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In 1993, Tariq opened his own family-operated pastry and catering shop, The Northville Gourmet, at the age of 24. The Northville Gourmet was a labor of love, exploring all facets of cooking and baking he learned from not only his extensive work background, but also from his mother. In the second year of business, Tariq was awarded “Best Bakery” and “Best Dessert” in Detroit by Metro Times readers.

After six years of successful self-employment, Tariq was offered the opportunity of a lifetime as the first casino pastry chef in Detroit. In December 1999, MotorCity Casino opened in Detroit to rave reviews for its foodservice. This gave Tariq the chance to truly develop his distinct style and approach to what by now was his obsession. It was here that Tariq immersed himself in all things pastry, from taking and teaching classes to performing in competitions on a local and national level, by now getting national attention.

During his tenure at MotorCity, Tariq participated in several cooking competitions on the Food Network including the National Bread and Pastry Championship, Chocolate Fantasy Competition, and Gingerbread Mansions Competition. In 2004, he was the first ever Central Region Pastry Chef of the Year and Runner-up National Pastry Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation.

After seven years at MotorCity Casino, Tariq joined forces with New Orleans native restaurateur and entrepreneur Joel Dondis. Sucré was a vision of Joel’s for three years and as it came to life both Tariq and Joel began work to make the dream a reality. Sucré is a pastry experience unlike any the city has ever seen. As this great city goes through a modern day renaissance, Sucré hopes to pave the way for a new style of great Louisiana desserts.

Fab Food Spotlight: Tariq Hanna Executive Pastry Chef - Report by John Matinez

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6 Reasons You Should Learn to Grow Your Own Food This Year

Garden for Your Life: Five Exciting Reasons—and One Downright Scary One—You Should Learn to Grow Food This Year

Spring has sprung, and Earth Day is almost upon us. And if you’re looking for a good way to “go green” this year, contemporary issues writer Ellen LaConte has a suggestion. Don’t stop at planting a tree, attending a rally, or giving to your favorite conservation fund. Instead, make 2011 the year you move beyond symbolic gestures and engage with the Earth in the most primal, profound, and productive way possible: by learning to grow your own food.

“It’s interesting to me that people work so hard to acquire the skills we need to make a living, yet most of us neglect the most basic, essential, and valuable skill of all: the ability to feed ourselves,” says LaConte, author of Life Rules: Why so much is going wrong everywhere at once and how Life teaches us to fix it (Green Horizon, 2010, ISBN: 978-1-4502-5918-7, $21.95, www.ellenlaconte.com). “We depend almost totally on other people to provide the nourishment that keeps us alive.

“When you ponder the implications—especially in an economy that seems to be hanging on by a thread—you can see it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” she adds. “For this reason and many others, I’d love to see more people commemorate Earth Day by vowing to experience firsthand the miracle of growing food.”

Plenty of people dabble in gardening, of course. A survey by the Garden Writers Association revealed that 38 percent of Americans grew some of their own vegetables in 2009, a number that reflected a growing percentage of under-40s, many of whom dragged or coaxed their kids to get down and dirty, too. And apparently something like 37 percent of food gardeners aim to expand their gardens this year. NOTE TO EDITOR: See attached tipsheet, “Getting Started in the Garden.”

While these aren’t bad numbers, LaConte would rather see that 38 percent reverse itself into 83 percent. Growing your own food, she insists, brings with it a huge variety of benefits. Even if you discount the ever-more-plausible specter of economic collapse (more on this later), it’s hard to deny the gifts that gardening brings to your life:

1.It’s a source of fresh, delicious, wholesome food. Guess what most people list as their first and primary reason for growing some of their own food? That’s right: the food itself. Fresher, healthier, tastier—especially if it’s grown organically, without toxic chemicals—homegrown food is just closer to what food is supposed to be about. It doesn’t just keep you alive; it makes life worth living. And it keeps your body as happy as your taste buds.

“What’s especially pleasing is that so many young people still have a taste for fresh and homegrown, for live and soil-born, hand-harvested and heirloom. Contrary to what modern taste mavens have written, the young haven’t all gone over to the artificial strawberry-flavored column.”

2. It helps us get mo’ satisfaction. Seventy-one percent of young people, and at least that many older vegetable gardeners, spend hours on their hands and knees in proximity to earthworms and ants because they get some kind of satisfaction out of it. Part of that satisfaction is doubtless chalked up to tasty food and bragging rights. But a large part of it is owed, LaConte says, to the “ancient, unshakeable, bred-in-the-bone sense of competence and self-reliance that comes from providing for yourself and your loved ones and friends something that you and they absolutely need.

