By Melody Baetens, MediaNews Group

Busy restaurateur Adam Merkel has changed the concept of his rooftop space at the corner of 11 Mile and Main Street in downtown Royal Oak.

After shuttering the feminine and rosy Pinky’s Rooftop earlier this year, Bella Limone made its debut last week. Inspired by Italy’s Amalfi Coast, the new concept opens just in time to soak up the milder days of late summer and early fall on the rooftop patio and breezy dining room.

“Bella Limone was created to capture the warmth and vibrancy of Italian hospitality,” Merkel said in statement shared with the media. Merkel owns several area restaurants, including Cello Italian and Silver Pig in Howell and he’s also involved in the new Big Rock Italian Chophouse in Birmingham with Cameron Mitchell. “On a recent trip to Capri and Positano, I was inspired by the beauty, flavors, and spirit of the Amalfi Coast. From our handcrafted pasta to our signature limoncello, every detail reflects that inspiration and a passion for bringing people together.”

To help welcome guests to the new restaurant, the menu at Belle Limone will be 50% off for the first hour of business each day through the end of September. There will also be select wine specials during the first hour.

The menu highlights the house-made pasta, available in two sizes, as well as a gluten-free option. There’s also house specialties such as sausage and peppers, tomato bruschetta, chicken limoncello, beef tenderloin medallions and scallops with Parmesan risotto. Merkle’s well-known carrot cake with cream cheese frosting stays on the menu.

“Adam brings authenticity, creativity and heart to everything he does,” said Cameron Mitchell, Merkel’s partner and mentor, in a statement. “Bella Limone captures that spirit beautifully and I’m excited to see it thrive.”

Next, Little Bella’s Pizza and Wine Bar will open on the ground floor area at the same address, where Pearl’s Deep Dive restaurant was. Merkle says that should be ready in October. The other space in this floorplan, where Mediterranean restaurant Bohemia used to be will be used as a banquet area and private event room.

Bella Limone, 100 S. Main in Royal Oak, is open 4-9:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 4-10:30 p.m. Fri., 3-10:30 p.m. Sat. and 3-8:30 p.m. Sun. Walk-ins are welcome, or reservations can be made through the OpenTable app or by visiting bellalimone.com.

By MediaNews Group

Recent health inspections in some Madison Heights restaurants revealed pests, mislabeled food and more between May and August of this year, according to Oakland County Health Department inspection reports.

Many of the violations have been corrected. The presence of violations in a past inspection does not necessarily mean the establishment has the same violations today.

Inspection reports can be found at swordsolutions.com/inspections/.

Below is a list of violations found at a few restaurants in Madison Heights.

Boodles, 935 W 11 Mile Road

During a routine inspection on July 29, an inspector noted several problems at Boodles:

• 1) Quat tabs [sanitizing tablets] observed on top shelf above food and food equipment. 2) Spray bottle of windex observed beside clean dishes on shelf.
• Heavy flies, large and small throughout, especially in dish area. Facility is working with pest control but did not provide documentation at the time of inspection.
• Container of cream, milk, and half and half with manufacturer’s use-by dates of 7/21, 7/17, and 7/8. Note: today is 7/29/25.
• 0ppm chorine sanitizer observed at dish machine after wash cycle. Slicer observed soiled with food debris for unknown amount of time.
• No paper towel observed at hand sink by dry storage.
• Menu missing consumer advisory (reminder and disclosure statements) from items which are cooked to order.
• Broken tiles observed in dry storage and in front of dish machine.
• Torn screen observed at window by dish machine.
• Floor at dish machine observed heavily soiled under floor mats.

Grand Azteca, 321 W 14 Mile Road

During a routine inspection on July 9, an inspector noted several problems at Grand Azteca:

• Several gallons of milk observed with manufactures use by date of 7/8 and 7/3. Note: today is 7/9/25.
• First aid kits stored on shelf above boxes of food.
• Hot water turned off at cookline hand sink.
• Ice machine door observed broken.
• Black buildup observed on wall around walk in cooler drain line.
• 1) Several loose or missing tiles on cookline floor. 2) Various cove-based tiles were observed missing throughout.

Wing Snob, 140 W 12 Mile Road

During a routine inspection on July 14, an inspector noted several problems at Wing Snob:

• Two large deep buckets with partially cooked wings prepared 7/13 observed in walk-in cooler, 49-53F. Note today is 7/14.
• Par-cooked wings not labeled as par-cooked.
• Two large deep buckets with partially cooked wings prepared 7/13 observed in walk-in cooler, — 49-53F. Note today is 7/14.
• Bottle of spray chemicals observed without a common name.
• Green wire rack holding sauces and oil observed with a buildup.
• Small cooler at front counter holding dressings observed without a unit thermometer.
• Caulk peeled away at three-compartment sink wall junction.

John R Grill, 26623 John R Road

During a routine inspection on August 14, an inspector noted several problems at John R Grill:

• Raw shell eggs observed stored on cooked food in cooler.
• The noted foods were observed 50-60F for less than four hours per person in charge: 1) feta, cut tomatoes, sliced and shredded cheese and 2) sliced ham, cooked sausage and raw shell eggs. Note: the coolers 1)-2) were observed with ambient temperatures 50-60F.
• Container of water stored in employee hand sink near cookline.
• Employee beverages stored on cook line cutting surface.
• 1) Salad cooler in waitstaff area observed in disrepair, food is being held on ice in top rail. Per owner they are waiting on a part to repair. 2) Top-loading cooler on make line holding potentially hazardous foods with an ambient of 60F. 3) Tall reach in cooler on cookline holding potentially hazardous foods with ambient of 50F.
• Rat droppings observed in rear of facility near Leonard’s tank. Facility is working with Guardian for routine pest control.
• Employees observed preparing food without an approved hair restraint.
• 1) Exterior of cooler doors, frames and gaskets on cookline soiled with buildup. 2) Shelf under flat top on cookline soiled with build-up and food debris. 3) Exterior of range and side of fryer.
• Wet wiping cloths stored in bucket with chlorine and degreaser.
• Cutting surface on wait staff cooler observed heavily grooved and stained.
• The floor under cook line and makeline equipment observed soiled with black buildup and food debris.

Texas Roadhouse, 29485 John R Road

During a routine inspection on June 30, an inspector noted several problems at Texas Roadhouse:

• Hose with sprayer observed affixed to faucet downstream of atmospheric vacuum breaker at mop sink.
• High temp dish machine observed not reaching 160F on plate surface after rinse cycle. Note: booster was turned off.
• 1) Slow draining floor drain in kitchen near to-go area. 2) Clogged floor drain under dish machine.
• Floor under dish machine observed with heavy food debris and standing water.
• Single live cockroach observed in dish area. Facility is working with a licensed pest control operator.
• Caulk at dish observed peeling with black buildup.

Tim Hortons, 493 W 12 Mile Road

During a routine inspection on June 4, an inspector noted several problems at Tim Hortons:

• Cut tomatoes, cut lettuce and cream cheese 47-50F for less than four hours in make line cooler. Note: cooler was observed with ice buildup on fan and with an ambient temperature of 46F.
• Grout under three-compartment observed heavily worn down with deep cracks between tiles, creating a surface that is no longer smooth and easily cleanable.
• Floor under front counter, central hot holding unit and makeline cooler observed soiled with buildup.
• Cooler holding potentially hazardous foods was observed with ice build up on fan and with an ambient temperature of 46F.
• Blender rinser drain, under-counter near hand sink, observed heavily soiled with buildup.

By Meredith Deeds, The Minnesota Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS — Long before becoming a global Instagram sensation, the spritz had humble, effervescent roots in the northern regions of Italy, where locals mastered the art of turning a simple drink into a ritual that embodies la dolce vita.

At its core, the spritz cocktail has become synonymous with effortless elegance and sociable sipping; a celebration of balance, where bitter and sweet flavors meet the playfulness of bubbles. Traditionally, a spritz combines a bitter liqueur, a splash of sparkling wine, soda water and plenty of ice, often garnished with a slice of citrus.

In recent years, the spritz has experienced a renaissance. The Aperol Spritz has dominated cocktail menus and social media feeds, becoming a “drink of the summer” not just in Italian cities, but in cities around the world. Its popularity has been fueled by clever marketing, the drink’s versatility and the growing appetite for lower-alcohol cocktails.

