Table of contents for Spring/Summer 2024 in SAVEUR

Asha Toulmin and Max Davidson • Christina Ciambriello • Christophe Attard • Derek and Lorena Vaughn • Emily and Zoe Rae • Farmacie Isolde • Javier and Maryellen Madrid • Justine and David Kenahan • Ken Crerar and Peter Garrett • Kim Hicks and Matt Miller • L Sutton • Law Offices of Hovarth and Hovarth • Marlo Marketing • Nancy Pick • Peace, Love & Dough • Saki & Java • Scott Fitzgerald and Jeannie Johnson • Stella Seo • Union Square Hospitality Group • Wisconsin Cheese & Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin…

Joyce Kutty likes wicked sharp knives and catch-of-the-day dinners. As a child, the 33-year-old metalsmith learned to fish the waters off Point Judith, Rhode Island, and helped her mother prepare Tamil- and Malayali-style curries in their kitchen in East Providence. Now, after a stint crafting Harmony engagement rings for Tiffany & Co., Kutty has moved on to more utilitarian objects inspired by the ancestral housewares her father carried home after visits to family in Kerala, India: Hand-forged spice spoons, hammered thali bowls, nadan kathi knives, and koduval coconut cleavers. Her own boning and filleting knives reference the same graceful curves of these more traditional South Asian blades. “Both my parents are from coastal states,” she says. “So we eat a mostly fish diet. Making knives that can carve into fish and…

Viticulture has thrived on Crete for thousands of years, but for most of the 20th century, mass production dominated the wine industry on Greece’s largest island. Phylloxera didn’t hit there until the late 1970s—almost a century after it ravaged continental European vineyards—and the blight served as a much-needed reset. In the 1980s and ’90s, high-yielding grapes like vilana were planted. Then, in the late ’90s, a new generation of Cretan winemakers who had studied abroad started to return home, armed with deeper winemaking and farming know-how and a curiosity about the indigenous varieties in their own backyards. Now, those producers’ efforts are bearing fruit as they see their bottles grow both in age and in international popularity. The new guard has resuscitated Crete’s native grapes, replanting surviving and abandoned vines on…

MARSEILLE: IT’S EAST AND IT’S WEST, a city with awe-inspiring force shrouded in mystery. It’s hard to pin down. It must be teased out, won over through discovery. And then suddenly, it’s yours! When you arrive in Marseille from the airport highway, the tracking shot is spectacular. The sea. The islands in the distance. The buildings straight ahead. And the long footbridge crossing that’s like an artery into the city. Marseille feels cinematic. The air is sweet even when the cold mistral wind is blowing. You slow down. There’s no rush. La Bonne Mère—the emblematic cathedral towering above the city—watches over you. The fishmonger is calling out the catch of the day. Suddenly you’re hungry, but there’s so much to choose from. Honey beignets on rue d’Aubagne. A “moitié-moitié” pizza. A…

AT MELBOURNE’S BIG ESSO, chef Nornie Bero tops chargrilled wapi with lemon myrtle-spiked sambal. At Fervor, the West Australian pop-up, Paul Iskov and Stephne Pronk smear crackers with emu liver parfait. And at Seven Seasons, a Larrakia-owned distillery in the Barossa Valley, former AFL footballer Daniel Motlop transforms native yams and green ants into gin. For decades, Australian chefs drew inspiration almost exclusively from abroad: British roasts, Japanese wasabi, Levantine spices … But rarely were Indigenous foods on the menu. That began to change in the early 2000s with the rise of locavore Australian chefs like Mark Olive and the late Jock Zonfrillo. Today, a growing interest in “bush food” among Indigenous and nonnative Australians is uplifting Aboriginal culture and its rich culinary traditions. To get a taste, familiarize yourself with…

COCONUT-TARO ICE CREAM Makes: 1 pint SAVEUR’s culinary producer Jessie YuChen often throws pan-cultural popups and parties around New York City —sometimes in restaurants, but also in shops, homes, and event spaces with varying collections of kitchen equipment. This vibrant, violet-colored ice cream suits all kinds of events nicely; the plant-based treat comes together easily, no ice-cream machine required. Sweet-and-salty flavor combinations are beloved in Taiwan, where YuChen grew up; they suggest sandwiching this ice cream between Ritz crackers or even scallion crisps for an unexpected savory twist. Two 14-oz. cans coconut cream, divided1½ cups (8¾ oz.) peeled, coarsely chopped taro root1 cup sugar½ cup roasted unsalted cashews¼ tsp. kosher salt+ Purple food coloring (optional) 1 The day before you plan to make the ice cream, refrigerate one of the…

