will bring fabulousness every Sunday till April!
Many of the regular vendors from Gardner's are present amongst the many local and homegrown businesses. And the selection of items for sale are outstanding. So much to choose from!
A great local grower at the market is Hani Khouri, selling his delicious Mediterranean goodies : goat cheese, hummus, baba ganouj and goat milk ice cream.
The market is buzzing with people and friendly farmers and growers ready to help. I'm so excited to share the wealth with everyone!
Send me an email and lets do breakfast or lunch at the market. There are just so many fabulous foods to choose from. Join Me!
Kickoff to Rebuild the Grove!
Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade conducted a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 3, in Coconut Grove to announce “Kickoff to Rebuild,” an NFL-sanctioned event hosted annually by Rebuilding Together in the Super Bowl host city. Local dignitaries, sporting celebrities and major sponsor Choice Hotels gathered to announce “Kickoff to Rebuild” event that will take place on Feb. 4, 2010 in the Grove. City of Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado, Miami-Dade Commissioner Carlos A. Gimenez, former Miami Dolphin and Hallof- Fame player Dwight Stephenson, former NFL placekicker Bill Gramatica and others teamed up to make it known in the community that “Kickoff to Rebuild” has been preserving affordable homeownership and revitalizing neighborhoods for 15 years.
“Kickoff to Rebuild” will include a community cleanup and the revitalization of five homes in the Grove neighborhood. To date, Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade has rehabilitated more than 70 homes. After the workday, volunteers and community members will enjoy a block-party style celebration for their hard work and dedication to rebuild.
For more information, or to become a volunteer or sponsor for “Kickoff to Rebuild,” visit online at < www.rebuildingtogthermiami.org >.
“Kickoff to Rebuild” will include a community cleanup and the revitalization of five homes in the Grove neighborhood. To date, Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade has rehabilitated more than 70 homes. After the workday, volunteers and community members will enjoy a block-party style celebration for their hard work and dedication to rebuild.
For more information, or to become a volunteer or sponsor for “Kickoff to Rebuild,” visit online at < www.rebuildingtogthermiami.org >.
2010 South Beach Food and Wine Festival
The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine is a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University (FIU), the festival benefits FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Teaching Restaurant and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. To date, the Festival has raised over $8 million for the School. In 2011, the Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary and will commemorate it with the release of Festival Director, Lee Brian Schrager's book, Sizzling Hot: Celebrating 10 Years of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (Clarkson Potter, Fall 2010), in collaboration with Julie Mautner.
The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine began as a one-day festival known as the Florida Extravaganza held at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus from 1997 to 2001. In 2002, Lee Brian Schrager, director of Special Events and Media Relations at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, took the reigns of the one-day festival and brought his vision for the festival to life by relocating it to South Beach. The renamed South Beach Wine & Food Festival attracted close to 7,000 guests to a series of dinners, seminars and a Grand Tasting and Live Auction in its first year. The following year, the festival grew, attracting close to 10,000 people and garnered extensive national media coverage. In 2004, with the addition of a number of events and a revamping of the program, the festival doubled in size and attracted more than 20,000 guests to the three-day event.
The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine began as a one-day festival known as the Florida Extravaganza held at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus from 1997 to 2001. In 2002, Lee Brian Schrager, director of Special Events and Media Relations at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, took the reigns of the one-day festival and brought his vision for the festival to life by relocating it to South Beach. The renamed South Beach Wine & Food Festival attracted close to 7,000 guests to a series of dinners, seminars and a Grand Tasting and Live Auction in its first year. The following year, the festival grew, attracting close to 10,000 people and garnered extensive national media coverage. In 2004, with the addition of a number of events and a revamping of the program, the festival doubled in size and attracted more than 20,000 guests to the three-day event.
Miami Spice 2009
You have always known that your an epicurean. Let's face it-- a Gourmet God or Goddess, but you just can't afford to thrown down big bucks at every meal...
I feel you. As much as I love, adore, ravish food, I can't always afford all these fab places all the time too. That's where Miami Spice comes in... I wait for it every year. That special time of the year where I can eat at the greatest spots for what me and my guy spend on Sportsgrill's wings and beer!
And for a little while, you can feel free to indulge too; Miami Spice offers gourmet dining at a price you can actually afford.
Some of Miami's finest restaurants roll out a prix-fixe menu, offering three-course lunches for $22 and three-course dinners for $35. Sample some of that top-notch cooking you've been depriving yourself while you're "between jobs", between girlfriends or boyfriends or just in the mood to splurge!
Although it contines into September, there are certain places where the books have filled up fast. Make sure you get reservations way in advance if you want to dine at Emeril’s, Hakkasan, DeVito, or Scarpetta.
Oh, and if you need a dining buddy, I can suggest a great one: Me!
For a full list of participating restaurants, visit ilovemiamispice.com.
