Food news antipasto

The judges on Bravo TV’s Top Chef have consumed some amazing foods and some that were…not so amazing. Recently some of the judges sat down with Delish to recount the worst things they have ever eaten on the show. Tom Colicchio, Kristen Kish, and Gail Simmons all provided their least favorite foods. One involved warm, undercooked cod served to Tom Colicchio. Simmons says the worst dishes all came from the earliest seasons, when everything was still new and they were working out the kinks for the challenges.

Few things beat eating a warm, sun-kissed tomato that you have grown and tended to in a backyard or patio garden. Some garden vegetables provide a greater reward than others for the amount of effort you have to put into them, so Yahoo’s Bonnie Ferrero gives us a list of 20 high-yielding vegetables that are always worth the work and sweat. My favorite from the list is butternut squash because they are delicious and keep for a long time.

The Ottolenghi empire is expanding, this time with a new restaurant opening this autumn in Edinburgh, which will be the brand’s first Scottish outpost. The restaurant will be helmed by Scottish chef Neil John Campbell, who has worked with the Ottolenghi group for nearly 10 years. In a statement, Yotam Ottolenghi said: “We’ve been dreaming about opening in Edinburgh for years – at last the time is right. The city has a brilliant dining culture and access to incredible local produce – fish, seafood and beautiful vegetables from across Scotland.” Additional details will be announced later in the year.

I’m an Aldi stan, so recent news of a major redesign coming soon to its US stores garnered my attention. The changes will also be rolled out in other countries so that they will all resemble one another and bring  “a singular, globally unified trading format, modularly adaptable for different store formats and building types across each of the brand’s five diverse territories,” according to an Aldi press release. The biggest disappointment is that the article only provides one photo and you can’t see much of the store.

We have all read stories explaining that ultra-processed foods are not good for you, and now there is another new international study that finds a major negative impact of a diet containing UPFs. The study found that even relatively small amounts of UPFs – regardless of how healthy the rest of the participant’s diet is – have a distinct detrimental effect on visual attention and can “negatively impact the brain’s ability to focus.” This ability is important for learning and problem solving, and a poor attention span has been linked to cognitive decline and a risk of developing dementia.

Our UK Members may be interested in the Future of Food Festival coming to London’s West End in May. Events include exclusive supper clubs, chef-hosted dinners, hands-on culinary workshops, and a sustainable food market. The festival will take place from May 13-16, with the St. James’s Food Fair happening on Saturday, May 16. To keep abreast of the schedule, follow @‌regentstreetw1 and @‌stjameslondon on Instagram.

Jenny would like to let you know about some author events that have been recently added to our Calendar:

• Yotam Ottolenghi – Ottolenghi Simple Too (US, CA, UK, Europe)
• Georgina Hayden – Medesque
• Alana Kysar – Aloha Veggies
• Monti Carlo – Spanglish
• Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill – La Copine
• David Lebovitz – The Great Book of Chocolate, Revised
• Melanie Masarin – Riviera

Other articles you may have missed:

• More uses for your tortilla press
• Cookbooks highlight underrepresented cuisines