New Issue of Penn Appetit!

The Spring 2011 issue of Penn Appetit comes out today, (our longest ever, and with a newly redesigned logo) featuring interviews with Marc Vetri and Marcie Turney, gorgeous photo spreads, exclusive recipes, restaurant reviews (Carman's Country Kitchen, Franklin Fountain) and features on the Italian Market, urban farming and where to find the best pork belly, water ice, chai, Korean tacos and crepes in Philadelphia. Check out our Facebook page for a sneak peek at the pictures our photographers took while shooting for the magazine, and pick one up on the walk and in the Pubco racks this week!

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Food Events @ Penn

What: Penn Gastronomy Club Interest Meeting, Get information about PGC's available leadership positions for next year, and learn about the work that PGC does in order to throw the great food events you've experienced this past year.
Where: JMHH 270
When: Wednesday, April 20, 6:30-7:30pm








What: A Taste of Penn Dining. This event will showcase a variety of foods and products from Bon Appétit at Penn Dining's partners, from retail items including soups and lip balm to delicious food items like veggie burgers and Asian entrees.
Where: Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall
When: Wednesday April 20, 11:30am- 2:30pm

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Penn's Taste of Food Branding

Penn Appetit and Penn Gastronomy are no doubt at the helm of the food movement at Penn. However, other groups on campus are jumping on the bandwagon, exploring the magical allure of food. During the month of April, organizations specifically looked at the concept of food branding.

The food branding marathon started off during Penn Fashion Week, during which Penn Gastronomy Club hosted a Food Retail and Branding Panel. The featured panelists were Marc Vetri (James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of Vetri, Osteria, and Amis); Ellen Yin (owner of Fork and author of Forklore); Michelle Lehmann (founder of Michelle Lehmann Communications and the former Director of Marketing for Union Square Hospitality Group); Jon Myerow (partner of Tria Cafe and Biba Wine Bar); and Ashley Primis (Director of Special Projects for Starr Restaurants). While the audience snacked on refreshments compliments of Biba, the speakers gave their takes on food branding and public relations in the restaurant industry. All agreed that branding was about “narrowing in on an idea and carrying it through”; aspiring restaurateurs can go far if they “build a place out of passion—not market research—and stick with a vision.” Once the foundation is established, however, it’s important to “constantly reinvent” to intrigue customers and keep them coming back. They also stressed the importance of using social media responsibly and to exercise caution with discount sites like Groupon, which “cheapen a restaurant’s brand.” Instead, Lehmann and Yin emphasized the importance of “adding value” to your restaurant, whether it’s offering the customer a complementary amuse bouche or providing exceptional customer service that goes above and beyond the call of duty. Other online forms of expression, like Twitter and Facebook, are effective ways to “strengthen your brand” and “give customers information instantly in the food industry’s word-of-mouth business.” They also answered a variety of audience questions; for instance, Vetri advised a student with aspirations of becoming a pastry chef to “simply work and learn—don’t worry about the hours or how much you make initially. Take every moment as a learning experience.”

Following Penn Fashion Week’s successful partnership with food, MUSE took the reins and launched Foodie Week. The four-day-long event hosted speakers from different areas of the food industry to explore food and its relation to marketing. It started on Monday with a bang Spring-Fling-Carnival-style, as Pat’s King of Steaks came towing crates of cheesesteaks in Whiz and provolone varieties. Frank Olivieri, Jr., the current owner of Pat’s, derives much of the business’ success from advertising. From personally creating quirky ads (as displayed on Olivieri’s Powerpoint during the talk) to actively advertising throughout the country, Olivieri hopes he has branded his product so well that “every Philly transplant who comes into the city knows about Pat’s.” Indeed, his method is working—Pat’s experienced a 23% increase in the number of cheesesteaks sold this year compared to last year.


Tuesday ushered in Penn’s newest resident: Sweetgreen, a sustainable salad and yogurt bar. Nicolas Jammet and Nathaniel Ru, two of Sweetgreen’s owners, spoke about the restaurant’s rise as “a solution to a problem.” Their goal was to fill a void: they created a place that was not chef-driven, but ingredient- and source-driven, serving meals that were both healthy and supported the local economy. Jammet explored Sweetgreen’s ways of engaging the customer, an “intersection of digital—social media and visual components—and experiential—grass roots and word of mouth—marketing.” Their goal is to plant a “wow message” in their minds. For them, Sweetgreen is about creating a “way you can you live your life: the sweet life.” A pre-opening at their new location near the Radian followed the presentation, giving guests the opportunity to sample Sweetgreen’s tart yogurt and assorted tortilla chip dips (featuring ingredients like quinoa, black beans, and corn).

