Senior food editor Bret Thorn tracks the latest chefs on the move

Local, seasonal produce is one of the hottest trends going, and chain restaurants are making use of what nature has to offer to get their customers’ attention.


Chain moderates earnings growth expectations on margin pressures

Kale salad with Caeser dressing and pear

Restaurateurs are finding ways to keep up with the demand for gluten-free regimens

Chefs make salmon stand out on seasonal menus

Now that commodities are front and center in the national spotlight, the finger pointers, conspiracy theorists and self-serving politicians have arisen as if drawn out by a full moon. Unfortunately, what many of them are spouting is sheer lunacy. Here are the three biggest “real” drivers of commodity prices.


Shrimp is popular with customers, who enjoy the taste, and chefs, who enjoy the price and versatility.

Cathal Armstrong prepares Celtic dinner for archaeological group

From Ciano in New York City

When gasoline prices began a nearly month-long rally in February, rising for 20 straight trading days and surpassing $4 per gallon in many markets, a sense of “here we go again” settled over consumers and operators who recalled 2008, a year dominated by a deep recession and sky-high fuel prices that took their toll on restaurant traffic and spending.
 But that was then and this is now, and experts say that both consumer attitudes and the environment are likely to make this time around slightly different — although no less painful.