Skip to main content

Cooking Smart: Learn the Answers at Cooking for Solutions

cooking smart learn the answers at for solutions
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Though Monterey, California is an idyllic travel destination throughout the year, for one weekend this May it will become a hot spot of the culinary industry. From Friday, May 17 through Sunday May 19, the waterside city plays host to Cooking for Solutions, an event that is described as no less than a “grand culinary celebration.”

Held at the scenic Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cooking for Solutions is not simply a time to indulge in haute cuisine; its true mission is to showcase sustainability in all its forms throughout the food industry. Featuring an impressive line-up of celebrity chefs—including former Top Chef contestants (and host of Blais Off  and co-host of ABC’s The Chew respectively) Richard Blais and Carla Hall—as well as representatives from over 90 restaurants nationwide and more than 60 wineries, breweries and other beverage companies, the event should have no trouble achieving its goal.

Each of Cooking for Solutions’ three days is packed with activities and social functions. For instance, Friday features a lecture entitled “Amuse-Bouche,” which will be a conversation between Los Angeles Times Food Editor, Russ Parsons, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who is a chef, journalist and the founder of River Cottage—a small farm that has “grown into a cooking school, restaurant and home to a variety of projects focused on self-reliance, food integrity and the consumption of local, seasonal produce.”

Meanwhile, on Saturday, you can start the day by learning about the groundbreaking techniques that San Francisco’s TCHO are using as they attempt to redefine the way that we taste chocolate. Then, later, you can listen to a lecture by Michael Passmore (of Passmore Ranch) who will explain how aquaculture can be environmentally friendly, which will then be followed by a cooking demonstration from Chef Jeff Rogers (Executive Chef at Monterey Bay Aquarium) who will cook three simple recipes using different types of fish that have been raised at the Passmore Ranch.

Finally, Sunday features the all-day Sustainable Foods Celebration, which is centered around the Whole Foods Marketplace & Kids’ Zone and will feature informative “talk and taste” demonstrations with a variety of culinary experts—all on the Aquarium’s ocean-view deck.

For those savvy in the ins-and-outs of sustainability and for those just looking to become more informed about the way they enjoy and experience food, Cooking for Solutions is simply an event that can not be missed. And the Pacific views aren’t bad either.

Matt Domino
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Matt Domino is a writer living in Brooklyn. His fiction has appeared in Slice and The Montreal Review, while his non-fiction…
Forget wine — Beer and cheese is an unbeatable combination
Put the corkscrew away and crack open a cold one
Beer and cheese

When one hears the term cheese pairings, wine is the beverage that most often comes to mind, we'd wager. Because, of course, it is. The pairing of wine and cheese is as classic a coupling as peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, or chocolate and strawberries. They're meant to be together. But that certainly doesn't mean that wine is the only adult beverage that can dance an alluring tango alongside everyone's favorite dairy product. Beer, as humble as its reputation can be, is also a beautiful balance to cheese's immense offering of flavors. While some may think of beer as not being as multi-dimensional and varied in its palate-pleasing capabilities as wine, this is not the case - especially now that we live in a world with so many exquisite craft beers, stouts, and lagers.
Of course, another classic accompaniment to cheese is bread or crackers. Why might that be, one might ask. Is it because we're simply in need of a starchy vessel to usher the cheese into our mouths? The answer is actually a bit deeper than that. Starches like bread and crackers are made from the same yeasty ingredients as beer, so their pairing makes perfect culinary sense.
This isn't to say, though, that one can simply pick up a hunk of cheddar and crack open a Budweiser and expect culinary artistry. The science is a bit more nuanced than that, so we're here to help you find the best pairings for your favorite beers and cheeses.

How to pair beer and cheese

Read more
Mijenta has a new cristalino tequila — here’s why bourbon fans will love it
Mijenta has a cristalino tequila perfect for bourbon drinkers
Mijenta Cristalino

If you’re new to tequila, you might not know all the terms. Even if you’re just a beginner, you probably know all about blanco, reposado, añejo, and maybe even joven. But chances are, you’re not familiar with Cristalino tequila. This reasonably contemporary style is simply añejo tequila that’s been charcoal filtered to remove its natural caramel color and various impurities.

The style is more than just a little popular. It’s actually the fastest growing style of tequila according to Nielsen data. The newest brand to get in on the Cristalino trend is Mijenta.

Read more
You may not dislike IPAs as much as you think — you’ve just tried the wrong type
There's much more to the IPA than bitter hop bombs
Beer

The IPA has been described as the cilantro of the beer world. It’s assumed by some novice drinkers that you either love it or hate it. On one hand, it’s one of the most popular beer styles in the American craft world. It’s loved by many drinkers for its liberal use of hops and fresh, crushable flavor profile.

But haters of the style dislike it because they have an assumption that all IPA beers are aggressively hopped and uncomfortably bitter. While there are IPAs that fit that criterion (and fans of that style can’t get enough of them), there are also a handful of other types of IPAs to fit any palate.
The IPA stigma

Read more