Joe Ray
Food & Travel / Words & Photos
Published Work
ARCHIVE OF THE YEAR 2007
May 14, 2007 - brandchannel.com
Sicilian Branding Preservatives
Throughout its history, Sicily has been conquered and colonized by myriad civilizations and nations -from Phoenicia and ancient Greece to Spain and Italy. Add the creep of soulless modernization and a lack of governmental support for its culture, and one could argue that the island suffers from an identity crisis. In response, a diverse team of locals (and not-so-locals) has pledged to develop the Sicilian brand.
May 2, 2007 - The Star-Ledger - Savor
Almond Extracts
Speak with a chef worth his salt and they’ll almost inevitably take a good hunk of time preaching the virtues of raw materials. Assenza dwells on such things for about 20 seconds before he launches into the culinary stratosphere on a gastro-philosophical jag that explains both the primacy of the almond and its place in the state of Sicilian pastry making.
March 27, 2007 - Associated Press - asap
In Sicily, where almonds are the joy
JOE RAY spends oblivious weeks among the prized and ethereal almond groves of Sicily. He finally sees the light in the throes of a nougat binge.
March 25, 2007 - Agence France Presse
From grape to glass: Sicilian wine turns heads
Becoming a world-known grape variety such as Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay is no mean task, yet Sicily’s once little-known native red grape, Nero d’Avola, seems on the cusp of a breakthrough.
March 5, 2007 - brandchannel.com
Bouillabaisse: O-fish-al branding?
Blend some ingredients to create a cola, but it won’t be a Coke. Pour a homemade condiment on your burger, but it won’t be the McDonald’s “special sauce”. So it’s no surprise that chefs in Marseilles, the origin of bouillabaisse, take the recipe very seriously -and defend the premium price- while bemoaning the opinion that the delicacy is merely “fish soup”.
February 21, 2007 - Associated Press - asap
It’s not delivery, it’s truck dining
JOE RAY gets rudely awakened in Sicily by delivery trucks. And it gets dreamy from there.
February 18, 2007 - The Boston Globe - Travel Section
Breaking the mold - some patisseries move the classics to a back burner
PARIS—France has earned a reputation as a culinary mecca by mixing centuries of tradition with innovation. But the French can also be incredibly stodgy when it comes to food. Nowhere is that more in evidence than with pastry.
Walk in to a good French patisserie and not only will you find it museum-like in its beauty, you will also find that the recipes for the pastries could have been created by Auguste Escoffier himself.
February 7, 2007 - Agence France Presse
Pigs’ ears, horse-sandwiches ‘n fritters: Italian street-food
CATANIA, ITALY (AFP) - “This is the food of the people of Sicily,” said Annalisa Spampinato, as the aroma of grilled quail, horsemeat and bacon-wrapped spring onions wafted through the night air in the town of Catania.
February 1, 2007 - Associated Press
Cooking up a swarm (money is no object)
Putting ‘Top Chef’ to shame: JOE RAY takes in the Bocuse d’Or, the world’s biggest culinary competition.
January 31, 2007 - The Montreal Gazette
Creme de la creme of cheesemongers
It takes a lot of chutzpah to preach the gospel of cheese in France, but Montreal cheesemonger Claudine Laverdure has done it twice. With waves of noise from air horns, trumpets, stomping feet and screaming fans, it had all the markings of a wild, five-day hockey game.
January 30, 2007 - Associated Press
Who disapproved of my cheese?
An American cheesemonger in Lyon? JOE RAY watches an international cheese competition in France, where the odds surely favor the home team.
January 23, 2007 - Agence France Presse
Horse stepping back on plate?
It was a sign of the times when the horse butcher featured in the French blockbuster film “Amelie” closed for good. The small horse’s head above the door that Amelie points to as one of her favourite Parisian landmarks disappeared a couple of years ago, along with the butcher, and the old red iron gates, now painted blue, serve as the entrance to a mobile phone store. But while meat in general remains popular in France, horse appears to be riding into the gastronomic sunset.
January 10, 2007 - The Santa Fe New Mexican
Perfect In Paris
Bill Buford’s book, Heat, features a Dante-quoting Tuscan butcher. The new Parisian equivalent is Daniel Rose, an American-born chef with a penchant for Euclid who has unintentionally found himself at the leading edge of restaurants in the City of Light.
A one-time Santa Fean, Rose officially slid open the front door of his 16-seat restaurant, Spring, on Oct. 17, 2006, and the praise has been nonstop ever since.
January 1, 2007 - brandchannel.com
Randolph Hodgson - The Whey of The Cheese
He is a king whose domain includes a Golden Cross, a Stinking Bishop, and two Irish saints (Tola and Gall). His complete inventory reads like Wallace and Gromit’s wish list. When it comes to dairy products from the British Isles, Randolph Hodgson is the big cheese.