Avocados, Then and Now

By Sandy Hu

I remember dining with fashionable Vogue magazine editors in New York City when I was a college student and feeling terribly intimidated by the menu. As a finalist in the Vogue Prix de Paris competition, I was flown to this sophisticated city, along with more worldly competitors, vying for the top spot: a year as a junior editor at Vogue and a trip to Paris.

Growing up in the small town of Hilo, Hawaii, before the advent of the Food Network, I was insulated from glamorous delicacies like escargots and caviar. Would I like them? Could I figure out how to eat them?

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Dirt to Dish

By Andrew Hunter

As our kids grow, we realize the importance of teaching them how food gets from the dirt to their dish. It’s not just about developing healthy eating habits, but also learning about seasonality, ripeness and sustainability in a fun and experiential way.

We’re teaching them that dirt to dish means striving for a shorter distance between the farm and home, and that if they eat seasonally, their food will be ripe, fresh and at the height of flavor during its natural harvest time. This week’s lesson is radishes. They grow underground with just the leafy tops sticking up, and if you pick them in early spring, they’ll be small, sweet and crunchy – perfect for a child’s palate.

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