Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Family Meals - An interview with Chef Michael Smith

Family Meals - An interview with Chef Michael Smith

Michael Smith. You may know him as the Inn Chef, Chef at Home, Chef Abroad, Lentil Hunter or Prince Edward Island’s food ambassador. Or as a challenger to Bobby Flay on Iron Chef, judge on Chopped Canada, or author of eight cookbooks. Perhaps even as "World's Tallest Freestanding Chef", a description he’s coined in acknowledgement of his 6 feet 7 inches frame.

I remember him from the late nineties when I lived in Halifax. My wife and I went to his top notch restaurant, Maple, for date night. The only table available was one overlooking the kitchen, directly where he was expediting. Though he’s not a “shouty” chef (think Gordon Ramsay), the instant responses from his brigade of “Yes Chef,” acknowledging his every call, showed that he certainly had their respect and attention. So instead of spending the evening gazing soulfully into each other’s eyes, we were mesmerized by the ballet of the kitchen and the careful

Food for Thought with Alex Bielak -What’s on the Menu?

What’s on the Menu?

People think it would be nice to go back in time sometimes, perhaps in pursuit of a more genteel era, where the food was slower, if not necessarily more sustainable. Well now one can. Literally.

The New York Public Library has a “What’s on the Menu” site where over 17,000 (and counting) historic menus are archived. It’s well worth a few minutes to scan, and visitors to the site can even take on some reviewing functions if they’d like to contribute to the ongoing transcription process.

It’s fascinating to see what patrons at clubs like the Bohemian, Banker’s, Chemist’s, Cotillion, Gridiron or Papyrus clubs, among many others, were partaking of in the late 1800s, or having for breakfast on the high seas as the SS America steamed on and 1953 drew to a close. For instance diners at the Boston-based Papyrus Club tackled an imposing repast that included Fried Soft Shell Crabs, Fillet of Beef, and Loin of Spring lamb. Refreshed by “Roman Punch” they went on to