Adsum’s executive chef, Matt Levin, came on Wednesday to discuss his journey as a chef and restaurateur. During his childhood, experiences as a regular in restaurant kitchens inspired him to enter the food world. After training at the Culinary Institute of America and learning from chefs at various restaurants, he developed his own style of cooking and soon discovered molecular gastronomy. His work with such progressive cooking was a way to take risks and “prove to himself that [he] could do the cooking.” Whether he’s emulsifying duck fat so that it appears as powdery snow on the plate or sous-viding pig tails in ranch dressing before deep-frying for a more succulent product, Levin aims to highlight textures and flavors and create an unforgettable experience for the consumer. As an added bonus, he gave attendees a taste of his unique cuisine with his infamous “Kandy Kake Sliders,” a dish created to raise awareness of the Tastykake’s impending bankruptcy. These burgers of ground brisket are topped with white cheddar cheese and a mixture of Sriracha hot sauce and sour-cherry jam, all sandwiched between two chocolate peanut butter Kandy Kakes. For Levin, the idea was simply Adsum as “a small Philadelphia business helping a brother out.”

Foodie Week ended on a sweet note with John Suh and Franklin Shen from Sugar Philly, who brought Granny Smith apple-topped cheesecake and chocolate Earl Grey tea macaroons to satisfy taste buds. The duo explained how their gourmet dessert food truck evolved as a complement to current Penn food trucks. As a Penn graduate, Shen wanted to pioneer a whole new market that wasn’t in competition with the veteran food trucks he had come to know and love during his college years. After focusing on their menu by pulling chef Dan Tang on board to elevate “the caliber of their desserts extremely high,” they zoned in on the added usage of social media. Having both a physical storefront and online storefront was a way to “establish the identity of their product” and extend their reach outside Philadelphia. Suh described how Sugar Philly’s social media allows for “a intimate, more personal conversation between the business and customer,” a process he dubs as “co-innovation.”

This “constant exchange of feedback and inspiration for new products” is a tactic that all future restaurants seem to be adopting, as evidenced by the various restaurateurs and chefs that visited Penn to share their knowledge about the food industry. Social media is this generation’s newest, most used form of communication and is ultimately rooted in how you represent yourself to the rest of the world.

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Blog Bites: A Round-Up of the Week's Top Food Stories

• Sweetgreen opened on Tuesday, the DP has the inside scoop here

• Daily Pennsylvanian columnist professes her love of Potbelly Sandwich Shop

• Speaking of sandwiches, Penn Prof Arthur Caplan had a letter to the editor published over at Philly.com drawing attention to Saveur magazine's ranking of Philadelphia as the number one sandwich city

• 34th Street dishes on Spring Fling's best fried eats and gives a recipe if you dare to try deep frying yourself

• The Daily Pennsylvanian recaps the Japanese Student Association's Iron Chef-inspired cooking challenge

• Owner of Desi Chaat House in West Philly plans to open Mood Café at a corner space at 46th and Baltimore in mid-May - Meal Ticket

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Foodzie Tasting Box - A Gift to Self!

For those of you who love trying new foods, who love supporting small food producers, and who can spare $19.99 a month (which includes shipping!), one of the best things you can do is gift yourself a monthly Tasting Box from Foodzie.

I stumbled across Foodzie some time ago, and I thought it was a great online marketplace -- with a very attractive interface, nice search options (particularly by category and region -- with a map!), and a large variety of small food producers.

When I recommended one of my favorite food items, Marilyn's Nut Butters, as a possible addition to their long and inviting list of deliciousness, I received a speedy reply back with a lovely thank you and a gift of a Tasting Box! Not only did this reflect great customer service, but also really smart marketing. When I received my box, I was thrilled to find lime green tissue paper. Packaging is key, and a simple color choice brightened up my day -- and I hadn't even gotten to the food yet!

As soon as I made it past the paper, I was delighted to find a slew of small packages, ranging from mini-cupcakes (from Kyotofu in New York -- which I know and love), to smoky nuts and dried fruit, to granola bars and organic tea. My favorite item was actually a little jar of caramel, which I tried to save for ice cream, but proceeded to consume all of in a matter of minutes.