Bartenders and home enthusiasts alike have embraced the spritz. It’s easy to make and easy to drink. What’s not to love?

The spritz can vary by region or bartender, but the modern classic — most famously the Aperol Spritz — follows a simple 3-2-1 ratio: 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts bitter apéritif (like Aperol, Campari or Select) and 1 part soda water.

While the formula is deceptively simple, it disguises a world of creativity.

Tea time

Jake Jarecki, the bar manager at Pink Ivy Kitchen & Bar in Hopkins, Minnesota, puts that creative spark to work by always including a spritz on the restaurant’s cocktail menu.

This summer, it’s the Earl Grey Duck Spritz, a name inspired by the Minnesota version of the popular children’s game. The drink itself, though, is not child’s play.

“Whenever I’m developing a spritz for the restaurant, I start out with a really good, well-balanced cocktail,” says Jarecki. In this case, that cocktail includes tea-infused vodka, honey syrup and a splash of lemon juice. “Then I turn it into a spritz by adding bubbles.”

In almost every spritz, those bubbles are a combination of soda water and prosecco, a nod to the cocktail’s Italian roots. And it’s usually the bubbles that make the drink refreshing and light, but that’s not always the case.

The dark side

At Red Rabbit, you’ll find the Midnight Spritz on the extensive spritz menu, and it takes a decidedly darker turn thanks to Italy’s wide varieties of amaro — and beverage director Ian Lowther.

Amaro is a bittersweet Italian herbal liqueur known for its complex, often bitter, and slightly sweet flavor profile. It’s typically made with a blend of botanicals, including herbs, roots, spices and citrus peels. Each brand of amaro (like Aperol and Campari) has its own recipe, resulting in a wide range of flavors and colors.

“In Italy, amaro can be anywhere from very light to very dark in color and flavor, and Italians drink with the sun,” Lowther said. “The darker the sky, the darker the spirit.”

Welcome to the Midnight Spritz.

Red Rabbit’s dark, sexy cocktail starts as most do, with amaro. In this case it’s Cynar, which is made with a blend of herbs and plants. But the artichoke ( Cynara scolymus ) is the most prominent and gives the liqueur its name. Lavender syrup and a little lemon is added, and the drink is topped off with the sparkling red wine Lambrusco instead of prosecco. The result is darker than most spritz cocktails, but still delightfully refreshing, even when the sun is shining.

Combining classics

While the Aperol spritz may be the most popular classic Italian effervescent drink, the negroni might be its most iconic cocktail.

Known for its bitter and sophisticated flavor profile, negronis are typically made with gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, and it makes the perfect base for a spritz. That’s why Robb Jones, bar director at ie – Italian Eatery by Travail, includes a Negroni Sbagliato — negroni with bubbles — on the spritz menu. (Jones also owns Meteor bar in Minneapolis.)

“Balance is key to any cocktail, and our negroni is a beautiful balance between alcohol, acidity, sweetness and bitterness,” says Jones, who finds bitterness to be one of the most important elements to consider when developing a cocktail. “Without bitterness, every other flavor would be one note. The bitterness pushes the other flavors forward.”

Going spirit-free

The term “spritz” can be applied to a wide variety of beverages, and not all have alcohol. At Diane’s Place in Minneapolis, you’ll find a nonalcoholic rhubarb spritz (called Rhuby Tuesday) on the menu. And it happened organically, as many things do for chef-owner Diane Moua.

When Moua was the lucky recipient of several cases of rhubarb, delivered by her father from his small family farm, she immediately turned that bounty into a spiced rhubarb compote to use in one of her memorable pastries.

To use the compote in baking, Moua had to drain off the excess liquid, which created a flavorful syrup. Not one to let something so tasty go waste, Moua gave the rhubarb syrup to bar manager Sarah Atkinson, who turned it into a sophisticated version of an Italian soda by mixing it with a little lime juice and soda water.

So why turn it into a spritz? “We’re all a little dehydrated in the summer,” Atkinson says, “and all you really need for a good spritz is a sunny day, a little bit of ice cold bubbles, and maybe a patio.”

Which is why, more than any other drink, a good spritz tastes like the essence of summer. A spritz offers more than refreshment — it invites a pause, a moment of connection and a taste of la dolce vita, whether you’re enjoying a late afternoon aperitivo in Rome or at a backyard patio with these DIY recipes for Earl Grey Duck Spritz, Midnight Spritz, Negroni Sbagliato and Rhuby Tuesday Spritz.

Pink Ivy’s Earl Grey Duck Spritz

Makes 1 cocktail.

While this fun and inventive cocktail from Jake Jarecki at Pink Ivy takes a couple of steps to make, they are both ultra quick and easy and well worth the effort.

• 6 to 8 blueberries
• 3 tbsp. (1.5 oz.) Earl Grey vodka (see recipe)
• 2 tbsp. (1 oz.) honey syrup (see recipe)
• 1 ½ tbsp. (.75 oz.) lemon juice
• 4 tbsp. (2 oz.) prosecco
• Soda water
• Lemon slice, for garnish

Directions

Muddle the blueberries in a cocktail shaker. Add the vodka, honey syrup and lemon juice and several ice cubes and shake for 10 seconds. Pour into a wine glass. Add more ice, pour in the prosecco and top with soda water. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Earl Grey Vodka

Makes 1 liter.

Feel free to cut this recipe for tea-infused vodka in half, but keep in mind that any leftovers could change your Arnold Palmer game forever!

• 1 liter vodka
• 8 bags Earl Grey tea

Directions

Pour vodka into a pitcher. Add tea bags and steep for 20 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags.

Honey Syrup

Makes 1 cup.

• ½ c. honey
• ½ c. hot water

Directions

In a measuring cup, stir together the honey and hot water until well combined. Cool.

Red Rabbit’s Midnight Spritz

Makes 1 cocktail.

Looking for a unique spritz that incorporates a dark, full-flavored amaro? This drink recipe from Ian Lowther of Red Rabbit has you covered with a spritz that’s as lovely to look at as it is to drink. Cynar is an Italian apéritif and is widely available.

• 4 tsp. (.66 oz.) lavender syrup (see recipe)
• 4 tsp. (.66 oz.) lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. (1 oz.) Cynar
• ½ c. (4 oz.) Lambrusco
• 3 tbsp. (1 ½ oz.) soda water
• Lemon wheel, for garnish

Directions

Mix the lavender syrup, lemon juice and Cynar together in a wine glass, add ice. Top with Lambrusco and soda water. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Lavender Syrup

Makes about 2 ¼ cups.

• 1 c. water
• 2 c. sugar
• 2 tbsp. dried lavender flowers

Directions

Bring water to a boil and add sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in lavender flowers. Chill in refrigerator overnight. Strain out lavender flowers and store syrup in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator.

IE’s Negroni Sbagliato

Makes 1 cocktail.

For a spritz that couldn’t be easier or more refreshing, look no further than Italian Eatery’s version of this classic cocktail from Robb Jones.

• 1 tbsp. (.5 oz.) Campari
• 1 tbsp. (.5 oz.) London dry gin
• 2 tbsp. (1 oz.) Italian sweet vermouth
• Prosecco
• Soda water
• Orange peel

Directions

Pour the Campari, gin and vermouth into an ice-filled wine glass. Top with prosecco and soda water, to taste. Squeeze a 1-inch strip of orange peel over the glass and drop into the cocktail as garnish.

Diane’s Place Rhuby Tuesday Spritz

Makes 1 cocktail.

You won’t miss the alcohol in the light and fruity NA spritz from Sarah Atkinson of Diane’s Place.

• 1.5 oz rhubarb syrup (see below)
• 0.75 lime juice
• Soda water

Directions

Mix the rhubarb syrup and lime juice together in a wine glass. Add ice and top with soda water. Garnish with a spoonful of the cooked rhubarb (from the syrup) or a slice of lime.

Rhubarb Syrup

Makes about 1 cup.

Diane’s Place uses the leftover syrup from making their rhubarb compote. It has cinnamon, ginger, coriander, vanilla and orange zest in the mix. Feel free to add any or all of these ingredients to the pot while you’re cooking your syrup. Or experiment with your own favorite flavors.

• 4 c. chopped rhubarb
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1 c. water

Directions

Combine rhubarb, sugar and water together in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the rhubarb through the strainer until most of the liquid is in the bowl. Press the solids a little with the back of a spoon to extract more syrup.