I feel you. As much as I love, adore, ravish food, I can't always afford all these fab places all the time too. That's where Miami Spice comes in... I wait for it every year. That special time of the year where I can eat at the greatest spots for what me and my guy spend on Sportsgrill's wings and beer!
And for a little while, you can feel free to indulge too; Miami Spice offers gourmet dining at a price you can actually afford.
Some of Miami's finest restaurants roll out a prix-fixe menu, offering three-course lunches for $22 and three-course dinners for $35. Sample some of that top-notch cooking you've been depriving yourself while you're "between jobs", between girlfriends or boyfriends or just in the mood to splurge!
Although it contines into September, there are certain places where the books have filled up fast. Make sure you get reservations way in advance if you want to dine at Emeril’s, Hakkasan, DeVito, or Scarpetta.
Oh, and if you need a dining buddy, I can suggest a great one: Me!
For a full list of participating restaurants, visit ilovemiamispice.com.
Whole Foods turns Investigative Reporter!
Whole Foods says it plans to test its private label products for genetically engineered organisms and begin labeling before end of year. Nonprofit Non-GMO Project is designed to test whether a product has met defined standards for presence of genetically engineered or modified organisms. FDA says as much as 75 percent of processed food in U.S. may contain components from GM crops. Click here for the full article.
Mango Madness!!! International Mango Festival July 11-12th!
International Mango Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden:
This yearly festival celebrates the golden-fleshed fruit for two days. At the curated tasting on Saturday, sample mango varieties for a dollar. On Sunday, you can bid at the world’s only mango auction. There will be an international display of mangos (Saturday), a mango cuisine sampling (Saturday), educational and cooking demonstrations and mango tree sales. Medics will help to diagnose your ailing tree; just bring a sample. Click here for a full schedule.
When: Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, 2009, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Where: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida
How much: Free for Fairchild members and children 5 and under, $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for children 6-17.
Mango Brunch:
Chefs will prepare a spread starring the mango, as part Fairchild’s weekend festivities. Original “Mango Gang” chefs, Allen Susser (Chef Allen) and Mark Militello (Regent Bal Harbour) will be joined by Giancarla Bodoni (Escopazzo), Roly Cruz-Taura (The Biltmore), and Charles Froke (Four Seasons executive pastry chef) at this year’s brunch.
When: Sunday, July 12, 2009, 11 am
Where: Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida
How much: $75 for members, $100 for nonmembers. Tickets for sale here.
Dealing with Mangos at Chef Allen’s:
Yes, it’s true. If you bring Chef Allen Susser a wheelbarrow full of mangos (about 200 pounds), he will trade you a dinner for two. Chef Allen and his crew use the fruit for jam, chutney, ketchup, infused vodka, and martinis, among other things. I recommended that you call ahead regarding your trade.
When: Mango season
Where: Chef Allen’s, 10901 NE 29th Avenue, Aventura
Call: 305-935-2900
Local 4th Fabulousness!
Don’t have Barbeque plans of your own this 4th?
Join the locals at the Barnacle Society in the Grove for an old-fashioned picnic celebration!
Kite making, scavenger hunts, bowling and awesome BBQ!
Admission $ 5 Adults and $2 for Kids
3485 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove
Join the locals at the Barnacle Society in the Grove for an old-fashioned picnic celebration!
Kite making, scavenger hunts, bowling and awesome BBQ!
Admission $ 5 Adults and $2 for Kids
3485 Main Hwy., Coconut Grove
Imagine Miami ... Goes LOCO for Local!!!!
Want more community gardens in Miami-Dade? Farmer’s markets? Sidewalk cafes and people-friendly business districts? Great parks? Walkable and family-friendly neighborhoods?
At the Imagine Miami Learn Changemaker Conference II on July 18, learn how to transform public spaces into community places. Discover how to use maps to tell the story of your community – and to advocate for the changes you seek.
* Pitch Your (place-related) Project to win $500! Apply by July 1 (it's easy to apply!)
* Hands-on Workshops on placemaking, asset mapping and community mapping/GIS with local and national experts (Project for Public Spaces, PolicyLink, Partnership for Community Transformation ...)
* Interactive demos & exhibits of mapping tools and local projects to create/protect public spaces (for example -- create a map highlighting places to buy locally grown produce!)
* Fun eco-activities for kids all day (kids attend for free)
* Parents are eligible for a discounted rate if they apply by July 3
Details & registration (deadline 7/10): www.imaginemiami.org
At the Imagine Miami Learn Changemaker Conference II on July 18, learn how to transform public spaces into community places. Discover how to use maps to tell the story of your community – and to advocate for the changes you seek.
* Pitch Your (place-related) Project to win $500! Apply by July 1 (it's easy to apply!)
* Hands-on Workshops on placemaking, asset mapping and community mapping/GIS with local and national experts (Project for Public Spaces, PolicyLink, Partnership for Community Transformation ...)
