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Caribbean, Latin foods on festival menu

From staff and wire reports
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
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Fried plantains, Jamaican jerk, rice and beans, and empanadas are just some of the fare to be served at the 20th annual Caribbean & Latin American Music & Food Festival from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at McKeesport Riverfront Park, Market & Ninth streets, near the Kane Regional Center, McKeesport.

On the menu are ethnic specialties such as Guyanese roti, codfish cakes, ginger beer sodas, pineapple flan and rum cake. The band Grupo Fuego will entertain at 7 p.m.

The event, which features free admission and parking, is sponsored by the Caribbean & Latin American Students Association, The Pittsburgh Foundation, Weisbrod Foundation and the Mon-Yough Riverfront Entertainment & Cultural Council.

Details: (412) 678-1727

African cookbook author to visit Barnes & Noble

Zainabu Kpaka Kallon of Highland Park will be at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 926 Freeport Road, Fox Chapel, from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday to sign her book, "Zainabu's African Cookbook: With Food and Stories," a recollection of recipes and life in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Admission is free.

Details: (412) 781-2321

Restaurant opening to benefit hospital

The Cheesecake Factory will celebrate the grand opening of its first restaurant in Pittsburgh on Aug. 14 with a benefit for UPMC South Side hospital at the eatery's site at SouthSide Works, 415 S. 27th St., South Side.

The event, featuring cocktails, appetizers, a buffet of The Cheesecake Factory's specialties, cheesecake and live music, is from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Tickets are $50 each, with 100 percent of the sales directly supporting the hospital. The deadline for reservations is Aug. 6.

Details: UPMC South Side, (412) 488-5844

Sweetwater Center classes scheduled

Sweetwater Center for the Arts, Old Post Office Building, 200 Broad St., Sewickley, has announced these culinary classes, open to ages 16 and up except where noted:

"Bread Making Simplified," a hands-on demonstration with chef Claudio Masci, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, $25 plus $15 materials fee.

"German Wines: Summer in the Rhineland" with John Eld, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. July 27, $30 plus $23 materials fee. Age 21 and older.

"An Ice Cream Delight: Baked Alaska Pie" with Erika Pertoll, 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 2, $25 plus $15 materials fee.

"A Vegetarian Feast" with Masci, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 3, $25 plus $15 materials fee.

Details: (412) 741-4405, www.sweetwaterartcenter.org

Local company offers low-carb candy

PLB Confections of Pittsburgh has developed Sweet Livin' Low Carb candy, which is available in the candy department of Giant Eagle stores. Flavors are chocolate with almond, chocolate with caramel, chocolate with peanut butter and colorful gummy bears. Each serving has 1 or less net carbohydrates.

Details: (412) 787-8800

Chicken maker seeks best side dish

The world's most popular chicken restaurant chain has announced a nationwide culinary competition. "KFC Search for America's Favorite Side Dish Recipe" will award $5,000 to the winner, who will have an opportunity to have the dish served at his or her local KFC.

The contest, which runs through Dec. 20, will accept original recipes for a side dish as well as a photograph that have not been published elsewhere. Judging will be on originality, how the dishes fit with KFC's existing menu, quality of presentation and appearance.

Consumers can enter online or by mail: KFC Search for America's Favorite Side Dish Recipe Contest, 1900 Colonel Sanders Lane, Louisville, KY 40213.

Details: kfc.com

Public invited to Washington market

The Main Street Farmers Market in Downtown Washington is open from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays through October. More than 15 farmers and producers will offer a wide array of products, all grown or made within 150 miles of the city, including seasonal produce, hearth-baked breads, jams, jellies, syrups, salsas and dips, hydroponic tomatoes, free-range eggs and more than 50 varieties of herbs.

The market sets up in the municipal building parking lot at Main and Wheeling streets. Parking is available on Main Street and in public lots surrounding the market. Volunteers are available to assist customers with carrying purchases to their cars.

Details: (724) 229-7207 or e-mail info@washpa.net

Save perishables during outages

Summer storms already have caused power outages in Western Pennsylvania. The Allegheny County Health Department has this advice on how to preserve perishable foods without refrigeration and how to tell when food is spoiled and should be discarded.

  • Use appliance thermometers in refrigerators and freezers. Safe temperatures are a maximum of 40 degrees for refrigerators and zero degrees for freezers. Most food-borne illnesses are caused by bacteria that multiply rapidly above 40 degrees.

  • Keep freezer doors shut. A full freezer should keep food safe for about two days; a half-full freezer, about one day. Add bags of ice or dry ice to the freezer if the power will be out for an extended time. You can safely refreeze thawed foods that still contain ice crystals or that feel cold to the touch.

  • Refrigerated items should be safe as long as the power is out for no more than four to six hours. Discard any perishable food that has been above 40 degrees for two hours or more as well as any food that has an unusual odor, color or texture. Keep the refrigerator door closed -- every time you open it, cold air escapes and raises the temperature inside.

  • If the power will be out for more than six hours, transfer perishable foods to an insulated cooler filled with ice or frozen gel packs. Keep a thermometer in the cooler to ensure that the temperature does not rise above 40 degrees.

  • Never taste food to determine whether it is safe. Some foods might look and smell fine, but if they've been at room temperature longer than two hours, bacteria that cause food-borne illness can begin to multiply rapidly. Some bacteria produce toxins that are not destroyed by cooking, and they can cause illness.

    Details: (412) 687-ACHD (2343) or www.achd.net


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