The Food Section

Q&A: Joanne Chen, Student of Sweet

Joanne Chen is the author of the newly released The Taste of Sweet: Our Complicated Love Affair with Our Favorite Treats. In the book, her first, she explores the science and culture behind why some of us have insatiable sweet tooths while others do not. The book also pays particularly interest to Americans' love-hate-guilt relationship to sweets and desserts.

There’s no doubt you're an avid lover of sweets. How did your sweet tooth become the inspiration for the book?

I grew up in a family that loved food, all sorts of food including sweets. We always had desserts and afterschool snacks, and I never thought sweets were a bad food or something limited to special occasions. So, when I became an adult, I was appalled that people didn’t feel the same way. I couldn’t believe people would pass up a just-baked pie! Or feel guilty about eating a cookie. So this book was an excuse to explore how our relationships with sweets (and food in general) came to be.

You write about the many ways people experience taste. What’s the difference between a non-taster, taster, and super-taster? How can someone find out what category they fall into?

Super-tasters have a higher density of taste buds than tasters and non-tasters. Our taste preferences are mainly determined by culture and experience, but our density of taste buds influence how intense certain foods might taste. So super-tasters are more apt to think certain vegetables, like Brussels sprouts, are very bitter, or certain sweets, like Rocky Road ice cream, are too sweet. As one scientist I interviewed explained, super-tasters live in a neon taste world, while non-tasters live in a pastel taste world. You can get an idea by taking a quiz on my website, The Taste of Sweet. You can also get strips of PTC paper from science hobby or teaching shops. These test strips will taste bitter to super-tasters and tasters. Non-tasters will taste nothing at all.

Are some sweets perceived as more low-brow than others? Why is a box of Godiva chocolates more coveted than a box of Whitman's? Isn't it all chocolate?

Yes, I believe some sweets ARE perceived as more low brow than others. It all depends on context. Godiva chocolates are considered more high end than Whitman’s because the price points are higher, justified, in part perhaps, by the purity/quality of the chocolate and fillings it’s made with. However, one scientist I interviewed brought up a good point. He wonders why certain wines are deemed better than others—what is “better”? It’s only deemed better because someone influential in a particular circle says so. Of course, in some social circles, Godiva chocolates are low brow, and something else—like Vosges or Michel Cluizel—is consider high brow.

There’s a lot of fear about high fructose corn syrup. Should folks be wary?

The jury’s still out on that issue. One UCSF doctor I interviewed, Robert Lustig, believes that we should be. HFCS contains slightly higher levels of fructose than plain sugar. Fructose is processed differently and he believes excess intake (which happens when we drink several cans of soda a day) could compromise liver function and wreak havoc on our insulin system. A study out of the University of Florida last December also voiced concern about fructose. But other scientists disagree, including those with the Centers for Science in the Public interests. I believe everything in moderation is the safe way to go.

Let's play a little word association. I will name a sweetener, and you'll tell me the first thing that comes to mind:

Sugar? Innocence
Saccharin? Old ladies
Honey? Breakfast
Maple Syrup? Sticky
Stevia? Green

After writing The Taste of Sweet, how has your relationship with sweets changed?

I eat sweets more frequently and freely, but I eat less of them at each sitting. Researching the book as really helped me appreciate the tastes and flavors of every bite and listen to my satiety signals. If the taste has dulled, that means it’s time to put it away and eat it later. Also, I’ve learned to take a moment and analyze my cravings—is it something crunchy that I want? Or warm? Or creamy? Then I zero in on that, rather than wasting time (and calories) on a fat-free muffin, only to make myself a brownie sundae 15 minutes later.

Finally, how do you stay so svelte?

I’ve found that when I stopped denying myself the foods that I liked, I stopped obsessing over them and I gained better control over my eating habits (and even lost a few pounds in the process of writing the book). Also, I should add, I was never a fan of heavy fatty foods. So, I’m the kind of person that orders a salad for an entrée with dressing on the side —and then gets the chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert.

Illustration: iStockphoto.