“These are feelings most Americans have lost since they’ve come to depend on ‘the economy’ to supply them with food,” she adds. “They are bone-deep feelings we share not just with those hearty, self-reliant colonial Americans we’re so proud to trace ourselves back to but also with the first humans that figured out that maybe if they left those apple seeds where they lay, maybe scuffed a little dirt over them or scattered a handful of those self-sown wheat seeds where the light and soil were better, why, darn, miracles would happen over which they had some control.” On-demand food, 10,000 B.C.-style.

3.We’re up for downtime, and digging in the dirt supplies it in (pun alert!) spades. Gardening’s hard work. It takes concentration and focus. But for most Americans, the break from artificial lighting and air, plastic plants, a chair that may or may not be ergonomic, multitasking, 24/7/365 exposure to interruption, and other demands is more like a vacation than work. Sixty percent of the young vegetable gardeners in the Garden Writers Association survey said that’s why they gardened: It relaxed them.

“When you’re in the garden, you’re working on plant and wind and sun and rain time, not clock time,” notes LaConte. “If you let yourself be fully present to what the garden needs from you, you’re automatically attuned to Life’s more leisurely time frames, not the customary frenetic human ones.”

4.It’s a spiritual thing. The original sacred texts of most of the great spiritual traditions begin in or refer to some sort of garden. Most of the world’s spiritual teachers have taught us how we should live in the world and with each other by using gardening metaphors and parables. So is it any wonder that for many, the garden, even one created in pots huddled on a patio on the fifteenth floor above an urban street, triggers a spontaneous, instinctive connection with that larger Life within which we have our lives and that ineffable Source of all that is, which makes new life arise out of something as unprepossessing as a seed?

“Gardening makes us partners in the ongoing Creation,” notes LaConte. “Like other forms of what feels like playing and praying at the same time, gardening is something that can be done alone. Its depths and pleasures are, however, amplified greatly by being shared. “Where I live in the Bible-belt south,” she adds, laughing, “it would be safe to say ‘the family that breaks clay together, stays together.”

5.It keeps us fit and healthy. Bend and stretch, bend and stretch. No doubt about it, gardening is one of the best ways to get and stay fit even before it offers up bounties of food that, if we eat them instead of what we pick up on the way home or have in a box in the cupboard or bag in the freezer, amplify fitness. Whole muscle groups you didn’t know you had get worked out at least seasonally in the process of digging, turning, hoeing, raking, sowing, weeding.

“Infamous twentieth century homesteader, vegetarian, and gardener Helen Nearing liked to say ‘gardening is an adult sport.’” points out LaConte. “It’s also an aerobic and isotonic one. And, since she didn’t have children, she couldn’t have known that they take to gardening like doctors to golf courses, too.”

6.And last—but certainly not least!—it might someday save your life. Here, without a doubt, is the most compelling reason of all to get proficient at growing your own food. As LaConte explains in Life Rules, the entire global economy is too big not to fail. Dwindling resources, climate instability, skyrocketing prices, and other red flags point to a future in which the cheap, abundant, and readily available food we currently enjoy may no longer be there for us. NOTE TO EDITOR: See attached sidebar.

“As hard as it is for most Americans to imagine, there may come a day when grocery store shelves are bare,” says LaConte. “If and when that day comes, the ability to grow your own food will no longer be a hobby but a survival skill.”

Even if the worst doesn’t happen (and LaConte says she fervently hopes we’ll get on top of our converging problems so that it doesn’t), a society that’s not disconnected from its food production is a healthier one in general. And when you consider how easy it really is to grow fruits and veggies—in backyards, on vacant lots, in community gardens, and in patio pots—there’s certainly no reason not to.

Gardening well takes skill, but, LaConte reminds us, “seeds, soil, earthworms, more billions of soil microbes than you can count (if you don’t kill ’em with inorganic chemicals), rain, and sun do most of the work. The food is built into the seed and is called out of the seed by the other five. To take charge of our food supply again, we just need 83 instead of 38 percent of Americans to bring seeds into contact with them, love ’em a little, and wait.”

About the Author:

A memoirist, magazine and book editor, and freelance writer, Ellen LaConte has been published in numerous magazines and trade journals on subjects ranging from organic gardening and alternative technologies to the evolution of consciousness, democracy theory, and complex systems. After three decades of homesteading in Connecticut and Maine, she gardens now on a half-acre in the Yadkin River watershed of the Piedmont bioregion of North Carolina.

