Buy Local campaigns are one method for helping people connect with good food. When we buy local food, it's more likely to be fresh, support the local economy, support a local farm family, be seasonally appropriate, travel a shorter distance to your mouth...and on and on and on. Although we are used to hearing the charge to buy local when it comes to our food, it has its benefits for all those other things we buy too. For example, a fantastic new, locally-owned crafty store just opened in Jamaica Plain called JP Knit and Stitch. Much like Tres Gatos, the signs for this new establishment went up ages ago and I just couldn't wait for the doors to open. Other than thinking about, buying, cooking, eating and studying FOOD, I also love all things crafty.
So when this fine, new local establishment opened its doors I popped in on day one and was truly inspired by the incredible fabric collection. I have never seen such a beautiful collection of organic and fun prints in one place. I began to hatch a plan. The details are in the JP Knit and Stitch Blog...
Anyhow, you can tell when you walk into the store that this place means something to the women who own and run it. These local ladies are so inspired by crafty possibilities that they brought this fun little store to life. In turn, their colorful corner shop inspired the neighborhood and contributes to a bustling little metropolis at their little intersection in JP. If you are a crafter, sewer, knitter or color-lover stop by JP Knit and Stitch for their beautiful and modern collection of fabric, yarn, patterns, buttons and advice. You won't regret it and you'll be supporting a local business.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Bon Me, Please.
It's true, I did go to the Food Truck extravaganza at the Boston City Hall Plaza last week as promised. Whoa! I've been savoring the flavors for the past week, and now it's time to write about the adventure. So here it goes...
Despite the size of the huge, enormous, vast brick plaza...the food trucks were wedged into a tiny pocket of the brick courtyard. I was expecting a large to-do right on Cambridge Street. Maybe they were temporarily moved because of the circus tent set up in the middle of the plaza, but that's irrelevant. Despite their cramped quarters, and the drizzly, cold weather, the three food trucks parked almost on top of each other were creating a circus of their own. As mentioned before, three trucks earned the rights to prime spots for the upcoming warm weather season. Momogoose, Clover (who actually got in by default) and Bon Me are the crew staking their territory in Boston's endeavor to create a food truck culture. I would like to note that Bon Me is the only truck that served its first meals last week, as the other two trucks have been in business for a while. Needless to say, I'd been hearing a lot about Bon Me, and I was excited.
Yes, Wednesday was cold. Our gaggle of three eaters arrived by bike with frosty fingers. Brrr. It did not help that the food trucks were tucked into a dark and shady corner, but all thoughts of physical discomfort dissipated as we approached the bright yellow Bon Me Truck to discern the menu.
I had heard things straight from the source...they buy local produce, the pork liver for the pate comes from Jen and Pete's Backyard Birds, and they even source non-food items from local vendors. And they make Bahn Mi Vietnamese Sandwiches, possibly the staple food of my graduate school education. Not only do they make Bahn Mi, but for those less interested in a good sammy, they also make noodle and rice bowls.
I will also admit that we were so SO excited to order and eat from Bon Me that I neglected to take any photos of the beautiful food. That aside, the food was delicious, savory, flavorful and quickly scarfed down by three hungry ladies. I ordered the Chicken Bahn Mi. Hello yum. First off, it was amazing to feel comfortable ordering a meat product from a truck. I usually resort to ordering a tofu Bahn Mi in Chinatown because I like to know where my meat comes from. And it was so good to know that this chicken sandwich would be from a reliable source...and delicious. My compatriots ordered the BBQ pork Bahn Mi and the Tofu and Mushroom Rice Bowl and the Spice Dusted Sweet Potatoes. I wanted to eat all of it, all of it.
To begin, my Bahn Mi came with an option for white or whole wheat baguette. How's that for a healthy choice? I picked white bread, but I am sure the whole wheat would have been delicious too. What could be bad about a french baguette, spread with rich pork pate, spicy homemade mayo,
perfectly grilled chicken, pickled vegetables and cilantro? It was delicious, a perfect mingling of flavors, each one distinguishable on my tongue to make fireworks. At six dollars a piece (for each of their menu items in fact) it's a reasonable price for a meal that you can trust and savor.
I can't wait to go back in warmer weather, try something new and sit on the warm bricks of the courtyard and soak in more Bon Me.
Yes, Wednesday was cold. Our gaggle of three eaters arrived by bike with frosty fingers. Brrr. It did not help that the food trucks were tucked into a dark and shady corner, but all thoughts of physical discomfort dissipated as we approached the bright yellow Bon Me Truck to discern the menu.
I had heard things straight from the source...they buy local produce, the pork liver for the pate comes from Jen and Pete's Backyard Birds, and they even source non-food items from local vendors. And they make Bahn Mi Vietnamese Sandwiches, possibly the staple food of my graduate school education. Not only do they make Bahn Mi, but for those less interested in a good sammy, they also make noodle and rice bowls.
