Food news antipasto

Rancho Gordo announced it has new digs for its Napa, California store. Located in the former Shackford building on Napa’s Main Street, the store noted that the “symbolism of beans going Main Street is not lost on us.” If you are planning a Napa Valley trips, this might be worth a detour.

I missed this when it was first published a couple of weeks ago, but Gastro Obscura has a great interview with chef Sean Sherman about his latest cookbook, Turtle Island. The discussion touches on the kinds of foods that Sherman grew up with as compared to the indigenous ingredients he has researched for his efforts to reclaim Native foodways. The chef also talks about how he feels cooking with indigenous ingredients is a way forward as well as a nod to the past.

Trader Joe’s customers have voted, and the results are in – here are the 2026 Customer’s Choice Awards for the beloved bargain grocery chain. This is the 17th year for the honors, which include 11 categories of items. The #1 product this year is the steamed pork & ginger soup dumplings. Runners-up included the butternut squash mac & cheese and butter chicken. I agree that the best breakfast product is the hash browns, although the frozen chocolate croissants are great too.

In another ranking, The Guardian taste-tested supermarket mixed nuts to find which brands are best. They found an overall winner and the best bargain, and also provided descriptions and critiques of several other brands. The winning brand, Waitrose mixed nuts, was found to be the freshest with great quality and a good balance of different types of nuts.

Reactions to Nigella Lawson being named as Prue Leith’s replacement on the Great British Bake Off have nearly universally been positive. The Independent’s Rachel McGrath is no exception, and she thinks that Lawson is poised to breathe new life into a show that has become a tad stale. McGrath believes Lawson will be able to keep Paul Hollywood’s ego in check while delivering the sort of cheeky lines the show is known for – after all, Lawson practically invented food innuendo.

After years of construction and $836 million (AU) in costs, the new Sydney Fish Market opened to the public a little over a week ago. The market contains 42 vendors, including fish sellers and dining options. Highlights of the new complex are the “high-tech market floor with purpose-built facilities including separate, temperature-controlled zones for different seafood categories” and a fantastic new space for Sydney Seafood School.

Lastly, while it might taste good, this is not cheesecake.

Other posts:

• Does it matter which side of aluminum foil goes where?
• Is cooking an art or a craft?
• Chefs share their favorite condiments