Each time I receive an email showcasing how consumers can connect with local food processors, I am going to share it. This is just amazing and I wish they were here in the Charlotte, NC area. “The Walking Fish Cooperative, a community supported fishery (CSF) that links fishermen on the coast to consumers in the Triangle, is very pleased to announce the Winter 2012 season. Please help them spread the word!

A recent article on Bakery and snacks.com revealed that we are teaching by association and not really providing meaningful information about food labels. During a study parents were recruited and given possible “front of the box” food claims reporting that a particular cereal, ” ‘supports your child’s immunity’, ‘whole grain’, ‘fiber’, ‘calcium and vitamin D’, ‘organic’.”

Ever since I started cooking, over 40 years ago I knew processed food was not good for me or anyone. I was a chubby child and I knew right off the bat that a lot of the food I stuffed in my mouth was not healthy, but like so many kids I did it any way for immediate gratification and because for the most part it taste good. Recently I viewed an episode of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, Season 2, Episode 3.

Look, I know a lot of folks are not happy with this program and they think, how dare this Brit tell us this or that, but the truth is no one else is doing it. I challenge parents to let their children watch this segment then have a talk with them about what they are viewing.

Food trucks have been popping up all over the U.S. in major and minor cities. There are the traditional, hot dog trucks, crepe trucks, food trucks that sell everything from tacos, to tamales, barbecue to to cupcakes. These gourmet meals on wheels offer mid-day workers the opportunity to eat delicious food, that they might not normally have the opportunity to get during a 30-60 minutes lunch break, remember you do have to stand in line for your food.

When I lived in Cary, North Carolina, there was a wonderful little Jamaican Restaurant called Cool Runnings that had the most amazing Jamaican Beef Patties. I had tried other items on the menu and they were good too, but the patties were what I would drive back for in a snow storm, if North Carolina had “real” snow storms.