Free Donuts + Sunday Shopping at Shake The Tree in the North End!

A picture of a dozen different flavored Union Square Donuts in a box.

Since discovering Shake The Tree while strolling around the North End several years ago, I’ve been a fan.

Shake The Tree is the perfect little shop to find clothes, jewelry and other quality items that are unique and fun. Both for yourself and others.

While speaking with owner Marian Klausner, I learned that she used to be an attorney. On my old blog she was one of the first people to participate in my interview series called Back To Law School.

For that interview, Klausner told me that surviving law school gave her “a tremendous sense of self-confidence.”  She practiced for eight years before opening her shop.

Law school and the experience of day-to-day practice gave me the sense that I could achieve any dream I had, if I really worked for it. I never thought of myself as exceptionally brilliant before law school but I did well academically and that made me realize that if I focused on something I wanted to create, I could really do it!

Her story is inspiring and I love how she often collaborates with local shops that sell the best sweets.

So, if you’re looking to shop small and local over the next two Sundays (12/11 and 12/18, 10am – 12pm), I definitely recommend going to the North End and stopping by Shake The Tree.

You can get some free Union Square Donuts and enjoy discounted parking while you’re there. Parking validation is $3 for 3 hours at the Parcel 7 Garage, next to the Haymarket T on Sudbury Street.

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Image: Shake The Tree Newsletter

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{You Pick Six} An Interview with Travel Writer & Essayist: Maria Olia

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This past spring, I attended an open house for Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library. I love Quincy’s library system and think supporting the library is a great way to be a philanthropist — even if only on a small scale.

I’ve been a Friend of the library for years, but it was my first time attending this type of event. And I’m so glad I did. I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Maria Olia, who writes about travel in the Boston area and New England in general.

Maria’s current book, New England’s Colonial Inns & Taverns, is a great resource and timely too.  For those of you who believe in ghosts and  are looking forward to Halloween, she lists some haunted historic inns in her book.

But don’t be scared! We’re going to resume this ongoing series with the 14th interview of You Pick Six and learn some more about Maria.

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What brings you peace every day?
My long walks around Crystal Lake in Newton bring me peace every morning. I love walking outside every day, in all weather. Sometimes I walk with a friend, sometimes I listen to classical music. Walking helps set my mind for the rest of the day. And sometimes walking is the best part of my day!

What is a favorite quote?
One of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain- ” In New York they ask, ‘How much money does he have?’ In Philadelphia they ask, ‘Who were his parents?’ In Boston, they ask, How much does he know.'” Of course, historically, Boston was the intellectual impetus for the American Revolution. And I think Twain’s quote is still apt- we are “smaat!”

What is a favorite childhood food memory?
I’m a child of the 70’s so one of my fondest food memories was having cheese fondue.The idea of sharing food from a communal pot was totally hippy. It was very exotic for the time- the little enamel pot filled with melted swiss cheese and the long forks with the color coded handles – I always picked red. In our house, my Mom, my Dad, my little brother and I would eat fondue sitting on the floor huddled around the coffee table in the family room which just added to its “specialness.”

What is the best meal you ever had and where was it?
I eat out constantly in Boston doing research for my travel books and I have had some amazing meals along the way. But my most memorable meal was 10 years ago in Tuscany. My husband and I, along with our three sons, our daughter and my parents toured the Castello di Brolio vineyard. Afterwards we had the tasting menu at the vineyard’s small restaurant. I don’t remember exactly what I had for each course, but it was an authentic Italian meal outside on a perfect summer day in a magnificent setting and with all the people I love.

How did food become an important part of your life?
Ever since I was a teenager, I was a foodie. One summer I made a project of cooking meals from around the world. I would do the research and make things like saurbraten with spaetzle, or Venezuelan beef tamales in banana leaves. One year, for my high school French class final report I made a croquembouche- a tower of cream- filled choux pastry balls decorated in caramel sugar. Naturally, dining is a huge part of my travel writing. You can plan entire days around the restautrants, bakeries and food markets that I write about in my guidebooks.

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Tell me about your book.
My newest book is New England’s Colonial Inns & Taverns (Globe Pequot). It’s a travel book that profiles 29 historic New England inns and taverns that have a connection to the colonial era; places that date before the year 1800. Some of the places are well known, like the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge or the Union Oyster House in Boston. Others are less common, like Mount Hope Farm in Bristol, Rhode Island and Eben House in Provincetown.

