Star City Blog / Food

Bread&Cup: Celebrating Three Years of Simple Food and Drink

By Alexis Abel

Since 2007, bread&cup has nurtured Lincoln diners with its simple food and drink. The restaurant celebrates its 3rd anniversary on August 6, and will commemorate the occasion with a week-long celebration and a few tweaks to its nearly perfect formula.

I had the pleasure of joining chef and owner Kevin Shinn on a Saturday Farmer’s Market walk to discuss the evolution of bread&cup and where it will be heading during its third year.

Shinn, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife Karen, wasn’t always a chef.  Before he sang the praises of local food, Shinn was a campus pastor for 15 years. In 2007, he and Karen combined their years of experience in the hospitality industry to open bread&cup. They sought to create an environment that felt like home, a place to inspire conversation.

HowNowGreenCow.org Launches July 26th in Honor of Nebraska Local Foods Awareness Week

Nebraska will celebrate Local Foods Awareness Week July 25th through July 31st, as consumption of local foods:

- reduces our carbon footprint by decreasing the miles our food must travel from farm to plate,

- improves the nutritional value of our diet through freshly picked fruits and vegetables, and

- increases support of our local economy.

In honor of this celebration, the website How Now Green Cow will launch July 26th to educate the residents of Lincoln, Nebraska and surrounding areas on how to use local resources to “live green and save green.”

Declare Your Food Independence This July 4th

50 states. 50 governors. 50 first families celebrating July 4 with locally sourced food – that’s the vision of a grassroots group of individuals passionate about the healthful and economic benefits of local food. For the second year, Kitchen Gardeners International is conducting “Food Independence Day,” a petition asking the nation’s 50 governors and thousands of elected officials to help declare their food independence next month by eating a locally sourced meal on Independence Day.

With support from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) Food and Society Fellows, the goal of the campaign is to educate and encourage consumers to source local and sustainable ingredients for their holiday meals. And, by requesting that their elected officials do the same, locavores are able to show, not just tell, officials why they think policy that supports local food systems is smart, healthy and patriotic.

Review: PJ's Baby Cakes, Lincoln's First Exclusive Cupcake Bakery

By Alexis Abel

Sometimes life gives you lemons. But sometimes, it also gives you cupcakes. That’s what happened when I was assigned to write about PJ’s Baby Cakes, a relative newcomer to Lincoln’s bakery scene.

PJ’s Baby Cakes, Lincoln’s first exclusive cupcake bakery, is the brainchild of owner and baker, Amanda Bragg. PJ’s Baby Cakes are made fresh daily in decadent flavors of Twix, Snickers, German Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Strawberry and Lemon, just to name just a few.

Cupcakes are made to order or can be purchased at the bakery in University Place at 2808 North 48th Street. Bragg also sells her consumable confections every Saturday at the Lincoln Farmer’s Market and every Sunday at Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s indoor farmer’s market.

Amigos Marks 30th Anniversary with Big 30 Sweepstakes

Amigos is proud to announce it is celebrating 30 years in business during the month of June. Founded by Roger and Janice Moore, the first Amigos opened on June 17, 1980 at 5500 O Street in Lincoln. From that day forward, the mission of Amigos has been to serve fresh, quality food in a friendly way. 

From day one, Amigos has offered table delivery services and free salsa bars, while specializing in serving homemade spicy sauce, Ranch dressing, and food prepared with freshly made ingredients. Amigos was one of the first companies in the area to offer tuition reimbursement opportunities to employees. Over the years, Amigos has expanded services by adding a breakfast menu and co-branding with Winchells’ Donuts (2002), Kings Classic (2003), and Kopeli Coffee (2007).

Visit the Lincoln Children's Zoo and Experience the 2010 Got Milk? Tour June 9th

In effort to encourage Americans to drink more milk during everyday eating habits, the Milk Mustache Mobile will be offering a number of on-site activities at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo on Wednesday, June 9th from 2-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.

Take a look at some of the many activities you and your family can partake in:

Featured Business: Ideal Grocery

By Hilary Stohs-Krause

Beefsteak tomatoes from O’Neill.  Prairie Bloom Camembert from Raymond.  Kolaches from Wilbur. Must be Ideal Grocery.

“For the last 30 years, it’s been my place to shop,” said John Baldus of Lincoln. “It’s like an old-style grocery where they get to know you personally. . .It’s not a warehouse.”

Produce clerk David Neely, 65, has been at Ideal for the last 12 years.

“When I first started working here,” he said, “it was like stepping back in time.”

Free Donuts at Super Saver Locations June 4th in Celebration of National Donut Day

Donuts are a big deal at the Super Saver Bakery.  As one of the few remaining supermarkets that still make donuts from scratch, the store takes pride in the quality and variety of donuts and pastries it offers.  That’s why Super Saver is celebrating National Donut Day with a giveaway of 500 fresh glazed donuts at each of its eight stores on Friday, June 4, beginning at 6 a.m.
 
“We’re proud of the fact that we still mix, cut and fry our donuts fresh in the store each day,” said Pat Raybould, president of B&R Stores, Inc.  “Our customers tell us they can taste the quality and flavor difference in our ‘made from scratch’ donuts, so it’s a process we remain committed to even though it involves more work on our part. 

Just in Time for Memorial Day: How to Make Homemade Fried Chicken

By Alexis Abel

My friend Katie is no chicken. In May, she graduated with a masters in English literature. In June, she’ll fly to Turkey to study abroad and in August, she’ll move to Minnesota to begin her Ph.D. program. I’ve known Katie since we edited each others’ stories in an undergraduate class years ago. Though the stories were rife with melodrama, the friendship wasn’t, and Katie and I became fast friends.

So when I invited her over for dinner last week to celebrate her graduation, I offered to cook whatever her heart desired. However, I got a bit, well, chicken, when she asked me to cook fried chicken.

Being no stranger to culinary experiments, I accepted the challenge. I turned to the proper Southern mentors for some inspiration: technical epicure Alton Brown and butter-lovin’ Paula Deen. I also looked to a recipe by Cooks Illustrated. In the end, the technique I used was a combination of several recipes. Plan ahead: the recipe requires several days of non-active prep work, though it could be done in as little as two.

Review: Balee 1, A Vietnamese Sandwich Shop

By Alexis Abel

Take heed, Subway and Jimmy John’s: Lincoln’s latest sandwich shop, Balee 1, makes your stodgy subs seem bland and pedestrian in comparison. Open just a few months, Balee 1 specializes in the Bánh mì sandwich. Bánh mì is a product of French colonialism, a perfect fusion of classic French fare, like pate and baguette, with Vietnamese flavors of cilantro, chile and pickled vegetables.

Bánh mì are sold at other Vietnamese restaurants in Lincoln, but Balee 1 offers several different versions of the sandwich. The menu is continually evolving, with new items appearing just weeks apart on two recent visits. Balee 1 also serves fresh spring rolls with dipping sauce, pork sausage and Vietnamese desserts.