If desired, save the cooked rhubarb to use for baking or as a garnish for the drink. Store syrup in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator.

©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Picture modern beer, and you likely imagine a brew that’s beautifully bright and clear, shimmering in the sunshine through a pint glass. Then came the hazy IPA and hazy pale ale. Today, a sizeable percentage of craft beer is no longer see-through, with hazies continuing to dominate beer-bar tap handles.

They’re joined, of course, by dark beers, porters, stouts, doppelbocks and others that have remained impenetrably opaque, plus several styles of beer that are usually unfiltered, such as kellerbiers, gose, Belgian wits, saisons and others. But they still represent a minority.

Historically, clear, filtered beers arrived on the scene around the time that transparent glassware rose to prominence. Though glass drinking vessels had been around since the Roman era, it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution made glassware affordable for everyone that they came into wide use.

At the same time, advances in brewing technology created filtering systems and other methods to efficiently make beer crystal-clear. This combination of innovations created the pilsner experience, which quickly became the most popular beer in the world after it debuted in 1842.

With yeast: the hefeweizen

One key exception to modern, clear beer is the hefeweizen. A style that originated in Germany, the word “hefe” means yeast, and so the hefeweizen is an unfiltered wheat (“weizen”) beer in which the yeast remains visible in the beer, giving it a cloudy appearance.

You may have heard about the Reinheitsgebot, a Bavarian law from 1516 that made it illegal to brew beer with anything other than water, barley and hops (they didn’t count yeast at that point). One reason for this law was to reserve wheat and rye for making bread and to keep loaves affordable.

Eventually the law was relaxed, and brewers were free to include wheat, though usually no more than half. By the early 1870s, brewers like Schneider Weisse — still making wheat beers today — pioneered the first modern hefeweizens.

The wheat gives the beer a silky-smooth mouth-feel and makes it very easy to drink, ideal for a hot August day, while the yeast gives the beer its distinctive notes of cloves and banana, often with a slight bubble-gum undertone. Hefeweizens are also fairly complex, and many will impart hints of nutmeg, vanilla or a whiff of light smokiness. It’s a combination that doesn’t sound like it should taste good, but it really works.

So hefeweizens are wheat beers, but not all wheat beers are hefeweizens. And it’s that banana and clove character that makes them unique. Germans also make a clear, filtered version of a hefeweizen, known as a kristallweizen, though they’re often hard to find. Filtering out the yeast to make the beer clear also strips the beer of a lot of its flavor, so most people seem to prefer the original hazy version.

Another feature of hefeweizens is their big, pillowy heads, often accentuated by being served in a very tall Weizen glass, which is narrow at the bottom and wider at the top to promote generous froth.

Hefeweizens also pair with a variety of lighter dishes, like salads and seafood, but also stand up to spicier food well, too. They’re also great with goat cheese, chicken or pork, and even pretzels.

American hefeweizen

Naturally, early American craft brewers came up with their own version of hefeweizens. To differentiate themselves, brothers Rob and Kurt Widmer decided to make German-style beers since almost everybody else in 1984 was focusing on English ales.

Their first beer was another obscure German beer called Alt (and older local beer lovers may remember the popular St. Stan’s Amber Alt), but it was their third beer that put them on the map.

Since they only had one kind of yeast in the brewery, they used that to make their Widmer Hefeweizen, and in the process created the American hefeweizen as a separate style. It’s cloudy, like its German cousin, but does not have the signature clove and banana notes. So it remains as refreshing as a typical hefeweizen with a more neutral palate. That’s also why it’s often served with a slice of lemon, to add some additional flavor complexity.

Many craft breweries brew a hefeweizen these days, often as their lightest offering, in both the Bavarian or American style. It’s an excellent choice if you’re looking for something easy-drinking and thirst-quenching. They’re also full-flavored without being too full-bodied.

That makes them the original hazy and the perfect beer to enjoy over the summer.

After a two-year break, the Hospitality Included food and drink festival is set to return to Detroit’s North End.

The Detroit-based industry group Hospitality Included will host 30 of the city’s top bars, restaurants and pop-up chefs as vendors at the one-day outdoor festival. Popular eateries including Freya, Fried Chicken & Caviar, Flowers of Vietnam and Dutch Girl Donuts will have food on offer.

Hospitality Included Fest ’25 is August 24 at Detroit Design District in Detroit’s North End neighborhood.

Thor Jones, founder of Hospitality Included, joined the Metro to discuss the festival, what it took to bring it back after two years, and the ‘community ticketing’ model the festival is using this year for admission.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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By Fiona Rutherford and Micah Barkley, Bloomberg News

Nonalcoholic beer needs a second act.

The category boomed in recent years as the likes of Anheuser-Busch InBev, Heineken NV and Diageo Plc poured in money. But after those gains made it one of brewing’s few bright spots, it’s still just 2% of the global beer market’s volume, according to IWSR.

And now growth rates are slowing. After a surge late last decade and another jump in 2021, recent increases have settled into the single digits. IWSR now projects annual gains of about 8% through 2029. That would only boost its market share to a little less than 3%.

The push into nonalcoholic beer is a reminder of how much the industry is struggling. Craft beer peaked. The hard seltzer boom fizzled. Younger adults are going out less. Legalized cannabis is replacing six packs. Weight-loss drugs are a threat. Global beer volume has declined the past two years. Meanwhile, stocks of the world’s big brewers haven’t returned to their pre-pandemic levels.

“They have no choice but to get into alcohol free,” said Kenneth Shea, senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. It’s one of the few remaining growth levers for large brewers as they adapt to changing consumer habits, he said.

Brewing has consolidated about as far as it can, with the five biggest companies controlling more than half the global market. Investors are looking for organic growth, and that’s why nonalcoholic beer has become the sector’s latest shiny object. But at this point it’s far from a panacea. IWSR projects that global beer volumes will be flat over the next five years, even with the growth in nonalcoholic brews.

The first phase of nonalcoholic beer’s expansion came from startups that focused on it. Firms such as Athletic Brewing Co. pushed the category toward craft brewing with tastier styles like IPA. They marketed around wellness, moderation and active lifestyles.

Breweries are now trying to broaden nonalcoholic beer’s appeal to win over more habitual beer drinkers. There’s been a shift in marketing. Nonalcoholic beer ads used to lean heavily on responsibility and reducing alcohol consumption. Heineken 0.0 ran a spot featuring Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen promoting designated driving.

Now brands pitch nonalcoholic beer as a casual, anytime drink. Heineken’s newer “0.0 Reasons Needed” campaign encourages people to drink it whenever they want, with no explanation required. The marketing is part of the brewer’s push to reduce the stigma around nonalcoholic beer. One survey Heineken cited showed that about 40% of Gen Z men would only consider such options if their friends did.

Guinness emphasizes how closely its nonalcoholic version matches the original and brought in NFL legend Joe Montana to promote the brand.

AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, turned Michelob Ultra into its best-selling beer in the US by pitching it as a lower calorie option for sporty types. It announced a nonalcoholic version — Michelob Ultra Zero — in September. A commercial features young adults taking a break from beach volleyball to crack one open and then running back to play as the voiceover states: “Stay in the game.”

Heineken 0.0, which in 2023 became the first nonalcoholic beer to air a Super Bowl ad, is now one of the five most-seen beer or seltzer brands on US television, according to researcher iSpot. It’s offered in more than 100 countries and grew more than 10% last year.

The spending on US advertising has helped grow nonalcoholic beer more than other markets. IWSR expects US nonalcoholic volume to gain 16% a year over the next decade.

Mark Ruf, a longtime beer drinker, has been won over. The 31-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, now drinks a nonalcoholic beer for every regular one — a practice that’s been dubbed zebra striping — to cut back on his booze consumption when he’s at home or out with friends. He got so into the category that he started a blog and nonalcoholic beer subscription service.

“I still hate to put an end to a good time,” Ruf said. “But I start mixing it in with NA beer, so I’m not regretting it the next day.”

Nonalcoholic beer used to be a category dominated by options such as O’Doul’s, owned by AB InBev, and similar legacy brands. These brews often struggled to win fans because the process of getting rid of the alcohol included heating up the beer, which muted flavors.

