Texas Standard for Dec. 27, 2022: What was on the menu this year

Here’s a hearty serving of some of our favorite food and drink stories from this year.

By Texas StandardDecember 27, 2022 9:00 am,

Got a hankering for some additional fare in between holiday feasts? Here’s a hearty serving of some of our favorite food and drink stories this past year to whet that appetite.

A cookbook as big and varied as Texas

The state is home to a variety of culinary traditions – and debates – and Texas Monthly has chronicled many of them over the past 50 years. Now the magazine has released “The Big Texas Cookbook,” featuring over 100 recipes and essays from contributors past and present. Texas Monthly food editor Courtney Bond and dining critic Pat Sharpe joined the show last month to discuss the tome.

We’re gonna need a bigger boat

Corpus Christi’s Alissa Peña has seen her salsa, inspired by her mother’s recipe, go from holiday potlucks to store shelves across Texas. Now the founder of JalaPeña’s Salsa is seeing her products make their way to the silver screen with a “Salsa Shark” collaboration with Clerks III director Kevin Smith.

What is real, and what is cake?

Natalie Sideserf is an Austin-based cake artist whose concoctions are so hyper-realistic that she has earned her own show on the Food Network, along with appearances on the show “Nailed It.” She also showcases her talents on her YouTube channel, and while some creations some may find disturbing, they certainly are always sweet.

High-end dining may be embracing a green trend

More and more restaurants are offering items on the menu made with marijuana derivatives. But is cannabis cuisine here to stay or just a passing gimmick? Bao Ong, Houston Chronicle restaurant columnist, joined us in September to discuss.

El Paso chef nominated for James Beard Award

For Emiliano Marentes, to be nominated for the “Oscars for chefs and restauranteurs” is itself a big honor. But it also highlights the work he does with his restaurant Elemi, where he carefully crafts Mexican dishes with a respect for the components of the meal that stems from Marentes’ family history as farmworkers.

In celebration of the dive bar

In “Texas Dives: Enduring Neighborhood Bars of the Lone Star State,” author Anthony Head delivers not just a road map of some hidden gems across Texas, but also posits the dive bar as keepers of culture. He joined us in September to talk about the book, a collaboration with photographer Kirk Weddle.

‘Travel taco’ idea holds it all together, including father-daughter bond

What started as her father’s harmless idea for a sealed taco that would prevent contents from spilling out while driving, took off after Kaitlin Ruiz’s tweet about the proposal went viral. The father-daughter duo joined us in April to talk about their new internet celebritydom and how they’re all the more driven to execute the innovation.

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