I will also admit that we were so SO excited to order and eat from Bon Me that I neglected to take any photos of the beautiful food. That aside, the food was delicious, savory, flavorful and quickly scarfed down by three hungry ladies. I ordered the Chicken Bahn Mi. Hello yum. First off, it was amazing to feel comfortable ordering a meat product from a truck. I usually resort to ordering a tofu Bahn Mi in Chinatown because I like to know where my meat comes from. And it was so good to know that this chicken sandwich would be from a reliable source...and delicious. My compatriots ordered the BBQ pork Bahn Mi and the Tofu and Mushroom Rice Bowl and the Spice Dusted Sweet Potatoes. I wanted to eat all of it, all of it.
perfectly grilled chicken, pickled vegetables and cilantro? It was delicious, a perfect mingling of flavors, each one distinguishable on my tongue to make fireworks. At six dollars a piece (for each of their menu items in fact) it's a reasonable price for a meal that you can trust and savor.
I can't wait to go back in warmer weather, try something new and sit on the warm bricks of the courtyard and soak in more Bon Me.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
you gotta eat something...thank you food trucks.
It's that time of year, and that time of life. Us second-year grad students are at the half-way point between midterms and finals, juggling school work with rest-of-life work - planning moves, applying for jobs, finding a new place to call home. In the jumble of it all, some things go neglected: the dog get's shorter walks, sleeping hours decrease and savory meals drops a bit on the priority list.
Since eating is something we have to do every day (preferably a few times a day) there is a simple solution to make food fun, adventurous, filling and relatively inexpensive amidst all this chaos: food trucks.
The first thing to say here is that Boston, per usual when it comes to food culture, is neither the coolest or hippest or most cutting edge when it comes to food trucks. The Bay State has little in comparison to, say, Southern California, New York City or Portland, Oregon (hello, grilled cheese served in a school bus!). That's ok. At least there is some food truck culture in Boston and a bit of a movement creating a stir in the city.
In general, food trucks offer up a few things to consumers: convenient locations, freshly prepared food, low cost items, a bit of novelty and culture. The newest wave of food trucks (different from the more traditional, old-school food carts slinging greasy premade convenience foods) focuses on freshness, healthful dishes, local food, specialty ingredients or a coolness factor derived from the use of social media. You could claim this food truck renaissance started with the Kogi BBQ Truck featuring Korean tacos (correct me if I am wrong) and increasing its buzz by only announcing each day's truck location through Twitter. Thus creating the perfect storm of delicious food, social media, and hipness. Food trucks offer up their own perks to their loving owners too: lower overhead costs, smaller upfront investment, the ability to serve food in a new place each day - a much easier way to break into food service than with a brick and mortar restaurant.
Back to Boston, chronically behind in all things food and cool. The city does have its food truck trailblazer: Clover Food Lab. One glance at the website reveals all. This team has a vision and a mission and just barely enough coffee to get it all done. Not only do they serve food, lots of food, but they also blog and tweet on an above-regular basis. On a not-so-warm day last spring I ate at their truck by South Station. It was later in the afternoon, and they were out of most of the side dishes. However, the chickpea fritter in a pita was pretty good and the aesthetics of the white truck with their stencil logo and menu written in black dry-erase marker were even better. I was eavesdropping on a management meeting occurring at the table next to me, there was no doubt these folks take their operation seriously. Had we not been sitting next to the food truck, and had they not been wearing Clover shirts and Clover trucker hats, their tone and gestures implied something as important as hospital triage or negotiating world peace...these guys think big.
The fine City of Boston, in an attempt to (well, I'm not sure exactly what) increase food access or support local businesses or do something to increase its own coolness factor, sponsored the Boston Food Truck Challenge to find the three perfect food trucks to spruce up Boston City Hall Plaza for the warm season. If you've ever seen the plaza, you know that anything would add a little life to its vast landscape of brick, but that's beyond the point. A good number of existing food trucks and aspiring food truck owners participated in the 'challenge' and the winners were Bon Me Food Truck, Momogoose and World Eats. I'm not really sure what guidelines the City used to determine winners, as these three trucks all serve a form of the Vietnamese sandwich and showcase similar flavors...
The winning trucks were promised "technical assistance, permitting guidance, and assistance applying for low-interest loans from the City of Boston," along with a spot on the plaza. But as it turns out, the spot at City Hall may be the only thing the winners get. The Boston Globe wrote a great piece here about some of the bumps along the way, so I will spare you the details. The most important details to come out of it all...World Eats decided to jump ship opening the way for Clover to join the City Hall trio and the opening day was moved two weeks earlier than originally planned. Amidst the last minute scramble, all carts were ready for action yesterday - on a classic, gloomy, rain-soaked Spring Boston day. I will admit, I was dissuaded by the weather but tomorrow I will head to City Hall Plaza to taste the food truck goodness, and I promise a prompt review right here.