Brewers have been investing in new techniques to improve taste. At AB InBev’s research center in Belgium, scientists have spent more than a decade refining nonalcoholic brewing. The company now removes the alcohol using low-temperature methods, then adds back key aromas to preserve more of the original flavor and smell.

“It is really an art, and it is also a science,” said David De Schutter, AB InBev’s vice president of global innovation.

AB InBev has also launched alcohol-free versions of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona. In May, Chief Executive Officer Michel Doukeris told investors that its nonalcoholic portfolio was growing more than 30%. Corona Cero was the first ever beer sponsor of the Olympics at last year’s games in Paris.

Diageo has invested more than 60 million euros (about $70 million) in Guinness 0 production since the product launched globally in 2021. In the US, Guinness 0 made up more than half of the Guinness brand’s growth last year, the company said. And there’s been little cannibalization, with just 2% consumer overlap between Guinness 0 and the brand’s traditional beers.

All that focus has led to consumers now expecting nonalcoholic beer to taste good, according to Laura Merritt, president of beer and pre-mix at Diageo North America.

“It’s not like 10 years ago, where you just had to take what you got,” Merritt said of NA beer’s lack of choices. “The standards for great nonalcoholic beverages are the same high standard for great alcoholic beverages.”

But meeting standards doesn’t mean more and more people will convert to beer with the alcohol removed. There are many examples of food and beverages that initially do well by offering moderation and less harm. The question is whether nonalcoholic beer will recede the same as plant-based meat or become a sustainable category like diet soda.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Beth Dooley, The Minnesota Star Tribune

Like a good summer movie, a great sandwich should be full of delightful familiar ingredients sparked with a few good surprises. And like a good plot, the sandwich should be built on a sturdy foundation.

But first, let’s agree on the definition of a sandwich as opposed to a hamburger, hot dog, taco, wrap, empanada or burrito. To quote the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “a sandwich consists of two or more slices of bread or split roll having a filling in between.” (Open-faced sandwiches are a whole different category, and they deserve a story of their own.)

There are few rules to govern sandwich fillings, but it’s clear that the foundation must be very good bread. Thanks to our local artisan bakeries, there are now plenty of great options. As with all local foods, the best tasting bread is created with local flour milled fresh. Here are a few classic combos built on our bakeries’ best.

The bread

Rye bread: The dark, dense malty Hundred Rye Bread from Baker’s Field Flour & Bread is the perfect platform for my hometown hero: the New Jersey Joe. The triple-decker beauty layers turkey, Swiss cheese, roast beef and coleslaw, slathered with Russian dressing on three layers of thinly sliced rye. It’s the sandwich of birthday parties and reunions, a specialty of the Millburn Deli, and the first thing I eat when back home. Rye bread is a great match for smoked meats.

Multigrain bread: Toasty, nutty, whole-grain slices match the flavorful plant-based filling of a classic California Avocado and begs the question: How can something that tastes so good be good for you? Fat wedges of avocado, fistfuls of sprouts and thick slices of tomato are all married with rough, garlicky lemon hummus. Hearty and healthy, this is the bread for veggie-based creations.

Baguette: Filling the traditionally light, crusty French baguette with bold Vietnamese flavors is an elegant and innovative pairing. While the version in today’s recipe doesn’t pretend to be an authentic bánh mì — pickled vegetables, daikon-carrot slaw, cucumbers and seasoned meat (i.e. rotisserie chicken), hot peppers and fish sauce — it is a mouth-tingling and faster version of the classic with ingredients that are easy to find. Baguette and crusty rolls work beautifully with drippy, bountiful fillings.

White bread: Soft, slightly sweet white bread griddled to golden perfection is the key to a great Cubano. The iconic sandwich of Florida is a hefty variation of the ham and grilled cheese with a layer of pulled pork and lots of personality. Pickles add a punchy counterpoint to the melty Swiss cheese and mustardy-mayo. Of course the definition of a Cubano lies in the hands of its maker — some add salami to the equation, too.

Key ingredients

Often the best sandwiches are last-minute inventions sparked by hunger and whatever is at hand — crisp chips, tangy-salty kimchi, hot sauce, a lick of bright berry jam. But with a little planning, you can have the key ingredients on hand to create the iconic sandwiches: Coleslaw and Russian dressing for New Jersey Joes, Garlicky-Lemon Hummus for California Avocado sandwiches, Quick Daikon-Carrot Pickle for bánh mì and Tangy Mustardy Mayo for the Cubano.

None of these examples is meant to dissuade you from creating the sandwich of your summer dreams. Be bold and savor the flavor and the joy of eating a meal with your hands.

Coleslaw

Serves about 4.

Make this just a few hours ahead of time so that the flavors marry. Don’t hesitate to toss in your favorite chopped herbs — basil, parsley, thyme, etc. From Beth Dooley.

• ½ c. mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• Pinch sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 small head green cabbage (about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ lb.), cored and shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded

Directions

In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cabbage and carrot and toss until the ingredients are well coated (use your hands for best results).

Russian Dressing

Makes about ¾ cup.

Though similar to Thousand Island dressing, this is spicier and not as sweet. From Beth Dooley.

• 3 tbsp. ketchup or chili sauce
• 1 tbsp. chopped shallot
• 1 tsp. prepared horseradish, to taste
• ½ c. mayonnaise
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Put all of the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Make it a New Jersey Joe: The order of the popular triple-decker sandwich is: bottom slice of thinly sliced rye, turkey or roast beef, coleslaw, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese, middle slice of rye, turkey or roast beef, coleslaw, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese and top slice of rye.

Garlicky-Lemon Hummus

Makes 2 cups.

You’ll end up with more than you’ll need for a sandwich, so save the extra for dipping chips and veggies. This speedy version comes together in minutes. From Beth Dooley.

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 to 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 1 c. tahini
• Generous pinch coarse salt
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ c. ice water, plus more as needed
• 1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Directions

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse together the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, tahini, salt, cumin and water. Add the chickpeas and process until the mixture is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings and add more water if needed to reach desired consistency.

Make it a California Avocado: Between thick slices of multigrain bread, layer wedges of avocado, sprouts and the garlicky-lemon hummus.

Quick Daikon-Carrot Pickle

Makes about 3 cups.

A quick, simple pickle brightens a range of sandwiches from bánh mì to the all-American BLT. It will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks.

• 1 large carrot, cut into matchstick-size pieces
• 1 lb. daikon radish, cut into matchstick-size pieces
• ¼ c. sugar
• ½ c. water
• 1 c. rice wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Put the carrot and daikon slices into a glass container. In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, water, vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper and set over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cool slightly and pour over the vegetables. Allow the vegetables to marinate at least 1 hour before using or refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Drain the vegetables from the pickling juices before using in a bánh mì or other sandwich.

Make it a bánh mì: While not authentic by any means, get the idea of the traditional sandwich by filling a crusty baguette with pickled daikon-carrot slaw, cucumbers, rotisserie chicken, hot peppers with a drizzle of fish sauce.

Tangy Mustardy Mayo

Makes about ⅔ cup.

Sandwich pairing: The Cubano, that delicious, drippy variation on a grilled ham and cheese with a bump of pulled pork, relies on a tangy mustardy-mayo sauce to pull together the honey-kissed ham, mild creamy Swiss cheese and punchy pickles. You may end up with more sauce than needed, but it keeps in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.

• ½ c. good mayonnaise, such as Duke’s or Hellman’s
• 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp. dill pickle juice
• 1 tsp. honey, optional

Directions

Put all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together.

Make it a Cubano: Slather the tangy mustardy mayo on the inside of sliced white bread before adding ham, Swiss cheese, pulled pork and pickles.

©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

I look forward to the peach season with culinary glee. Their velvety texture and intoxicating fragrance make ripe peaches a treasure. They are delicious drizzled with Amaretto syrup and topped with whipped cream. If I feel ambitious, I pass a basket of warm cookies, preferably ones laced with toasted almonds.

Peaches with Amaretto Cream

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup Amaretto (almond flavored liqueur), divided use

6 large ripe fresh peaches

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Optional: 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Garnish: Sprigs of fresh mint

DIRECTIONS

1. Place Amaretto in heavy-bottomed saucepan. On medium-high heat, reduce the mixture by about half in volume; when cooled it will get syrupy. Set aside.

