INSIDE

SPRING 2015 LEE COUNTY EDITION Out today:

FLORIDA WEEKLY’S RESTAURANT GUIDE Check out the by Gina Birch tastiest spots to WEEK OF APRIL 15-21, 2015 www.FloridaWeekly.com Vol. IX, No. 1 • FREE dine in town. X / 8 /11 ATION Inside: /11 ■ A new generation of culinary stars ■ Cultivating a farm-to-table trend

■ Food porn: Do it well with tips, tricks

WITH FOOD TELEVISION GOINGTTHEIR HMAINSTREAM KALE. WE AND HAVE THE BECOME WHOLE A FARM-TO-TABLE TREND CONTINUING TO GROW, EVEN KIDS WANT Livin’ the Countrylife Reba, Hank Williams Jr. and more coming. C1 X

Blues on the Bay BY SCOTT SIMMONS OF Society snapshots around

COURTESY PHOTOS; ILLUSTRATION BY ERIC RADDATZ / FLORIDA WEEKLY BY ERIC RADDATZ PHOTOS; ILLUSTRATION COURTESY ssimmons@fl oridaweekly.com A NATION town. C36-39 X BECOME WE HAVE foodies. We dine out more than ever — 5.8 times a week, compared to 2.4 in decades past. At the S.S same time, our fear of GMOs efefs inin foods has led us to grow our fof ownowown food, with one in three U.S.tyty se householdshohousu now gardening. Chefsngg tht s Food truckin’ arearare the new rock stars, thanksr-r -ololdsd te - toto television and the popularitymaiai n-n Good grub on the go. B1 X f th asas ofo the Food Network, Cookingsucu ch ChannelC and Bravo; 9-year-olds now are competing on main- stream network shows such asX “MasterChef Junior.”SEE FOODIE, A10

Celebrity chefs have brought atten- tion to foods more than ever before.

Classic cars and tunes evoke memories, help raise funds for museum It does a big body good BY GLENN MILLER Both sensations can be experienced Sat- Florida Weekly Correspondent urday, April 25, at Harborside Event Cen- Milk can help reduce pain for ter at the History Rocks concert, which the obese. A36 X Alan Wright understands that vintage will benefit the Southwest Florida Muse- cars and old music share an ability to um of History. spark memories and emotions. Music will be provided by The Beatle- Download Listening to the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” or maniax and Memphis 56, bands that evoke our FREE “Eleanor Rigby” or especially in this case time, styles and moods from long ago. App today “Drive My Car” can transport people to a So do Mr. Wright’s cars. He’s a collector Available on time and place in their past. of vintage vehicles such as a 1957 Chevrolet, the iTunes and The same happens when one walks Android App Store. MARGO HARRISON / SHUTTERSTOCK within steps of an old car. SEE CARS, A20 X

PRSRT STD COMMENTARY A2 HEALTHY LIVING A36-37 ARTS C1 U.S. POSTAGE OPINION A4 PETS A38 EVENTS C6-9 PAID FORT MYERS, FL ANTIQUES A13 BUSINESS B1 SOCIETY C36-39 PERMIT NO. 715 NEWS OF THE WEIRD A16 REAL ESTATE B9 CUISINE C43 A10 NEWS WEEK OF APRIL 15-21, 2015 www.FloridaWeekly.com FLORIDA WEEKLY

COURTESY PHOTO / DAVID MOIR Good eating: Ken Oringer laughs with on “The First Thanksgiving,” from season 12 of “.”