About the Book:

Life Rules: Why so much is going wrong everywhere at once and how Life teaches us to fix it

(Green Horizon, 2010, ISBN: 978-1-4502-5918-7, $21.95, www.ellenlaconte.com) is available from major online booksellers and can be ordered by bookstores nationwide.

Spoonful of Comfort, A Wonderful Gift For Mother’s Day

Wine Spotlight On Hall Wines

For those opting to give their mom something thoughtful this Mother’s Day, HALL Wines (www.hallwines.com), premier 21st century vineyard and winery, is an ideal way to express love and appreciation.

For the Mom who enjoys deep conversation: Consider the 2007 HALL “Kathryn Hall” Cabernet Sauvignon, also the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon of the collection. The HALL “Kathryn Hall” Cabernet Sauvignon features heady aromatics of black spice, blackberry and freshly turned earth, which give rise to a bursting palate of dark plum, briar fruit, leather and smoke. The 2007 HALL “Kathryn Hall” Cabernet Sauvignon is undeniably complex and enticing, and is sure to catalyze a thoughtful conversation over dinner. ($80 per bottle)

·∙For the Mom who has everything: The HALL Wine Club Membership is more than just premier access to HALL Wines’ newest and rarest releases, but also an ongoing relationship with HALL Wines through valuable insight, unforgettable events, and the ultimate in exclusivity. The Gift of Membership is presented with a gift card accompanied by a HALL Wine Club Guide, the winery-exclusive 2005 HALL “Bergfeld” Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 HALL “T Bar T” Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, HALL Wines Cellar Book, and a shipment calendar featuring the hand-crafted wines mom can look forward to in the year ahead. ($399 per case)

Clean Start: Inspiring You to Eat Clean and Live Well with 100 New Clean Food Recipes

Terry Walters' first book, CLEAN FOOD, caused a sensation and fueled a nationwide movement about nourishment and clean food that's been embraced all the way to the White House. Cooks, foodies, and anyone in search of a healthy and sustainable approach to eating and living well embraced her philosophy: eat minimally processed foods for maximum nutrition. CLEAN FOOD taught us the benefits of eating locally grown, seasonal, and fresh. And now, CLEAN START makes it even easier for everyone-from the kitchen novice to the seasoned chef-to eat clean. CLEAN START features 100 exciting new recipes for the foods we all need more of, featuring Terry's signature quick, easy, and delicious preparations. CLEAN START inspires you to take the next step…no matter where you're starting.

At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka

For all who love the magical flavors of good Indian cooking and want to reproduce effortlessly some of the delectable dishes from that part of the world, here is a groundbreaking book from the incomparable Madhur Jaffrey that makes it possible. By deconstructing age-old techniques and reducing the number of steps in a recipe, as well as helping us to understand the nature of each spice and seasoning, she enables us to make seemingly exotic Indian dishes part of our everyday cooking.

In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite: 150 Recipes and Stories about the Food You Love

In addition, Clark writes with Laurie Colwin– esque warmth and humor about the relationship that we have with our favorite foods, about the satisfaction of cooking a meal where everyone wants seconds, and about the pleasures of eating. From stories of trips to France with her parents, growing up (where she and her sister were required to sit on unwieldy tuna Nicoise sandwiches to make them more manageable), to bribing a fellow customer for the last piece of dessert at the farmers’ market, Melissa’ s stories will delight any reader who starts thinking about what’ s for dinner as soon as breakfast is cleared away. This is a cookbook to read, to savor, and most important, to cook delicious, rewarding meals from.

It’s all about Spoonful of Comfort a wonderful company in Florida who focus is on featuring old-fashioned, homemade chicken soup that can be sent your family, friends and co-workers. They use all natural ingredients – chicken stock, chicken, pasta noodles, carrots, celery, onion, parsley, salt and pepper – and no additives or preservatives. With great care, the soup is prepared in small batches to draw out the best flavors – and then jarred up and sent out upon order.

Each 64 ounce jar comes beautifully packaged (pictured) and ready to enjoy just heat and eat! It even comes complete with a beautiful silver ladle.

You can also order fresh rolls and homemade oatmeal cookies to accompany the soup. This get-well gift is so much better than flowers and bound to help your loved ones feel better no matter how far away you are! $32.00 www.spoonfulofcomfort.com

Pasta is one of the staples of the American diet, but it need not taste like a staple. “It is so much more than just grabbing a jar of generic sauce at the store, boiling some water and mixing it all up in a bowl,” said Dave Hirschkop, the namesake of the Dave’s Gourmet (www.davesgourmet.com) line of sauces and veteran pasta and sauce aficionado. “There are subtle secrets in every step of the process, from choosing the sauce, boiling the water, and plating the finished meal that can take an everyday dull meal and turn it into a gourmet dining experience.”

