Educating the Food Network about Diabetes

So I just came back from a taping of what I thought was a food network show where Francois Payard, owner  of one of my most favorite dessert (and also restaurant) places in New York, was giving a class on the traditional buche de Noel. So, I was trying to figure out if it was really worth taking half a day off from networking, returning phone calls and other work to further my business…and go to a food network TV taping for a show based entirely on sugar and fat. I was basically going to go on Nationwide TV (and let’s face it worldwide, this is the network that brought us Iron Chef) eating cake. A bit of irony, right?

The afternoon started with some basic networking. There were a few interesting people there. In the spirit of my networking group, Business Networking International and the great Neo-Sage, Larry Sharpe, I was determined to stay out of the box and when people asked me what I did, I said clients used me to make it possible to live in the real world and manage their diabetes. People were interested, they asked more questions. I collected a few cards. Mostly why I was there. I said I wanted to find out about what it took to shoot a cooking show and learn about the production aspects (which I did) and also just ask some basic questions to Francois about whether he’d ever used agave nectar. It so happens the person I was talking to, his first name was Javier, says, “Agave nectar…isn’t that the same stuff from the cactus plant…what they use to make Tequila.” I reply, “Yes it is and its also a great nutritive sweetener that is safe for diabetics. My new friend Javier replies and tells me his father is an Agave farmer and raises agave for Tequila. Super nifty if I am ever to need Agave in bulk. I’ll definitely keep Javier’s info on file.

So I thought I would be bold and ask some questions when they asked us if we wanted to ask Francois any questions. So I asked a basic question – how did he come up with chocolate for the Buche, when traditionally it was a sponge cake, of course I knew he is the MASTER chocolate cake guy (or whatever the French equivalent to that phrase is). He answered something to the effect that Americans love chocolate and it went over really well here – but that he actually makes 4 different kinds of Buche (not sure if there’s a plural of this word) and about 5,000 of them for only the 4 days around Christmas. That is a lot of Buche. So he starts demonstrating how to make the Buche and people ask a bunch of other questions. We are standing. I am getting a bit bored…and hungry. I decide to ask another question…this time the one I really wanted to ask. Francois – what do you think about making some of these Buche friendly to diabetics? He makes a comment how they don’t really taste good without sugar and he’s trying to make them low fat instead. To which I counter – have you ever heard of agave nectar. He says he hasn’t and he’s not really trying to reach a diabetic market. Next he walks us through the recipe where he says he’s not using sugar, he’s using corn syrup – something that really surprises me considering he’s French. I didn’t know French chefs used corn syrup – something I learned and he’s also using non-fat dried milk, which causes the cholesterol to be oxidated and therefore more sticky. So this glorious cake from a famous high end bakery is actually fairly processed.  He kept talking about the pasteurized egg yolks and cooking them in a saboyan to which he made a chocolate mousse with cream that probably wasn’t from a grass fed cow. Slightly defeated, but way more informed about what’s in Payard’s cakes and wishing I could sit down at this point, I turn to the person next to me who was extremely curious as to what agave was as were the other three people to her left.  We start whispering about it and I make a comment about how Bobby Flay loves Agave Nectar and how he had this woman making an avocado based chocolate mousse with agave on his grill it show from earlier this year. A show I tried out for.  He would know what to do with agave, but then again, he’s not a pastry chef.

And then someone walks into the studio and the woman next to me says, speaking of the devil…and there he is, Bobby Flay, and little did I know (or any of us) that this was an episode of Throw Down with Bobby Flay. How awesome! Now I don’t regret taking off half a day of work.  So here’s the good news: Francois talks about Bobby’s Buche which looks like it contains far more sugar and cream and looks straight at me and says – this cake is not for your diabetic clients. Awesome! National TV and its getting exposure – tip of the iceberg. Too bad I couldn’t (or didn’t!) say my name or website. Next time…and there will be a next time.

