2009 Food and Wine Expo

Folks from Food Lion were handing out shots of Cheerwine as you walked into the hall of the 2009 Food and Wine Expo highlighting NC grown products. That’s fitting because both Cheerwine and Food Lion are NC bred. (I picked up a brochure they were handing out on their Guiding Stars nutrition rating system.)

Thousands were at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh for the Got to be NC Festival which featured the Food and Wine Expo, a BBQ competition on Saturday, music, Health and Fitness Expo and antique tractor exhibits.

I was excited to see a number of folks in the Food and Wine Expo, including Mama Dips Restaurant from Chapel Hill.

There’s an ad for the Got to be NC Festival on page 4 of the current Edible Piedmont. The magazine’s managing editor Fred Thompson looked a little tired on the expo’s third day, but he was there manning the booth. I like the magazine’s Food Heroes section.

The longest line I saw waiting for food was at the Q Shack where they were providing samples of BBQ.

And the most excited person I saw was a young man waiting with his mom for a purchase at the Specialty Apples display.

Folks were excited and interested in the food displays and there was plenty to see. NC Department of Agriculture had an agri-tourism booth and NC Cattlemen were touting NC Beef.

When we visited the Health and Fitness Expo we found some non-NC food booths. Smuckers was handing out samples of low-sugar and sugar free jams and natural peanut butter. Panera was giving away tasty brown sugar cinamon bagels.

It was a great day to visit the fairgrounds and I can testify to the crowds there at lunchtime Sunday. I’d encourage NCDA to offer space next year in the Food and Wine Expo to some of the farms that provide produce at the area farmers markets and through community supported agriculture. It would be a good opportunity for our state’s food heroes to get their due.

Finally, if there’s an event at the state fairgrounds, you might expect that there would be some unusual fried food served. NCDA has this report on fried pizza.

Western NC farmers passionate about work

Asheville Citizen-Times reporter John Boyle writes a series of articles on farming in the mountains of NC. You can start with Boyle’s “Farming remains Western NC institution” and then move on to a series of profiles of two families and a teen talking about their passion for farming. The newspapers also link two series of photos: one of the western NC farm tour and one on the western NC farmers market.

New Durham Restaurant Touts Local Food

Durham News reporter Elizabeth Shestak in the article “New eatery will take local to a whole new level” writes that the Eno Restaurant will be the Triangle’s first pure farm-to-table restaurant.

Oprah and dieting

Newsweek reporter Brooke Brown in the article “What Oprah gets right on dieting and nutrition” writes that Oprah offers some sound advice on general healthful eating habits and exercise plans.

First Lady Provides Garden Update

ABC News reporter Sunlen Miller in the article “State of the Garden Update, from the First Lady” writes that Michelle Obama visited with the students at Bancroft Elementary School who helped her plant the new White House vegetable garden and gave them an update on it.

Medical Check up

I went to see the doctor yesterday for a routine exam. We spent some time talking about diet, weight and cholesterol levels.

I’m 5’11″ and weighed in at 229. My doctor recommended that I lose weight. For my height, that weight is rated obese. At 5’11″  overweight ranges from 180 to 215 and healthy ranges from 140 to 180.

We discussed cholesterol levels and noted the healthy ranges:

• cholesterol total at 100-199 mg/dL
• HDL cholesterol greater than 39 mg/dL
• LDL Cholesterol 0-99 mg/dL
• Triglycerides 0-149 mg/dL

The doctor spoke highly of The Calorie King, a book that he recommended for tracking calories. The website and book offer information on produce and chain restaurant menu items.

You could see that a 10 ounce slice of watermelon has 21.7 grams of carb, 17.7 grams of sugar and .6 gram of fat. to burn the calories in this slice of watermelon would require :

• 24 mins of walking
• 10 mins of jogging
• 7 mins of swimming
• 13 mins of cycling

One slice of Dominoes hand tossed cheese pizza has 25 grams of carb, 2 grams of sugar and 5 gram of fat. to burn the calories in this slice of watermelon would require :

• 47 mins of walking
• 19 mins of jogging
• 14 mins of swimming
• 26 mins of cycling

We talked about eating adding calories that add weight and the amount of exercise that helps to subtract those calories and reduce weight.