STEAM RISES FROM metal baskets, each holding an artful array of deftly pleated, juicy pork dumplings. An Alaskan king crab, bigger than a hubcap and still thrashing its legs, is unloaded from a delivery truck. Among the din of lunchtime chatter, the wheels of dim sum carts pad softly across a carpeted floor. Here, in the many restaurants of California’s San Gabriel Valley (SGV), the largest majority Asian American region in the United States, a wealth of culture and history is served alongside every bite. After World War II, the region became a hub for groups of Mexican, Chinese, Filipino, and South Asian Americans moving from other enclaves of Los Angeles where racially restrictive covenants prevented them from settling. Japanese Americans began to arrive as they were released from concentration…

Washington, D.C. restaurateur and cookbook author Rose Previte learned to cook Lebanese food from her mother and aunts—women who, despite their culturally Lebanese upbringing, had never once set foot in the place. According to Previte: “My mother’s mentality was, ‘we worked so hard to get here, why would we go back?’” But when Jan Pavach and Joan Charron, two of Rose’s aunts, turned 70, they realized they wanted to experience Lebanon firsthand, to get a glimpse of the country so steeped in their family mythology. So Rose and her husband, journalist David Greene, took Jan and Joan on their first trip. From the city of Beirut and Douma in the countryside, they traveled onto the village of Bechmizzine, and were welcomed into the home of George and May Geha, a…

WE’RE BACK. It’s been four years since, remotely and in masks, we printed our last issue. In the meantime, the food—and food media—landscapes have shifted dramatically. Legacy pubs and beloved restaurants shuttered, while chefs and home cooks built up massive social media followings, some into the profitable millions. In many ways, digital content has been a boon, democratizing access to the world’s rich and varied cuisines in ways our founding editors never could have imagined. But while corporate boardrooms posit print is dead, saveur is one of a growing number of publications that have decided to prove them wrong. Those of us who’ve stuck with this brand, and those of us who have now come back to revive her, aren’t in it for a windfall. We’re here for the same…

CULINARY DISPATCHES FROM EARTH … AND BEYOND AS THE SUN BEGINS to set over the Himalayan peaks in the distance, Avinash Yadav sits cross-legged in a makeshift outdoor kitchen, crushing stark green leaves in his palm. He tosses them into chickpea flour, mashing the mixture with finely chopped onions, potatoes, and water to make a rich, almost golden batter. Nearby, villagers of Kyark start to slink to their homes. Some herd their livestock into pens to avoid prowling leopards, a common sight in Devbhoomi, the mountainous region in Northern India known as the Land of Gods. When Yadav finishes preparing his batter, he’ll form it into small portions and gently drop them in hot oil shimmering over a mud stove. He’s making a fritter known as “bhang ke pakora.” Its…

HAS FARM-TO-TABLE GONE LUNAR? Thanks to NASA’s Artemis program, which launched when an unmanned spaceship orbited the moon in 2022, the answer is yes. The U.S. government agency has ushered in space travel’s next frontier—one that will involve extended space stays and planetary exploration. Next fall, Artemis II will send a crew of four into lunar orbit for the first time since 1972. Though we’re accustomed to humans on (or near) the moon, the upcoming mission will bring us closer to Artemis’ bigger objective: establishing a space station and lasting presence on the Earth’s only natural satellite. The base will enable research and, ostensibly, serve as a launch pad for deep-space travel. We’re talking Mars, Earthlings, and getting there by blasting off of the moon’s surface. MIT Technology Review says reaching…

KARAVITAKIS, VIDIANO This family-run estate was one of the earliest to produce high-quality vidiano in the late 1990s; this zesty, high-acid bottle is a textbook example of the late-ripening grape’s potential for nuance, complexity, and grace. MANOUSAKIS, NOSTOS ROMEIKO Red romeiko grapes are nontraditionally vinified as a white wine in this reflection of Crete’s innovative winemaking spirit. Fresh citrus and sweet almond aromas pair nicely with briny seafood. ALEXAKIS, KOTSIFALI/SYRAH Indigenous varieties are the focus at one of Crete’s largest wineries, but a little bit of syrah brings international flair into this spiced and cherry-tinged cuvée. DOULOUFAKIS, LIATIKO The winery tames liatiko’s robust tannins with French oak for a light red wine with berry, black cherry, and tea notes. Age will only increase this wine’s silky texture and complex flavors.…

Sports fans know most stadium concession stands offer the same assortment of ho-hum and overpriced food options. Not so at the newly opened CityPark in St. Louis, where the action on the field is far from the only draw. Organized soccer took off in the Midwestern city in the late 1800s, and it’s been a fountain of soccer talent ever since, producing dozens of elite champions over the decades. Yet somehow it took more than a century for St. Louis to mint its very own Major League Soccer team, St. Louis City SC, who first suited up in 2023. As the squad heads into its second season after an impressive first year, they’re still breaking in CityPark, their glimmering 22,500-seat stadium where all of the food comes from local restaurants…