The best thing about the Tasting Box is really the surprise element. You never know what you're going to get, so it's pretty much like opening a gift to self every month! Nevertheless, you're inevitably going to get a nice variety of sweet and savory. And because everything comes in small sample sizes, it's easy to try a bit of everything without overindulging!

For anything that you might want more of, every Tasting Box comes with a little card spelling out what each item is and where it's from, so that you can purchase larger sizes through Foodzie.

While you can choose to purchase a single box or a monthly subscription, I think everyone deserves a little surprise once a month. (Don't you?) Better yet, you can gift the subscription to someone you love!
Check out Foodzie at http://www.foodzie.com/ -- you won't regret it!

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Spring Produce

With spring upon us, look out for these seasonal vegetables and fruits at grocery stores:

April:

• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Lettuce
• Mangoes
• Pineapple
• Rhubarb
• Spring peas
• Zucchini

May:

• Apricot
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Cherries
• Lettuce
• Okra
• Pineapple
• Rhubarb
• Spring peas
• Tomato
• Zucchini

And for those who prefer to stick to local produce, check out farmers' markets for these upcoming seasonal foods in Pennsylvania:

• Asparagus
• Collards
• Fiddlehead Ferns
• Leaf Lettuce
• Mesclun Lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Radishes
• Ramps
• Rhubarb
• Peas
• Spinach

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Bloggers' Bites: Italian Market

Bloggers' Bites is a series of posts chronicling the foodie adventures of Penn Appetit's blog staff. Last Saturday we visited the Italian Market for lunch, dessert and shopping at Paesano's Philly Style sandwiches, DiBruno Brothers, and Isgro Pastries (open since 1904 and home to "Philly's Best Cannoli). 


This was my first time having sandwich from Paesano's, and while I wasn't blown away by my choice, I was surely impressed. I got the Liveracce, which, according to their website, contains"Crispy Chicken Livers with Salami, Sauteed Onions, Iceberg, Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic mayo, Sweet Orange Marmalade, Gorgonzola Spread & Hot Sauce. The blackboard at the restaurant had omitted the salami from the description, so I was very surprised to see the deep-fried livers enveloped in another layer of crispy meat -- the salami had been grilled or roasted for an extra crunch. Then again, there were no roasted tomatoes in sight, and comparatively little iceberg in comparison to the other ingredients, so on the whole the sandwich was very heavy. The dominant flavor seemed to be that of the garlic mayo, but I thought the orange marmalade provided a very pleasant, refreshing sweetness to offset the rest. Next time, I think I will get the pulled pork with broccoli rabe, because it looked simply delicious.

For dessert, we all went to Isgro on Christian St., where I got another "first ever" -- a mascarpone cannolo, both ends of which had been dipped in chocolate. For $4.75, I was a bit underwhelmed -- it was pretty tasty at first, but it becomes very heavy after a few bites, and I probably wouldn't get it again. But I am definitely coming back to Isgro to try some of their other creations -- if I had not decided I would get a cannolo, I would have spent a huge amount of time trying to decide on a treat, because everything looks equally decadent there -- from the biscotti to the creme brulee with fruit on top.

I would also like to share my astonishment at the sinfully cheap produce at the Italian Market -- I got six blood oranges for a dollar, and 1.5 pounds of tomatoes for $2.25! If I'd had more cash (and room), maybe some blueberries, iceberg lettuce and a box of mangoes would've followed. But next time -- for sure. --Zhana Sandeva


Entering the Italian Market for the first time is sensory overload. Whether you’re observing whole pig heads hanging in the butcher’s windows, hearing the cries of vendors highlighting various vegetables for sale, or smelling the delicious amalgam of scents that permeates the entire area, you know you’re in a whole new world. Our first stop was at Paesano’s, where I was impressed by the throngs of post-lunch-rush people that filed in when we were there. I split their namesake sandwich with fellow blogger Jessica. Any respectable sandwich starts with good bread, and Paesano’s roll was excellent: chewy in consistency and perfect for mopping up any dripping juices. I easily could have eaten just the bread! The various flavors and textures from the moist beef brisket, roasted tomatoes, pepperincino, and sharp provolone played off one another just right, with a fried egg acting as the ideal binding agent (who knew an egg could have such a magical effect?). Overall, this was one extremely well-balanced and absolutely delicious sandwich.

