. t h e k c c f o o d i e .

Something wonderful.

Let me start today by apologizing for the long gap in posts; frankly there has been very little exciting food news both locally and nationally. Much of it has been continuances of old stories--the Whole Foods/Wild Oats debate, chefs suing chefs, tax-evading Italians who lost their liquor licenses...that kind o' stuff.

But the NYTimes offers up a good article about "quickie" cooking classes in France for the passing-through traveler. These classes are held at such prestigious institutions like Ecole Lenotre, where a fair amount of world-class pastry chefs initially trained.

If you haven't already, head over to the nearest newsstand and grab a copy of this month's Honolulu Magazine, because it's all about food! Complete with an extensive restaurant guide, tips on budget dining, and reminiscing by John Heckathorn, the Restaurant Issue is one more thing to look forward to every year.

And now, I've been itching to tell SOMEone that...I've been published!!! Okay, not in the true binded literary sense, but my years of dorkiness and menu writing have finally paid off. Sabrina's Restaurant, where I currently am an apprentice, called upon their own personal Geek Squad (a.k.a. me) to design their newest menu, put into effect since only yesterday. I'm insanely excited and can't wait until we get brand-new leather menu covers instead of the flappable plastic lamination. Check out zee muh-noo ICI! <Download sabrinas5.pdf>

Perfume.

I went to see the eerily fascinating movie Perfume at the Movie Museum on Friday and was shocked and pleased to see Alan Rickman play a more emotional character than bitter Professor Snape, who I connect with on so many levels. The film only reinforced my love of scent; the olfactory sense is to me the best of the five (or six, or whatever). Close your eyes, cover your ears, and discover how much more you can smell. And just yesterday my coworker dubbed me "a creep" because I smell everything--and I took no offense since I DO smell everything, from rotten food to cardboard to raw pasta (and there is a remarkable difference between brands)...and admittedly it certainly looks weird to an innocent bystander...

'Elua's Website is Up!

And here it is!

Rich people gotta pay, too

If you are an Italian foodie like me, an alcoholic, or one of the blessed who finds time to read all the way through the New York Times, Arrigo Cipriani and his son Giuseppe, owners of Harry's Bar in Venice (among other numerous locations), where the elegant Bellini cocktail was created, have plead guilty to $3.5 mil in tax evasion since '98 and have agreed to pay a total of $10 mil "in restitution and penalties." What angers me is not their crime, which isn't a particularly uncommon one, but the nerve of Arrigo to slay the Cipriani name. Maybe some will agree with me when I say the Cipriani companies have become, as we young people call it, a sell-out, that they've forgone integrity and the original vision in favor of making as much mula as possible. Arrigo's father Giuseppe (who shares the same name as his grandson) was a generous but humble bartender who happened upon an affluent and equally generous American--Harry--and together they created the Venetian landmark Harry's Bar. But now, honesty is lost in a sea of greed, not to mention $10 minestrone and $14 Bellinis. And I find it hilarious that the NYC location has won an award from NYMagazine as one the top "Overrated Restaurants."