Tag Archives: Ali Lauria

Ali Lauria Talks Foraging with Miami New Times

Credit Paula Nino, Miami New Times

When my friend and Miami New Times writer Paula Nino (who also blogs at Mango & Lime) approached me about wanting to interview our forager Ali, the answer was something along the lines of those new Geico commercials (Is the pen mightier than the sword?)

Since we last interviewed her here for Hello My Name Is…, Ali has made quite the transformation, from hobby gardener to our forager and the owner of her own local ingredient-sourcing business — all the while making the kitchen at MGFD in Miami very happy.  For the ins and outs of her twice-weekly runs to local farms and farmers markets, read Paula’s post today here.

[UPDATED] Chef Goes to Cooking School

New York, New York., here on the last day of New York City Wine & Food Festival, (Sunday, 10/10/10.)

UPDATE: Well lookie here. Joey got himself a nice big fish. Monsters indeed!

We love New York.  Michael cut his teeth in its kitchens in the mid ’80s.  It’s a place to find inspiration and to inspire others, an electric environment begging to be lapped up with fervor, whether living and working there for years or just quickly visiting.  It’s always worth it, and we’re looking forward to a fresh injection of creative juice over the next couple of days while Michael, Hedy, Bradley, and I are in town, again staying with our friends at The Ace Hotel, for Chef’s class tomorrow night at De Gustibus Cooking School and a few other business meetings.

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Field Report: Top Hat Tomatoes Weather the Freeze

Tomatoes wear hats for the cold, too.

Forager Ali Lauria emailed me this photo after her regular pick-up from Teena’s Pride this past Tuesday.  Our farmers have become quite adept at weathering the sometimes freezing cold of a South Florida winter, but it’s not without a cost.

This new technique is one of several methods grower Michael Borek employs to keep his tomato plants alive and healthy when the temperature takes an extreme dip.  The tiny baby plants stay warm overnight, wrapped in tissue under plastic pots that act like miniature greenhouses trapping the heat inside.  I spoke with owner Teena Borek this morning about the process.

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