What is unique about this book is that I delve deeply into the colonial history of each place; how and when they were established and the tavern or inn’s relationship to their community through the years. And for these places we are talking centuries! I have also written about what today’s traveler would expect; the types of rooms or amenities at the inns and the dining experiences found at the taverns. There really is something for every taste; romantic country inns of course, but also high-end boutique inns, elegant townhouse inns and rustic chic- inns. Some taverns are all about Yankee pot roast and chicken pot pie, but there are several that are fine dining destinations with excellent wine lists.

Finally, the book has nearly 100 color photographs throughout- what I like to refer to as “Instagram-worthy” photos. There is a two-page spread of cows in a misty meadow, a full page photograph of a bicycle with a wicker basket of hydrangeas propped against a country fence and a full page collage of seafood dishes from Maine’s York Harbor Inn that looks like it should be in a food magazine. The book is a large format paperback but it has the feel of a coffee table book. It’s visually very appealing. I think that we are very lucky to be living in this corner of the world!

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Thank you so much for participating Maria!

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Photos: Provided by Maria Olia.

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{You Pick Six} An Interview with Co-Founder of New Grounds Food: Johnny Fayad

New Grounds Food co-founder Johnny Fayad

As I mentioned recently, I attended Amplify, an event in Boston hosted by Branchfood. One of the local food companies there was New Grounds Food, makers of the CoffeeBar.

At the event, I was able to sample a CoffeeBar and (full disclosure) was given some to go. They are pretty good!

For those of you who don’t have time to drink your coffee in the morning, but still want the caffeine, you might just want to try one.

Johnny Fayad is a co-founder of the company that he started with Ali Kothari when they were freshman business students. They wasted no time!

So let’s learn a little bit more about Johnny in the 13th interview in the series, You Pick Six.

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What is a favorite dessert?
Trader Joe’s chocolate lava cakes with vanilla bean ice cream! Super quick and super delicious.

What is a favorite snack?
Pita bread with tomatoes and some veggies dipped in my mom’s iconic hummus with a little olive oil on top.

What is a favorite food movie?
Jiro Dreams of Sushi. I want to go there to eat one day (hopefully, while Jiro is still at the helm!)

DrSeuss_Quote

What is a favorite quote?
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– Dr. Seuss

What is the best meal you ever had and where was it?
Whenever my cousin comes to Boston for work, he’ll typically spoil me with a really nice dinner. One of the best ones was at a sushi restaurant called Oishii in the South End where we had so many amazing dishes from squid ink pasta to different preparations of uni. So good.

How did food become an important part of your life?
Food has always been a huge part of my life. Starting with my mom who is a macrobiotic chef and all she does is cook, so we were raised where delicious food was the norm and rarely went out to eat. My love for food definitely grew as I started serving at a sushi restaurant in high school and a seafood restaurant in my first couple years of college. More recently, after starting New Grounds Food, I’ve been able to see and experience all of the work that goes into bringing food to life, which has given me a deeper appreciation for the food in our lives.

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Thank you so much for participating Johnny!

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Photos: Provided by Johnny Fayad.

*Updated 9/22/2020* The company name and website changed, so several links in this interview were updated.

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{You Pick Six} An Interview with Founder of Helen’s Kitchen Cooking School: Helen Rennie

Cooking School Founder Helen Rennie holds a raw chicken

A few weeks ago, I attended Amplify, an event in Boston hosted by Branchfood.

It showcased new local food companies and introduced them to retailers and media. I learned about some great products, that I hope to write about soon.

I also met a fellow food blogger whose blog, Beyond Salmon, was one of the first that I read when I first started blogging.  Helen Rennie has been blogging since 2005, so she is one of the first in the food blogging world. So it delights me to no end to welcome Helen to this blog! Now founder of Helen’s Kitchen Cooking School, let’s find out what she’s cooking up next in the 12th in the interview series, You Pick Six.

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Tell me about what you’re working on now?

I’ve been working on short cooking videos that focus on techniques.  They are all available on YouTube for free.  I started making them to help my students review the material they learn in my cooking and baking classes, but to my surprise and delight I’ve been getting comments from cooks all over the world.

What is a favorite cookbook?
Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers.  Judy has always been a great inspiration to me and I was devastated when she passed away at a very young age due to cancer.  Her book is unique in many respects.  She is the only restaurant chef that I am aware of who wrote her book cover to cover without a shadow writer.  The level of detail is fabulous.  I am forever grateful to her editor for not cutting Judy’s wisdom out of this book.  Do you need five pages on how to roast a chicken?  Absolutely! Although the zuni roast chicken is great, the real gem of this book is Judy’s advice to salt all your proteins a day ahead.  It makes everything so juicy — just like brining without the mess of a bucket.
 