The rise of food trucks in Boston, and the City's efforts to support them is all a good sign. The city is taking great strides to create zones for food trucks and streamline the permitting process. Food trucks may not be the solution to problems of food access, food deserts or affordable food and they sure can be trendy and specialized...but at least them promise something a little new and different as the warm season approaches and we all want to spend more time outside: a bit of adventure, a low(er) cost bite and a reason to put the books down and get out of the house.
Want a Food Truck in your neighborhood or want to be a Food Truck owner? Check out the City of Boston's Food Truck Location Survey or just go visit City Hall Plaza yourself.
Since eating is something we have to do every day (preferably a few times a day) there is a simple solution to make food fun, adventurous, filling and relatively inexpensive amidst all this chaos: food trucks.
The first thing to say here is that Boston, per usual when it comes to food culture, is neither the coolest or hippest or most cutting edge when it comes to food trucks. The Bay State has little in comparison to, say, Southern California, New York City or Portland, Oregon (hello, grilled cheese served in a school bus!). That's ok. At least there is some food truck culture in Boston and a bit of a movement creating a stir in the city.
In general, food trucks offer up a few things to consumers: convenient locations, freshly prepared food, low cost items, a bit of novelty and culture. The newest wave of food trucks (different from the more traditional, old-school food carts slinging greasy premade convenience foods) focuses on freshness, healthful dishes, local food, specialty ingredients or a coolness factor derived from the use of social media. You could claim this food truck renaissance started with the Kogi BBQ Truck featuring Korean tacos (correct me if I am wrong) and increasing its buzz by only announcing each day's truck location through Twitter. Thus creating the perfect storm of delicious food, social media, and hipness. Food trucks offer up their own perks to their loving owners too: lower overhead costs, smaller upfront investment, the ability to serve food in a new place each day - a much easier way to break into food service than with a brick and mortar restaurant.
Back to Boston, chronically behind in all things food and cool. The city does have its food truck trailblazer: Clover Food Lab. One glance at the website reveals all. This team has a vision and a mission and just barely enough coffee to get it all done. Not only do they serve food, lots of food, but they also blog and tweet on an above-regular basis. On a not-so-warm day last spring I ate at their truck by South Station. It was later in the afternoon, and they were out of most of the side dishes. However, the chickpea fritter in a pita was pretty good and the aesthetics of the white truck with their stencil logo and menu written in black dry-erase marker were even better. I was eavesdropping on a management meeting occurring at the table next to me, there was no doubt these folks take their operation seriously. Had we not been sitting next to the food truck, and had they not been wearing Clover shirts and Clover trucker hats, their tone and gestures implied something as important as hospital triage or negotiating world peace...these guys think big.
The fine City of Boston, in an attempt to (well, I'm not sure exactly what) increase food access or support local businesses or do something to increase its own coolness factor, sponsored the Boston Food Truck Challenge to find the three perfect food trucks to spruce up Boston City Hall Plaza for the warm season. If you've ever seen the plaza, you know that anything would add a little life to its vast landscape of brick, but that's beyond the point. A good number of existing food trucks and aspiring food truck owners participated in the 'challenge' and the winners were Bon Me Food Truck, Momogoose and World Eats. I'm not really sure what guidelines the City used to determine winners, as these three trucks all serve a form of the Vietnamese sandwich and showcase similar flavors...
The winning trucks were promised "technical assistance, permitting guidance, and assistance applying for low-interest loans from the City of Boston," along with a spot on the plaza. But as it turns out, the spot at City Hall may be the only thing the winners get. The Boston Globe wrote a great piece here about some of the bumps along the way, so I will spare you the details. The most important details to come out of it all...World Eats decided to jump ship opening the way for Clover to join the City Hall trio and the opening day was moved two weeks earlier than originally planned. Amidst the last minute scramble, all carts were ready for action yesterday - on a classic, gloomy, rain-soaked Spring Boston day. I will admit, I was dissuaded by the weather but tomorrow I will head to City Hall Plaza to taste the food truck goodness, and I promise a prompt review right here.
The rise of food trucks in Boston, and the City's efforts to support them is all a good sign. The city is taking great strides to create zones for food trucks and streamline the permitting process. Food trucks may not be the solution to problems of food access, food deserts or affordable food and they sure can be trendy and specialized...but at least them promise something a little new and different as the warm season approaches and we all want to spend more time outside: a bit of adventure, a low(er) cost bite and a reason to put the books down and get out of the house.
Want a Food Truck in your neighborhood or want to be a Food Truck owner? Check out the City of Boston's Food Truck Location Survey or just go visit City Hall Plaza yourself.
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