He should know. His sauces have been named tops in the industry by the Sofi Awards two years running, making him a recognized expert in designing the perfect bowl of pasta. His tips include:

Choosing the Pasta -- If you want a great pasta experience, choose a variety of pasta that receives the sauce and spices well. Thinner more delicate shapes should pair with lighter thinner sauces. Pick pasta made from durum wheat and a slightly rougher pasta or shaped pasta holds the sauce better.

Choosing the Sauce -- Good marinara is made primarily from tomatoes, not tomato paste. If your sauce ingredients list paste, water or sugar as the first ingredient, then you need to put the jar down slowly and back away from it. Some sauces make a better base so don’t be afraid to doctor it with meat, cheese, or fresh veggies. Also, to keep your pasta love life interesting, experiment with different flavors of sauce (tomato cream, butternut, wild mushroom, etc.).

Boiling the Pasta - Use plenty of water, add salt to it, and never put dry pasta in the water until it has reached a rolling boil. Stir occasionally and, once the pasta nears the minimum cooking time on the package start tasting it. Take the pasta out when it is al dente or a little firm. The pasta will continue to cook a little after you take it out.

Heating the Sauce – For an even more flavorful pasta dish take the pasta out of the water a few minutes early and let it finish cooking in the sauce.

Plating the Pasta - When you strain the pasta, do not run water over the pasta unless you are making a cold pasta salad. Make sure to strain really well as nobody likes watery pasta. Place a ladle of sauce at the bottom of your serving bowl before dumping the cooked pasta in. Then, ladle generous amounts of sauce into the bowl, and toss the pasta so the sauce is evenly distributed. Then you can add extra sauce to each plate according to your dinner guests’ taste. You might want to garnish each plate with some fresh basil or even parsley. Freshly grated Parmesan or Parmesan Reggiano is a great touch and tasty.

Preparing the Bread - The bread is important, because at the end of the meal, a good textured bread can be used to soak up the excess sauce in the plate. To make the most of the bread, bake it for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees. This will make for toasty nooks and crannies that will capture the sauce in your plate without letting the bread go limp or soggy. Garlic bread can also be a delicious alternative.

“A great pasta meal is all about the details and the creative flair,” Dave added. “If you take care to pay attention to those details and put forth a tiny bit of extra effort, every pasta meal at home can be a gourmet meal you can be proud of.”

About Dave Hirschkop

Dave's Gourmet (www.davesgourmet.com) is the result of Dave owning and managing a small restaurant near the University of Maryland, which taught him a lot about preparing food and satisfying customers. He uses that experience with Dave’s Gourmet, which after 18 years has grown into a maker of more than 70 award-winning gourmet food products. - Press Report by Ginny Grimsley

·∙For the Mom who likes trying new things: The Introduction to HALL Wines six-bottle set offers six different HALL Wine varietals offering the expressive ripe fruit and balanced structure of HALL Wines’ 2006 HALL "T Bar T Ranch" Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 HALL "Bergfeld" St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 HALL "Kathryn Hall" Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 HALL "Darwin" Red Wine, 2006 HALL "Napa River Ranch" Merlot and the 2009 HALL Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. ($325 per case)

For the Mom who loves to entertain: HALL Wines’ 2009 HALL Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect wine to serve to guests at a summer barbeque. The 2009 vintage balances expressively ripe fruit with bright, buoyant acidity possessing assured fruit forwardness, freshness, and focus and can be served in Riedel Vinum Extreme Sauvignon Blanc Glasses for a chic take on summer time entertaining. ($22 per bottle / $65 per glass)

How To Make the Perfect Bowl of Pasta Sauce Expert Reveals Tricks of the Pasta Trade

Sweet Sally’s Bakeshop is a mouthwatering line of made from scratch baked goods that can be sent to moms nationwide for Mother’s Day. Sweet Sally’s offers beautifully packaged gifts moms will love, like the Ritzy Tea Time Scones Trio which contains Double Chocolate Scones, Sour Cherry White Chocolate Scones and Lemon & Currant Scones in a cute round tin. They also offer a variety of tasty spring themed treats like Spritz Spring Flower Cookies, Kahlua Coconut Chocolate Dipped Macaroons, Romantic Raspberry Squares, Big Apple Spring Crackle, and much more. Each package is made it order and comes complete with a personal card. Sweet Sally’s baked goods are made from all natural ingredients and do not use preservatives. They’re even trans-fat free! One bite of theses yummy baked goods are sure to bring mom back to her childhood. www.sweetsallys.com