Of course, no trip to the Italian Market would be complete without trying dolces. While I’ve never been a big cannoli lover, Isgro Pastries made a fan out of me. After deep consideration on which one to select (there were at least five different varieties), I tried one of their mascarpone cannoli. The shell had a delightful crunch and reminded me of a fresh waffle cone. The rich, thick filling was complemented by generous drizzles of chocolate; I particularly liked the filling’s sweeter nature, a welcome change from the usual ricotta-filled version. I also enjoyed some of Isgro’s other pastries, including a napoleon (the flaky layers of crisp puff pastry contrasted well with the tiers of sweet cream filling, although I wish it had strawberries or other type of fruit inside), the “Chocolate Volcano” (a chocolate brownie piled with velvety chocolate mousse, all enrobed in chocolate ganache; while certainly chocolatey, I found the “mousse to brownie” ratio too heavy on the mousse side), and signature Italian cookies.

With all its delicious food options, the Italian Market is simply beckoning me to come back. While it takes some time to get there via SEPTA from campus, it is well worth the trip! --Nicole Woon


Paesano's has a friendly, no-fuss atmosphere. The menu is written on chalkboards hung above the counter; the walls lined with hangings depicting the culinary regions of Italy. There are families and children, some tourists and mostly locals. Though they've bested Bobby Flay in a beef brisket throwdown, there's no hint of the pretentious here: the only mention of it is a scrawled message on one of the blackboards: "Watch us on the Food Network!" I split the Arista sandwich: provolone, suckling pig, and broccoli rabe on a sesame roll. Of course, the bread was amazing ( I overheard one woman explaining to her out-of-town friend that this bread wasn't like those down south; it was much, much better), but biting into this sandwich is best described in terms of the meat. It was possibly the juiciest pork I've ever had, cooked without losing any of its natural moisture. The melted provolone was sharp enough to contrast with the savory flavors of the broccoli rabe and the hot peppers. This is a messy, greasy sandwich, and I ended up eating part of it with a fork because so much spilled onto the napkin. Next time, I want to try the roasted potatoes side (according to one customer, the best way to spend $2 in Philadelphia).

But I was particularly excited to try the cannoli at Isgro, cannoli being one of my favorite desserts. I was eager to compare it to the hazelnut cannoli I'd had at Mike's Pastry in Boston's North End. On the way in, a woman walking by remarked, "Ah, it smells like icing," which is true: the place seems enveloped in a cloud of sugar. It's a small shop, and it was very crowded when we got there. There aren't any prices listed, which is something of a problem if you only have cash and you're forced to order quickly. I ordered the chocolate chip cannoli, and though it was good, I was disappointed. The filling wasn't sweet or thick enough, and the shell was crumbly. --Kiley Bense

Photos taken by Nicole Woon.

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The Best Spaghetti I Ever Ate

I have a habit of going to the gym and heading straight for the machines right in front of whatever TV is set to the Food Network Channel. I frantically memorize everything I learn and try (and sometimes fail) to piece things together as soon as I’m back to my computer. Some days I even take things so far that I stop at the grocery store on my way home for ingredients so I can try my new recipe as soon as I’m back in the kitchen.
On one of these days, after catching a part of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate!” I raced from the gym to Fresh Grocer to purchase six simple ingredients and try out the spaghetti recipe I had just learned.

Having never made spaghetti from scratch, I was thrilled to start with such a delicious recipe. My friends and I became obsessed with this spaghetti over the next few weeks and repeated the recipe over and over again. We appreciated the basic ingredients and the simple, fresh-tasting entrée they produced. 

Ingredients:

Fresh Basil
Clove of Garlic
Olive Oil
Stewed or fresh tomatoes
Spaghetti Pasta
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Drain the stewed tomatoes of excess juice and blend in a food processor or blender. If using fresh tomatoes, remove the skin, chopped roughly and drain before processing.
Combine chopped basil and olive oil in a large saucepan. Roughly chop the garlic clove into a few pieces and add it to the mixture. Heat on low long enough that the basil wilts, but not long enough that the garlic burns. Remove the cloves of garlic with a fork and add the blended tomatoes. Stir until well mixed.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and begin to cook the spaghetti pasta. When the pasta is almost cooked, remove from heat and drain. Add the partially cooked spaghetti to the mixture in the saucepan. Keep this mixture simmering until the pasta is fully cooked. This helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
If desired, add grated Parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce and alter the flavor and texture of the spaghetti.