After the initial and taping during the tasting, a woman comes up to me. She says, “What was the name of that sweetener, I will show him. I’ve shown him Stevia. I will see if he will use it.” Thoroughly confused, I ask,  “show him?”  She replies, “I will show Francois the Agave Nectar you mentioned, he liked your question, and see if he will use it.” She turns out to be Francois’ assistant. So I ask for a card and believe me I will be following up with her. Wow, I was kvelling. At this point, I feel very powerful, and I see Bobby Flay talking with a few of the guests, so I go over. I stand around waiting through other people’s questions which were all very interesting and a woman next to me mentions the Next Food Network Star…another show I tried out for a few weeks ago. She mentions she got a call back and since he is one of the hosts, I guess she’s trying to get a good word in or something. I mention I tried out and didn’t get a call back because I am a healthy chef. He says, oh no – they should have called you back. That would be interesting, he says. So I ask him about Agave Nectar. He says he is not a pastry chef. Yet, the irony of this taping continues…but that he loves Agave in savory dishes and uses it all the time. I mention the restaurant, Tocqueville I used to work in, which is across the street from Mesa Grill and how I have been a fan of Mesa for a while. I don’t mention that I stayed up until 3am to watch him on the first and second appearance of Iron Chef and how huge a fan I am. He says he knows the Chef of that restaurant, Marco and we chat for a bit about it. I am chatting, with Bobby Flay. Wow, because this happens every day! At this point, I just feel like I am having a conversation with a friend. We talk about Miracle Grill where he first worked after visiting the Southwest. I remember going on one of my first dates in New York when I graduated college to Miracle Grill, I mention that. Mesa Grill was already open at that point, but only for a few years…and Miracle grill was pretty damn good, even without Bobby working there. I chat with his wife and his assistant about tuille cookies and how I used to make them. His wife makes a comment about what a pain in the behind they are. I concur, remembering a time when my pastry chef told me he wouldn’t feed the tuille cookies I made to his cat because they were too dark. This was all very cool indeed. I think I’m “MEMORABLE” which is what I need. They didn’t know my name, but I’m pretty sure they will remember my face. Let’s hope when I stop by the restaurant next week they still will. Maybe I’ll stop by tomorrow or over the weekend. Looks like he’s at Bar Americain these days – since he was wearing the “whites” with that label. Thinking strategy for what I can do for Mesa Grill or Bar. I’ve never looked at the menu for that place – so might be interesting to see what he’s doing over there.

I have been wanting to get into restaurant consulting for some time. Today was a fairly bold day for me, I walked into La Bonne Soupe and asked to speak to the chef and see if I could help with the menu to make it more friendly to diabetics. I feel a revolution coming on.

Anyway, I can’t give any more details on the show. I wonder if Payard will start using Agave and I’ll definitely have quite a bit of footage for a video reel to submit with my video press kit. Food Network – watch out. Meredith Sobel is here to stay!

Spa-tinental Food on the Upper West Side

Busters NYC 212-665-5045

892 Amsterdam Avenue (W. 103-W. 104 Sts.)

Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 11am-5pm

New cafe featuring spa-tinental cuisine

Not organic – but lots of fresh vegetables. I don’t know where they get the chicken or the fish – if its wild or farm raised, but they do lots with seven grain bread and whole grain wraps. I’d give them a try. They are definitely headed in the right direction. Perhaps they’ll add some quinoa salad to the menu. I think they’d be open to it

I’m still loving Community Food and Juice Bar on 114th and Broadway. I went there for a second time and had the Berkshire Pork ribs with shredded pulled pork. Delicious!

I tried some grass fed beef this weekend at the Navel Expo provided by US Wellness Meats. It was also delicious and in whole foods today I found Venison from New Zealand. Did you know that venison has only 2 grams of fat and is only raised on pasture (never fed corn or antibiotics for that matter!). A chicken breast has 3 grams of fat and the leanest beef has 4-5 grams and regular steak has more than 20. That’s for a 4 ounce portion and I imagine many of you are having at least 10-12 ounces without even realizing it. Just that is close to 50-60 grams of fat – that is your fat allotment for the day. Actually its lower depending on who you ask. I am looking forward to trying out my venison soon. As well I got some coho salmon (wild) and delicata squash, my favorite sweet vegetable, wonderful for satisfying my cravings for licorice. I snack on sunspire grain sweetened chocolate or Green and Blacks organic 85% cacao content chocolate bars. You just can’t eat that much – its delicious but its serious chocolate. I imagine that would make one heck of a silk pie…

ways to make restaurant food healthier

So the other day I walked by this restaurant that advertised spa-tinental cuisine. It looked great. They did some stuff with whole grains. I didn’t see any quinoa or buckwheat on the menu…their pasta was white, but they used seven grain bread and multigrain wraps. A step in the right direction. On further analysis of their menu however their smoothies contained only fruit and sometimes apple juice as a base. I was reminded of the nutritional content of smoothies at Juice Generation – some of which had 74 grams of sugar and only came in 24 ounce containers. I think spatinental cuisine is a great idea, but so many restaurants still have so much to learn. I had a conversation with the chef/owner of this restaurant and gave him a few tips such as adding hemp seeds or bee pollen to the smoothies to lower the glycemic index. Even something as simple as adding ground almonds would lower the glycemic index and add a bit of protein. I just urged to stay away from whey protein and those other powders because of how processed and artificial they are.