2. Bring a pan of water to a boil on high heat. Make a shallow x on the bottom of each peach and submerge in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds (the riper the peaches, the shorter the time). Remove and place in cold water. Cut peaches in half through the seam; twist halves in opposite directions to halve each peach; remove pits. Slip off skin. Cut into thick wedges.

3. Whip the cream and 1 tablespoon reduced Amaretto together until just starting to get stiff. If whipping in advance, include the powdered sugar in the mixture to stabilize it.

4. Divide peaches between 6 small bowls or ramekins. Drizzle with remaining reduced Amaretto and top with whipped cream mixture. Garnish each with a sprig of fresh mint and serve.

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

June is a great time to fire up your grill and move at least some of your daily or weekly dinner duties to the backyard.

Cooking outdoors is usually cooler, tends to have a better view and is generally a lot more fun for both the cook and those he or she is trying to feed.

Chicken is often a prime choice when it comes to proteins to cook on gas or charcoal because it’s cheaper to feed a crowd with than beef or seafood. It’s also a lot more forgiving since it doesn’t require a lot of technique so long as you 1) cook over a moderate heat, 2) use an instant read thermometer to know when it’s done and 3) remember to let the grilled chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing or serving so it can reabsorb some of its juices.

And if you take the time to soak it in a tasty marinade or stir together a homemade sweet-and-tangy barbecue sauce for basting, it will both elevate the flavor of the finished product and help keep the meat moist and tender.

While chicken breast is often a favorite choice because it’s leaner and has a milder, more subtle flavor, it’s also more expensive than other parts of the bird. Without a whole lot of fat to protect it from flames or heat as you grill it, it’s really easy to overcook and dry out.

That’s why I almost always opt for chicken thigh when I’m planning a cookout. It’s true that, as a fattier meat, dark-colored thigh packs more calories onto your plate than chicken breast. Still, it’s so much juicier and incredibly flavorful.

Grilled boneless, skinless chicken thigh builds the foundation for this summery budget meal for four. A scratch, ketchup-based barbecue sauce sweetened with brown sugar and spiced up with hot sauce and vinegar adds the perfect mix of tang and sugar, and because our recipe makes a lot of it, there’s plenty left over for dipping.

We serve it with a corn salad made with fresh kernels off the cob, salty feta and cherry tomatoes tossed in a simple four-ingredient dressing (if you don’t count the salt and pepper) that can be whisked together in seconds.

Rounding out the meal are roasted sweet potato chips and super-easy brown sugar blondies studded with butterscotch chips and chopped pecans and topped with gooey swirls of homemade strawberry jam.

It’s a feast fit if not for a king or queen (that’d require steak) at the very least a member of a royal family — especially since you’ll probably get some leftovers out of it.

Also impressive: It rings up 28 cents under our budget of $25.

I’m always surprised when a salad dish ends up costing more than dessert, but there’s no getting around the fact that fresh fruits and vegetables are becoming increasingly more expensive. All told, the corn salad added up to $6.55, or almost three times the price of the sweet potatoes ($2.25 for two) and more than half the total cost of the chicken, including the barbecue sauce.

Then again, I went with fresh ears of corn instead of canned or frozen and added not just a nice crumble of feta but also a generous handful of fat and juicy cherry tomatoes I couldn’t resist in the produce aisle.

Thanks in (small) part to the decreasing price of eggs and the fact that I almost always have homemade jam in my refrigerator, the blondies were quite economical, even with the addition of chips and pecans. Where else can you find a decadent, butterscotch-forward dessert for 42 cents a serving but from a home kitchen?

As always, I reached into my pantry and fridge for some of the ingredients most home cooks and/or bakers have on hand — olive oil, baking soda, vanilla, honey, vinegar and mustard — and I also did not calculate the cost of the basil in the salad because as someone who loves Italian cuisine, I am never without it.

Ditto with the red onion, a few of which are always in my refrigerator crisper, and various spices (though I did try to calculate the cost based on price per ounce).

Nothing on the menu takes more than 30 minutes to prepare, and if you get all your ducks in a row before you preheat the grill, you can make everything in one fell swoop.

As always, folks, remember to shop for ingredients at home before heading to the grocery store — it’s amazing how we forget what we already have on hand and then buy in duplicate, or let go to waste.

Corn-Tomato Salad

PG tested

Fresh corn is best for this recipe, but you also can use canned or frozen. I threw it into a hot skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and fried it while continuously shaking the pan until the kernels were charred, about 7 minutes.

The salad is equally delicious warm, at room temperature or chilled, if you want to make it ahead.

For salad

• 4 cups fresh or frozen corn, rinsed and drained if frozen, and steamed, boiled or grilled if fresh
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (about a handful), thinly sliced, optional

For dressing

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss corn, tomatoes, feta, onion and basil in a large bowl and set aside while you make dressing.

In a small jar or bowl, stir together olive oil, lime juice, honey and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Add dressing to the corn mixture and mix well to combine. Taste and add more salt or pepper, if needed.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Grilled Barbecue Chicken

PG tested

Chicken thighs are not only cheaper than chicken breast, but they’re also juicier and have a richer flavor. The homemade barbecue sauce that goes on top is spicy-sweet — brush it on while you’re cooking and also serve on the side for dipping.

For chicken

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon dry rub of choice

For barbecue sauce

• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon barbecue rub
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder

Prepare barbecue sauce: In saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together ingredients until well combined. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and use immediately or transfer when cool to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to a month. (Makes about 1 cup.)

Preheat grill to medium-high heat (400 degrees) and lightly oil the grates. If using charcoal, set up the briquettes underneath the grill grate.

Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 3-4 minutes, until grill marks have formed and the chicken is nicely browned.

Flip the thighs over and let cook for 3 minutes. Brush on the side facing up lightly with barbecue sauce and cook an additional 3 minutes.

Flip the chicken again, and brush lightly with more barbecue sauce on this side. Cook for 2 minutes.

Flip one last time, and brush again with barbecue sauce.

Continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (about 20 total minutes on the grill). Serve immediately, either whole or sliced.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Roasted Sweet Potato Chips

PG tested

Sweet potatoes are more nutritious than regular potatoes, and they’re also so easy to cook. In this recipe, you just slice, sprinkle with spices and bake.

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• Olive oil, for coating
• Salt and paprika, for seasoning

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Use a mandolin slicer or chefs knife to cut sweet potatoes into paper-thin rounds. Depending on how big your potatoes are, you may also want to then slice then into half-moons.

Pile sweet potato rounds into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Using your hands, gently toss to coat every piece with oil. Lay the rounds out on the baking sheets in a single layer.

Sprinkle the chips lightly with salt and smoked paprika. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crisp and golden around the edges.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Strawberry-Pecan Blondies

PG tested

I used strawberry jam and pecans for this recipe, but it’s easy to customize with your favorite flavors. Try almonds and blueberry jam or pistachios and raspberry jam. Perfect for a simple dessert — or breakfast.

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. (I used parchment paper.) Butter the foil.

Combine butter and brown sugar in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the butter is melted, about 1 minute.

Stir in vanilla. Let cool slightly, then stir in the egg.

Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Stir into the butter mixture.

Stir in butterscotch chips and pecans and spread the batter in the pan. Drop dollops of strawberry jam on top and swirl with a knife.

Bake the blondies until set, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 15 minutes, then lift out of the pan using the foil. Transfer to rack to cool completely.

Discard the foil and cut into squares.

Makes 9 blondies.

— adapted from “Baking for Fun: 75 Great Cookies, Cakes, Pies & More” by Food Network Magazine

©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

In her 2023 cookbook “Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky,” New Mexico-based chef and historian Lois Ellen Frank said the present era of Indigenous cuisine revolves around modern chefs understanding the ingredients and the farming practices of their ancestors.

“It’s now up to each Native American community and each Native American chef to decide what the New Native American Cuisine is and what they are going to serve on their plates,” Frank, who was advised by Navajo chef Walter Whitewater, wrote in her introduction.

Several young women chefs are doing just that in the Denver area, starting food businesses and planting gardens as a way to reconnect with the land and the traditions of the past. They are defining in real time what New Native American Cuisine can be, from cultivation to creation.

Their work is moving forward Indigenous cuisine in a critical time of repossession after the forced relocations of the 19th century and the food distribution programs of the 20th century, a recent period Frank referred to in her cookbook as “the most painful and most difficult in terms of health and wellness in Native American Cuisine history.”

