Food Manufacturing

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Imperial Sugar Hit Hard By OSHA

Battle station: Kroger’s

National Cancer Organization Wants Hot Dogs Out of HISD Schools

National Cancer Organization Wants Hot Dogs Out of HISD Schools

Letters

An Update On The Strand's Comeback, From George Mitchell

George Mitchell is pretty much the guy who saved Downtown Galveston and the Strand area as it was slowly deteriorating into oblivion; now he's leading the efforts to bring it back from Ike.Today he issued an upbeat assessment of where things stand and where they'll be going.The 24 historical buildin ... More >>

Crunchy Bacon Chocolate Bar

Photo by Robb Walsh The best thing I got in my Easter Basket was this Mo's Bacon Bar from Vosges chocolate company. The texture is not unlike a Nestle's Crunch, but instead of crispy rice, the crunchy bits here are pieces of alderwood smoked bacon and coarse alderwood smoked salt. When you open up ... More >>

Chocolate Festival of Texas

Sweetness comes to town

Feature Photo

Sweetness comes to town

Richard Kaplan

His chocolate is hot

The Next Chef Boyardee

Wolfgang Puck, creator of Spago in Hollywood, has lost control of his name

Best Pasta

Wolfgang Puck, creator of Spago in Hollywood, has lost control of his name

Best Ice Cream

Wolfgang Puck, creator of Spago in Hollywood, has lost control of his name

Best Chocolate-Covered Anything

Wolfgang Puck, creator of Spago in Hollywood, has lost control of his name

Best New Restaurant

Wolfgang Puck, creator of Spago in Hollywood, has lost control of his name

Take Me Home

Wolfgang Puck, creator of Spago in Hollywood, has lost control of his name

Bring On the Bovine

Beef-mad Houstonians keep eating steaks

Best Pizzeria

Pizza Bella

Best New Construction

U.S. 59 South

On a Whim

Tex-Mex adventures

Harvard Elementary Kids, Get Your Butts Back To School

Another HISD school has declared total victory in the battle against swine flu (No political correctness here, pork industry!!). Harvard Elementary in the Heights, one of the first district schools to close down, will reopen tomorrow.The city's health department has given the OK for the move, HISD s ... More >>

Not So Clear Cut

What are you really eating when you order fajitas in a Tex-Mex restaurant?

Chocolat du Monde in Rice Village

Photo by J.C. Reid​When it comes to chocolate, there's the good stuff, and then there's the really good stuff. Once you get past mass-market chocolate like Hershey's, the next step up is Godiva and Ghirardelli, which are both certainly good-quality and widely available in Houston. But the rea ... More >>

3rd Annual Chocolate Festival of Texas & Texas Wines

The Mayans and Aztecs were right about one thing - the fruit of the cacao tree is delicious

Top 5 Sweets of Sugar Land

Wrong, but right: Oreo Pizookie​Imperial Sugar may not actually produce sugar in Sugar Land anymore, but even as dust collects on the factory smokestacks and the museum leads tours through the old warehouse, there are still a number of bakeries, breweries and cafes making Sugar Land's namesake ... More >>

Artisan Chocolates at Whole Foods

​All-natural Lake Champlain Chocolates from Vermont are one of the stars of the Valentine's Day "Sweets for Your Sweetie" display at Whole Foods Market on Kirby. The company's chocolate blog is an amusing glimpse into life in a chocolate factory. I like the post about "frog day" on the manuf ... More >>

Late Night Scene: Waffle House

​We ventured out to the Waffle House at 11240 Westheimer for some pork products and waffles. There is something about this place that makes it a destination restaurant. We ordered a super "breakfast" with a pecan waffle, sausage, and our hash browns "smothered, covered and scattered." If you'r ... More >>

Houston Company Hit With Claim Its Fish Contain PCBs

​A Houston-based fish-oil manufacturer might be exposing consumers to a harmful carcinogen, according to a lawsuit filed by environmental activists earlier this month.Filed in a California Superior Court, the suit accuses Omega Protein and seven other fish-oil manufacturers of failing to warn cons ... More >>

Before there were cowboys, there were ...

"Vaqueros y Rancheros" Exhibit hosted by Casa Ramirez

Antonelli's Cheese Shop

​Specialty shops are not dead. Just ask Kendall and John of Antonelli's Cheese Shop in Austin (4220 Duval Street). On February 11 of this year, they opened Antonelli's Cheese Shop in the city's famous Hyde Park area. Not to worry, Hyde Park Grill and Dolce Vita fans. Antonelli's Cheese Shop ha ... More >>

Meals on Reels: Food, Inc.