Agenda: Tequila, Chocolate, and Wine

FEATURED EVENT

Tequila: The Future of Tradition
As spirits go, tequila often gets a bad rap. To educate imbibers about agave (above), tequila's flavor profile, and its rich history, Astor Center (399 Lafayette Street) is presenting a class, "Tequila The Future of Tradition." A discussion will be led by David Suro-Piñera, President of Siembra Azul Tequila and Foundation. along with tequila experts Dr. Rodolfo Fernandez and Claudio Jiménez Vizcarra, all of whom will be presenting in New York City for the first time. Sample a variety of tequilas, learn proper tasting techniques, and finish the evening off with appetizers from Café Frida. The class will take place in Astor Center's Gallery on Friday, May 9th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $45/person.

EVENTS THIS WEEK (May 7 through 13)

Spring Beers and Spring Cheeses
Saxelby Cheesemongers' Anne Saxelby is teaming up with Back Forty's Michael Fuquay to present a spring cheese and beer tasting. Among the bounty, discover cheeses from Vermont's Lazy Lady Farms and Jefferson, New York's Brovetto Dairy paired with seasonal wheat and other light beers, including Troeg Dream Weaver Wheat from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Schneider Edelweiss Organic Hefeweizen from Bavaria, Germany. The event will take place at Back Forty (190 Avenue B) on Wednesday, May 7th, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Reservations: 212.388.1990. $25/person.

WEP Fundraising Event
The Women's Education Project is hosting a fundraising event to benefit students from the poorest backgrounds in South India succeeding in college and pursuing meaningful careers. The evening's festivities will include fine Indian vegetarian food, Bhangra dancing, open bar, plus raffles for prizes like Betsey Johnson jewelry, Conan O’Brien tickets, a yoga class, and more. The event will take place at  the Om Factory (265 West 37th Street) from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. For more information, contact the program's direction, Zoe Timms. $20/door donation.

Chocolate and Wine Tasting
Join Joan Cukos, owner of the artisinal chocolate shop Chocolat Moderne, for a sampling of her confections paired with wines. Try peanut praline with Amontillado sherry or dark ganache with cabernet sauvignon. The free event will take place at Bottlerocket Wine + Spirit (5 West 19th Street) on Saturday, May 10th, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Reservations are not required.

Wine and Sailing Excursion
Dynamic Outdoors is hosting a sailing excursion to Long Island Sound combined with an afternoon wine tasting at North Fork Vineyards. Spend the two hour adventure learning sailing skills or simply relaxing. Arrive at the vineyard and enjoy a picnic lunch with the wine tasting. The event will take place on Sunday, May 11th, departing at 9:00 a.m. from the Upper West Side and 9:15 a.m. from the Upper East Side, with the return arrival at about 5:00 p.m. Tickets: $79/person.

All in the Family
Throughout the month of May Murray's Cheese (254 Bleecker Street) is celebrating "The Mothers of Cheesemaking." "All in the Family" is a class focusing on cheeses produced by family run businesses. Join instructor Lousie Geller for a plate full of cheese from families like the Kehler brothers of Jasper Hill Farm and the mother-son combo at Cato Corner Farm. The class will take place on Monday, May 12th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. $50/person.

Slice, Dice and Spice NY
If you've got a little free time and are itching for a culinary getaway, head upstate to the Finger Lakes for Slice, Dice and Spice, NY. Among the highlights is an Iron Chef-style competition featuring the regions’ culinary assets. Teams will be asked to create a meal using common "Market Basket" ingredients, plus one secret ingredient. All of the products used in the competition will be exclusive to the region from local farmers and food producers. The event will take place beginning Monday, May 12th, through Thursday, May 15th, at the New York Wine & Culinary Center (800 South Main Street, Canandaigua). For more information, visit the official site. Tickets for the Final Cook-Off are $50/person.

Image: Siembra Azul.

MarketWatch: Asparagus, Ramps, Miner's Lettuce, and Crepinettes

Ramps at the Union Square Greenmarket, added to the MarketWatch Photo Pool by Flickr user guessica.

MarketWatch is a monthly report on what's fresh and new at farmers markets in New York and San Francisco. If you've visited a farmers market recently in your own community, tell us what's new in the comments. And, if you have photos, be sure to post them to the MarketWatch flickr pool.

