RAMBLINGS. RANTS. RUMORS.
united together to write a manifesto
Almost a year ago we embarked on the concept of Lettuce Unite. It all started with a logo design for our corporate name, Championship Dining. We were working on that and wanted a vintage, powerful feeling. As soon as I saw the fist, Lettuce Unite fell out...
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the end of the skordalia era
Yes, it is true, no more skordalia. Originating at Broadstreet Cafe, skordalia is the overly garlicky bean dip that has had a cult following for 25 plus years. As the years progressed and different chefs took on the recipe the amount of garlic grew to such...
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here are a few of my favorite things
These are the things I will miss the most after the market closes... AND possibly where you can get them. Pushed to choose just one most beloved item from my market it is no doubt, cheese. And though there are some of the cheeses I used to carry in...
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dreaming up new things
I woke up really early, like 4 am, early, My windows were open, and the ceiling fan was on, and it was cold. I had to dig around and heft up my gravity blanket. Yeah, those things are 20 lbs of fantastic! I highly recommend! So this morning the feeling of...
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vacation sauce
It's been a tradition to close our restaurant over July 4th. Actually its a few days before and after which gives the whole staff time to spend with their family and friends. So we wave goodbye from July 1 thru July 5. Note- Lunch Counter won't reopen...
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waiting in the wings
I've never been a fan of "best of's" or the "top 10" lists and voting for your favorite. Well, let me stick my neck out and sound completely jerky, it's actually just our hometown. How many times do we need to vote each year? It's a little overdone. If you...
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anna is bananas for art
You may have read about her in Med City Beat and see her quickly moving up the ladder of artistic fame but did you know she started out working for ZZest Cafe! Here's a fun little conversation we had with our very own Anna Banana (well her Dad's Anna...
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wacko for tony packo’s
Thanks to an old friend Paul McDonald, and ZZest Market most of our places serve Tony Packo pickles, and everyone LOVES them! They started out on the shelves of the market after Paul suggested we try the never heard of before, pickles, from Toledo Ohio....
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the patios are now OPEN
That's right our patios, are open and ready to roll! We scrambled this year with our spring clean up! It snowed and then jumped right into summer, no spring. And for us, there's much more to opening our patios than wiping off the tables. We started with...
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Get some STAFF FACTS: Lucas Kappers
Just the facts and then some. Q- When did you start cooking? A- I started at Catering by Design as a cashier and worked my way to cooking. Jeff Windt told me to head to the cities and learn all I could so I did. I worked at Bar Lagrassa and then at Marin...
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