Enjoy!

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Take Me Out To The Ball Game

It's springtime, which in 2011 means the Fightin' Phils and their fans are out in full force in South Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. Ever since Citizens Bank Park replaced Veterans' Stadium, Phillies fans have enjoyed some of the best ballpark food in the country as well as some of the best baseball.

Though Philadelphia is known primarily as a meat-loving city, its ballpark has plenty of options for everyone, leading PETA to vote CBP the #1 baseball stadium, and I will review some of these places in a series, including the details of when to get food (depending on what type of fan you are) and how long the lines are. I'll also eventually go into good places to pick up food before the game - even if you don't have a car.

The stadium has one main area for specialized foods called Ashburn Alley, (named after the late Hall of Fame player and announcer Richie Ashburn) which sits behind the outfield and bullpen and has a beer garden on its rooftop. The more generic Philadelphia foods are spread around the rest of the park with a couple of unique stands scattered here and there, such as in the Left Field Plaza/behind Section 139, which holds the Alley Grill, a Brewerytown, and the Schmitter.

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The Insatiable Journalist Part 5: Glamorous Beyond Anything

Number 61 on my Life List is "go to a gala." Tucked between "hike in a rain forest" and "sing karaoke," it represents the modern day lingering of any Disney Princess fantasy I might have indulged as a child and a desire to have some sort of standard for knowing when I'd really "made it."

Well, consider it "made." On Thursday I attended the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts opening night gala at the Kimmel Center. It was the second time in the past week that I got all dressed up to air-kiss and make small talk with Philly's high society.

It started on Tuesday night. Chef Georges Perrier was the guest of honor at the Flavors of Philadelphia dinner benefiting the American Liver Foundation. Since Georges was going to be there, so was I. The event started, naturally, with a cocktail hour that was much more about schmoozing than it was about eating. Sponsors like It's a Cupcake served up bite-sized savory options such as cornbread topped with pulled pork and the like. Chef Perrier arrived surprisingly early, inspiring Patti to ditch our conversation and chase after him calling "Chef! Chef!"

I presume she eventually tracked him down but by then dinner was being served up inside the Loews Hotel Millennium Ballroom. A series of tables formed about a dozen semi-circles around the room. At the break in each circle a cooking show style mini prep station was manned by head chefs from respectable restaurants around the city. I was at the Le Castagne table where Chef Brian Wilson served up asparagus topped with a poached egg, mushroom risotto and seared Ahi Tuna. Everything was delicious - the mushroom risotto in particular made the whole event worthwhile - and paired with a selection of wines that even my unsophisticated palate appreciated.

Chef Perrier made a brief speech thanking the organization for the honor and recognizing the participating restaurants...in his own unique way ("I hate chu! Chu zteal all my buziness!" he said of the French chef in attendance).

Two days later, I joined Georges, Patti, Mayor Nutter, and 850 of the best-dressed Philadelphians at the Kimmel Center to celebrate the first ever PIFA. This year is Parisian themed which means first, that Le Bec-Fin and Chef Perrier are the center of the epicurean component and second, that there was a crepe cart and an overwhelmingly decadent display of French pastries set out during the cocktail hour.

The event was glamorous beyond anything I've ever witnessed in real life. I sipped champagne and wondered about the relevance of jugglers and stilt-walkers while a quartet serenaded the black-tie attendees. In due time, we filed into the vaulted Verizon Hall to witness Chef Perrier receive the festival’s first annual Cculinary Visionary Award and settled in for a joint performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Pennsylvania Ballet.

The only drawback was that at $750 a pop for tickets, my press pass didn't cover the Wolfgang Puck catered dinner. Fortunately, a press lounge and the light show featured on the replica Eiffel Tower kept me sufficiently entertained long enough to witness the aerial acrobatics (performers suspended from the ceiling scaled the Kimmel Center walls and danced at a gravity-defying impossible angle) over dessert.

I'll be heading back to the Kimmel Center on Monday for the press welcoming of the eleven chefs from France paired with French chefs around Philly for the duration of the PIFA celebration. And even though I missed out on dinner on Thursday, I've heard a rumor that Wolfgang Puck will be catering this press event as well.

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