Cook with top Black chefs during Central Market's live online classes

Black History Month

Photo courtesy of Central Market

To celebrate Black History Month, Central Market is hosting a series of virtual cooking school classes featuring the stories and recipes of notable Black chefs and makers. The specialty grocer will also highlight the products and services of several Black-owned brands throughout the month.

Here's who you'll be learning from, and what signature dishes they'll be preparing for you live:

Chef Pierre Thiam is a celebrated chef, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and environmental activist known for his innovative cooking style rooted in the rich culinary traditions of West Africa.

His critically acclaimed New York restaurant Teranga introduces healthy fast-casual fare sourced directly from farmers in West Africa. He'll be making salmon and cassava croquettes with a tamarind glaze, grilled chicken yassa with onion and lime confit over fonio, and chocolate fonio pudding with honey roasted mango.

Marcus Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind many restaurants worldwide, including Red Rooster Harlem, Marcus Montreal, Marcus B&P, Red Rooster Overtown, and Marcus Fish + Chop House in the Bahamas.

Samuelsson was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times and has won multiple James Beard Foundation Awards. He's also the head judge of the new show Top Chef Family Style. You'll learn to make blackened catfish with aioli and lime, coconut fried chicken, and roasted carrots with orange and fresh cheese.

Classically trained in French, Mediterranean, West Indian, and East African cuisine, chef Chris Williams has made a name for himself serving up refined Southern food with international infusions at Lucille's, his nationally acclaimed restaurant.

Cook along with the chef to make smoky citrus salmon on the half shell, coconut rice, and collard green salad.

Winemakers André Mack, Mahalia Kotjane, and Donae Burston join Central Market's wine expert for a guided tasting of four delicious wines, featuring grapes from Willamette Valley, Provence, and the High Plains of Texas.

You'll come to understand what a difference terroir can make and learn tips on pairing these wines with a variety of foods.

Central Market was founded on the unwavering belief that each and every person counts. Through its Be The Change initiative, they pledge to do their part to advance equity and inclusion across Texas.

Be The Change builds upon Central Market's established diversity and inclusion framework, driving the company to be a better employer, retailer, and community partner.

Learn from some of the best this month.

Photo courtesy of Central Market

Learn from some of the best this month.

Photo courtesy of Pioneer

The ultimate comfy giveaway + 3 holiday recipes to make your holiday bright

Turning Meals Into Memories

Have you been eyeing the popular Our Place Always Pan or super-soft Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Throw for this year's holiday list? Any chance you could use a tasty new recipe for get-togethers with family and friends? Pioneer has you covered on all fronts.

The contest
For 170 years, Pioneer has spread comfort during the holiday season. From sharing a basket of warm biscuits for breakfast to passing the gravy around the dinner table to the people you love, Pioneer specializes in turning meals into memories. This year, to celebrate the big milestone, Pioneer is introducing the Ultimate Holiday Comfort Kit Giveaway.

Valued at around $300, the kit includes the aforementioned Barefoot Dreams throw and Always Pan plus a Pioneer Prize Pack that includes Pioneer products and branded swag.

Here's how to enter: From now until December 16, follow both @culturemapsa and @pioneer_1851, like this post on CultureMap San Antonio's Instagram, and tag a friend in the post's comments. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

The recipes
Since Pioneer is the nationwide leader in gravy, what better dish to bring to the table than one that utilizes Pioneer’s Country Gravy Mix and Country Sausage Gravy Mix?

Here are three mouth-watering recipes from the iconic Texas brand:

Turkey Casserole
Topped with Pioneer biscuits and made even more savory with bacon, it's the perfect way to use up leftover turkey.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
A wonderfully simple staple for chilly days and festive nights.

Skillet Breakfast Casserole
No-fuss but full of flavor, this easy breakfast can feed a crowd without taking too much time in the kitchen.

Click here to find Pioneer products near you, and be sure to sign up for Pioneer's weekly newsletter for the latest news, recipes, and seasonal tips.

San Antonio City of Gastronomy

San Antonio seeks local chefs to serve as international culinary ambassadors

WE’RE MORE THAN JUST TACOS

Calling all chefs! The City of San Antonio wants you to cook up some love for the Alamo City as part of an international program highlighting the area’s culinary successes.

The City of San Antonio World Heritage Office has opened the application process for local chefs interested in acting as ambassadors representing San Antonio as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in a variety of local, national, and international events — including food festivals and media appearances — in the next two years.

Online applications are open now for practicing local chefs (no academic culinary training required), and close Friday, June 11 at 4 pm.

