Home from St. Louis

By Sandy Hu

A good conference challenges you to learn new things, re-evaluate what you know and recharge with fresh ideas. And that was exactly how I felt, returning yesterday after four days in St. Louis at the annual Les Dames d'Escoffier (LDEI) conference.

As our website states: "Les Dames d’Escoffier is the only organization of its kind: a worldwide philanthropic society of professional women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage and hospitality. The invitation-only membership, composed of 28 individual chapters across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, is highly diversified and reflects the multifaceted fields of contemporary gastronomy and hospitality.”

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Fall for Stew

By Katie Barreira

Autumn is the perfect time of year for a savory, tummy-warming bowl of stew. As the weather grows colder and the days shorter, I find myself arriving home from work feeling hungrier and less inclined to cook. And thus, Sundays have become Stew Sundays. Thirty minutes of prep, a couple hours of “set it and forget it” cooking during football and I’ve got dinner covered for at least two nights of the coming week.

Can’t imagine eating the same thing a few nights in a row? No problem; stews are masters of disguise. On Sunday, it’s a steaming bowl, hot off the stove, with a hunk of crusty bread for mopping the rich broth. Monday, the cold meat is shredded and heated with some of the veggies and served on rolls with slaw, for a pulled pork sandwich. And by Wednesday, your thickened stew dresses up as ragu, ladled over soft, creamy polenta or tossed into pasta.

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