Before the exploration of the Americas, most of the Indigenous diet in the Southwest and Four Corners region came from farmed foods such as corn, beans and squash (sometimes called “the three sisters”). After the country relocated Native Americans to reservations, they were issued government rations of mass-produced food different from what they were used to, Frank writes. To her and some of her colleagues, it amounted to “nutritional genocide.”

Denver has long associated Native American cuisine with Tocabe and its fry bread tacos, made with shredded bison, hominy and roasted green chiles. When Matt Chandra and Ben Jacobs opened Tocabe in 2008, the restaurant was billed as “the only American Indian-owned and -operated restaurant in metro Denver specializing in Native American cuisine.”

After learning that Jacobs, a Native chef, was using some of his family’s recipes, Micaela Iron Shell-Dominguez, 36, knew she had to work there.

An environmental and Indigenous activist — and actor with the Annishabae Theater Exchange — whose father is Lakota and mother is from the San Luis Valley, Iron Shell-Dominguez noted the sanctity of ancestral foods and emphasized the role women played in feeding Native communities.

“I remember after working there for a while, I told Ben and Matt I was so inspired by everything they did that one day I wanted to open and own an Indigenous restaurant just like them,” she said in an email to The Denver Post.

She is now a mother of two and worker-owner of Moonshell Pizza Cooperative (www.moonshell.coop), a roving pizza crew where her partner, Sid Farber, is lead dough roller. The bounty of foods native to the region, such as corn, berries and sage, makes it easy to base dishes around those ingredients, she said. Their buffalo chokecherry pizza is one such example, she added, the chokecherry plant being native to Colorado.

Iron Shell-Dominguez’s multidisciplinary and holistic approach to her Native culture is also shared by Indigenous groups outside of North America.

Andrea Condes, 39, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and adopted into the United States, where she grew up and pursued a career in the culinary arts. It was in Colorado where the self-described “child of the Andes” landed. Although separated by thousands of miles, Condes saw many similarities integral to the experiences of the pre-colonial Americas.

“How people are treated, how the land is respected, how animal relatives and plant relatives are just that: relatives,” Condes said.

Drawn to root vegetables like the potato, which originated in the Andes, she started a catering company, Four Directions Cuisine (www.fourdirectionscuisine.com). She grows her own plants and is hosting meals two weekends a month through October as The Rooted Andina at her home in Arvada.

Learning about Indigenous foods and history, she said, helped her overcome the “cultural gap” of living in another country and brought her closer to her homeland.

“It’s definitely not something that I had language for when I first started walking down this path,” Condes said. “Reconnecting with those foods, I didn’t realize then, but I do now: It was me reconnecting with myself.”

Since growing food was a way of life, some New Native American Cuisine chefs are returning to the practice, what Frank equates with “food sovereignty.” Planting companion crops, such as the three sisters, is one of the cultivation methods Frank teaches in an effort to bring what she calls “traditional ecological knowledge” (TEK) back to Native communities.

Narissa Ribera, a member of the Navajo Nation, started planting out of necessity. She was always fascinated with food systems, a jack-of-all-trades who learned to garden as a child and had years of experience baking cottage foods.

The lifestyle developed into Ch’il Indigenous Foods (www.chil-indigenousfoods.com), a meal pickup service she started three years ago. She works out of a commercial kitchen in the Wheat Ridge Center for Music and Arts in Wheat Ridge, baking cookies with ingredients grown by Indigenous harvesters and other delicacies, like blue corn ice cream. (She’ll soon open an outdoor eating area at the arts center.)

The city of Wheat Ridge lent her two commercial plots of land behind the city’s community garden, where she cultivated the beans, corn and squash (including Apache gourds and Lakota squash) along with sunflowers. It’ll be a couple of years until the crops are ready to harvest, she said.

Until then, Ribera is preparing to launch a Native cookie and tea business with the ingredients for the tea grown in her garden, she said. She received federal grants to help with marketing and her brand, which she would one day like to see in supermarkets.

“I want representation,” Ribera said.

Although she welcomes non-Natives who support her work and want to learn about Indigenous foods, her main concern is reconnecting Native people to their ancestral foods.

“So much was taken from us, including so much of our food,” she said. “You’ll find a lot of Native people… they’re just not interested in cooking.”

She solicits social media followers to help tend the Wheat Ridge gardens and visits classes at Jefferson County schools, showing students how to make Indigenous dishes.

At a winter holiday market, Ribera sold a box of cookies that came with a paper describing each one and the history behind its ingredients. For her, the joy was in having an authentic option for Indigenous people to gift their friends and family.

For much of the last century of American history, barbecues and potlucks have dominated the Fourth of July feast-ivities.

Hot dogs and hamburgers accompany sides of macaroni and cheese, potato salad and watermelon slices in ecstatic union in backyards and front porches across the country. Coolers full of beer and soda crackle as the ice melts throughout the hot summer day. Ice-cream sandwiches, popsicles and pie await as the sun sets and fireworks light up the night.

But those aren’t the only kinds of American foods. Immigrants from other countries often celebrate their patriotism with twists on the classics, or other foods entirely.

And with its proximity to the Southwest, Colorado has a few of its own traditions for the patriotic holiday, including green and red chile, corn, beans and tortillas — foods eaten in Hispanic communities long before there was a Colorado or a Fourth of July.

In fact, anthropologist Carole Counihan documented Fourth of July foods in Colorado’s San Luis Valley in a report published in a 2009 anthology, The Globalization of Food. She observed special dishes such as posole, deviled eggs and pasta, noting the holiday is represented by dishes from all over the world with a heavy emphasis on grilled meats.

Below, a group of Denver chefs share their personal spreads for the Fourth of July. Some, like Munetoshi Taira at Sushi by Scratch and Manny Barella at Riot BBQ, which opened this year, weren’t born in the United States. Others, like Ni Nguyen of Sap Sua and Darren Chang at Pig and Tiger, are first-generation Americans. Lastly, one chef shares a recipe inspired by his annual travels to Italy for the Fourth.

The grill and the outdoors are what tie most of their respective menus together.

Manny Barella, Riot BBQ (2180 S. Delaware St.): “BBQ culture was a huge part of my upbringing in Monterrey, Mexico. Every gathering revolved around open-fire cooking and outdoor grilling. Tending to the grill on your own is a rite of passage. We celebrate the Fourth of July here in the U.S. by honoring those same grilling traditions. You can count on me having carne asada, ribs al pastor and grilled vegetables on the table. We also like to smoke chimichurri, a classic element of Monterrey cookouts thanks to the strong Argentine influence in our region.”

Erasmo “Ras” Casiano, Xiquita (500 E. 19th Ave.): “We go all out with a giant backyard BBQ that is exactly like the gatherings we had back in Mexico. We throw carne asada and chicken on the fire and make a bunch of salsas: salsa Mexicana, pico de gallo, salsa ranchera. And of course, fresh corn tortillas and rice. We wrap onions in aluminum and throw them in the fire. Once they are good and roasted we hit them with some lime juice. The day is all about great food and gathering with family and friends. That’s the best tradition of all.”

Darren Chang, Pig and Tiger (2200 California St.; opening this summer): “My dad grilled Taiwanese street corn every Fourth of July growing up in [Los Angeles]. Some of my best summer memories are standing around the grill and eagerly awaiting that first bite of succulent corn. At Pig and Tiger, our Taiwanese street corn starts with fresh Olathe corn. We use my dad’s original shacha sauce recipe (only difference is that we make it vegan), then we give it a dash of sweet soy for a perfectly savory-sweet bite.”

Anna and Anthony “Ni” Nguyen, Sap Sua (2550 E. Colfax Ave.): “Every year, we make BBQ pork skewers, Americana-style. We skewer quartered onions and bell peppers along with pork shoulder marinated in lemongrass. We still don’t miss out on the hot dogs, though! We throw them on the grill right alongside the pork shoulder and serve them with Vietnamese accouterments. Our favorite is bratwurst with our version of pickles: lacto-fermented garlic, baby eggplant, daikon, and carrot. It provides the perfect, briny, acid pop. Don’t forget the brown mustard.”