Chef Monica Pope serves up a heaping helping of truth

Pola Artisan Cheeses

​We'd tried Pola Artisan Cheeses (1829 Colquitt, 281-414-2509) at the Urban Harvest Farmers' Market and even taken some to the St. Arnolds Brewery, but when we heard it was being made in a house in Montrose, we had to see it for ourselves. We called ahead to make sure it was cool to take a "ch ... More >>

Health Dept. Roundup: Market Edition

​This week on Health Department Roundup, we visited the city's retail food markets. At Foodarama Meat (11502 Wilcrest), a May 17 routine inspection found a hand-washing sign was not visible at all hand-washing sinks used by food employees, and that floors were not kept clean in several areas ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Giancarlo Ferrara of Arcodoro

​We recently caught up with Chef Giancarlo Ferrara of Arcodoro. We visited with this native of Salerno, Italy to discuss his origins and theories for success as a chef and how he ended up in Houston. Eating Our Words: How did you get into cooking? Ferrara: Growing up, everybody in my family ... More >>

Sundae Sundays: Ben & Jerry's

​Ben & Jerry's has held a special place in my heart ever since I visited its factory and one particularly generous scooper let me have, like, 1,000 free samples. I generally find the flavors pleasing and inventive, with great chunk-to-ice cream ratios (no hunting around for peanut butter cups ... More >>

The Green Scene in Fredericksburg

Photo by jonlThe Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association at the 2008 Roundup.​Attention, Houston-area organic chefs, farmers and food producers: Fredericksburg wants you! The annual Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living Fair, which takes place this year from September 24 to 26, is l ... More >>

SunChips Compostable Bags "Too Loud" - Frito-Lay Says To Hell with Planet

howgreenworks.comAmerica's youth only interested in saving the planet if it's done quietly. ​ Frito-Lay first launched a new, innovative line of compost-able packaging made entirely from plants for their SunChips brand in April of 2009. Less than 18 months later, the company is returning to th ... More >>

Food Fight: Battle Gummi Bear

​Not all gummi bears are created equal. Some people - including certain unnamed members of my family - do not seem to be aware of this, and blithely purchase generic gummi bears from supermarket bulk bins. While it's hard to get angry at someone who buys you candy, off-brand gummis have a cons ... More >>

Food Fight: Battle Tuna Salad Sandwich

Kraftsmen on the left, Weslayan Cafe on the right. ​When it comes to tuna salad sandwiches, I'm with David Rosengarten: there is no better homemade sandwich. So simple - in its most basic form, comprising only canned tuna, mayonnaise, and bread - and so delicious. But there's also a dark side ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Robb Walsh: If you're still stumped for a Christmas gift, Robb Walsh would like ... More >>

Food Safety Modernization Act Passes, But at What Cost?

This...probably won't happen to your friendly local farm. Geez, Alex Jones...​Yesterday afternoon, President Obama signed what's being called "one of the most expansive food regulation bills in living memory," the Food Safety Modernization Act (FMSA), effectively creating a new arm of the Food ... More >>

Comments of the Day

​Lauren Marmaduke reported on the blue stuff in some "blueberry" food products not being actual blueberries, and some of our commenters expressed their displeasure with the industry. Said Gaspar Ramsey: Horsehockey. Food manufacturers use fake ingredients because they are trying to scam the p ... More >>

Chocoholics Unite: Chocolate Festival at Central Market

​Right in time for V-Day, Central Market is hosting its annual Chocolate Festival. The aisles are filled with chocolate products of all varieties. One of my favorite local chocolatiers, Araya Artisan Chocolates, recently began selling their products at Central Market, making it even easier t ... More >>

Come and Bake It

Local movement fights for cottage food bill.

Shiftwork Bites: Paneer

​The realities of Shiftwork Bites cooking - little space, little equipment, one burner - dictate what I can and cannot reasonably prepare at work. A lot of my meals tend to be one-pot affairs, as this makes setup and cleanup much easier, and doesn't stretch me too thin. I am still at work, rem ... More >>

Greatest Grub: Best Non-Blue Bell Ice Cream Flavors

Carrie Applegate Jaeger​As promised, here's the follow up to the last Greatest Grub featuring favorite flavors of Blue Bell ice cream. I can only imagine how many gallons of that stuff are bought in the state during these unbearably hot summer months. I know that Blue Bell is the hometown fa ... More >>

Why Texas Should Reopen Its Horse Slaughterhouses

We hear horse definitely doesn't taste like chicken.​It's been five years since the nation's last horse slaughterhouse was shut down. The Cavel horse slaughterhouse in DeKalb, Illinois, closed after Congress banned USDA inspections of horse meat -- effectively ceasing operations at the few aba ... More >>

Meat Market

You'll probably be paying more for your rib eyes and Whoppers thanks to the great Texas drought of 2011.