* Interactive demos & exhibits of mapping tools and local projects to create/protect public spaces (for example -- create a map highlighting places to buy locally grown produce!)
* Fun eco-activities for kids all day (kids attend for free)
* Parents are eligible for a discounted rate if they apply by July 3
Details & registration (deadline 7/10): www.imaginemiami.org
Roof Gardens... Check this article out from the NY Times!
THIS summer, Tony Tomelden hopes to be making bloody marys at the Pug in Washington, D.C., with tomatoes and chilies grown above the bar, thanks to the city’s incentives for green roofs.
To read the full article click here.
To read the full article click here.
Michael Pollan's Film: Food Inc. Out in select theaters June 12th!
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's
food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been
hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's
regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now
controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of
consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of
workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the
perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes
that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful
bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans
annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among
children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food
Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) along with forward
thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm's Gary Hirshberg
and Polyface Farms' Joe Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising -- and
often shocking truths -- about what we eat, how it's produced, who we
have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
Opens in These Locations June 12:
San Francisco, CA:
Embarcadero Center Cinema 5
West Los Angeles, CA:
Nuart Theatre
New York, NY:
Film Forum
I can't wait till it gets here!!! I will let you all know!
food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been
hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's
regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now
controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of
consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of
workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the
perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes
that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful
bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans
annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among
children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food
Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) along with forward
thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm's Gary Hirshberg
and Polyface Farms' Joe Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising -- and
often shocking truths -- about what we eat, how it's produced, who we
have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
Opens in These Locations June 12:
San Francisco, CA:
Embarcadero Center Cinema 5
West Los Angeles, CA:
Nuart Theatre
New York, NY:
Film Forum
I can't wait till it gets here!!! I will let you all know!
When Local Makes it Big--New York Times
“The local foods movement is about an ethic of food that values reviving small scale, ecological, place-based, and relationship-based food systems,” Ms. Prentice said. “Large corporations peddling junk food are the exact opposite of what this is about.”
To read the full article, click below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/dining/13local.html?scp=2&sq=local%20food&st=cse
To read the full article, click below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/dining/13local.html?scp=2&sq=local%20food&st=cse
Coral Gables Restaurant Week !!!
Coral Gables Restaurant Week is almost upon us, so now is a good time to peruse menus and start making dinner reservations. There are quite a few restaurants participating, so in order to save you a little time, I found the ones that offer the best bang for your buck and total food fabulousness!!!
Fleming's : Three courses, $33.95. The first and third courses don't sound all that exciting, but those mains look good: tempura shrimp in chile aioli and pineapple mango salsa; bleu cheese-glazed filet mignon with cabernet butter sauce; and beef short ribs with herbs, spices and pan juices.
Fritz and Frantz Bierhuas: is offering the same options for lunch and dinner, both for $25. Try the goulash for appetizer, sausage sampler for the main, and definitely the sacher torte for dessert.
Ortanique on the Mile is a steal this week with the $35 dinner menu!!!! Appetizer options are soup, mango salad or curried crab cake. For entrees, choose from jerked chicken penne pasta, butterflied spiced pork chop, or curried shrimp and diver scallops. As for dessert, there's rum cake, mango sorbet or guava cheese cake.
There are so many restaurants participating and with such prices, you can't afford to not eat in these fabulous food spots!
Coral Gables Restaurant Week ... check out the site....
Fleming's : Three courses, $33.95. The first and third courses don't sound all that exciting, but those mains look good: tempura shrimp in chile aioli and pineapple mango salsa; bleu cheese-glazed filet mignon with cabernet butter sauce; and beef short ribs with herbs, spices and pan juices.
Fritz and Frantz Bierhuas: is offering the same options for lunch and dinner, both for $25. Try the goulash for appetizer, sausage sampler for the main, and definitely the sacher torte for dessert.
Ortanique on the Mile is a steal this week with the $35 dinner menu!!!! Appetizer options are soup, mango salad or curried crab cake. For entrees, choose from jerked chicken penne pasta, butterflied spiced pork chop, or curried shrimp and diver scallops. As for dessert, there's rum cake, mango sorbet or guava cheese cake.
There are so many restaurants participating and with such prices, you can't afford to not eat in these fabulous food spots!
Coral Gables Restaurant Week ... check out the site....
Eat Local Miami is on Twitter!
Eat Local Miami is giving a go at Twitter, come check it out! Follow me! Tell me who you are!
www.twitter.com/eatlocalmiami
Michael Pollen's Letter to Obama
New York Times, Oct 12, 2008
Michael Pollen is on the forefront of the food issues in this country. A professor, book author and contributing editor for the New York Times his letter to Obama is worth the read....
Dear Mr. President Elect, It may surprise you to learn that among the issues that will occupy much of your time in the coming years is one you barely mentioned during the campaign: food... To keep reading this amazing letter to the president click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12policy-t.html?em