Munetoshi Taira, Sushi by Scratch Restaurants (1441 Larimer St.): “In my kitchen, I enjoy blending traditional American Independence Day dishes with Japanese flavors. For instance, I often prepare yakitori-style grilled meats alongside classic barbecue fare, and I like to incorporate ingredients like miso or shiso into familiar sides such as potato salad. This fusion not only honors the holiday but also reflects the harmonious blend of cultures that I cherish.”

Darrel Truett, Barolo Grill (3030 E. 6th Ave.): “For the past 15 years, I’ve spent the Fourth of July in Italy with the Barolo Grill team on our annual staff trip. One of the things I always look forward to on a hot day during that first week of July is Panzanella. It’s an Italian bread salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and toasted bread tossed in a beautiful red wine vinaigrette. And I usually make it when I come home from the trip — shortly after the Fourth of July — to offset all of the incredible food and wine we indulged in.”

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Philadelphia is famous for its cheesesteak sandwiches.

Yet, if you’ve ever been to the city’s Reading Terminal Market on Arch Street in Center City (a favorite haunt when I was in paralegal school), you’ve probably also seen the long lines in front of Tommy DiNic’s. (If you know, you know.)

The star of this iconic sandwich counter, which has been drawing crowds since it opened in1977, is a succulent, slow-roasted Italian roast pork sandwich topped with sharp provolone and drippy, garlicky braised broccoli rabe (also known rapini). It’s a decidedly messy nosh as the ingredients can, and probably will, spill out as you eat it.

As tough as it is for a Pittsburgh girl to fall in love with something from Philly (my husband excluded), I have to admit it’s pretty incredible. I get the signature sandwich every time I’m in town, and never regret it.

This sub recipe (or should we say hoagie?) from America’s Test Kitchen is a riff on that storied sandwich served on a sesame-seeded Sarcone’s Bakery roll. Spicy Italian sausage stands in for the thinly sliced roasted pork that is a three-day process at DiNic’s. It also includes savory, tender slices of portobello mushrooms cooked with fennel, fresh rosemary and a touch of soy sauce. Shredded provolone goes right into the pan with the meat and veggies for a melty, we’re-all-friends finish.

Like DiNic’s, this recipe spotlights broccoli rabe. It’s a cruciferous green that looks like leafy broccoli, but as a member of the Brassicaceae family, is actually more closely related to the turnip. Its flavor is more bitter than broccoli, and the greens can also be fibrous, but the two veggies are interchangeable in this recipe. I used long, tender stalks of Broccolini instead of broccoli rabe, which I couldn’t find in my local grocery store.

Don’t skimp on the pickled red cherry hot peppers as a final flourish. They’re only mildly spicy, and you can’t beat that extra kick of flavor.

I used 6-inch (Mancini’s) sausage rolls instead of 8-inch sub rolls, so I had enough filling for five sandwiches. Be sure to toast the bread until it’s quite brown and crispy. Otherwise the filling could turn the sandwich into a (still delicious) soggy mess.

Wrapped in aluminum foil and reheated in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes, any leftovers make a great lunch the next day.

Philly-style Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Subs

PG tested

• 4 8-inch Italian sub rolls
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin oil, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
• 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 8 ounces hot Italian sausage
• 1 pound portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean, and sliced 1/4 -inch thick
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, cracked
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 4 ounces shredded sharp provolone cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped or slice jarred hot cherry peppers, optional

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 450 degrees.

If needed, slice rolls to make them easier to open (without slicing all the way through). Use spoon or your fingers to scraped inside of rolls and remove all but 1/4 i nch of interior crumb; discard removed crumb or use to make bread crumbs or croutons. Set aside while you prepare filling.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and sliced garlic in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until garlic is light golden brown, 3-5 minutes.

Add broccoli rabe and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cover to keep warm.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to fat left in skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their liquid, 3-5 minutes.

Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are well browned, 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

Clear center of skillet and add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, fennel seeds and rosemary. Stir in soy sauce and cooked sausage, then stir in cheese until melted. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Arrange reserved rolls on baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Divide mushroom and broccoli rabe mixture evenly among rolls. Top with cherry peppers, if using, and serve.

Serves 4.

— adapted from “Mostly Meatless” by America’s Test Kitchen

©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The Oakland County road commission will decide on Monday whether to build a new $45 million administration building after months of delays and pressure from the county commission — or to renovate a 58-year-old building on the county’s campus for $55 million.

Last week, commissioners Eric McPherson and Jim Esshaki learned what it would take to renovate the county’s executive building and whether it could house Beverly Hills-based road commission employees close to those on the county campus in Waterford Township.

Architect Jane Graham of the engineering firm Hubbell Roth & Clark told commissioners that a renovation would neither accomplish goals of housing all staff in one place. She toured the building and was able to get some plans from previous renovations for her recommendations.

She said the 58-year-old executive building was last renovated in 2006 and was evaluated in 2022 by a county contractor.

While much of the executive building is in very nice condition, she said, its electrical and mechanical systems are old. Some wiring is nearly 60 years old while heating and cooling systems are close to 20 years old.

Contractors did “a heck of a job” replacing executive building equipment in 2006, she said, “but these things will wear out over time.”

The biggest obstacle to renovating the executive building are the elevators, which cannot be used to move large-format printers needed by the road commission.

Renovating the executive building at 2100 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford Township also won’t accomplish the road commission’s goals for increased space or to bring employees together in one place, she said.

The cost to renovate would be close to $55 million, she said, more than the cost for a new building.

And dropping the existing plan for a new building would incur substantial costs as well, she said, adding to the price tag for renovating the executive building.

Graham’s report shows the road commission has already spent more than $3.5 million for engineering, site preparation and other work at 2420 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford Township. There is also nearly $4.3 million more in expenses that have not yet been billed, and $2 million for a four-month construction delay.

The road commission could also be on the hook for millions more, should the contractor, Frank Rewold & Sons, or subcontractors sue for breach of contract.

McPherson and Esshaki asked few questions before agreeing to schedule a special meeting to decide which option to pursue before the deadline for a second delay expires on the same day.

Construction for the new building was put on hold in February at the request of County Commission Chairman Dave Woodward. He asked road commissioners to consider renovating the executive building because it will be vacant in two years when county officials move to Pontiac.

Woodward suggested then that the executive building could also be used by county sheriff’s deputies, dispatchers and homeland security as an emergency response center.

Sheriff Michael Bouchard said past discussions fizzled about renovating an existing building or constructing a new one so dispatchers, deputies, the road commission’s traffic center and the county’s homeland security could share offices.

“Our current dispatch center and emergency operations center don’t meet any federal guidelines,” he said. “Quite frankly, they’re in a terrible building. It was built in the 1940s and has been retrofitted so many times you can’t count and literally has rats the size of small dogs.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency sets standards for emergency operations centers. https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/frameworks/response

He said road commission officials were open to creating a shared space, but FEMA’s standards are very expensive to meet.

“It doesn’t make sense, in my opinion, for three different county entities to each build their own. So I offered to have (an emergency operations center) for all three together. The technology we have is state-of-the-art but the building it’s in is not and it doesn’t meet any standards for an emergency operations center,” Bouchard said, adding that the current location wouldn’t survive a major disaster, something that is essential for deputies, dispatchers and homeland security officials during a crisis.

EOB Assessment

A proper emergency center, Bouchard said, could withstand any extreme weather, including a tornado, so personnel can coordinate disaster response efforts throughout the county.

No part of the county’s executive building, including the basement meets disaster-resistant standards, Bouchard said,

Bouchard said he didn’t think plans for either the road commission’s proposed administration building or the water resources commission’s proposed $63 building met FEMA standards.

“I would love to talk to anyone about co-locating and sharing the costs and planning,” he said.

The road commission’s new building plan doesn’t include a FEMA-level emergency operations space, according to spokesman Craig Bryson.

The road commission’s special meeting is 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 23, at 31001 Lahser Road in Beverly Hills.

People who can’t attend in person but want to listen to the discussion can call (810) 337-8118 and use the meeting ID: 618 693 917#. People with hearing or speech disabilities who want to join the meeting should call 711. Road commission officials as attendees who wish to speak during public comment to fill out an online form at http://rcocweb.org/AgendaCenter.

By TERRY TANG

Chef Phila Lorn was not necessarily aiming for “quote-unquote authentic” Cambodian food when he opened Mawn in his native Philadelphia two years ago. So when he approached some Cambodian teen patrons, he braced himself for questioning.