NEW YORK: UNION SQUARE GREENMARKET

News & Notes
As mentioned last month, the construction project at the north end of Union Square has temporarily displaced some Greenmarket farmers and producers. They've been relocated to the busy south end of Union Square, mixed in among the upstart peddlers of beads, incense, used CDs, and other decidedly inedible things. Not everyone is thrilled with the arrangement. "Now you have to schlep through a maze of nonfood vendors to get to the underselling milk; it’s like a frenetic flea market crossed with the long-gone flower district," writes Regina Schrambling on her blog, gastropoda.

The good news is that when the project is finally completed (18 months from now, at the soonest), the Greenmarket will reclaim all of its original space in the North Plaza, which is to be re-paved with hexagonal blocks.

What's New
Ramps, asparagus, fiddleheads, radishes, and scallions are new to market. Strawberries and shad roe have recently arrived as well. And pheasant eggs have now joined the duck and turkey eggs available at Quattro's Game Farm. The trifecta of specialty eggs should be around until July

For the ultimate in urban locavorism, you can purchase seedlings of lettuces, shoots, and peas for planting in pots at home. With water, care, and some good luck, you'll soon be harvesting your own (tiny) produce tableside.

Coming Soon
Depending on the weather, morels should make their debut in May. In June, get ready for snow peas, shell peas, sugar snap peas, herbs, and stinging nettles.

SAN FRANCISCO: FERRY PLAZA FARMERS MARKET

Miner's lettuce, a member of the purslane family, may be used raw in salads or cooked until just wilted in a sauté (image: Lulu Meyer).

News & Notes
Strange weather patterns, waffling between extreme heat and cold (reaching near freezing in some areas), have delayed an early start to the blueberry season. The weather may also affect cherries and other stone fruit. To date, one of the market's peach growers has even reported that he may have lost his entire crop this year.

California salmon will not be available at the market this year, but Shogun Fish Co. has returned with halibut, black cod, sand dabs, sardines, and squid.

Good news? Spring favorites like English, snow, and sugar snap peas are plentiful, as well as rhubarb, artichokes, and pea shoots.

What's New
Stockton Red Onions from Balakian Farms in Reedley, fresh bay laurel leaves, miners lettuce (see photo above), lemon verbena, and other herbs from White Crane Springs farm in Sonoma.

New prepared foods have also arrived. Be on the lookout for fresh goat cheese, as goats are presently in their full milk production mode. Charcuterie The Fatted Calf is selling crepinettes -- sausage patties made with various meats, greens, and other market-driven ingredients, all wrapped up in caul fat. June Taylor is bringing preserves, syrups, and fruit butters, including a seville orange and rosemary syrup. On Saturdays, Cap'n Mike's Holy Smoke is selling a "SF Style Lox Sandwich" served open faced on ACME sourdough bread, garnished with Stockton Red Onions, and slathered with Sally's homemade cream cheese. The seasonal sandwiches go on hiatus during the winter.

Coming Soon
Artichokes, fava beans, watercress, baby lettuces, torpedo onions, baby carrots, and beets. Later in the month, blueberries, cherries, squash blossoms, apricots, and apriums should make their debut.

Heading Out
Asparagus will wind down during May and most likely be gone by June, and any remaining citrus varieties will exit the market as well. 

Sources: Gabrielle Langholtz, Greenmarket Manager of Publicity & Special Projects; Lulu Meyer, Associate Director of Operations, Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture.

Agenda: Date Night, Brooklyn Eats, a Day-A-Whey, and Audible Eating

FEATURED EVENT

Sweet Eats to Heady Drinks
The Culinary Historians of New York present Dates in "Medieval Baghdad: Sweet Eats to Heady Drinks." Discover how medieval Baghdadi cooks and wine makers exploited the date, from its versatility as a sweetener to its ability to produce highly intoxicating wines. The lecture will be led by native Iraqi Professor Nawal Nasrallah (author, Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook). The event will take place at the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) on Monday, May 5th with check-in and reception at 7:30 p.m. followed by the lecture at 8:00 p.m. Tickets available through Brown Paper Tickets. $40/non-members and guests, $25/members, $22/students and seniors.

