Chocolate is an important food group in my household. After dinner each night, my husband and I eat small bites of dark chocolate for dessert. It’s a very measured, moderate indulgence and, I believe, almost like taking a vitamin thanks to the high antioxidant benefits of dark chocolate. As I was strolling through a stretch...Read More

What is the number one selling fresh seafood product at Central Market across the state?  Verlasso Salmon, the delicious farm-raised salmon from Chile. It outsells every other fresh seafood by a large margin and, if you’ve tasted it, you know why. Verlasso is mild in flavor, rich and buttery and has a perfect texture that...Read More

Can the opening of an Italian food mecca spur a Renaissance? After this year, we could use one and the opening of Eataly, a 46,000 square-foot temple of Italian food, might launch a rebirth that will enlighten the remainder of 2020 and illuminate 2021 and beyond. From the birthplace of ballet, banking and batteries comes...Read More

It’s been 19 months since Eataly Dallas opened. I checked my credit card, and, in those 19 months, I’ve spent close to $5,000 there. How? It was easy. The truth is, I love the place. If you’ve traveled to Italy, you likely hang on to memories of the pizza you ate at a tiny restaurant at the...Read More

North Texas has never been known for its bread, except when bread is the oft-used metaphor for money. And, thanks to the Ewings, Dallas is known for its wealth. North Texas Native Americans made their versions of bread, then came Mrs. Baird’s, which has been making and selling bread to the masses since 1908.  Go...Read More

Blush, summer water, pink wine. It can be syrupy sweet, acidic and bright, fruity and vaguely effervescent, and bold but thin. It has become the omnipresent social accessory of summer for its refreshingly crisp taste that literally makes your mouth water and its ability to match summer outfits perfectly. Though often regarded as a “chick...Read More

There’s the parade of international celebrities that come to town to promote their new tequila brands, and then there’s the under-the-radar local guys who quietly got their tequila into the hands of “mom and pop” package stores, top area restaurants and bars where consumers started to take notice before starting their media tour. Meet Josh...Read More

I don’t each much peanut butter.  Until recently, I would only use the cheap stuff to fill my pups’ Kongs but otherwise didn’t buy it. That was until I heard about Fix & Fogg Peanut Butter from New Zealand and picked up a few jars at Central Market. Peanut Butter from New Zealand. Why? Well,...Read More

With Dry January about to come to a close, National Croissant Day’s arrival on January 30 gives us yet another reason to celebrate.  Though the croissant is the official pastry of France, its origins are in Vienna, Austria, where in 1683 soon after the Hapsburg victory over the Ottoman Empire, Viennese bakers reshaped their traditional...Read More

Nothing tests your reputation as a good or bad cook like preparing a home-cooked holiday meal.   Good food starts with sourcing, and even if you’re a good cook, you can be a lousy shopper and vice versa. The mecca for top ingredients always, but especially around the holidays, is Central Market, and if you’ve...Read More