What is some of the best advice you’ve ever received?
This is not the best life advice, but it’s the best advice all home bakers need to hear: weigh all ingredients for baking.  I am a cook by nature.  I taste and adjust.  Baking was a challenge.  My pie crust cracked, my cakes were dry, my breads were dense.  Then I got Rose Beranbaum’s book “The Bread Bible” and started using a scale.  It was like magic.  Everything worked!  It wasn’t just Rose’s recipes that worked, but all my old recipes that gave me trouble worked.  Flour is a powder and it’s compressible.  Measuring it with cups is unreliable.
scallops
What is a favorite simple recipe to prepare at home?
Doesn’t get any easier or tastier than seared scallops, though a microwave poached egg is fun too.
 
What do you think that most people don’t understand about food?
Food is a performing art 99% of the time, and a creative art (1% of the time).  I often hear in classes the following complaint, “I can’t cook because I am not creative.  I can’t figure out what goes with what.”  Then the students watch me cook and are surprised that most of the time I don’t add anything besides salt, lemon, and olive oil.  The reason food tastes good is the balance of salt and acidity, and controlling texture through how you apply heat.  It takes dedication, patience, and constant attention to detail, just like learning a musical instrument.  If you play the violin off key, it’s hard to listen no matter how passionately you play it.  If the cook gets the salt amount wrong, it’s hard to eat their dish no matter what amazing combination of local organic ingredients are in it.  I find that we have a lot of passion for food in the U.S. these days, but not enough skill either at home or in most restaurant kitchens.  But American food culture is in it’s infancy compared to Japan or France.  I am sure the skill will come with time.
 
What is a favorite food movie?
Ratatouille, of course!
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Thank you so much for participating Helen!

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Photos: Provided by Helen Rennie.

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{You Pick Six} An Interview with Pastry Chef: Naisbel Azarak

Pastry Chef Naisbel Azarak

When out of this world amazing cakes started showing up at family events, I wondered who had made them.

Turns out it was Pastry Chef Naisbel Azarak! After seeing her work, I now believe that she can turn anything into a cake and the only limit is the imagination.

Her creations will astound and delight you. Take a look at her Instagram!

Plus, she got some big recognition last year when chosen to create a cake for Pedro Martinez as he celebrated his entrance into the Baseball Hall of Fame. How cool is that?!

Let’s learn a little bit more about Naisbel in number eleven in the interview series, You Pick Six!

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What is a favorite simple recipe to prepare at home?
I love to cook chocolate vegan cake! It’s easy and super delicious! It goes great with anything you combine it with and it’s rich and moist! Indeed my favorite thing to do.

What is a favorite snack?
Venezuelan tequeños!!! These are some amazing cheese sticks covered with a lightly sweet yet salty dough that gets wrapped around the stick then deep fried and the center cheese gets melty and delicious! I love that with a good cup of coffee or in the winter I like it with hot cocoa.

What brings you peace every day?
Knowing that I indeed do what I absolutely love! In times, it can be really hard, no sleep, no rest, but the satisfaction of seeing the result of my work, and the happiness in my clients’ faces is so rewarding that it takes all the pain and exhaustion away and reconfirms that I’m doing what I’m meant to do.

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What three people do you admire most?
Duff Goldman! He is the whole reason I found this passion! Though his legacy (and show Ace of Cakes).  Ron Ben Israel, his amazing flowers and extremely neat work keeps my breath away! And Frank Haasnoot. This man is an UNBELIEVABLE pastry chef! Every time I see his work I feel a tear will shed out my eye! His work is out of this world!

How did food become an important part of your life?
My mother is probably one of (if not the) most amazing cook in this world! She is adventurous! She is vegetarian! But she has never stopped cooking my beloved meat dishes! And she can make magic out of any ingredients! There is always a variety of flavors on our table! She has learned a ton from cooking shows and applies it in a personalized manner! My brother inherited the same skills! Those two are the savory team and I am the sweet one!

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Tell me about what you’re working on now?
Currently I belong to the pastry team at the Mandarín Oriental Hotel in Boston, but I’m still working on the growth of Nais Cakes, which I am planing to open next year!

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Thank you so much for participating Naisbel!

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Photos: Provided by Naisbel Azarak.