A selection committee will choose as many as 12 San Antonio chefs from the entries. They will then be considered for various opportunities within the UNESCO Creative Cities network. The selected chefs will embody the unique heritage and culture of San Antonio, according to the World Heritage Office, and will be encouraged to share local culinary traditions, cooking techniques, and authentic San Antonio recipes.

“San Antonio is a beautifully unique and diverse city that is the result of a confluence of cultures over the past several hundred years,” says Colleen Swain, director of the World Heritage Office. “We still see many of those influences today, especially in our city’s gastronomy, and we want to see that reflected in the chefs who are selected to represent San Antonio as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Chefs of all backgrounds and experiences with expertise in diverse cuisines and culinary practices are encouraged to apply.”

San Antonio’s reputation as a culinary destination continues to grow, a reputation furthered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designating San Antonio as a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017, in part for its impressive confluence of cultures and cuisine. And the COVID-19 pandemic notwithstanding, the industry is continuing to mushroom locally. According to recent economic reports focused on the San Antonio culinary field, one in eight workers in San Antonio’s metro area — 123,679 people as of 2018 — work in the $30.5 billion local culinary industry, which is likely to experience a boon as the pandemic wanes.

Previous local chefs that have repped the city as official chef ambassadors include margarita maven Blanca Aldaco of Aldaco’s Mexican Cuisine, Hinnerk von Bargen from the Culinary Institute of America (previously referred to by CultureMap as a “noodle wizard”), and Esaul Ramos of 2M Smokehouse (CultureMap Tastemaker 2020 Chef of the Year).

“To be a San Antonian, born and raised in this city, and then travel to the other side of the earth to represent the city I am from was the coolest experience that has ever happened in my life,” says Ramos, who represented San Antonio at the 2019 Jeonju Bibimbap Festival in South Korea. “I love the fact that our city is now getting the notoriety that it deserves, and I love that people are seeing that San Antonio is more than just tacos.”

Photo courtesy of Pioneer

3 must-try brunch recipes to wow Mom this Mother's Day

Bunch of Brunch

If your mom loves to cook, Pioneer has a chance for her to win big. From now until May 5, you can enter to win a Le Creuset 6.5-liter Dutch oven packed full of Pioneer favorites, valued at $300. To enter, complete these three steps: Like this post on CultureMap San Antonio's Instagram, follow @pioneer_1851, and tag a friend in the post's comments.

But back to brunch: If figuring out what to make and which recipe to use feels a little intimidating, take heart. Pioneer helps make at-home cooking a cinch, and because the Texas brand has been around since 1851 (it's celebrating it's 170th anniversary this year) you can feel confident in the tried-and-true ingredients.

Pioneer carries a wide range of products you want in the kitchen, including pancake and waffle mixes, seasoning blends, flour and cornmeal, gravy mixes, and gluten-free options. It's all available at H-E-B, Walmart, and select stores nationwide. Check here to see if your favorite grocer carries Pioneer.

Start planning for May 9, and take a look at these three favorite recipes, straight from the Pioneer kitchen. Make one, or make them all to wow her with a serious spread this Mother's Day.

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Sausage Biscuits and Southern Gravy
Servings: 6-8
Time: 16 minutes

Ingredients
3 cups Pioneer Buttermilk Biscuit and Baking Mix
1 cup Milk
1/2 pound breakfast sausage
1 package Pioneer Country Gravy Mix

Instructions
-Preheat oven to 450°F.
-Prepare biscuits according to Pioneer Buttermilk Biscuit and Baking Mix packaging.
-In a skillet over medium-high heat, crumble sausage and cook until golden brown. Set aside.
-Prepare Pioneer Country Gravy Mix to package instructions.
-Using a slotted spoon, add crumbled sausage to the prepared gravy.
-Split open fresh-baked biscuits and spoon warm gravy on top.

Use two pouches of Pioneer Country Gravy mix if cooking one pound of breakfast sausage.