EVENTS THIS WEEK (April 30 through May 6)

Brooklyn Eats Tasting Event
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce presents the 11th Annual BROOKLYN EATS food fest at Abigail Kirsch at Stage 6 Steiner Studios (Brooklyn Navy Yard). Sample tasting portions of signature dishes from over 34 Brooklyn restaurants, complete with international wines, micro-brews, coffee, and Brooklyn sodas. Winners of the sixth annual Brooklyn Eats Scholarships will also be announced. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 30th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. $95/advanced ticket, $115/at the door.

UNISG Information Session
The University of Gastronomic Sciences will be holding an information session for prospective students interested in learning more about the school's programs and application procedures. The school was founded in 2003 by international Slow Food and has two campuses in the Italian regions of Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna. UNISG's four programs include an Undergraduate Degree in Gastronomy, a Graduate Degree in Gastronomic Business Management, a Master in Gastronomic Sciences, and a Master in Food Culture and Communication. The session will take place on Thursday, May 1st, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Murray's Cheese (254 Bleecker Street). Last minute attendees are welcome. To attend the session, email your name and phone number to d.szanto@unisg.it.

Meaty Demonstration
The Broadway Panhandler's series "Demonstrations and Conversations" presents Cree LeFavour, author of The New Steak: Recipes for a Range of Cuts plus Savory Sides. Using fresh ingredients and various cooking methods, LeFavour will demonstrate how to transform overlooked steak cuts including skirt, iron and flank into new favorites accompanied by savory sides. The free event will take place at Broadway Panhandler (65 East 8th Street) on Saturday, May 3rd from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (212.966.3434)

Sausage and Maibock Festival
Usher in biergarten season at Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten's 5th Annual German Sausage and Maibock Bier Festival. The festival will feature a variety of German sausage platters paired with Maibock Beer. The event will take place on Saturday, May 3rd at Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten (7 Rivington Street) from 3:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Admission is free, but is strictly on a first come, first serve basis. Contact the restaurant for more information: 212.253.7077 or info@loreleynyc.com.

Day A-Whey
Saxelby Cheesemongers presents its first "Day-A-Whey" trip for the year. The day begins with a wine tasting and picnic at the Wolffer Vineyard followed by a tour of Mecox Bay Dairy. If the weather permits, there will also be a stop for a break at a local beach. The event will take place on Sunday May 4th, with the bus departing from Saxelby Cheesemongers (120 Essex Street) at 8:30 a.m. sharp. Tickets available through Brown Paper Tickets. $110/person.

The Five Senses Dinner Series
Blue Hill at Stone Barns (630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, New York) is presenting the second event in a unique series of dinners, each of which focuses on one of the five senses: touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. The events are hosted by Executive Chef Dan Barber, along with special guests. Proceeds from the dinner series benefit the non-profit The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. The second dinner will focus on the sense of hearing featuring Grammy-winning violinist and composer Mark O'Connor, who will use American classical music to convey the sounds of nature. "Hearing" will take place on Sunday, May 4th, 6:00 p.m. Seating is extremely limited; to RSVP, call 914.366.6200, ext. 110. $200/person.

Image: iStockphoto.

Agenda: Book Talk, Bake Sale, Greek Easter, and Craft Beer

FEATURED EVENT

Book Talk
Brooklyn's Montauk Club will launch its monthly series, "Facts & Fictions," with readings from authors Alex Prud'homme (My Life in France) and Kim Sunée (Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home). The free event will take place Wednesday, April 23rd at 7:00 p.m. at the Montauk Club (25 8th Avenue, Brooklyn). For more information, contact montaukreadings@gmail.com.

