Delicious Foods, Delightful Stories

This weekend, we're bringing you a timely gem from the Ozy Archives. Take a deep dive into a longform piece that our writers have hand-picked for you based on this week's news.

Nov 06, 2021 TODAY Everything on your plate comes with a story. More likely than not, it’s a complicated tale, refined over generations and the result of hard work by people whose names might sound familiar but whose backstories will drop your jaw to the floor. Today’s Daily Dose explores the shifting stories of food and the innovators who made it happen. Dig in.

THE FUTURE OF FUSION 1 - A Safer Replacement A sugar substitute called Supplant, a name that now seems inevitable, is here. Made of plant waste material, it was invented in Cambridge, England, and funded by Silicon Valley with $24 million in seed money. It is ostensibly better for you than other sugar substitutes and better than sugar by far, the founders say. You can perform your own taste test, but Supplant has already gotten approval from the European Union’s notoriously strict version of the FDA — for use as a sweetener and as a probiotic with tangible health benefits. 2 - Kosher Staples with Emirati Spice Elli Kriel runs the only kosher catering company in Dubai, and she’s pioneering a new fusion cuisine combining kosher and Emirati dishes. Kriel explores the commonalities between the two, opening a new way for kosher-practicing tourists to enjoy the dynamic city, which is welcoming Israelis for the first time after the UAE and Israel signed a treaty last year establishing diplomatic relations. She adds Emirati spice blends or traditional ingredients to her kosher staples. As one happy customer puts it, you can tell that the food is “prepared with love.” Read MORE ON OZY 3 - Breaking Bread in Birmingham New Orleans, Asheville, Nashville and Charleston attract all the foodie attention, but the fusion scene in Birmingham, Alabama, will challenge your preconceptions about Southern food. Chris Hastings, the man credited with the food boom, explains, “Thirty years ago, there was no cultural diversity here. Food was the leader in bringing all these great cultures to bear.” From the Caribbean to Vietnam to Ethiopia to Nepal, your taste buds can go on a world tour even in the heart of the Old South. READ MORE ON OZY 4 - The City of Lights Comes to Charlottesville Jason Becton fell in love with Paris when he spent a semester there during college. Fast-forward nine years when Becton left an advertising job and enrolled in culinary school, where he met his now husband. Together, they brought a bit of France to Virginia, creating a thriving restaurant famous for its flaky pastry and community commitment. Watch Becton on The Carlos Watson Show 5 - ...And Vice Versa While Becton is bringing French baking to Virginia, others are introducing Southern comfort food to Paris. Chef Joe Boley takes special pride in showing French diners that there is more to American cuisine than “Le Big Mac.” Next time you find yourself in Paris, add chicken and waffles to your list of must-try dishes — or better yet, rabbit and waffles. READ MORE ON OZY

LOCAL GOES INTERNATIONAL 1 - Behind the Golden Arches The ubiquitous food chain got its start in San Bernardino, California, as a fast-paced restaurant started by the McDonald brothers. But as the OZY and History Channel podcast The Food That Built America reveals, it was the cunning and enterprising salesman Ray Kroc who took the innovative restaurant and turned it into the global franchise it is today — seizing control from the McDonalds along the way. While Kroc gets the credit, the brothers had started a successful franchise on their own predicated on the assumption that people wanted good, cheap hamburgers, and they wanted them fast. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN NOW 2 - The Colonel’s Wild History KFC is almost as recognizable as McDonald’s, and the history behind the fast-food giant is just as wacky. The real Colonel Sanders became famous for his chicken while running a service station with his mistress (later his second wife) and would one day sell his fried chicken empire for $2 million. Another little-known fact? He has an FBI file due to his fondness for writing to J. Edgar Hoover. Tune into a forthcoming episode of The Food That Built America to learn how the colonel’s mythology is just as enigmatic as the spice blend that KFC uses on its finger-lickin’ chicken. SUBSCRIBE NOW 3 - The Wandering Chef Chef Fatmata Binta is showcasing West African food in a whole new way: on the mat. She hosts 20 to 80 guests for a three-course feast at her signature event — held in the past in Accra, Ghana; Washington, D.C.; Berlin and beyond — complete with music and commentary about her ethnic Fulani culture. Binta’s nomadic restaurant is redefining the dining experience, and its mobility is the key to its success. READ MORE ON OZY

WHY ESPERANZA COMMUNITY FARMS IS A PIONEER OF ‘FOOD JUSTICE’ WATCH NOW