I cover small business and lifestyle, including food and drink. My stories offer readers new insights and practical ways to save $, advance their careers or improve their lives.
Bagels and Peeps: When U.S. Expats Crave the Flavors of Home
Wander any major city around the globe—London, Tokyo, Dubai—and you’re likely to see outposts of American mega-brands like Starbucks and McDonald’s. While many American expats pride themselves on eschewing these symbols of their homeland in favor of the local pub, sushi spot or falafel stand, some of these same culinary adventurers also crave the food they grew up with—and will go to great lengths to get it.
Happy Lucky’s Teahouse Embraces Virtual Tastings
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses have adjusted operations to provide more virtual experiences for their customers. Fresh Cup talks with a teahouse in Colorado about how they’ve transitioned in-store activities to a digital platform.
Beverages On Tap
While nitro cold brew has been available for several years, many customers are still discovering its creaminess and novelty. As more coffee shops acquire coffee-on-tap systems, some are moving beyond nitro cold brew to include tea, kombucha, and other beverages on tap.
These Photos Could Change the Way You Look at Fruits and Vegetables
Many food photographers strive for perfection, even if it means subbing in white glue for the milk in cereal shots or motor oil for pancake syrup, to make the dishes look picture-perfect. But Seattle-based photographer and top food keeps it real in her photos, which she constructs by arranging everything from browning bananas and burnt toast to unripe raspberries.
Eric Silverstein of The Peached Tortilla: From Food Truck to Restaurant to Cookbook
Born in Tokyo, Japan to a Chinese mother and Jewish-American father, Eric Silverstein of The Peached Tortilla says he’s always been around food and loved eating yakitori, tonkatsu, and tempura as a child.
Crafting Through Chronic Illness
Untold numbers of people suffering chronic conditions are turning to Etsy to find purpose and a livelihood through illness.
Fill the Boot Gets Personal
Firefighters are among MDA’s most dedicated supporters. These men and women have a special connection to the cause.
These Three Programs Help Restaurant Employees Get or Stay Healthy
The food and beverage industry can be notoriously rough on employees’ physical and emotional health. The pressures of opening a new restaurant or earning a Michelin star often don’t play nice with mental health issues like depression, PTSD or addiction, not to mention the physical strain of a double shift followed by a few too many shots at the bar.
But some owners are working to alter this gritty, unforgiving image, creating a healthier, more balanced environment for their employees. Just as...
Chefs Share Tips for Reducing Food Waste
Restaurant food waste has environmental and financial costs. According to a survey contained in a 2014 report prepared for the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, restaurants generated 33 pounds of food waste per thousand dollars of company revenue on average.
In honor of Earth Day, Restaurant Insider caught up with two chefs and a mixologist who are working to reduce waste in their kitchens and bars. Here are their strategies for becoming a low or no-waste establishment.
Crêpe Bar in Tempe, Arizo...
The Restaurateur’s Guide to Merchandising
Some food brands are so beloved that customers are willing to pay for a branded T-shirt, coffee mug or other swag to proclaim their brand allegiance. And it’s not just chains like Hard Rock Cafe or In-N-Out Burger that attract that kind of loyalty.
Smaller, but still beloved, restaurants, breweries, coffee shops and others have used merchandising to create an additional revenue stream and create marketing buzz. But how do you know if your brand is popular enough to support this? And how do yo...
Business Resources - Crisis Management - June 2018
How to manage a crisis in the age of smartphones and social media
What Airbnb Means for Your Mortgage
Using a spare room or your house as a rental? Consider the impact on your mortgage or refinance.
Literary Libations: 7 Cocktails Inspired by Books
Famous authors including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sylvia Plath, and Ernest Hemingway were known not only for the literary prowess but also their ability to throw back a few (or in some cases, a few too many) drinks. Booze has inspired countless books, so it’s only natural that some mixologists likewise draw their inspiration from the classics. Here are seven cocktails inspired by books (and one auteur).
Jekyll and Hyde at The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen, Edinburgh, Scotland
Modeled after the fic...
Steeped in Tradition: 11 Top Tea Cocktails
Rich in antioxidants and aromatic flavors, tea cocktails are making a splash on menus across North America. Here’s a look at 11 restaurants serving these trendy tipples.
A Look Inside Bookstore Bars
For some book lovers, booze and books go together like wine and cheese, and a number of venues are capitalizing on this pairing. Some independent bookstore-bar hybrids, like Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida, skew more toward a bookstore and restaurant with a cocktail program. Others, like Spotty Dog Books & Ales in Hudson, New York, serve wine and beer with bar snacks.