“Someone’s going to say something like, ‘That’s not how my mom makes her oxtail soup,’” Lorn said. “So I walk up to the table. I’m like, ‘How is everything?’ And the kid looks up to me and he goes, ‘It doesn’t even matter, dude. So glad you’re here.’”

It was at that moment that Lorn realized Mawn — the phonetic spelling of the Khmer word for “chicken” — was more than a noodle shop. It meant representation.

In June, he will be representing his dual cultures — Cambodian and Philly — at his first James Beard Awards, as a nominee for Best Emerging Chef. In the food world, it’s akin to getting nominated for the Academy Awards.

Cambodian restaurants may not be as commonplace in the U.S. as Chinese takeout or sushi spots. And Cambodian food is often lazily lumped in with the food of its Southeast Asian neighbors, despite its own distinctness. But in recent years, enterprising Cambodian American chefs have come into their own, introducing traditional dishes or putting their own twist on them.

Many of them were raised in families who fled the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror, which began 50 years ago and killed about 1.7 million people. Since then, the Cambodian community in the U.S. has grown and set down roots.

Through food, these chefs are putting the attention back on Cambodian heritage and culture, rather than that traumatic history.

Dr. Leakhena Nou, a sociology professor at California State University, Long Beach who has studied social anxiety among post-Khmer Rouge generations, says the Cambodian diaspora is often seen by others too narrowly through the lens of victimhood. In 2022, she publicly opposed California legislation that focused only on genocide for a K-12 curriculum on Cambodian culture.

“It’s a part of their history so they shouldn’t run away from it but at the same time they should force others to understand that that’s not the only part of their heritage, their historical identity,” she said.

What is Cambodian cuisine?

Cambodian food has sometimes been hastily labeled as a mild mix of Thai and Vietnamese with some Chinese and Indian influence. But, it has its own native spices and flavors that have been used throughout Southeast Asia. Khmer food emphasizes seafood and meats, vegetables, noodles, rice and fermentation. Salty and sour are prevalent tastes, Nou says.

“It’s actually a very healthy diet for the most part in terms of fresh vegetables. Cambodians love to eat fresh vegetables dipped with some sauce,” Nou said.

Signature dishes include amok, a fish curry; lok lak, stir-fried marinated beef; and samlar koko, a soup made using seasonal produce. Nou recalls her father making it with pork bone broth, fish, fresh coconut milk, lemongrass, vegetables and even wildflowers.

Cambodian migration to the U.S.

It was a half-century ago, on April 15, 1975, that the communist Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia. For the next four years, an estimated one-quarter of the population was wiped out due to starvation, execution and illness.

Refugees came in waves to the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s. Most took on low-level entry jobs with few language barriers, Nou said. These included manufacturing, meatpacking and agricultural labor. Many worked in Chinese restaurants and doughnut shops.

The U.S. Cambodian population has jumped 50% in the last 20 years to an estimated 360,000 people, according to the Census 2023 American Community Survey.

Cooking Cambodian American

Lorn’s family settled in Philadelphia in 1985. The only child born in the U.S., he was named after the city (but pronounced pee-LAH’). Like a lot of Asian American kids, Lorn was “the smelly kid” teased for not-American food in his lunch. But, he said, defending his lunchbox made him stronger. And he got the last laugh.

“It’s cool now to be 38 and have that same lunchbox (food) but on plates and we’re selling it for $50 a plate,” said Lorn, who opened Mawn with wife Rachel after they both had worked at other restaurants.

Indeed, besides popular noodle soups, Mawn has plates like the $60 steak and prohok, a 20-ounce ribeye with Cambodian chimichurri. Prohok is Cambodian fermented fish paste. Lorn’s version has lime juice, kulantro, Thai eggplants and roasted mudfish.

It sounds unappetizing, Lorn admits, “but everyone who takes a piece of rare steak, dips and eats it is just like, ‘OK, so let me know more about this food.’”

May, which is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and when Cambodia conducts a Day of Remembrance, is also when Long Beach has Cambodian Restaurant Week. The city is home to the largest concentration of Cambodians outside of Cambodia.

Chad Phuong, operator of Battambong BBQ pop-up, was a participant.

Phuong came to Long Beach as a child after fleeing the Khmer Rouge, which murdered his father. After high school, he worked at a Texas slaughterhouse and learned about cutting meats and barbecue. In 2020, he pivoted from working in the medical field to grilling.

Known as “Cambodian Cowboy,” he has been profiled locally and nationally for brisket, ribs and other meats using a dry rub with Cambodian Kampot pepper, “one of the most expensive black peppers in the world.” There’s also sausage with fermented rice and sides like coconut corn.

The pitmaster recently started mentoring younger vendors. Contributing to the community feels like building a legacy.

“It just gives me a lot of courage to present my food,” Phuong said. “We don’t need to talk about the past or the trauma. Yes, it happened, but we’re moving on. We want something better.”

More Cambodian-run establishments have flourished. In 2023, Lowell, Massachusetts, mayor Sokhary Chau, the country’s first Cambodian American mayor, awarded a citation to Red Rose restaurant for being a Beard semifinalist. This year, Koffeteria bakery in Houston, Sophon restaurant in Seattle and chef Nite Yun of San Francisco’s Lunette Cambodia earned semifinalist nods.

Lorn, an admirer of San Francisco’s Yun, says he still feels imposter syndrome.

“I feel like I’m more Ray Liotta than Nite Yun,” said Lorn. “Whether we win or not, to me, honestly, I won already.”

Meanwhile, he is preparing to open a Southeast Asian oyster bar called Sao. It’s not intended to be Cambodian, just a reflection of him.

“I don’t want to be pigeonholed,” Lorn said. “And it’s not me turning from my people. It’s just me keeping it real for my people.”

Ditalini, that petite tube-shaped pasta (sometimes referred to as “macaroni salad pasta”), is a welcome addition to simple soups. I like to team it with peas, onion, and celery. Diced pancetta comes to the party too, adding an appealing meaty flavor profile with a hint of sweetness. Fresh mint and parsley, added just before serving, add a delightful brightness to the mix.

Pasta and Pea Soup

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

4 ounces diced pancetta

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups ditalini

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for passing at the table

Optional: Hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot sauce, to taste; see cook’s notes

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons minced fresh mint

Cook’s notes: I like to add a few drops of Frank’s RedHot sauce to the mix. It provides both needed acidity and subtle heat. Add a few drops and taste the broth. Add more if needed.

DIRECTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, pancetta, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and pancetta is just starting to very slightly brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Add broth and water and bring to a boil on high heat. Add pasta, stir, and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente (tender but with a little bite), about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in peas (you don’t have to thaw them). Stir in cheese. Remove from heat.  If using, stir in hot sauce such as Frank’s RedHot. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper if needed. Stir in parsley and mint.

3. Ladle into bowls and provide more cheese at the table for optional garnishing.

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.

Sometimes it’s very simple combinations of ingredients that wow the palate; a bowl of perfectly seasoned olives teamed with sliced salami; wedges of crisp sweet-tart apple paired with aged white cheddar; blanched greens sautéed with pancetta, garlic and red chili flakes. Or, a stunning “carpaccio” made with raw paper-thin zucchini slices, buttery extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and toasted pine nuts. It’s a classic concoction with roots in the south of France.

The components, because there are so few, need to be perfect. The extra-virgin olive oil plays a crucial role; it needs to be aromatic and buttery, almost sweet. The zucchini needs to be thinly sliced, a mandoline is handy for this.

Zucchini Carpaccio

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 pound medium zucchini (diameter about the size of a quarter)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts; see cook’s notes

Cook’s notes: To toast pine nuts, place in small dry skillet on medium heat. Shake handle frequently to redistribute pine nuts, cooking until lightly browned. Watch carefully because they burn easily. Cool completely before use.

DIRECTIONS

1. Trim zucchini ends. Cut into paper-thin slices using a mandolin or vegetable peeler. Arrange the zucchini slices, slightly overlapping, on a large, flat platter. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. In a small bowl whisk the olive oil and lemon juice. Just before serving, whisk the olive oil dressing briefly to blend it, drizzle it over the zucchini, season with salt and pepper, scatter the cheese and the pine nuts on top, and serve.

Source: Pascal Lorange, former executive chef at the now shuttered Fig & Olive restaurant in Newport Beach

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.