Best Food in Roma With an inspired recipe. By PATTY LANOUE STEARNS ROME–I’d always heard the food in Italy tasted better than the Americanized versions we get here in the States, but I had to see for myself. In some ways it was. In others, it was not. Let’s talk about Italy’s espresso and cappuccino …
By Patty LaNoue Stearns PARIS–It is one of those rare and exhilarating moments: heading down the quiet little Left Bank street near the Eiffel Tower and up the stairs into the legendary cooking school Le Cordon Bleu. Celebrating its centennial year, this is the place that launched Julia Child in 1950, Audrey Hepburn’s Sabrina in 1955, and …
Take It To Go Upscale grocers and gourmet delis maximize your water time By PATTY LaNOUE STEARNS Spare no time on land this season and get thee to your watercraft. With help from the thoughtful spots below, you can pack a picnic and stay out as long as you want. Your boat is waiting. Union …
Fresh Faces FAMILY HERBS Shelby, Mich. — If you’ve stopped by Cherry Point Farm and Market on the way to the Silver Lake sand dunes, you know about the Bull family’s asparagus, cherry pies and other seasonal produce. But venture out past the parking lot toward the arbor and discover the organic herb garden and lavender labyrinth. …
Feeding Your Finer Senses Tucked away from the seduction of Odawa’s slots, Sage serves more than a memorable meal. By Patty LaNoue Stearns If you’re a gambler, you might miss Sage, tucked in the back of the massive Odawa Casino Resort. And that would be unwise. Pry yourself away from the seduction of the slots, follow …
Pick a Food: Find a MuseumCorn, spuds, Col. Sanders and of course, SPAM. By Patty LaNoue Stearns All over the country, there are fascinating food museums celebrating single-subject edibles—celery, chocolate, corn, Coca-Cola, cranberries–and those are just a few that start with the letter “c.” Some of these institutions are educational, others are retail-minded, and still …
Provence Comes to Northern Michigan with Divine Recipes By Patty LaNoue Stearns TRAVERSE CITY–No need to jump on a plane and travel to France this summer for lessons at a bona fide Provencal cooking school. Madeleine and Erick Vedel are bringing their school direct from Arles, in France’s Provence region, to Northern Michigan in early …
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening By Patty LaNoue Stearns HILLMAN, MI — We are bundled up beyond recognition in layers of thermal underwear, hooded Polartec sweatshirts, down-filled coats, mittens with liners, fleecy scarves, hats, earmuffs, double socks, waterproof boots and lap blankets, yet our toes are beginning to tingle from the bitter chill …
By Patty LaNoue Stearns As a young girl growing up in Southern California, she was called Jukie. She was a tomboy and a prankster, a hyperactive extrovert who was tall and strong and always tripping over things. She got stuck while playing in a chimney, which had to be taken apart to free her. She …
The Fizz of the Future Faygo celebrated its 100th birthday in 2007. This oldie but goodie was published in the Detroit Free Press on August 30, 1995. By Patty LaNoue Stearns DETROIT–The smell hits you the minute you enter the aging plant on Gratiot near Eastern Market: a cloying melange of cherry, strawberry, bubble gum, …