I was surprised to find out that Gabriela’s Mexican Restaurant on 93rd and Columbus had a quinoa salad on the menu. One of my favorite hummus bars also has quinoa salad. Its caled Nanoosh. its also on broadway in the 60’s somewhere near the Lincoln Square movie theatre. I always forget the exact location and find myself wandering around looking for it, but I always find it. They don’t have much other than hummus and quinoa salad – so its not really a dinner place – but they have fabulous mint tea made with real mint leaves which is a new favorite of mine.

I also read in men’s health today how oregano is really good for preventing men’s cancers. There were pictures of fresh green oregano leaves. I remember the first time in culinary school when I saw and smelled fresh oregano leaves. I didn’t recognize the leaves or the smell and when our instructor asked us what they were I guessed incorrectly. They are hard to find, but not impossible – and make such a difference in your pasta, chicken, fish, shrimp and other dishes. I encourage all you men to get some fresh oregano and start cooking with it.

Lastly today I went to cafe metro on west 57th street right near 7th avenue today for lunch with a new naturopathic doctor I am creating a professional relationship with. I am learning so much and I think everyone needs to see a naturopath. At lunch, cafe metro had a make your own pasta bar complete with several fresh vegetables. Since they only have whole wheat penne and I am still not sure if they use 100% whole wheat flour in those pastas and wheat doesn’t tend to agree with me – I chose to go pasta less and just get shrimp sauteed with as many fresh vegetables as they could give me and a touch of pesto sauce. Delicious, healthy, wonderful. The shrimp were a bit overcooked – next time I will ask them to do the veggies first and put the shrimp in last. The great thing they did was to water saute instead of oil. It was the first time I saw that. I encourage you all to go to cafe metro (there are dozens of them in new york) and try this out. Some hot and crusty locations also have pasta bars and the shrimp there is raw.

I am now a travel writer

I have been doing some posts for Travel Guides from Real New York Insiders. I want to say I am not only a consummate New Yorker and definitely have an insider’s view, but I am also a New York culinary expert. Download my guides for a mere $3 each and learn about some funky neighborhoods and all their great sights and restaurants. I just posted my first two guides on Inwood and the East Village. Here is the address: http://www.notanotherguide.com/. Check it out.

Cafe – A new restaurant on 108th and Columbus in Manhattan

So I went to this new restaurant called Cafe. I think they are affiliated with Zanny’s coffee shop, but I am not sure. Everything in the restaurant is organic and they have quite a bit of vegan and gluten free options. I had some sort of merguez lamb sausage with dried fruits and quinoa with a baked stuff pear for appetizer. My dining companion had a stuffed grilled avocado and a seitan meatloaf. Both were beautifully presented and the whole bill was under $50. We took a bottle of wine (and because I brought it, it was organic ). I highly recommend this place to any Harlem and Upper West Side dwellers or anyone else who wants an inexpensive but fabulous organic meal. They are BYOB which kind of made it nicer in a way.

kiwi fruit

I have never bought a whole kiwi before. I know I have had kiwi, in fruit salad, on tarts and definitely dried. I never really loved kiwi. It always had a kind of peculiar taste. Then I read how healthy kiwi were.  Kiwi fruits are rich in many Vitamins, flavonoids and minerals. In particular, they contain a high amount of Vitamin C (more than oranges), as much potassium as bananas and a good amount of beta-carotene. They also have helped Italian children improve respiratory conditions (clinical study!).

So, I bought a kiwi. Last week. It was an organic kiwi. I think I got it from the health food store…I can’t imagine I would get a kiwi in a north American farmer’s market…but I am not sure. Upon cleaning out the cripser drawer today, there it was. Firm, smelling nice and fresh, so I decided I would try it. I peeled off the brown furry skin. I’ve never liked furry fruit. I’ve gotten used to peaches – but for some reason I don’t think I have ever seen anyone bite into a kiwi. I have always seen them peeled, so I peeled and sliced it. Delicious! Tangy, sweet, the taste is still in my mouth nearly 10 minutes after I ate it. Yummy! And maybe it will help me get over my cold. MM MMM

