After my step-grandfather retired he and my grandmother, Shirley, moved over 200 miles northwest of Detroit to a small town. Lewiston has a tiny population of 1,289 and sits in the broad Michigan region lovingly labeled “Up North.”

Once upon a time when I served in a downtown Chicago hotel bar and historical landmark, I had zero idea what the build for a Last Word cocktail was.

Coney Island means something very different to a New Yorker versus a Michigander.  The use I am most familiar with refers to a chain of Greek diners in and around Detroit, Michigan.

Like all good Michiganders, I raise my left hand and point to signify where I am from. After a little over six years in Chicago, and two in the Twin Cities, it has been nearly a decade since I have lived in Michigan. 

I’m here to tell you that garnishes do not have to be fussy. They can be, but they don’t have to be. If you’re cooking at home, you want to find creative ways to dress up your meals without extra effort. 

Romanian soups are well-known for their sweet and sour taste. It is a specific aroma rarely found in any other dish around the world. This prestige is mainly owed to the secret ingredient key to the Romanian traditional cuisine: the sour borș.

There are few foods that have traveled the world the way cabbage rolls have. Sarmale, as they are called in Romania, are today considered an incredibly delicious dish with Romanian-specific ingredients.

Kenya is known for its talented long-distance runners (Eliud Kipchoge, anyone?) and rich wildlife heritage, but did you know it’s home to some of East Africa’s most diverse dishes?

If you have kids, how often do you include them in the meal planning process? For me and my 4-year-old son, it’s almost never. Instead, I make sure to work in meals I know he typically enjoys.

The wok appeared over 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty and arrived in the United States during the mid-19th century.

It’s that time of year again. Snowflakes are falling, stockings are making their way over the mantel, and kitchens around the world are heating up for the festivities ahead.

Cooked tomatoes hold a soft spot in my heart. Their rich aroma simmering over a stovetop conjures specific, warm memories from throughout my life—from my mother carefully blowing on a spoonful of hearty stew before handing it off to me, to making a delicious (and messy) homemade pizza sauce with my partner as an adult.