This recipe is an easy one, and the ingredients are simple and common. This particular recipe contains an uncommon flavor pairing. Dollars and hunger ain’t no match but in this preparation the secret ingredient is one that might make you bitter. Survival is an acquired taste. To make a sandwich and not be bitter you must spread your mayonnaise liberally. It should be able to stretch across all of your tongues. The key to making this turkey sandwich is in its layers. The turkey should be sliced thin as paper, stacked lightly between two slices of cheap bread and white American cheese. Cut diagonally and enjoy. WHAT YOU WILL NEED 10 dollars, food stamp or otherwise 1 full loaf of generic wheat bread Enough turkey to feed your family today…

WHEN I WAS IN MY TEENS and starting my life as a chef in London, before adulthood’s small luxuries had come to roost, I arrived home to Dundee by train, the last few minutes of the journey spent barreling over the great Tay Rail Bridge spanning the vast estuary of the Firth of Tay. As the train rolled into the station, there stood Mum and Dad as always, all waves, hugs, and great excitement. In later years, with my 20s behind me, and now a head chef in restaurants, I would splash out on a flight from London City Airport to the small strip on the north bank of the river, that bit further out from Dundee. The feeling was akin to that of an old film. As the twin…

TRIVIA TIME: WHAT’S the most consumed spirit worldwide? If you guessed vodka, rum, or gin, give it another shot—it’s baijiu, China’s favorite liquor. A lifetime of visiting the country of my ancestors has taught me that gatherings there often mean one thing: swigging, swirling, and spilling generous quantities of baijiu. For centuries, people have been crowding around tables and knocking back the grain-distilled alcohol at family reunions, business dinners, holiday celebrations—and average Thursday nights. “It’s so ingrained in the culture that I took it for granted,” says saveur senior culinary producer Jessie YuChen, who grew up in Taiwan. Yet globally, the spirit remains obscure: For most of my life, I hardly saw it outside of China and Taiwan, and even today, the vast majority of the world’s baijiu is produced and…

I can smell the narazuke fermentation room before I see it. The malty scent of vegetables mingling with bacteria is a signpost pointing toward the facility where Soshin Nishida and his family age pickled white melon. I inhale deeply, taking in the aromas, and Nishida beams. “It smells good, doesn’t it?” Tourists flock to Nara to pose for selfies with the Japanese city’s famous free-roaming deer, but the historic prefecture is otherwise largely overlooked as a destination, eclipsed by Kyoto’s famed temples and Osaka’s glitz. Yet in the 8th century, Nara was Japan’s first permanent capital, among the easternmost stops on the ancient Silk Road, and a key entry point for edible imports. From tea drinking to persimmon cultivation, the city became a fountainhead of Japanese food culture. Today, many…

Creamy Gochujang Chicken Noodles Serves: 4–6 Firefighter Gary Yeung fused fettuccine alfredo and Korean buldak to create this crowd-pleaser (see “Around the Table with Boston’s Bravest,” p. 30). —Megan Zhang ¼ cup gochujang3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided2 Tbsp. gochugaru chile flakes1½ tsp. honey1 tsp. paprika½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper½ tsp. kosher salt4 garlic cloves, finely chopped4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-in. pieces1 lb. fettuccine1½ cups heavy cream3 Tbsp. soy sauce3 scallions, whites and greens separated, thinly sliced8 white mushrooms, thinly sliced1 cup grated parmesan (optional) 1 In a large bowl, stir together the gochujang, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the gochugaru, honey, paprika, black pepper, salt, and garlic. Add the chicken, toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 2 Bring a pot of salted water to…

“THE SHRIMP HEADS JUST LOOKED TOO JUICY TO IGNORE,” says Halo Perez-Gallardo, chef/owner and creative director of Lil’ Deb’s Oasis in Hudson, New York. They had just added a fresh shrimp ceviche to the menu, and were considering tossing the discarded heads and shells into their usual shrimp-infused butter, but these had a higher calling: the fryer. Perez-Gallardo, who is always looking for creative ways to cull flavor from ingredients that might otherwise get tossed, felt inspired by the popular drinking snacks of East Asia—little morsels packed with salty umami that long to be washed down with a cold beverage. An impromptu batter dredge and deep-fry transformed the shrimpy bits into an alluringly crispy, aromatic app that immediately landed on the menu. While the dish disappeared just as fast—a…

FORGET THAT CLOYING FRUIT brandy you clandestinely sipped from your grandparents’ liquor cabinet. From Austria to Mexico, a new cadre of eau de vie artisans is taking this classic spirit to new heights. Katja Scharnagl has been leading the charge in the United States, introducing drinkers to these captivating brandies from her role as beverage director at Koloman, a Franco-Austrian restaurant in Manhattan. Behind the bar, Scharnagl has curated a list of over 60 eaux de vie from around the world into what she believes is the largest selection of fruit brandies in North America. Eau de vie (also known as schnapps) is a rising trend, but Scharnagl’s appreciation runs deeply, stemming from her own Austrian heritage, and memories of her grandfather making apricot schnapps. She’s also drawn to the magic…

