literature
Feast's food literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase foodies.
Which is the Most Delicious Chocolate Cake Flavour?
When it comes to any occasion a perfect start begins with the cake. Are you a big lover of chocolate? Yeah, chocolate cakes are one of the best. The aroma and look of the chocolate cake when you cross the bakery or cake shop refreshes your mind and tempts you to eat.
By Laxmi Rana5 years ago in Feast
A Cultural Cocktail
The even hum of multiple conversations happening simultaneously, coupled with the clacking of the ticket printer, has grown more comforting as the years draw on. Only the ambiance has changed; red silk draped across the ceiling, romantic lighting, and lofi remixes to Chinese folk music is the newest setting of my melodramatic drama. Two Michelin stars, the Chef and owner Jonathan Fèng, is barely 32. The books are open for reservations starting in May of 2022. Chef Fèng takes personal offense to the fact that Americans recognize Chinese food as cheap and greasy, so he’s made it his life’s mission to showcase its exemplary qualities.
By Karina Gonzalez5 years ago in Feast
The Secret Behind Perfect Pancakes
Mila could not believe it. Her latest recipe for Greek-inspired meatloaf had more than 50,000 page views, and the viewers trickled onto other pages: Mexican chocolate pudding had 12,356; Sichuan nachos had 6,912; Jamaican jerk chicken flautas had 3,055. She could not tear her eyes away from the screen. This was it, she thought, the break she'd been waiting for.
By Ashley McCully5 years ago in Feast
Lord Percival's Chicken
Lord Percival was Eugenia Starnes’ elderly Maine Coon cat whose health declined upon the death of his lifelong companion Lady Gwendolyn, a calico mix. Percy was not eating and anyone could see his days were numbered. Eugenia bought all his favorite foods but he ignored them all after a cursory sniff and lick. When things were looking their bleakest, she decided that before putting him down, she would do her best to make him something he couldn’t resist. She thawed some boneless chicken thighs, then bustled around assembling other ingredients which she combined with the meat in a baking pan and put the whole thing into the oven for an hour. When it was browned and bubbling, she took it out to cool on the counter while she left to run some errands.
By Valerie Kittell5 years ago in Feast
The Recipe for Life
Gia sighed as she unlocked the front door of Inoltrare and walked into the office. She grew up in this restaurant, the stainless-steel appliances and steaming pots like a second home, watching the line cooks complete the mise en place before the dinner rush began. She was chopping vegetables and deglazing pans for sauces before she even learned her times tables. She had loved the busy pace and high energy atmosphere that filled the kitchen every night. But nothing compared to watching her father, the executive chef and owner, while he made his masterpieces come to life on the stove. Gia could only classify the way he cooked as organized chaos, a flurry of action that was almost manic, yet resulted in dishes that were unrivaled. Lorenzo was a visionary in the kitchen. He was able to take traditional recipes and give them a modern twist, giving the diner the comfort of the familiar and the excitement of the new in one bite. He was one of the most celebrated chefs in the city and Inoltrare was one of the best restaurants around. Gia knew from a young age that she wanted to follow her father’s footsteps and one day take over the restaurant from him. Lorenzo offered for her to continue to learn at the restaurant and forgo formal training, but she insisted on attending culinary school. She wanted to earn her position at Inoltrare and even after her return from graduating at the top of her class at the Culinary Institute of America, she started on the line. She worked hard and made her way up the ranks until she earned the position of sous chef, working directly under her father. Her and Lorenzo worked side by side for two years; it was the happiest time of her life.
By Nicole Werner5 years ago in Feast
Birthday Cake Disaster
When I was a teenager, my friend Eva had a natural talent for cooking and baking, and everyone in my class was jealous of her. Our mothers always had sour expressions on their faces when Eva’s mom bragged about the delicious food Eva cooked, but our moms had nothing to brag about.
By Erika M Szabo6 years ago in Feast
Alsace: Episode One
Four waiters stand in the servers station connected to the kitchen of a world-class French restaurant in 1940. None of them speak. They’re in a tense semi-circle, all of them stare dead eyed at the air in front of them. One is perched on the counter, distractedly stirring an espresso with a demi tasse spoon while another habitually folds and unfolds a wine opener in his hand.
By Jimmy O’Brian7 years ago in Feast
Tales of the Coffee God
And it came to pass that the Coffee God came to a strange foreign land and this land was known to those who dwelt there as the Hazelnut Valley. And in this land the people did walk and sing beneath strange trees, called the tree of the hazelnut. And the nut of this tree they did pick and verily place the nectar from this nut in the mugs of their coffee. And they mixed the nut nectar with the coffee and would quaff this beverage on a regular basis in great quantities and were very satisfied and pleased with themselves thereby, and they did have a great amount of pleased talk about this ‘hazelnut coffee.’
By Brian K. Henry7 years ago in Feast