EVENTS THIS WEEK (April 23 through April 29)

What to Produce with Your Produce
Having trouble deciding what to make with a winter's bounty? CIA Enthusiasts is featuring a demonstration course, Vegetables: What to Produce with Your Produce.  The tasting menu will include chayote-jicama salsa, hoisin-caramelized root vegetables, artichoke and spinach risotto, and fettuccine with corn, squash, chiles, crème fraîche, and cilantro. The Event will take place at The Culinary Institute of America at Astor Center (399 Lafayette Street) on Wednesday, April 23rd from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  Tuition: $95/person. (800.888.7850)

Craft Beer Festival
TAP New York presents its 2008 Craft Beer and Fine Food Festival.  More than 100 beers from over 30 small scale breweries from around the state will be featured, along will beer/food pairings, chef cooking demonstrations, and home brewing education.  Be on the lookout for some competition as well, as TAP bestows the honor of "Best Beer" and "Best Brewery" in New York State to two lucky recipients.The event will take place at the Base Lodge at Hunter Mountain on Saturday, April 26th and Sunday April 27th from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.  Pre-purchased tickets: $54/Saturday, $44/Sunday.

Greek Easter Feast at Milos
Easter is the most important holiday in the Greek Orthodox Church, symbolizing rebirth and focusing on food and family. In celebration of the end of the meat-free Lenten fast, Milos Estiatorios (125 West 55th Street) is throwing its annual weekend-long Traditional Greek Easter Feast, complete with 16 lambs roasting in front of the restaurant. The main festivities will be on Saturday, culminating with a three-course traditional Easter dinner of mageritsa (traditional Easter soup), the spit-roasted lamb, and Greek pastries. Sunday will include a smaller celebration, with spit-roasted lamb and potatoes being offered a la carte. Greek Easter Feast will take place on Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, Sunday April 27th. 3-course menu $92/person, a la carte $38/person. Reservations: 212.245.7400.

Book and Bake Sale
The Sangam House is presenting its 1st Annual Book and Bake sale, the proceeds of which will benefit the organization's writer's residency program. Sample spiked punch and other cocktails from Milk & Honey's Matty Gee, participate in a pie throwing contest, and bid on signed books from Salman Rushdie, Giada De Laurentiis, Gael Green and others through the silent auction. The event will take place at the Montauk Club (25 8th Avenue, Brooklyn) on Tuesday, April 29th from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Tickets: $15/advance, $20/at the door.

Eating Their Words
After the success of their premiere events in early March, Eating Their Words will be hosting an encore performance at The Tasting Room (264 Elizabeth Street). The events will blend the talents of a veteran chef with three established playwrights, creating original, unique dining and theater experiences. The plays are written explicitly for the evening, inspiring the chef to design a menu which will complement and enhance the play. The encore performance will take place Tuesday, April 29th at 7:00 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the Eating Their Words website. $250/premium seating, $285/VIP seating.

Passover Postscript (2008 Edition)

Last week's Passover conundrum, about what to make for a Passover dessert among so many interesting recipes, was narrowed to two final selections. I wanted to make something out of the ordinary, and the results were successful.

Above is a Spanish orange-almond flan, adapted by Joan Nathan from a recipe by Ana Bensadón. Somehow, I averted what I thought would be a complete disaster during the cooking process and somehow produced a pretty incredible dessert, worthy of making not just for the Passover holiday, but any time...you have a dozen eggs to spare! The disaster part came while cooking the flan in the oven, which was a surprise, since I successfully navigated the toughest step in the recipe: making caramel for my very first time (seen bubbling away below).

While the recipe indicated the flan should cook for anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, after an hour's cooking, it was completely liquid in the center, despite a thin veneer that had solidified on top. I ended up continuing to bake the flan, racing back and forth between the computer (to seek answers online for what I was screwing up) and the oven, checking on the flan every 10 minutes. After 30 more minutes, the flan still wasn't cooked in the middle, but I then discovered that the oven wasn't calibrated correctly and was off by 40 degrees. After another half hour of cooking and harried Google searches for "jiggly flan," the center had finally firmed up somewhat, and though it was still a little wobbly, I finally removed it from the oven after nearly 2 hours, let it cool in an ice bath to speed things and transferred the flan to the refrigerator.