Photo courtesy of Pioneer

It can be hard to find the perfect gift for the Mom in your life, so this year why not keep it simple and stick with a classic? Homemade brunch. Serve it in bed, al fresco, or with her finest china — any way you spin it, she's sure to love it. If your mom loves to cook, Pioneer [http://pioneerbrand.com] has a chance for her to win big. From now until May 5, you can enter to win a Le Creuset 6.5-liter Dutch oven packed full of Pioneer favorites, valued at $300. To enter, complete these three steps: Like this post [https://www.instagram.com/p/COLDtbArX_y/] on CultureMap San Antonio's Instagram, follow @pioneer_1851 [https://www.instagram.com/pioneer_1851/], and tag a friend in the post's comments. But back to brunch: If figuring out what to make and which recipe to use feels a little intimidating, take heart. Pioneer helps make at-home cooking a cinch, and because the Texas brand has been around since 1851 (it's celebrating it's 170th anniversary this year) you can feel confident in the tried-and-true ingredients. Pioneer carries a wide range of products you want in the kitchen, including pancake and waffle mixes, seasoning blends, flour and cornmeal, gravy mixes, and gluten-free options. It's all available at H-E-B, Walmart, and select stores nationwide. Check here [https://pioneerbrand.com/where-to-buy/] to see if your favorite grocer carries Pioneer. Take a look at these three favorite recipes, straight from the Pioneer kitchen. Make one, or make them all to wow her with a serious spread this Mother's Day. --- Sausage Biscuits and Southern Gravy [https://pioneerbrand.com/2019/08/26/southern-biscuits-sausage-gravy/] Servings: 6-8 Time: 16 minutes Ingredients 3 cups Pioneer Buttermilk Biscuit and Baking Mix [https://pioneerbrand.com/portfolio-posts/pioneer-buttermilk-biscuit-baking-mix-40-oz/] 1 cup Milk 1/2 pound breakfast sausage 1 package Pioneer Country Gravy Mix [https://pioneerbrand.com/portfolio-posts/country-sausage-gravy-mix-2-75-oz/] Instructions -Preheat oven to 450°F. -Prepare biscuits according to Pioneer Buttermilk Biscuit and Baking Mix packaging. -In a skillet over medium-high heat, crumble sausage and cook until golden brown. Set aside. -Prepare Pioneer Country Gravy Mix to package instructions. -Using a slotted spoon, add crumbled sausage to the prepared gravy. -Split open fresh-baked biscuits and spoon warm gravy on top. Use two pouches of Pioneer Country Gravy mix if cooking one pound of breakfast sausage.

Courtesy photo

Totally Texan farm-to-table meal delivery service sprouts up in San Antonio

Farm to Kitchen table

When Texas-based Farmhouse Delivery launched in 2009, the idea was to hit the meal service delivery sweet spot between those people who want food delivery services because they don’t have time for grocery shopping or meal prep, and those who want to support local growers and producers. Farmhouse Delivery billed itself as bringing the farmers market directly to customers’ doorsteps, with 100 percent of its products coming from Texas farms and producers.

Now the service is going one better, offering a new Quick Dinner option, providing San Antonio customers with different meal options each week — all of which can be ordered within 48 hours, and don’t require a weekly subscription service.

Like other meal kit delivery services — think Blue Apron or Plated or Home Chef — Farmhouse’s meal kits tout dinners that can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. The kits arrive with prepared sauces and spice blends, which mean minimal cooking and preparation time for busy diners.

An off-shoot of that service, Quick Dinners keeps the organic and Texas-sourced ingredients customers have come to enjoy, and combined it with a farm-to-table restaurant style menu. With its new Quick Dinner option, as well as its existing concepts, Farmhouse Delivery is betting the service will appeal both to San Antonians' desires for convenience as well as their passion for supporting local businesses.

Options for the Quick Dinners change seasonally, and include selections such as one-pan crispy chicken thighs with blistered tomato and garlic; fennel and orange spiced pork chops with onion jam; and Thai red curry with Gulf shrimp and zucchini. Each is priced at less than $25 and will serve between two and four people.

Diners can expect menu dishes such as their One-Pan Crispy Chicken Thighs with Blistered Tomato and Garlic, Fennel and Orange Spiced Pork Chops with Onion Jam, and Thai Red Curry with Gulf Shrimp and Zucchini.

In addition to those services, Farmhouse also offers services for groceries and produce boxes. With the grocery option, customers can select the items they want to stock their kitchens and have them delivered straight to their homes. (There is a minimum $50 order requirement).

Those who don’t necessarily need the step-by-step instructions and already-prepped portions of a meal kit can opt for a weekly or bi-weekly delivery of a produce box, which is custom-tailored to their needs and likes.

Farmhouse Delivery's tomato chicken.

Farmhouse Delivery Texas tomato chicken roasting skillet

Courtesy photo

Farmhouse Delivery's tomato chicken.