GEOMETRIC COLOR BLOCKS abut in a soft patchwork prism of reds, pinks, blues, and grays, each section of cotton fabric bonded to the next by impossibly tiny stitches. The quilt gracing the entrance to Nashville’s Audrey was sewed by Andrea Williams, a descendant of a member of the famed Alabama quilting collective, Gee’s Bend. Standing beneath the abstract piece, diners might notice the rich, earthy fragrance of vetiver and the faint chirping of crickets. With these, chef Sean Brock aims to transport his guests to the woods of Appalachia. “The second you walk in the door, I’ve got your ears and your nose and your eyes,” says Brock. “I’m slowly creeping you into Appalachia piece by piece, and surrounding you with things that make me feel comfortable and at home.” Audrey,…

WHEN BRIAN AND DAVID WHITTINGTON visited their grandmother in Houston as kids in the 1970s, they’d gaze, starstruck, at the machine sitting in her kitchen: a Frigidaire Flair electric stove. With polished chrome handles and stark block typography on its dials, it looked more like a car dashboard than an appliance. Most dazzling was its stovetop: four electric burners set into a “roll-to-you” drawer that slid seamlessly out of sight. In the boys’ eyes, the Flair was a wonder. When Brian, now 49, moved into their grandmother’s house as an adult, he consulted other Flair owners to ensure the stove’s continued survival. In 2010, Brian started a Facebook group for fellow “Fans of the Frigidaire Flair.” David, now 52, joined, and soon so did others—many others. As of February 2024,…

Hôtel Mercure Marseille Canebière Vieux-Port 48 La Canebière Travelers eager to explore the North African melting pot neighborhood of Noailles will love this newly renovated mid-century modern hotel, whose ground-floor restaurant serves the original, cognac-spiked style of tapenade, believed to be invented on the premises in 1880 (see “The OG Olive Tapenade,” p. 155, for the recipe). Le Petit Nice Passedat 17 rue des Braves Anse de Maldormé A century-old Relais & Château stunner, this hotel houses a sensational three-Michelin-star seafood restaurant boasting sweeping Mediterranean views and a kitchen that works with more than 65 types of fish. Upstairs, spacious rooms feature deep-sink tubs and sleek wooden furniture. Intercontinental Marseille—Hôtel Dieu 1 Place de Daviel This stately grande dame with flags and manicured hedges out front has understated rooms with clean lines as…

Rice-aroma baijiu is distilled from rice using rice-based qu. With its clean finish and mild, floral flavor, “it’s probably the best way to jumpstart your baijiu journey,” Ernest Lesmana notes. Try one from historic distillery Guilin Sanhua. Light-aroma baijiu, made from a mash of sorghum and either pea-and-barley or wheat-bran qu, is typically fermented in stone vessels, producing a spirit with melon and dried-fruit notes. Dip your toe into this affordable style with Red Star Erguotou, Fenjiu, or Kinmen Kaoliang. Strong-aroma baijiu, largely produced in Sichuan Province, dominates the Chinese market. Fermentation in clay pits (sometimes for decades) gives this style overripe-pineapple notes. Luzhou Laojiao’s 16th-century pits are still in use. Sauce-aroma baijiu is pure umami, with woodsy mushroom notes. Several rounds of fermentation and distillation, coupled with aging, make…

RICH, COMFORTING STEWS laced with tomato and pepper. African music. Adinkra symbols illustrating Ghanaian proverbs and adages. Growing up in Yonkers, north of New York City, Eric Adjepong hadn’t yet realized the impact of these key memories. Today, it’s clear to him that the tastes, smells, sights, and sounds of his childhood kitchen—the beating heart of his family home—pointed to Ghana. Eric was born and raised in the United States, but both of his parents grew up in the West African nation. His mother, Abena, passed down the wisdom of her culture to her children. When Eric started cooking, that understanding became the foundation of his culinary path. I first met the now 36-year-old chef in 2019 at a pop-up at Craft in Manhattan. He had recently finished strong as…

I spent my first nine years in my mother’s kitchen in Battambang, Cambodia. Sometimes I wish I could have stayed there forever, helping her chop onions and garlic, running to fetch wood and water, and falling asleep in a hammock as she rocked me to sleep. ¶ My mother—“Mae,” as I called her in Khmer—left me nothing but her songs and recipes, and aromatic memories to last the rest of my life. I was always happiest in that open, airy kitchen. I remember it as being made up of pure light. A large window high in the pale blue walls framed the bright, tropical sky—so much blue that the walls and sky seemed to merge. Sunlight streamed into the doorway, which opened onto a narrow staircase leading down to my…