After the flan chilled for several hours, it released (surprisingly) easily from the pan. What came out was a quite stunning orange-infused custard topped with caramel. The ground almonds, which mostly floated to the top while cooking, ended up giving the flan a nutty bottom layer. Interestingly,  a hard layer of caramel remained in the bottom of the pan, and I don't know why (maybe not enough time in hot water before releasing?).

I also made François Payard’s flourless chocolate-walnut cookies  which were simpler and less stressful than the flan. The recipe contains no flour (obviously) or even matzo meal, though the cookies puffed up in the oven into something chewy, and chocolatey -- almost a cross between a brownie and a cookie, with a crackled surface on the outside. They look completely different than the ones at Smitten Kitchen. It must be due to my using store-bought confectioner's sugar -- a shonda because it contains cornstarch -- rather than homemade powdered sugar.

It was a little weird to work solely with powdered sugar and cocoa to make the cookie batter. Just four egg whites brought all of the dry ingredients together, which became super-thick, sticky, fudgy, and barely could be stirred. The recipe made 12 humongous cookies that no single person could consume, particularly after a huge Passover meal. If I was to ever make them again, I would probably divide the batter into 24 smaller cookies.

Recipes:
»Orange-Almond Flan [New York Times]
»François Payard’s Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies [New York]

Passover Dessert Recipes

Desiring something different than the ubiquitous (but always delicious) flourless chocolate cake, I have been searching for something entirely new to make for Passover dessert this year.

I've had some success in Passovers past making Le Pain Quotidien's Belgian Brownies (above left), rich chocolate mini-cakes that, surprisingly, don't suffer at all from the absence of flour, as well as Joan Nathan's almendrados (above right), Spanish almond macaroons with a hint of lemon.

I've been collecting a number of great-looking recipes, which are posted below. Most are nut-based cakes from food magazines and newspapers, along with two from Joyce Goldstein's Cucina Ebraica (thanks Google Books!). There's also an amazing-looking cookie recipe and one for lemon mini-cakes.

»Orange-Almond Flan [New York Times]
»Orange-Almond Cake [New York Times]
»Pan di Spagna alle Nocciole (Passover Hazelnut Sponge Cake) [Joyce Goldstein]
»Bocca di Dama (Passover Almond Sponge Cake) [Joyce Goldstein]
»Almond-lemon torte with fresh strawberries [Bon Appétit]
»Lemon Cakes With Basil Lemon Syrup [Gourmet]
»Italian Almond Cake [Food & Wine]
»Walnut-Date Torte [Gourmet]
»François Payard’s Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies [New York]

Looking for more ideas? Be sure to also check out Smitten Kitchen for an extensive list of 17 dessert recipes, many of which have been given a test run by Deb in her own kitchen (plus photographic proof of the outstanding results).

I'm currently leaning toward either Joyce Goldstein's hazelnut cake, Gourmet's lemon cakes, Tamasin Day-Lewis' orange-almond cake, or the chocolate-walnut cookies. What are you making? And, do you have more ideas? Share them in the comments.

Passover Archives:

»Pancakes for Passover?
»Kosher Coke Smackdown
»Belgian Brownies
»Passover Postscript
»Matzo Madeleine
»Passover-friendly Sweets
»Pesach Granola

Agenda: Sakura in Manhattan, A Spicy World, and the Tuscan Nose

FEATURED EVENT

Sakura Festival
Sakura, the cherry blossom, is the national flower of Japan, and its annual bloom season is a cause for celebration throughout the country and the world. New Yorkers can celebrate cherry blossom season with a Sakura Festival at EN Brasserie (435 Hudson Street). To replicate an evening of dining under pink cherry blossoms in Japan, the restaurant will be decorated in with the blooming flowers. As part of the celebration, a special Sakura Kaiseki menu will highlight seasonal Japanese delicacies, incorporating the delicate blossoms within the dishes. The festival will take place beginning on Monday, April 21st, and will last through to Sunday, May 4th. Sakura Kaiseki menu: $80/person. Reservations: 212.647.9196.

