Alecia Warnock turned a Christmas gift-giving tradition into a booming food business. The part-time caterer and full-time mother of two started giving friends jars of her signature tomato chutney condiment about two decades ago. Then, one fateful year, she added a new friend to the Christmas list.

As you read this article, I can pretty much guarantee that the holidays are on your mind. You’ve either just produced the obligatory Thanksgiving bird, sides and pies or have been lucky enough to dine with someone else who made the effort.

I grew up in an Italian family, and am nearing the mid-century mark in age. So, it’s not often that a month goes by where I don’t have a couple of plates of spaghetti. If you do some quick math you can easily determine that the total number of spaghetti plates with tomato sauce I have consumed is well into four figures.

How far can you push the variation on a recipe before you lose the essence and change the dish into something that isn’t true to the name? Lately, I’ve had a taste for some traditional foods. Unfortunately, when I order them, what often ends up arriving at the table is not what I expected.

The Fifth Annual Food Summit was held in Birmingham’s Lakeview District last week. The theme for this event was “Bringing Everyone to the Table” which could not be more appropriate.

There is a short stretch of Green Springs Highway running through Homewood where some of the area’s most interesting and delicious ethnic restaurants and markets have sprung up in recent years. One in particular has been keeping a rather low profile. It’s not even visible as you casually drive down the road.

I have been thinking, Padma Lakshmi and I would get along really well, maybe even be best friends. Aside from our supermodel good looks, we share a passion for witty and intelligent men. We both love to cook and eat and write about it all. Sure Padma lives in New York/Los Angeles/ Las Vegas/D.

In the dark, dank recesses of the frigid wasteland lies the domain of the forsaken and forgotten; a truly frightening place, where disease and even possible death lurk and steal away in wait for the damned souls unwise enough to venture into its chilly depths.

During a recent panel discussion from one of the many foodie conventions, chef-lebrity Anthony Bourdain offered this insight, “If you find yourself using pre-minced garlic from a jar, instead of mincing fresh garlic with your own hands, you might want to re-evaluate whether or not you really enjoy cooking.

Gatorade recently revamped its product line into a three level system, with different formulations that are each intended for use specifically before, during, and after athletics. Gatorade probably hopes that lifting a gym bag with the added weight of three different beverages will result in a more strenuous, and therefore more satisfying, workout for consumers.