Category Archives: Food, glorious food

Mixing alcohol and caffeine

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t drink “energy drinks” or the new “caffeinated alcohol” drinks because they look hideous and I’m way too old for that crap, but apparently they have drawn the attention of the regulatory agencies for being potentially dangerous. The Texas … Continue reading →

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More stories about building food

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

After having turducken for your Thanksgiving dinner, how can you not have something like this for dessert? A Los Angeles man named Charles Phoenix has created the turducken of Thanksgiving desserts and dubbed it the cherpumple. Turduckens are pretty commonplace … Continue reading →

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Smoked beer can turkey

Posted on November 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For those of you with an engineering bent and a large enough grill, I give you smoked beer can turkey, based on a popular grilling technique for chickens. Bon appetit!

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“Lunch Line”

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Want to understand the history of the school lunch program and what’s going on with it today? Then you’ll want to see the documentary “Lunch Line”, for which The Lunch Tray is, fittingly enough, a sponsor: Here’s a trailer of … Continue reading →

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Ten years of Central City Co-Op

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Happy tenth birthday to Central City Co-op, the best source in town for organic and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Celebrating its 10th anniversary year, the Central City Co-Op is also almost unrecognizable — but also much stronger and wiser. … Continue reading →

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Donating unused school food

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you spend any time in a public school cafeteria, you will see a lot of food getting thrown out. Much of it is stuff that has to be thrown out, of course, such as all cooked food. But that … Continue reading →

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Still more on the new school lunches

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Bettina Elias Siegel, the lady behind The Lunch Tray, gets her op-ed on HISD’s healthier lunch choices published in the Chron. One critical piece of the puzzle is student food education. But HISD now has only about 15 dietetic interns … Continue reading →

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More on the new school lunches

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron published a Sunday story about the changes to school lunches that we can expect this year. Among the items debuting on Houston-area school lunch menus this academic year: yams, Brussels sprouts, acorn squash, edamame and bok choy. Sushi, … Continue reading →

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What your kids have to look forward to in the cafeteria this year

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the first day of school for HISD and other districts around the state. Among other things, this means a whole bunch of kids will be eating school food at least some of the time again. For HISD at … Continue reading →

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Towards healthier school lunches

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good for DISD. As part of a nationwide push against childhood obesity, the Dallas Independent School District is overhauling its cafeteria menu by featuring healthier food and tossing aside classic artery cloggers. “The challenge to improve school nutrition is coming … Continue reading →

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Valet parking

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Do you love it or hate it? Whether one makes use of the service or not, valet parking has a spot in the Houston area’s landscape. The podiumlike stands with uniformed attendants sit like landmarks in front of hot night … Continue reading →

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The cupcake controversy

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I recently came across an interesting blog about children and food, particularly school food, called The Lunch Tray that’s worth your time to take a look at. I especially liked this post about the habit of bringing cupcakes to school … Continue reading →

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And then there were three microbreweries

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Mike Brian Royo, the owner of what will soon be the third microbrewery in the Houston area, No Label Brewing Co. Royo, 32, and his wife, Jennifer, and his parents, Gilberto and Melanie, have leased space in an old … Continue reading →

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Central City Co-Op Fundraiser

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Central City Co-Op, Houston’s original organic co-op, is doing its annual fundraiser at this time. The following is from Tiffany Tyler, the chair of the Central City Co-Op Board, and also my wife: Central City Co-op is partnering with Bubbles … Continue reading →

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Local food

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

One of the more interesting results from this year’s Houston Area Survey was the attitude expressed about locally grown food. From a Houston Tomorrow press release: An overwhelming majority of Houstonians feel that it is important to be able to … Continue reading →

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They’re brewing up in Conroe

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to hear that there’s another microbrewery in the area, and I’ll be keeping my eyes open for Southern Star beer the next time I’m someplace that might have a broad enough selection to include it. One item to … Continue reading →

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Houston food tours

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is a fabulous idea. [Monica Pope, chef of t’afia] — along with fellow chefs Bryan Caswell of Reef; Marcus Davis of the breakfast klub; Mark Holley of Pesce; Randy Evans of Haven; Hugo Ortega of Hugo’s; Chris Shepherd of … Continue reading →

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For those of you who think turducken is too wimpy…