EVENTS THIS WEEK (April 16 through April 22)

Wines of Austria
Austria has been gaining momentum as an excellent world-class producer of dry white, reds, and sweet wines. To familiarize wine lovers with the varietals of this lesser known wine-producing country, Chelsea Wine Vault (inside Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue) is presenting a class: Wines of Austria. The class will take place on Wednesday, April 16th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. $75/person. For reservations, call 212.462.4244 or email rsvp@chelseawinevault.com.

Journeys in Chinese Gastronomy 
The Asia Society presents "Beyond Shark’s Fin and Fortune Cookies: Exciting Journeys in Chinese Gastronomy." Discover the story behind the real General Tso and find out who really invented the fortune cookie. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 16th, at the Asia Society Museum Auditorium (725 Park Avenue) from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tickets $30/non-members, $15/members and students (212.517.ASIA).

Lisbon and Spices
The Culinary Historians of New York present "Lisbon and Spices: Transforming the World's Culinary Horizons" (PDF), with spice expert Michael Krondl. The lecture will touch upon topics including Europe's taste for spices during the Renaissance and how the "age of exploration" influenced the world's taste for spice. The event will take place at Astor Center (399 Layafette Street, 2nd Floor) on Thursday, April 17th, with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets: $40/non-members, $25/members, $22/students and seniors.

Pasta Primo Vino
Celebrate the arrival of spring at the Shawangunk Wine Trail - the closest wine trail to New York City, Westchester, Albany, Bergen County NJ, and Connecticut. To commemorate the season, 10 wineries open their doors and pair their Hudson Valley wines with tasty pasta recipes. Many will also showcase new releases. The event will take place on Saturday, April 19th and Sunday, April 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. Tickets will be valid for both days and include the tastings and pasta sampling.  Advanced Tickets: $20/person, $25/at the door.

The Tuscan Nose
Slow Food USA is presenting a wine tasting fundraiser, The Tuscan Nose.  The tasting will feature some of the best Chiantis on the market, paired with hors d’oeuvres made from Ark of Taste products.  Adding to the atmosphere will be the aromas of Tuscany, "The Essences of Chianti Classico," prepared by decorated Italian perfumer Lorenzo Villoresi. The event will take place on Monday, April 21st at 583 Park Avenue from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets: $40/person.

Free Bags at Fairway Market
In honor of Earth Day, all four Fairway Market locations will participate in a special event to help customers go green. The first 250 customers in each store will receive a free reusable shopping bag, plus dozens of coupons for discounts on eco-friendly products. The giveaway takes place on Tuesday, April 22nd, click here for opening hours and locations.

Agenda: Umami Festival, Kabbalah Cuisine, and Pizza Fundamentals

FEATURED EVENT

Umami: Food and Art Festival
The human tounge senses five tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. Umami is a Japanese word meaning "savory" or "meaty" and applies to a sensation common in meats, cheese, and other protein-rich foods or to "earthy" foods such as mushrooms and soy sauce, high in glutamates. The Umami Festival comprises a series of tastings, workshops, and performances aimed at bringing together artists and culinarians who use food as a medium. The Umami Food and Art Festival will take place Tuesday April 8th through Friday, April 18th at Roulette (20 Greene Street). For a full list of events, ticket prices, and more information, visit the offical site.

EVENTS THIS WEEK (April 9 to 15)

Beard on Books
This month's "Beard on Books" literary series will feature a reading and discussion led by Mary Lou and Robert J. Heiss, authors of The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. Discover new information on tea's turbulent 2,000 year history. The event will take place at The Beard House (167 West 12th Street) on Wednesday, April 9th at 12:00 noon. Recommended donation: $20/person.

The Kabbalah of Food
Murray's Cheese (254 Bleecker Street) is presenting an historic course, "The Kabbalah of Food," which will delve into the world of Kabbalah to experience and understand the food we eat and how we eat it. A tasting of cheese, oil, bread, pastries, and more will be included. The event will take place on Thursday, April 10th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. $50/person.

Schools, Food and Community
Baum Forum and the Nutrition Program, Teachers College Columbia University, present their 2008 conference, Schools, Food and Community. Aimed at teachers, administrators, food service and public health professionals, advocates, youth, and parents, the day and a half conference will focus on the School Food revolution and getting kids more involved in their health and the