FEATURE

Local Matters

March 15, 2010 – 1:16 pm Posted by Katharine Moore

Filed under: Features

Thanks to all of the great eaters who happily emerged from the hibernation of our harsh winter in time to celebrate Dine Originals Week. While some may scout for crocuses poking their green sprouts out of still crisp winter soil to be certain that spring will, in fact, come around, Dine Originals people find that assurance in the buzz of a busy restaurant. And you can’t hide those patios. We all know they’ll be scrubbed down and reopened sooner or later.

Each of our 42 member restaurants made a commitment to share the profits of the event with Local Matters. This remarkable organization has a broad range of programs…when their founder and director, Michael Jones, came to us at the beginning and explained the that the mission of the organization is to make sure that children and adults know where their food really comes from and what healthy, wholesome food is; to support our communities need for better access to healthy, local food and healthful ways to prepare it; and to entice our local farmers to grow more local food while helping them make a living wage while they do it, we knew these were like-minded people and that Dine Originals could be an important component in their outreach efforts. Check them out at www.local-matters.org. Our goal is to have all of our supporters get behind this community-changing initiative.

As the season does begin to shift, our chefs are hunched over writing tablets and computer screens developing plans to infuse their menus with springtime flavors. The globalization of cuisine and climate-controlled indoor farming may mean that most ingredients are no longer seasonal, but the members of Dine Originals have the flexibility and the resources to capture the essence of the coming spring. The focus of our menus will evolve from showcasing winter’s rustic flavors to highlighting the best of spring’s produce and the fresh fish of America’s rivers. Think early spring peas. Salmon. Asparagus.

It’s early. I’m pushing. I know. But as the season of Easter and Passover comes around, you’ll be ready to benefit from some early sourcing and aspirational planning.

See how simpatico our efforts and the programs of Local Matters are?

FEATURE

DOC + North Market Cooking Classes

December 9, 2009 – 1:48 pm Posted by Katharine Moore

Filed under: Features

Dine Originals Columbus is pleased and excited to partner with the North Market to host a series of cooking classes from January through May featuring more than a dozen of our chefs.

For those of you addicted to one or more cooking shows on television (or a whole network, if that shoe fits!), here is the chance to lay down your remote and get off your couch.

Susie Cork, the dynamic young woman behind Shaw’s Restaurant and Inn in Lancaster, teaches classes every Saturday at the Inn. I asked her to help me explain what happens in class that keeps people coming back. She had a wonderful observation about the social aspect…she said “Classes create a sense of community much like an old fashioned sewing circle once did. Students are with people they might not know, but with whom they share an interest. It doesn’t take long for the ice to break (especially when wine is being served) and for the sense of camaraderie to build.” Susie says she doesn’t plan to build her North Market class on January 27th around the recipes, but rather around techniques. “I try to teach technique so that any recipe my students encounter in the future will look approachable. For instance, I like for them to learn how to sauté or braise properly…how to hold and cut vegetables, etc. We go over the reasons for the techniques and often the history/origin of the recipes.”

Click here to view the current cooking class schedule.