NOTE:  This show is a rebroadcast from March 23, 2011.

GREAT TASTE gets a bit scientific this week as we explore the role food plays in feeding the brain.  It seems funny that little attention is paid to this particularly important part of the physiology in the course of general food discussions.  We're always talking about how a particular food affects the functioning of other organs or usually conversing about the sensory titillations we experience when eating.  But, our brain serves as the central hub for everything that happens to us processing information through as many as 1 quadrillion synaptic connections.

Enthusiastic and adventurous cook and eater, Keith Dixon, had to make some changes in his kitchen habits after the birth of daughter, Gracie.  Keith's culinary and parenting odyssey is chronicled in Cooking for Gracie:  The Making of a Parent from Scratch.  There are plenty of trying and triumphant moments in this memoir of the evolution of a couple from when Gracie makes her first appearance five weeks premature to the end of her first year, plus scattered throughout Keith shares recipes, including the one found at the end of this blog post. We'll talk with Keith, a New York Times writer and novelist, about some of the memories that he chronicles in the book.  Also, we'll find out how life (and cooking) have changed since the addition of another child.

Molly Aronica, Restaurant Editor for The Daily Meal joins us in the second half of the show.  Molly and the staff of the popular internet site have their pulse on the food world.  I'm very excited to announce that she has agreed to do a regular monthly stint on Great Taste, and bring our listeners the top culinary news and trends from around the globe.  Check out the following links for some of the stories we're going to feature on the show:

http://www.thedailymeal.com/50-most-powerful-food-folk-america
http://www.thedailymeal.com/decade-super-bowl-food-bets
http://www.thedailymeal.com/americas-best-wings
http://www.thedailymeal.com/super-bowl-xlvi-50-reasons-eat-drink-party
http://www.thedailymeal.com/diy-chicken-wings

Resident chef Liz Peralta will add her kitchen sense to all the conversations.  Also, Curt Goudy, one of the Indian Hills culinary students, will introduce a new KRUU program called Quick Bites.  Whew, I think that's about it.  Drop on by or drop into the show via the web on our live stream beginning at 7:00 pm central time. 

You can catch all the excitement from previous Great Taste shows by checking out  the KRUU archives.  Each show is available to listen to or download.  Be sure to share them with your friends, and have some fun kitchen adventures.

After a two-week road adventure, the Great Taste crew is back in the studio with a live show this week.  This Wednesday it's the monthly Indian Hills Culinary student invasion, plus the director of the IHCC program, Chef Gordon Rader, is bringing a very special guest.   Get ready for dessert whipped up in the studio by Chef Julian Arranz of award-winning father and son pastry team extraordinaire Raul and Julian Arranz from Valladolid, Spain.  Julian is at Indian Hills for a month working with the students as part of a culinary educational exchnange.  In addition, he has been meeting with area high school students, and conducting classes at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMAC). You can take a look at Chef Julian’s work on his website using the following link.

Local chefs, Liz and Helen Perralta, are also planning to stop by.  I've received a tip that Helen is making tiramisu.  It's definitely going to be a sweet evening.

NOTE:  This show is a rebroadcast from Feb. 23, 2011.

Want to get to know what drives a person to create the same thing over and over again until she's got it right?  Tune it to this week's Great Taste and listen to Christine Goodale.  This woman is a powerhouse plus an excellent cook.  Sure, she's got good genes coming from France, but it took perseverance to actually make the creations, you see as images on this post taste amazing.

NOTE:  This show is a rebroadcast from Dec. 29, 2010.

This week's show comes with a homework assignment.  Please read "Foodie Fatigue" by Christopher Borrelli prior to the show and be prepared to both laugh and do some head scratching.  The article appeared in the December 27 online edition of the Chicago Tribune and was forwarded to me by Great Taste listener Tom Kroupa.

Borrelli, who characterizes himself as "part of the problem," will spend some time on the phone with us from Chicago discussing his take on the frenzy surrounding many aspects of current food culture. 

"Kombucha flavored soda alternatives pose threat to Coca-Cola and Pepsi."  Well, I think this story is only in an early phase of development, but if you sometimes have a craving for a bubbly beverage that goes well with popcorn, look no further than Shaktea Kombucha.  For the most part, I have my soda (or pop depending on where you grew up) attachment licked, but I have to admit that last year I went on a Mexican Coke binge for several weeks.  A number of pounds later (that exact number will remain confidential), and well-caffeinated, I broke off the relationship. Now, with Shaktea in my life I have no need to rekindle it.

It might even be good for you?  That's way crazy.  All I know is kombucha is a fermented tea with roots in Russia, China, and Japan.  The local product is a delicious drink that comes in five flavors, has USDA Organic Certification, and contains naturally occurring pro-biotic enzymes.  The rest of the story we'll leave to the Dowd family, local brewers, who have refined their process over a 10-year period.  Deb (Mom), Jack and Meghan (brother and sister) will share the story of how their micro Kombucha brewery began and has evolved.

The last Great Taste show of the year provides a look back at 2011 from two very different perspectives.  First, we'll speak with Danielle Nierenberg, director of the Nourishing the Planet project.  Nierenberg is a well-known expert on sustainability and livestock.  The project she oversees, "...assesses the state of agricultural innovations—from cropping methods to irrigation technology to agricultural policy—with an emphasis on sustainability, diversity, and ecosystem health, as well as productivity. The project aims to both inform global efforts to eradicate hunger and raise the profile of these efforts. The project also considers the institutional infrastructure needed by each of the approaches analyzed, suggesting what sort of companion investments are likely to determine success—from local seed banks to processing facilities, from pro-poor value chains to marketing bureaus."

The second half of the hour, our guest is Molly Aronica, restaurant editor for The Daily Meal, one of the best food blogs on the net.  Molly will talk with us about the food trends of 2011, predictions for the 2012 trends, share some insights on important kitchen tools to make your holiday meal preparations easier, and much more.

Sorry for the late notice, but we are cooking LIVE in the studio TONIGHT!

Terrific show on tap with the Indian Hills Culinary students.  Chef Gordon Rader announces a new $1.3 million grant that will be used to expand Ottumwa's Farmers Market and much, much more.  We're making latkes, Mexican hot chocolate, and there will be some cookies and more. 

Don't miss out.  Tune in at www.kruufm.com at 7:00 PM CT or for Friday's replay at 7:00 AM CT.  Come by if you are in the neighborhood and share in the holiday fun.

Happy Holidays to All!

Opening a restaurant at any time is an expensive proposition.  When money is in tight supply as in today's marketplace, it becomes even more of a challenge.  In a November 8 article, "To Raise Cash, Restaurants Turn to the Crowd," New York Times writer, Glenn Collins , reported on a number of creative ways restaurateurs are finding funds while avoiding the common path of taking on big investors.  The popular web funding platform, Kickstarter, is one avenue, relatives might respond to a plea to make a dream happen, and other community-based approaches that include loans and memberships have been tried or are in the works. 

Make certain you are delirious with hunger this week when tuning into Great Taste.  Wait a minute!  That's not what I meant.  Please eat before listening (unless you have the good fortune to live close to the studio and can stop by)!  The most delicious 60 minutes on radio will tantalize your taste buds with creations from local culinary artist, Avi Pogel.  Avi, who has an abiding passion for chestnuts, will use those little winter treats as part of a cream sauce to go along with his brussels sprouts (I can't believe that I have spent my entire life not knowing that the vegetable is brussels sprouts, not brussel sprouts until this moment (Thank you, Avi).  Listen up, especially everyone in colder climates, as Avi will deliver a primer on winter vegetables and root cellars as part of our discussion.