Courtesy photo

Barbara Bush's famous chocolate chip cookie recipe shared by Houston hotel

remembering barbara bush

Heartfelt tributes to former first lady Barbara Bush, who passed away on April 17 in Houston, have been pouring in from around the world. Global fans have flooded social media and have been wearing blue (her favorite color) and donning pearls (her signature accessory) in her honor.

At the iconic Houstonian Hotel, a place the Bushes called home, a particularly sweet tribute is being shared with visitors: Barbara Bush’s “famous” chocolate chip cookies.

“We’ve been baking and giving away thousands of Mrs. Bush’s cookies since her passing,” says Catherine Rodriguez, head pastry chef at the Houstonian. The cookie recipe was a favorite of the former first lady, who, according to her press secretary, got the recipe from a dear friend. Bush once submitted it to Family Circle magazine’s “presidential bake-off,” a competition in which the wives of presidential candidates pit their recipes. The Houstonian staff discovered the recipe and approached Bush at the hotel.

“She was having lunch here at our restaurant, Olivette,” recalls Rodriguez. “We asked her if we could use it at the hotel. She said she would be honored and she was flattered that we even asked.”

The cookies have since become a staple at the hotel, as annual holiday giveaway treats to visiting children, dignitaries, and hotel clients. The label reads: “These cookies are made with gracious permission from Mrs. Bush.”

The Bushes lived in The Houstonian’s Manor House while George H.W. Bush served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and vice president of the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Bush then relocated to the hotel when the house was renovated and reintroduced in 1986 as a private dining restaurant for the members of The Houstonian Club. In 1990, President Bush hosted world leaders in Houston for the G-7 Economic Summit.

Rodriguez says the couple soon became “family” to the Houstonian staff. “This was a special place for them; they would come in all the time," she says. "I found them to be so down-to-earth. They knew every server by name. I’ve been thinking a lot about her this week, and what great role models she and her husband were. They were humble, really wonderful people.”

As for the famous recipe, Rodriguez, an 11-year veteran of The Houstonian, says the secret is in the oats and the luxe Valrhona chocolate chips — the “best chocolate chips available,” she adds. Rodriguez says the cookies pair perfectly with morning coffee or with ice cream on a hot day, and, in keeping with the former first lady’s generous spirit, they’re perfect for sharing or gifting.

“They’re great because they have a distinct taste, with the oats and specialty chocolate chips,” she says. “But they’re not a soft, fluffy, cookie. They’re sweet and firm.”

Sweet and firm, not unlike the former first lady.

Barbara Bush’s famous chocolate chip cookie recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
1 (12 ounces) bag semisweet chocolate chips, preferably Valrhona

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt onto waxed paper. Set aside.
Beat together butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until fluffy. Stir in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

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Whataburger weighs in as healthiest cheeseburger in the nation

THEMS EATIN' WORDS

With its love of greasy enchiladas, gluttonous fried steaks, and fat-speckled brisket, San Antonio isn’t exactly known as a healthy eating mecca. But it turns out that one locally beloved dish isn’t as unhealthy as one might think.

Inspired by February’s American Heart Month (albeit belatedly), Gambling.com decided to dig deep into which fast-food burger was best for the ticker and the body overall. What that has to do with online slots is anyone’s guess, but perhaps open-heart surgeries are not conducive to risk-taking.

Surprise, surprise, surprise! Local favorite/ food cult Whataburger took the top slot, earning honors with its standby cheeseburger. Assumably, the gambling site considered the mustard-slathered original, eschewing calorie bombs like bacon slices and creamy pepper sauce. Where’s the fun of Whataburger if you can’t get it just like you like it?

To arrive at the rankings, Gambling.com analyzed each burger for sugar, fat, salt, and calorie content per ounce. Each metric was given a one to ten score that factored into the final report card shared with content-hungry food journalists everywhere.

Coming in a close second was In-N-Out’s cheeseburger, a comforting fact for Texans who enjoy complaining about Californians. Rounding out the top five were Checker’s Checkerburger with Cheese, Culver’s ButterBurger Cheese, and Del Taco’s del Cheese Burger.

For those trying to make better eating choices, that list should give some pause. Yes, Whataburger beats out other fast-food faves, but it was competing against a chain that literally toasts all their buns in churned cream. Health is a relative concept.

Elsewhere on the list was another Texas darling, the No. 6 ranked Dairy Queen. Apparently, all that “hungr” is being busted by a hefty dose of sodium. Yes, we will take fries with that.

