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Posts about Healthy eating

Chef Pampuch hosts TV series

Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: April 12, 2012 - 3:38 PM

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Scott Pampuch on set of "In Search of Food." Photo provided by Ovation.

Scott Pampuch on set of "In Search of Food." Photo provided by Ovation.

 

Move over Andrew Zimmern. There’s another star in the neighborhood.

Scott Pampuch, executive chef at the Minnesota Valley Country Club in Bloomington and formerly of Corner Table in Minneapolis, is host of a three-part TV series on Ovation that will be broadcast next week, Monday through Wednesday, at 7 p.m.
Scott Pampuch with Ann Cooper. Provided by Ovation.

Scott Pampuch with Ann Cooper. Provided by Ovation.

 “In Search of Food” visits Boulder, Colo., on the Monday episode, where Scott meets up with activist lunch lady, Ann Cooper (right),  who has been a vocal supporter of improving school lunch. She challenges Scott to prepare lunch for 1,000 kids on a budget of $1.15 per child. Can he do it?
On the Tuesday show, Scott heads to Virginia and meets with Joel Salatin (below), the farmer at Polyface Farms, who offers a different kind of test for Scott: to show a busy family how to make a day’s worth of healthy meals from local produce.
Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms with Scott Pampuch

Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms with Scott Pampuch

In the final episode on Wednesday, Scott goes to San Diego and faces another kitchen dare: to make a raw vegan meal at the avocado farm of musician Jason Mraz (below).
Scott had appeared as a guest in an episode of last year’s “In Search of Food,” with then-host Barton Seaver.
“When the show was renewed, they asked me if I was interested in putting my hat in the ring, and the next thing I knew, they said they would be sending me a contract,” said Scott.
“Quite honestly, after the initial shock, I called Andrew Zimmern and said ‘I think I need some help’. He was a great help in navigating this, a bit of a mentor.”
In addition to the site visits for the three shows, Scott headed to New York, where the production company is based, to do some voiceover work. “Standing in the recording studio for a good six to eight hours and watching myself was all very strange. It was fun and an amazing opportunity,” Scott said. “I’ve seen the final product and I love it.” The shows cover the big topics in the food world, from childhood obesity, schools, busy families, local foods, vegetarians and vegans. “It’s a good way to have a conversation,” Scott said.
With Jason Mraz.

With Jason Mraz.

He’s planning a viewing party, open to the public, for the final broadcast on Wednesday. The event will be held at Saga Hill Cooking & Events, 2400 N. 2nd Street, from 6 to 9 p.m. (the show airs from 7 to 7:30 p.m.). Though the event is free, Scott asks for attendees to register at Eventbrite. However, donations (cash or check) can be made at the event to Laughing Loon Farm.
For more information, email him at scott.pampuch@gmail.com or see http://scottpampuch.com/.
 
  
 

Toward better school lunches

Posted by: Kim Ode Updated: February 28, 2012 - 2:26 PM

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If you're wondering how to spend this year's extra day, Feb. 29 features a way to feed yourself well, while supporting a worthy cause.

Brenda Langton, chef and owner of Spoonriver in Minneapolis, has created a salad of vegetables, chickpeas, and pasta salad that will be sold in its deli from 11:30 a.m. through the day on Wednesday.  All of the proceeds then will be given to the Chefs Move for Schools Program (www.chefsmovetoschools.org/).

This program is run through the USDA and pairs chefs with interested schools in their communities. The chefs work with teachers, parents, and school nutrition professionals to help educate kids about food and nutrition. The idea is that wiser kids make wiser food choices for the rest of their lives. The fundraiser is a collaboration of ACF (www.acfchefs.org/) and Hidden Valley Ranch's Love your Veggies Program (www.hiddenvalley.com/veggies/lunch-break/).

And if you'd like to make your own salad, here's the recipe, courtesy of Langton.

Ranchy Veggie Pasta Salad

½ pound Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta

 

2 cups Broccoli flowers
2 cups Carrot rounds
1 cup sliced Celery
1 Can of Chickpeas, drained thoroughly

In blender, puree...
1 small Tomato, chopped
¼ cup Parsley
2 Green Onions, chopped
½ teaspoon Sea Salt
¼ cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup organic Hidden Valley Organic Ranch Dressing

Bring a pot of water to boil for pasta
Put in pasta and cook until al-dente
Drain and let cool on a sheet pan. Don’t rinse.

In a pot of boiling water blanch the Broccoli and Carrot rounds for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a bowl toss the pasta, broccoli, carrots, celery and chickpeas with the sauce and Hidden Valley Organic Ranch dressing.

 

 

 

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'Good Wife' tackles food politics

Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: November 22, 2011 - 10:14 AM

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Used with permission of CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

Used with permission of CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

 
Food politics hit “The Good Wife” on Sunday in the episode "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" when Eli Gold (played by Alan Cumming, below) advocates for a new version of the USDA MyPlate food icon. Eli, who in the television drama represents the cheese industry during a crisis, suggests an easy-to-read diagram that includes a larger portion of dairy – and everything else. His diagram? MyBody (referred to as TGW Food Pyramid at CBS),
shown above. Note the ear of corn where the heart would be -- and that sweets have as much status as any other type of food.
At one point, Eli says at a hearing, “What food has most sway over Congress? Corn. Always considered to be a vegetable, it could be called a grain.” His diagram shows corn surrounded by a variety of grains.
The episode pits the fruit lobby against the vegetable, dairy and grain lobbies. And the winner? Well, not the consumer. Kind of like real life. Couldn’t have been more timely with Congress calling pizza a vegetable last week.

A bite of the SweeTango

Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: October 27, 2011 - 10:39 AM

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Photo by R.T. Rybak

Photo by R.T. Rybak

 

That's Sam Kass, above, White House chef to the Obamas and Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, chomping on a SweeTango apple that Mayor R.T. Rybak, moments before, had given him in Chicago Tuesday, where they were both attending an urban food conference. The SweeTango was developed at the University of Minnesota and, apparently, the mayor just happened to have one with him (though we suspect he may have had marketing on his mind).

The mayor had also used the SweeTango in a friendly wager with his counterpart in Phoenix during the WNBA playoffs. (No SweeTangos were sent, since the Lynx won.)

Soul Daddy closes in LA, too

Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: June 15, 2011 - 10:40 AM

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A press release went out Wednesay morning broadening the closure of the NYC Soul Daddy to include the LA restaurant as well.

"The realities of running a restaurant are very difficult, more so with multiple locations in multiple cities. After a careful review of the business model and the performance of the restaurants, we have decided that our best opportunity for Soul Daddy’s success is to focus our efforts on establishing a solid footing in one location, building the brand, and developing the operations from there. We have decided to close our restaurants at Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles and the South Street Seaport in New York, effective June 14, and focus on developing the best restaurant we can at the Mall of America restaurant in Bloomington, Minnesota. While it has certainly been a difficult decision, we believe this is the best approach as we work towards ongoing success for Soul Daddy."

Soul Daddy Restaurants

 More coverage: America's Next Great Restaurant

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