The doctor highly recommends swimming. He was a competitive swimmer in college and still swims. He was excited about the youth swimming club that he encouraged at his neighborhood pool near Rex Hospital. When he helped it start last year, 30 children enrolled. This year, they have more than 70.

I left agreeing to be more active. He encouraged brisk exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

Clyde Coopers BBQ

If you want to taste the best BBQ in Raleigh, I recommend traveling to Clyde Coopers BBQ at 109 East Davie Street in the shadows of the Progress Energy Building and just down the street from Artspace.

I went there for lunch yesterday and arrived a little after 1. The counter was filled so I went over to the right side and got a table. I ordered the chopped BBQ dinner with boiled potatoes and Brunswick Stew.

A basket of pork rinds and hushpuppies comes with the meal. And the waitress delivered my food not long after she took my order.

The BBQ is finally chopped and moist. It has that delicious smoky, vinegar taste. The portion size was good, not overwhelming, more than a sandwich serving. The Brunswick Stew is made fresh daily with chicken and vegetables.

The prices are good. The dinner I had was just $6. It’s important to remember to bring cash. They don’t take credit cards.

The restaurant is a downtown Raleigh fixture. Coopers has been serving BBQ since 1938. The black and white photos that decorate the wall are from an earlier Raleigh.

The menu still has Mr. Cooper’s photo on it noting that he passed away in 1998. It claims:

We slow cook only top lean pork shoulders and hams until they are meltingly tender, mixed with a splash of our own tasty BBQ sauce, and good hospitality extends the tradition Clyde Cooper portrayed.

The setting isn’t fancy. The food is delicious. Coopers BBQ is good eating.

H Kent Craig’s review of Clyde Coopers BBQ

Food Lion Produce Check

I visited the Food Lion on Strickland Road last night and checked their produce.

• watermelon from melon1.com of Hanshaw Sales, Labelle, Florida – watermelon for $4.99
• strawberries from Driscoll’s of Watsonville, California – one pound for $2.99
• Red seedless grapes from Chaquita of Chili – one pound for $1.99
• cantaloupe – two for $5

Here’s the latest circular for that store.

Costco: Brand Name Prices Dropping

Supermarket News reporter Elliott Zwieback in the article “Private Label Sales Pressure CPGs: Costco” writes that the folks at Costco say they’ve noticed a change in prices for brand name food products as customers have begun purchasing more store brand goods during the downturn in the national economy.

“The branded companies are not passing all the savings back yet, but we’re starting to see them do so, which is the right thing to do — and it’s great for customers,” said Richard A. Galanti, Costco Wholesale Corp. executive vice president.

Donut Day, June 5

National Doughnut Day is on the first Friday of June each year. The holiday celebrates the doughnut — an edible, ring-shaped piece of dough which is deep-fried and sweetened.

Wikipedia says National Doughnut Day started in 1938 as a fund raiser for the Chicago Salvation Army. Their goal was to help the needy during the Great Depression, and to honor the Salvation Army “Lassies” of World War I, who served doughnuts to soldiers behind the front lines in France.

Both North Carolina-based Krispy Kreme and Massachusetts-based Dunkin’ Donuts have traditionally run donut events on this day. While there are a number of news articles mentioning free donuts at Krispy Kreme and free donut with beverage purchase at Dunkin’ Donuts, there’s no information on either companies website. As a matter of fact, the Dunkin’ Donuts site seems to have crashed.

Dunkin’ Donuts has been running a promotion with a vote on web visitor created donuts with the winner to be announced on June 5.

UPDATE: Both websites now make note of donut day and Dunkin’ Donuts has returned from its temporary 404 moment. Krispy Kreme has a Donut Day logo on the front and a news release offering a free donut per customer. Dunkin’ Donuts has a logo on its front and a news release offering a free donut with the purchase of any beverage while supplies last.