Some Favorites from Down Under

Australia's food culture is influenced by German, Italian, Greek, Asian and South African immigrant communities. Ari Weinzweig at Atlantic Monthly tells us about six Australian foods to try, including Anzac biscuits, Joseph La Casetta Aged Vinegar, and curries made by Charmaine Solomon.

A Closer Look at Agave Syrup

The sap from the Mexican plant agave is now increasingly being sold beside honey on supermarket shelves as a natural sweetener called agave nectar. Companies that sell it say it saves calories and raises blood sugar less than conventional sugar. Doctors are skeptical that it is healthier, and the Glycemic Research Institute has issued a warning that it may not be safe for diabetics.

IACP Awards in Progress

The 2010 IACP Bert Greene Awards for Food Journalism and the Awards of Excellence are now in progress. Entries are due at Headquarters by December 7, 2009.

Read more about these exciting awards programs and enter or nominate someone today!

Bert Greene Awards

Awards of Excellence

Vongerichten returns to Boston

Nation's Restaurant News reports that renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is opening a restaurant called Market in the W Hotel in Boston. The menu will feature French, Asian and Italian dishes made from locally sourced food items.

The restaurant’s debut will mark Vongerichten’s return to Boston after two decades. He began his career in the United States as executive chef at the Lafayette restaurant there.

Food is Active Category for New Magazine Launches

In the first nine months of the year, 383 titles were shelved and 259 were introduced, according to MediaFinder, an online database of U.S. and Canadian periodicals. Food was one of the most active categories for new launches, with 14 new titles started.

Irene Tinker on Street Food Vendors

Political scientist and street-food studies expert Irene Tinker is interviewed by Gourmet about the symbiotic relationship of urbanization and street food, gender dynamics in food preparation and purchase, and some of the hazards—and joys—of the trade for vendor and consumer alike.

Some Pesky Plants Taste Great

Generally invasive plants like garlic mustard, kudzu, and Japanese knotweed are pulled up and controlled because of their tendency to crowd out native species. Some are now also being enjoyed at the dinner table.