the National Restaurant Association. FOODIE “There’s a much higher level of engage- Restaurant Industry Sales ment.” From page 1 Each year, the restaurant association (*in billions of current dollars) lists its top 20 food trends. The top three trends: Locally sourced And we’re all self-styled critics, too, meats and seafood, locally grown pro- posting images and reviews on Face- duce and environmental sustainability. book, Yelp and other social media. In addition to one-third of U.S. After all, who doesn’t want to see — households growing at least some and comment on — that exquisite kale of their own food, consumers spent salad we just ordered? $3.5 billion on food gardening in 2013, All that obsession translates into dol- up from $2.5 billion in 2008, and a 40 lars. percent increase in five years, accord- Restaurant sales in the United States ing to the National Gardening Asso- are expected to reach $709.2 billion this ciation’s report, “Garden to Table: year, an increase of nearly $123 billion A 5-Year Look at Food Gardening in since 2010, according to the National America.” Restaurant Association. The restaurant “In ’80s and ’90s, there was such a industry claimed 25 percent of the food push for convenience foods. I think as dollar in 1955; that has risen to 47 per- a society we got away from cooking at cent today. home,” said Ms. Autry. “Now I think it’s People are growing and preparing chef. They know what a chiffonade is biggest influence. Maybe once you got great that we’re getting back to cook- more of their own food. From 2008 or what a quince is. I think that kind of on TV, and the celebrity chef thing was ing. To me, cooking is a life skill, just to 2013, the number of home gardens expanding of the horizons in the culi- happening in the ’80s and ’90s. Now like driving a car.” increased by 4 million to 37 million nary landscape is why ‘Top Chef’ was you have so many young people want- People are gaining those life skills, households, while community gardens started in the first place. It was a way ing to be chefs.” according to Robert Irvine. tripled from 1 million to 3 million, a to get our voices heard by a much When Mr. Max started in the Or at least they’re buying the good- 200 percent increase, according to the wider audience.” ’70s, most chefs in the United ies. National Gardening Association. It cuts across generations. States came from a European “The products that they buy grow Food Network chefs such as Guy “Six-year-olds eat kale sal- tradition, and most stayed in 28 percent per year because we want Fieri, Robert Irvine, Alton Brown, ads now,” said “Top Chef” the kitchen. these gadgets,” said Mr. Irvine, star of Bobby Flay and Giada De Lauren- contestant Lindsay Autry. “Now young people see it “Restaurant: Impossible.” “We become tiis are now household names, “It’s amazing that as a nation as a profession and are striv- a society of instant gratification. So, thanks to the 240 or so shows we’re so aware of what ing to do it. They want yes, we are cooking more and we are the television network airs 24 we eat. I think it’s to get to the front of dining out more.” hours a day. because of the house, maybe And, hopefully, engaging that young- And it is television that has the abun- become the som- er generation. driven much of that obsession. dance of melier,” he said. “People are still living lives where “I think there’s a confluence knowledge All that expo- they don’t have time to cook. Just of a lot of things happening because of sure translates because they talk about it doesn’t mean at the same time. There’s technology.” into knowledge they have time to make it at home, or more interest in food. It sort “The Food for diners. can afford the fresh, high-quality ingre- of becomes a cycle,” said Gail Network has “Consumers dients,” Ms. Simmons said. “I have to Simmons, a judge on Bravo’s been a huge seek out not only think that the more you teach young “Top Chef.” “I think that ‘Top part of it,” said where the food is children about food and fresh ingredi- Chef’ has been a huge influence restaurateur Dennis from but how it’s ents, the more development in it, the in that way. I can’t tell you the Max, who has opened prepped,” said Hud- more they’ll talk about it with their number of times someone has more than 40 restau- son Riehle, a senior family, and I think it will be a huge said their rants in Florida over vice president at influence in the next generation. Oth- the past four decades. child wants Giada De Laurentiis “Restaurant: Impossible” erwise, I think we’re headed in a very to become a hosts “Giada at Home.” “That’s had the single star Robert Irvine. dark direction.” ■ A8 NEWS WEEK OF APRIL 15-21, 2015 www.FloridaWeekly.com FLORIDA WEEKLY

COURTESY PHOTO / DAVID MOIR Katsuji Tanabe, Gail Simmons and Richard Blais during an episode from season 12 of Bravo’s “Top Chef” competition. A new generation of culinary stars

