The Connected Table Live

A delightful dining experience can be found in Bryan, Texas (Brazos County) thanks to Amanda and Brian Light, the husband-wife owners of Ronin Farm & Restaurant. The restaurant's seasonal menus feature what's fresh from the couple's nearby farm which hosts monthly full moon communal dinners. Of course, there's always a juicy chicken-fried Texas steak and giant burger on the menu at Ronin. The...

Born in Israel, Chef Alon Shaya's parents moved to Philadelphia when he was 4, a hard adjustment for Alon. But home economics teacher, Donna Barnett, saw Alon's potential and encouraged him to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America. Shaya's Pomegranate Hospitality Group includes Saba and Miss River (New Orleans), Safta (Denver), Silan (Bahamas), and Safta 1964 (Las Vegas). Shaya and his forme...

A 2023 Mintel survey revealed nearly 4 in 10 U.S. consumers embrace a sober- curious lifestyle. So, it makes sense for restaurant and bars to provide alcohol-free cocktails on menus. It's much like creating vegetarian options on a dinner menu. Enter Hilary Sheinbaum, journalist and founder of Going Dry. Sober-curious since 2017, Hilary advises restaurants and bars on how to create alcohol-free men...

Born and raised in New Orleans, Chef Michael Gulotta drew inspiration from both his Sicilian great-grandmother, Gaetana, and his experience working in Liguria, for TANA Italian, his most personal restaurant concept. Chef Gulotta is also a chef-partner in two popular New Orleans Asian fusion restaurant concepts, MOPHO near City Park and Maypop in the Central Business District. Chef Gulotta discusse...

Messina Hof was established in 1977 by Paul Vincent and Merrill Bonarrigo, who began with one acre of vineyard in Bryan, Texas. The Bonarrigos are considered “the first family of Texas wine" and produce many varietals. Messina Hof wines are all produced from Texas grapes. Many are sourced from the high elevation Texas High Plains AVA in the northwest near Lubbock. Son Paul and daughter-in-law Kare...

During the covid-19 pandemic, U.S. marketing executive Frank Grillo moved to Puglia, Italy, to work remotely and embrace his Italian heritage. Puglia's Pane di Altamura D.O.P. made from locally grown ancient wheat, and Europe's first bread given a protected designation of origin status, sparked Grillo's entrepreneurial spirit to create Altamura, a wheat based premium Italian vodka. Grillo set out...

Luscious layer cakes, fruit pies and cobblers, pecan pie, flaky biscuits, sweet and savory corn breads and buttery shortbreads are a few of the South's beloved baked dishes. Native southerner and best-selling cookbook author, Anne Byrn, documents baking traditions, anecdotes and gathered recipes from fourteen southern states for her book, “Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold...

One of the nation’s most esteemed journalists on food and food policy, Corby Kummer is Executive Director of Food & Society at the nonprofit Aspen Institute. He spearheads several initiatives, including Food as Medicine, Food Justice and Open Access to support minority -owned startup food businesses. His work has opened conversations about food policy, food insecurity and regenerative farming...

Chef Melissa Araujo grew up in a large family in La Ceiba, Honduras, where her Sicilian mother and Latina grandmother were important culinary influences. At Alma Café in New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood, Araujo prepares in her words "elevated Honduran cooking." Alma means “soul” in Spanish. And cooking is where Araujo found what stirs her soul, offering farm to table menus reflecting her heritage...

The Bocuse d’Or, established by Chef Paul Bocuse in 1987, is the world’s most rigorous culinary competition. Chef teams from 76 countries compete in qualifying rounds, narrowed down to 24 spots for the finals taking place in Lyon, France, in January 2025. For the first time the Bocuse d’Or Americas was held in the U.S.A. in New Orleans (June 2024) with 9 competing teams. Team U.S.A. won the gold a...

Held annually in July in New Orleans, Tales of the Cocktail is the largest gathering of the global professional bar and spirits industry, a place to discover new products, learn trends and share ideas. Award-Winning Mixologist and Masterclass Host Lynnette Marrero discusses highlights from the 2024 Tales events and awards and the growth of zero proof and low alcohol cocktails. Marrero is cofounder...

Clean eating, dirty sodas, Asian street food, sea vegetables and souped-up snacks for a nation of noshers- these are all items you may be seeing on more restaurant menus, observes Pat Cobe, Senior Editor for Restaurant Business Magazine. In her long career covering the foodservice industry, Cobe has reported on menu restaurant and development and other industry topics. She edits the weekly On the...

The Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB) celebrates 20 years in 2024 with a new cookbook and special exhibits from Coffee Culture to the 125h Anniversary of Oysters Rockefeller. SoFAB Founder Elizabeth (Liz) Williams discusses how changes in the South's population over time have redefined southern food and shares a few "lagniappes" about popular dishes and drinks from styles of gumbo to chi...

Many Americans dream of moving to Europe. Cynthia Chaplin did it in 1990, living in Spain, Belgium and ultimately Italy, her home since 2012, where she has built a career as an Italian wine specialist. She is a Vinitaly International Academy Certified Italian Wine Ambassador, a professional Sommelier with Fondazione Italiana Sommelier and the Worldwide Sommelier Association and a sought-after educ...

Paula Lambert, Founder of The Mozzarella Company in Dallas, truly is The Big Cheese. She founded her business in 1982 with the goal of bringing the fresh-made mozzarella cheese she learned to make while living in Italy to the U.S.A. The Mozzarella Company offers more than 30 artisanal cheeses, all made by women. The company is also 100% women-led. In 2023, Lambert sold her business to her employee...

Dr. Liz Thach MW is the 7th woman in the USA and first in California to become a Master of Wine (May 2011). She has a PhD in Human Resource Development. Dr. Thach has received more than 30 awards and accolades, presented at more than a 100 conferences, published more than 200 articles and written nine books on wine topics. At Sonoma State University she taught management and wine business classes...

Chef Isaac and Amanda Toups' New Orleans restaurant, Toups' Meatery, reflects the Cajun heritage of Isaac's family. Locally sourced beef, pork, duck and venison and Gulf seafood dishes are served in generous portions. Signatures include double cut pork chop, lamb neck, boudin, cracklins, wagyu beef burger, couvillion (his grandmother's fish stew), marinated crab claws and spicy fried oysters. The...

June is Awards Season in the Restaurant Industry. Food and travel journalist and registered dietitian, Carolyn O'Neil, and TCT's Melanie Young discuss the results of the 2024 World50 Best Awards and James Beard Foundaton Awards, including revised JBF Awards criteria, the evolution of the global kitchen, heritage cooking and food advocacy. Also on the menu: immersive dining experiences and a new ge...

Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine from the Emilio-Romagna region of Italy, is a versatile red to chill and serve. It's ideal for summer dining. Alicia Lini's family has produced Lambrusco sparkling wines since 1910. Fanny Heucq's great grandfather started Champagne André Heucq in 1936. The domain is located in the Vallée de Marne, an important growing area for Pinot Meunier. Heucq's cuvées are Meuni...

Want to discover under-the-radar restaurants throughout the USA or read up on what and how we are eating? Brett Anderson has been covering food and restaurant industry topics for The New York Times since 2019 and, prior, as restaurant critic and features writer for The Times-Picayune, New Orleans. Anderson’s award-winning reporting has addressed food culture and dining, restaurant industry labor i...

A 2024 Wine Market Council study shows that Millennials (ages 28-43) are drinking more wine and trading up to spend more per bottle. Sales of white wines are soaring and reached $42.1billion in 2023. The 2024 BMO Wine Market Report reveals the U.S. Wine Industry surpassed $107 Billion in sales in 2023. Health & wellness are driving sales of low alcohol RTDs and wines. Yet, the World Health Org...

W. Blake Gray is a prolific wine writer covering industry topics that often generate plenty of commentary. Currently U.S. Editor for Wine Searcher, Gray was previously Wine Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle and Food Editor for SF Weekly. In 2013 he won the Louis Roederer Award for Best Online Wine Columnist. He discusses topics he's covered from the state of Israeli wines to trends in zero-al...

Only one percent of the world’s wines make it to the U.S.A., and VeroVino represents the smallest slice, according to Sheila Donohue, founder. VeroVino is an import company focusing on small-production, eco-friendly wines and olive oils made from artisan farmers in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Austria and California. Donohue worked in fintech in Italy where she earned her sommelier cert...

Preferabli is a pioneer in sensorial AI for wine, spirits and food. Pam Dillon, Co-founder and CEO, tells the story of why Preferabli was built and how the patented software works like a human expert at scale. Dillon explains how the software helps retail and hospitality businesses provide truly personalized discovery and recommendations, one person at a time. Dillon shares how consumers can use t...

James Clesi began serving his signature pop-up crawfish boils at venues around New Orleans in 2013 and expanded. Clesi’s Seafood Restaurant & Catering offers award-winning boiled crawfish, shrimp, fresh and chargrilled oysters and popular Louisiana fare like blackened redfish with dirty rice, jambalaya and fried catfish in a casual setting year-round. In 2024, Clesi’s was invited to be the off...