Food news antipasto

The Seattle restaurant scene lost one of its legends this week as acclaimed chef Thierry Rautureau died at the age of 64. Widely known as the ‘Chef in the Hat,’ the French-born restaurateur helped Seattle cement its reputation as a location for fine dining. Rautureau won numerous awards for his restaurants, including a James Beard Award in 1998.

In culinary historian Sarah Lowman’s recently published book Endangered Eating, she takes us on a journey around the United States, informing us about distinct ingredients at risk of being lost. She draws inspiration from the Ark of Taste, a list compiled by Slow Food International that catalogues important regional foods. You can learn more about the impetus for the book by reading Emily Cataneo’s interview with Lowman.

As you get reading for the upcoming holiday cooking and baking bonanza, you might also be putting together a shopping list for the food lovers in your life. Epicurious just posted a list of eco-friendly kitchen gifts that range from ordinary (but useful) Swedish dishcloths to more out-there items like a plastic bottle stripper that converts plastic water bottles into thin strips of plastic to be used for craft items like woven baskets.

Speaking of holidays, the biggest food holiday in the United States is less than three weeks away. Whether you are planning a huge feast for the entire extended family or a more modest, intimate spread, you need a plan. The team at Food & Wine wants to help, providing advice on how to map out the big meal.

Have you noticed a shift in the way food is being portrayed in social media posts? According to Eater’s Jaya Saxena, there’s been a shift away from diffuse, soft lighting to a more pronounced “sun and shadows” type of lighting, and the trend is spreading quickly. This higher contrast lighting goes hand in hand with the “messier and more realistic” styles that are also trending, as influencers move away from tightly staged photos.

The internet ushered in an era of food writing that is unparalleled in its reach and scope. You can find deep dives into almost any cuisine or even into a single dish. There is more to discover than anyone can even have time to read. We may be in a golden age of food writing, but that doesn’t mean current writers are always better than those who came before. For example, take a gander at a May, 1979 article from The Washington Post on eating in Italy.