Foodies of a certain age will remem- Lindsay Autry, now based in West Palm ber Julia Child and “The French Chef.” Beach. “I knew people watched ‘Top But the cheery Mrs. Child, who was Chef,’ but I didn’t expect to get the a household name, recognition of people in an airport or died 11 years ago. at Target buying a bottle of ketchup. I So who has filled feel like I can’t leave the house in sweat- that void? pants anymore. I have to make myself Alton Brown hit presentable.” the road last year After all, she is a star — at least in with his “Edible certain circles. Inevitable Tour,” “I think that chefs are part of pop which rolled through culture and I don’t think that’s going Florida in February. away. ‘Top Chef’ is filming their 13th CHILD Robert Irvine also is season right now and that sort of says doing a stage show, a lot. Even major networks have some with cooking demonstrations and VIP food truck or master chef program,” Ms. tastings. Autry said. Perhaps, thanks to TV, they’re the It makes for a much more food-savvy new rock stars. consumer, and it demystified the whole Then again, maybe not, even if the notion of fine cuisine. indefatigable Mr. Brown plays a guitar “It allowed people a window into a and sings during his show. professional kitchen and to understand “I think rock stars are today’s rock the language of a chef. Before that came COURTESY PHOTO stars,” said Gail Simmons, one of the along, it was a mys- Lindsay Autry (left) and Dakota Weiss during competitions on Bravo’s “Top Chef.” permanent judges terious place where on Bravo’s “Top people shouted in food supply chain because chefs are driv- Mrs. Child. Chef” and a star of French or spit in ing the need for a higher quality product,” “I spent two days in Cambridge, the recently discon- your food,” Ms. Sim- said Mr. Love, a Fort Myers pastry chef Mass., in Julia’s home. To work with her, tinued “The Feed.” mons said. and chocolatier whose confections are as nervous as I was, she was so funny, “But I think that The culinary known nationally. “Consumer demand, so witty, so incredibly memorable and chefs are legitimate world was a differ- seeing these all work hand in hand, the inspirational. To sit in her garden was artists, the way that ent place three and consumer wants a better product, the special. It was so significant.” rock stars are art- four decades ago for chef wants a better product.” Mrs. Child emphasized cooking with LOVE ists. People want to Norman Love. He remembered his coming-of-age. fresh, seasonal ingredients, and not tak- know what they can AUTRY “America really “Learning in the ’70s, growing up ing it all too seriously. Perhaps televi- say. I think it’s really didn’t have a cuisine. We were a meat in the ’80s and ’90s, when our coun- sion has picked up her mantle, with funny that they do and potatoes country,” he said. “As we try was forming the leaders in the varying degrees of success. those stadium shows. There’s a differ- fast-forward over the past few years, I culinary world, you could count the “The Food Network is providing edu- ence between hearing what a chef says think the TV Food Network has helped number of globally recognized res- cation and, let’s face it, our country is and wanting to taste their food.” to improve culinary chef visibility.” taurants on one hand,” he said, citing still among the worst for eating pro- Still, the effects are life changing. Greater visibility means better cui- Wolfgang Puck, Jeremiah Tower and cessed foods,” he said. ■ “Before going on ‘Top Chef,’ I’d been sine. Alice Waters. a chef for a while. The exposure that “Great chefs, recognizable chefs as they And he fondly remembered taping a — Scott Simmons television gives you is amazing,” said began to blossom, it pushes the whole television segment with the late, great FLORIDA WEEKLY www.FloridaWeekly.com WEEK OF APRIL 15-21, 2015 NEWS A9 Quotes: What they’re saying

“I remember a “There’s such “When you “It’s not just “The demand “Young people “It’s funny “Drink has turning point. a natural look at culinary the networks is so much are now how people changed. But I was helping rhythm to what education in its that have higher because committed to have such a then again Michelle Mother Nature current state brought people the knowledge so many good disconnect isn’t that Bernstein provides. It’s today, there to recognize is so much things, one between what trendy? Vodka do a class really about are obviously that to eat more. The of which is they put in their was trendy. in Macy’s in tuning into her more formally well you don’t guests require good food, and mouths and Bourbon has New York City. and listening to educated have to spend first-class stuff. understanding what it does become trendy. Michelle was the seasons.” cooks and all day in the They know the quality.” holistically. It’s Distillers talking about — Farmer Lee chefs than kitchen. We the product so — Dennis Max, all the same always look for Jones, an owner restaurateur this Peruvian of The Chef’s at any time. now have much more. conversation. a new angle pepper and five Garden, which Not only do gourmet They’ll go It’s all on selling. The provides produce to women raised restaurants across you have markets that somewhere connected.” millennials, their hands the country those who bring fresher, else to spend — Gail Simmons, they want their culinary expert, and said, ‘Oh, launch their higher quality their money.” cookbook author flavored drinks. yeah.’ And we own owner- ingredients to — Robert Irvine, and judge on Vodka is 15 chef and star Bravo’s “Top Chef” wondered what operated the consumer. of “Restaurant: different kinds we were going concepts, you The whole Impossible” of flavors. I did to teach them.” have all those ultra-premium a lot of liquor — Chef Lindsay new themed movement advertising Autry on average consumers’ food shows that exists because and liquor knowledge highlight chef people photography. personalities.” are willing They were — Hudson spending a always coming Riehle, senior vice president, research little more on up with & knowledge quality.” different kinds group of the National Restaurant — Norman Love, of flavors. They Association chef and chocolatier didn’t want the 7 and 7s that their fathers were drinking.” — Barry Seidman, photographer who created iconic advertising images for Absolut Vodka and other beverages