Welcome to WFAEats - a fun adventure where we explore all things tasty and interesting in the Charlotte food scene. We want to share stories, recipes and culinary escapades and hear about yours!
I first met Anida Spratt, a young Javanese mother, at the Charlotte World Parade & Festival at Independence Park. She offered me klepon, an Indonesian dessert made of sticky rice flour balls and pandan leaf extract, the native plant that lends a vibrant green to a multitude of cooking applications in Indonesia. The balls were covered in finely shredded coconut, much like a truffle. In my most polite and gracious manner, surrounded by a trio of Indonesian women, I bit into half of it.
Frozen yogurt has transformed our dessert – and not just into a gloopy, topping-covered, sugary mess.
A Google search for frozen yogurt, also commonly referred to as “fro-yo”, reveals more than a dozen shops in the Charlotte area.
The business model of frozen yogurt evolved over the last two decades and shifted the market of frozen desserts. In the 90s, TCBY dominated the market, and ordering frozen yogurt was a lot like getting a scoop of ice cream. Will that be in a cone or a bowl?
When you think of historic restoration, most times you think of those TV shows where they fix up old homes to look how they did in their heyday. But Peter Hatch has taken historic restoration to a whole new level - horticultural historic restoration. He was the director of Gardens at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, for 35 years, and while there, fully restored Thomas Jefferson's beloved gardens. He'll be in town this week for North Carolina's Master Gardener Conference, and in advance of that, he and another master gardener join us to talk about Jefferson's Monticello gardens and how it was restored, and about what gardeners today - here and around the world can learn from Jefferson's work centuries ago, when Charlotte Talks.
History tells us Bacon's Rebellion was an armed revolt in 1676. A rash of Indian attacks and other issues motivated an uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon against Gov. Berkeley, Lord Proprietor of the Carolinas. Seems the governor had misjudged the wrath of the settlers.
For some time now, another bacon rebellion has been under way: bacon fans vs. healthy eaters. If pop culture is any judge, the rebels may be gaining the upper hand.
We've all heard about the benefits of "eating local." Well, you can't get more local than your own backyard! If you haven’t planted yet, or even if you have, we'll explore the best practices for planting and maintaining your beds for the most delicious and nutritious vegetables, even with little yard space to work with. Before you know it, you'll have more tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers than you know what to do with! So we'll fill you in on creative ways to cook them to get the most out of your summer harvest - from salads, soups and salsas to grilling and more. Join us for summer gardening advice from the experts, tips for preparing and enjoying your summer bounty, plus a look at the health benefits of eating from your own garden. Gardening meets cooking, when Charlotte Talks.
Listen to Charlotte Talks on Friday morning at 9:00am for a conversation about growing and cooking veggies from your own back yard. Recipes below for Roasted Corn Salsa, Oven "Fried" Okra, Stuffed Poblano Chiles and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.
A twenty minute drive south brought me to the home of Raul Alatorre and his wife, Alicia, a newly transplanted couple of Mexican origin. The Alatorre’s moved eighteen months ago from Albuquerque, New Mexico to their suburban home in Ballantyne. Raul’s job of 22 years brought the couple here. He works for Mission Foods, the largest tortilla manufacturer in the United States.
I bumped in to Nan Chase at the Blue Ridge Book Festival last May. The Asheville author was discussing her book, Eat Your Yard.
Riding the crest of the Eat Local movement, she has produced an attractive, helpful book to help backyard farmers. But instead of ripping out the sod to grow squash and beans, Nan takes an aesthetic approach—mix food-producing plants into the landscape.
Food meets design with Michael Graves. The internationally-renowned designer and architect has designed lines of toasters, timers, tea pots and more kitchen essentials for Target, and now for JC Penny's.
