* * * Radishes and herbs from Redland Organics. * * * Sunday was the first day of the new farmers market at Pinecrest Gardens. The market will be held each Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm until April. This market is a larger version of the South Florida Farmers Market formerly held at Gardner’s [...] » Read more..

* * * White Water Farm clams in prosciutto-piave broth at Area 31./ David Samayoa * * * I find out where and how local restaurants get their ingredients in”Sourced,” a new Miami Dish column.  For the first “Sourced,” I spoke with Chef John Critchley of Area 31 about his five-course sustainable seafood menu. The menu [...] » Read more..

I served my community by judging the pie contest at the Slow Food Miami picnic on Saturday.  The picnic took place at The Barnacle in Coconut Grove.  Please visit this lovely place if you’ve never been.  It’s a gem of a spot for a picnic. It’s just a dollar to visit, and on Sundays there [...] » Read more..

I was invited by Slow Food Miami Chair Donna Reno to attend their last dinner of the season in late April at the Sagamore Hotel.  This dinner benefited the Slow Food Miami School Gardens Program, as well as UNICEF Darfur in Action. The event started with a reception and presentation by Hunter Reno, Slow Food Board [...] » Read more..

This past weekend, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden announced the winners of the “Green Cuisine” competition.  A few weeks ago, I helped judge this contest, which was part of the Fairchild Challenge, an environmentally-based series of creative projects and contests for middle and high school students.  The winners of  “Green Cuisine” were Miami Central High [...] » Read more..

I know I talked about this earlier in the year, but I found an article in New York magazine (Feb. 16, 2009) that gave more specific advice about supporting local businesses. It was in a series about how New York small businesses are coping with the downturn. When asked how he is dealing [...] » Read more..

***  Chef Edgar Leal, of Cacao Restaurant, was a semifinalist for a 2009 James Beard Award (Best in South). *** This Saturday, you can take the rare opportunity to learn from the accomplished Chef Edgar Leal.   Chef Leal is usually found at his restaurant, Cacao, in Coral Gables.   Cacao is known for its Venezuelan fusion [...] » Read more..

* * * Hot and sour soup from Asian Fusion in Palmetto Bay * * * Miami Dish emerges from its winter hibernation. Happy new year, dear readers! Miami New Times‘ Lee Klein included a list of some of the restaurants that closed their doors in 2008 in his year-end review. We can add Abokado to [...] » Read more..

‘Tis the season in South Florida for herbs, greens, avocado, and black sapote. Our harvest has just begun and several events this season celebrate the food of local farms: Slow Food “Glades to Coast” Grower’s Discovery Dinner This musically named chapter of Slow Food extends from Broward to central Palm Beach county. The dinner at Café Boulud [...] » Read more..

The name of this spice may lead some to think that it’s a mix of the “fall” spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, but it’s actually a unique plant. The pimento or allspice tree grows mostly in Jamaica. I didn’t know that allspice grew in Florida before I saw it on the list of summer [...] » Read more..