Disney's Little Mermaid remake goes swimmingly despite new so-so songs

Movie review

The biggest problem with the majority of the live-action updates to classic Disney animated films is that they haven’t been updates at all, choosing to merely regurgitate the moments audiences know and love from the original in a slightly repackaged form. That’s great for nostalgia, but if that’s all viewers wanted, they’d just go back and watch the original.

The Little Mermaid falls into much the same trap, although the filmmakers get at least a little credit for trying to offer something new. The story, of course, remains the same, as Ariel (Halle Bailey) has a fascination with everything above the surface of the ocean. Her rebellious nature, at odds with strict King Triton (Javier Bardem), leads her to spy on a ship with Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) and his crew, putting her in position to save Eric when the ship crashes into rocks.

Now totally enamored of Eric, Ariel is convinced by the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) to give up her voice for a chance to live on land and make Eric fall in love with her. Trouble is, despite the help of Sebastian the crab (Daveed Diggs), Flounder the fish (Jacob Tremblay), and Scuttle the seabird (Awkwafina), Ursula has no plans to let Ariel succeed fair and square.

Directed by Rob Marshall and written by David Magee, the film clocks in at nearly one hour longer than the original, going from 83 minutes to 135. They accomplish this feat with the addition of several songs, including ones “sung” by Ariel while she is without voice, a relatively clever way to get into her thoughts during that long stretch. There are also additional scenes that give Prince Eric more of a backstory, making him more than just a pretty face on which to hang all of Ariel’s hopes and dreams.

The new songs are hit-and-miss; Ariel’s “For the First Time” is a fanciful number that fits in nicely, but “Wild Uncharted Waters,” a solo song for Prince Eric, feels unnecessary, and the less said about “The Scuttlebutt,” a rap performed by Scuttle and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the better. What most people want to see are how the original songs are done, and they come off well for the most part. The actors’ voices are uniformly good and the staging is engaging.

Other changes seem half-hearted, at best. A vague environmental theme broached at the beginning is quickly dropped. The cast is very multicultural, but haphazardly so. The film is obviously set on and around a Caribbean island, making it natural for The Queen (Noma Dumezweni), Eric’s adopted mother, and other islanders to be Black. But giving Ariel “sisters from the seven seas,” allowing for mermaids of several different races and ethnicities, feels odd and forced, and a little creepy given that King Triton is supposed to be the father of all of them.

The fact that Bailey herself is Black, while great for representation, is neither here nor there in the context of the film. Bailey has a voice that is equal to everything she is asked to sing, and her silent acting is excellent in the middle portion of the film. McCarthy makes for a great Ursula, bringing both humor and pathos to the role. Hauer-King, who bears a similarity to Ryan Gosling, plays Eric in a more well-rounded manner.

The live-action version of The Little Mermaid, like almost all of the Disney remakes, never truly establishes itself as its own unique thing. Still, it’s a thoroughly pleasant watch with some nice performances, which clears the bar for success for this era of Disney history.

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The Little Mermaid opens in theaters on May 26.

Photo courtesy of Disney

Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid.

These 6 San Antonio museums are offering free admission for military families all summer long

spread the museum love

Half a dozen San Antonio museums are honoring active-duty military personnel and their families with free admission through the Blue Star Museums initiative, May 20 through September 4, 2023.

Established by the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the U.S. Department of Defense, the Blue Star Museums program annually provides military families free access to 2,000 museums nationwide throughout the summer. The program begins yearly on Armed Forces Day in May and ends on Labor Day.

Free admission is extended to personnel currently serving in the U.S Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard (including those in the Reserve), and all National Guardsman. Members of the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps and NOAA Commissioned Corps are also included in the program.

Those who qualify can use their military ID to bring up to five family members - including relatives of those currently deployed. More information about qualifications can be found here.

There is no limit on the number of participating museums that qualifying families may visit. Admission for non-active military veterans, however, is not included.

According to the National Endowment for the Arts website, the initiative was created to help "improve the quality of life for active duty military families" with a specific focus on children. The site states two million have had a parent deployed since 2001.

"Blue Star Museums was created to show support for military families who have faced multiple deployments and the challenges of reintegration," the website says. "This program offers these families a chance to visit museums this summer when many will have limited resources and limited time to be together."

Here's a look at all the museums in San Antonio that are participating in the Blue Star Museums initiative this year.

For those looking to take a drive around Central Texas, the Sophienburg Museum & Archives in New Braunfels and Bandera's Frontier Times Museum are also participants in the Blue Star Museums initiative.

More information about Blue Star Museums and a full list of participants can be found on arts.gov.

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