Fertility and what you eat

So I have been thinking lately about fertility and how infertility seems to be on the rise these days. We try all kinds of drugs, technologies, we’ll even rent a womb out to try to have a baby…but scarcely do we look at what we are putting in our mouths. A few changes to diet can clear blockages and help with fertility both male and female. Look at the amount of processed foods you are eating. High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Oil and other Corn products from from genetically modified corn that have terminal seeds. These seeds can’t reproduce. You are what you eat, right? Just some food for thought…

babies, healthy conception and fish

I’ve been doing some research lately into the fertility diet. What foods can help you conceive and what foods are going to maybe cause you some trouble. I found some research regarding fish. So, for years doctors have warned that pregnant women should avoid sushi for fear that contaminants in raw fish might harm the baby (not to mention the mother). Being a huge consumer of sushi myself, I am more wary of quality of fish and avoid sushi that doesn’t come from a reputable place. In general I would avoid Sushi on a Sunday or Monday when there might not be fresh deliveries. Certainly on a Sunday night.

Raw fish aside, I have also been doing some research on mercury. It appears the most frequently consumed fish is tuna. White albacore tuna in the can. Good stuff, right. Not raw, safe for pregnant women and those wanting to become pregnant? Not so, tuna fish as well as shark, grouper, tilefish, white snapper all have high levels of mercury.

Fish such as salmon, rainbow trout, and canned mackerel, for instance — that contain
low levels of mercury and are high in healthy fats. These should be part of a healthy diet for all people including pregnant women and those trying to get pregnant.

amazing recipe on NYT health page

I saw this great recipe on the New York Times health page. I think it was published on Friday. It looks amazing and I am going to try it out really soon. I might make it slightly healthier by substituting sweet potatoes for the white potatoes or using brown rice, quinoa or another healthier lower glycemic grain. If the bouquet garni is too difficult, just chop up some fresh herbs (whatever looks nice at the market – tarragon, thyme etc. and throw in a bit of lemon juice, freshly ground pepper and salt) and you are good to go.

October 10, 2008
Recipes for Health
Red Chard, Potato and White Bean Ragout
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

This comforting stew makes a hearty meal when served with a salad and crusty bread.

1 cup dried white beans, soaked for 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water

A bouquet garni made with 1 bay leaf, a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, and a Parmesan rind, tied together with kitchen string

Salt

1 generous bunch red chard (3/4 to 1 pound)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste), sliced

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Freshly ground pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

1. Drain the beans and combine with 1 quart of fresh water in a casserole or Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer. Skim off any foam, then add the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add 1 teaspoon salt.

2. Meanwhile, stem and clean the red chard leaves in 2 changes of water. Rinse the stems and dice. Set aside. Cut the leaves in ribbons, or coarsely chop, and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion and chard stems. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes and stir together, then transfer to the pot with the beans. Bring back to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and beans are tender. Salt to taste.

4. Add the chard and thyme leaves to the pot, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. The chard should be very tender. Stir in freshly ground pepper to taste and the parsley. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve, passing the Parmesan to sprinkle on the top.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Advance preparation: The dish will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. If you are making it ahead, make it through Step 3 and proceed with Step 4 shortly before serving, so that the color of the chard doesn’t fade too much.

Immunity, bee pollen, green tea and buckwheat honey

So, in my arrogance of thinking I could do a half marathon without training (at all, the last run I did a week ago was 1.7 miles) I wore my body out and am now suffering the dreaded change of season headcold. I’m stuffy, I want to sleep most of the time, my head is all congested, I sound funny (which is wonderful since 90% of my job requires talking on the phone!) and my throat hurts. Not too mention the body aches and some really weird breath things going on. I tried using my tongue scraper, a tool from ayurvedic medicine to cleanse the body and the tongue for many different health reasons, for the first time in a long time today because I had this strange film on my tongue I had not seen before. The wonders of the human body.

So what is my defense: bee pollen – this stuff is amazing. Its superfood – energy producing, immune strengthening, chock full of amino acids and tastes pretty damn good. green tea (decaf) anti oxidants, chock full of vitamin C (matcha kind that you eat!) and other general goodness that has been keeping the Japanese healthy and youthful looking for centuries and my all time favorite warder off of winter colds: buckwheat honey! This stuff is awesome. It has antibiotic properties and because of its dark unfiltered form it is chock full of other nutrients. Did you know that the darker the honey the more nutritious it is. For all you beer drinkers out there – the same applies. I heard that Guinness does wonders for anemia. It probably isn’t the best choice given the condition I am in now, but how many strong Irishmen do you know suffering from colds?

My thoughts for today. I also had my favorite breakfast of steelcut oats with 8 other gluten free grains and flax seeds. I think my head is starting to clear.