Posted on November 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

…I give you Turbaconducken. Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is. If you click the link, you will either rush right out to buy several pounds of bacon, or you will become a vegetarian. If you’re already a vegetarian, … Continue reading →

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New digs for Central City Co-Op

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Central City Co-Op, Houston’s premier organic produce co-op, has moved to a new location in Montrose. Central City Co-op moved this week to Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, where the growing organic market’s members have renovated a space for their own … Continue reading →

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The new Saint Arnold brewery

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Opening today just north of downtown. [T]he 15-year-old craft brewery will debut to the public a new plant in a converted warehouse with fabulous views of downtown and easy freeway access. It’s the result of a $7.5 million renovation and … Continue reading →

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Downtown grocery store coming

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Not a traditional big-box kind of place, but this seems like a good fit for downtown. While it won’t be on the scale of a large grocery chain, local caterer Jerrell “Rusty” Powers is preparing to open a market at … Continue reading →

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Eat your veggies, kids

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texas school children don’t have sufficiently healthy diets. I know, I can’t believe it, either. Only 8 percent of Texas teens are eating enough fruits and vegetables, a new report finds, despite efforts to stock school cafeterias with healthier foods. … Continue reading →

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E. Coli conservatism

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If you haven’t read this Times story yet, you really need to. Stephanie Smith, a children’s dance instructor, thought she had a stomach virus. The aches and cramping were tolerable that first day, and she finished her classes. Then her … Continue reading →

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Is there a cardiologist in the house?

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I have two words for you: Fried butter. I kid you not. Fried butter is among eight dishes contending for Monday’s fifth annual Big Tex Choice Awards, which showcases the top new foods at this year’s fair. Fried butter will … Continue reading →

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An open letter to HEB

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Feed the Heights, which notes that HEB had a wildly successful debut of their new Buffalo Speedway store, implores them to do something similar for our neighborhood. Grocery shopping in the Heights is getting better, but still needs some help. … Continue reading →

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Chicken farming in the suburbs

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You can file this under “Things That Happen In Hard Times That Might Continue When Things Get Better”. A pastime once limited to the occasional overachieving gardener, backyard chicken farming has caught fire among suburbanites craving a slice of the … Continue reading →

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Reminder: Central City Co-op garage sale this Saturday

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder about the Central City Co-op garage sale this Saturday, from 8 AM till noon at the Fixers Automotive on Harvard at 11th in the Heights. This is part of their capital campaign, which I blogged about last … Continue reading →

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Shine on

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Let us pause for a moment in appreciation of the Spoetzl Brewery, makers of Shiner beer, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year. By all accounts, Shiner beer shouldn’t have made it this long. The Spoetzl Brewery ferments its brew … Continue reading →

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Support the Central City Co-op

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some of you may know that my wife, Tiffany Tyler, has been working with Central City Co-Op. Last year, she helped launch the farmers market they run at Discovery Green – she was its first manager – and has continued … Continue reading →

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The best thing I’ve heard about my hometown in a long time

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A Staten Island restaurant employs genuine Italian grandmothers to do the cooking. The 35-seat Enoteca Maria takes home cooking to a whole new level by bringing in genuine Italian grandmothers to cook for customers. Each night, one of eight nonnas … Continue reading →

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Calorie counts

Posted on June 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Honestly, this is long overdue. Restaurant groups, nutrition and disease-prevention advocates and Washington lawmakers from both sides of the partisan divide on Wednesday announced they have hammered out an agreement that will put calorie contents on the menus of chain … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Let us raise our glasses

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We did food, and now we do drink. Here are ten beverage-related songs. 1. Alcohol – Barenaked Ladies 2. Beer – Asylum Street Spankers 3. A Case of Coors Beer – Austin Lounge Lizards 4. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: You gonna eat that?

Posted on June 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing with our Friday theme lists, here are ten songs about food: 1. Pico de Gallo – Trout Fishing in America 2. Watermelon Time – Marcia Ball 3. Col. Josh’s Homestyle Barbecue – Asylum Street Spankers 4. Taco Bell Canon … Continue reading →

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The power of burritos

Posted on May 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Mmm…burritos… The hamburger is safe. Pizza probably doesn’t have to worry. Nevertheless, on the menu of perennially popular food, one offering has been gaining steam against competitors: the burrito. Thanks to favorable demographics in the U.S. and consumers’ growing demand … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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