The newest cupcake shop in town isn’t a new shop after all, but rather, a new — second — location. Firefly Cupcakes will open in the former Zillycakes location at  1008 Elmwood Ave., in the Elmwood Village after success at its East Aurora location, which opened in 2010. The shop’s grand opening event will take place on May 15, at 2:00 p.m.

Wendy Egloff, owner of Firefly Cupcakes has been remodeling the space into a sit-down cupcake shop and bakery, with in-house dining areas. The bakery currently makes seven standard flavors — vanilla bean, chocolate explosion, red velvet, the PBC, ‘Nilla birthday, chaulkit birthday and the PUNTcake — and nearly 10 other flavors based on the week. Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published in the February issue of Forever Young

In the winter months, with Western New York’s seasonal produce waning and the farmers’ markets closed, it’s an ideal time to explore our ethnic grocery stores. So become inspired to try new foods, learn about other cultures and inadvertently get to know Buffalo’s diverse food landscape.

So how does one do this? Simply select a jaunt or two and dive in with abandon. In each store, allow yourself to linger, pick up items, read labels and ask questions.

The food we cultivate, seek, cook, eat and love can tell us a great deal. You may learn a little lesson on what’s valued by the culture whose food you’re examining, and you’ll likely find a few familiar tastes or reminiscent names along the way.

Best of all, you can be bold with little risk. Let your instincts pick your parting items.

“There is nothing insular about the food scene here — immigrant or established,” says Erin St. John Kelly, director of development and communications at International Institute of Buffalo. “It’s earnest, it’s authentic, it’s accessible, it’s inclusive and inviting … Food is a warm way into another culture.” Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published in the January 2013 issue of Forever Young

This month sees the debut of a new monthly column in Forever Young: Buffalo by Mouth. Yep, it’s all about food, but with the kind of perspective that can only come from someone with a true passion for local cuisine. Our two columnists, Rachel Fix Dominguez and Nina Barone, are perfectly suited to the task. Rachel has written several unique articles over the years for Forever Young, and is a frequent contributor to Buffalo Spree. Nina also contributes to Spree, and blogs at buffalofoodie.com. This month, Rachel and Nina introduce themselves, and talk a bit about what food means to them.

—Christopher Schobert Read the rest of this entry »

On Monday, April 15, specialty food market Orchard Fresh will celebrate the grand opening of its first location in Western New York, located at 4050 North Buffalo Road in Orchard Park, N.Y. At 18,000 square feet, Orchard Fresh boasts a unique combination of upscale and gourmet foods with a focus on natural and organic, a strong emphasis on the health-conscious consumer, and food items sourced locally and globally. They offer a plethora of gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, not only in the packaged food or produce sections, but in their carry-out offerings as well. Western New York-based Tops Friendly Markets has created and is supporting this store.

On Saturday, April 13, my husband and I attended the preview event for Orchard Fresh. We were welcomed by many of the store’s employees, including a produce manager, Allison, who showed us around each department. As with any new store opening, there was definitely a buzz of excitement and anticipation in the air, but Allison’s descriptive tidbits regarding product offerings really enhanced my experience. It’s always enjoyable to understand more about why certain decisions are made regarding carrying organic produce and sourcing local.

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When searching for cupcakes to make for my friend Marianne’s engagement party, I called upon a memory of one of my favorite cupcakes from Zilly Rosen, from the now-closed, Zillycakes. I naturally gravitated to the delicious almond cupcake the first time I saw it because I love all things almond. Almond croissants. Bostock. Italian almond cookies. Marzipan.

After much research, I grabbed a few recipes I wanted to test and got to work, with a clear front-runner emerging–a recipe from Martha Stewart using orange and marmalade, which featured buttermilk. I am bias toward dessert recipes featuring buttermilk because I think it’s magic. It transforms ordinary ingredients to extraordinary desserts. The result for the party was heavily adapted from Martha’s recipe, with raspberries and jam in place of the orange and marmalade. Since this is a denser cake, I sensed my fluffy mascarpone frosting would be a decadent accompaniment, and indeed, everyone remarked on the frosting’s wonderful consistency. Best of all, the bride and groom-to-be loved them. Here’s the recipe for these scrumptious cupcakes:

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One of my top pantry staples is canned tomatoes. Whatever the time of year, however bare my stock may get, I keep canned tomatoes around. From making traditional Italian tomato sauce to chili, I go through a fair amount of canned tomatoes in a year. Growing up, RedPack was one of the brands my mom used regularly to make tomato sauce. RedPack Tomatoes has been around since the 1940s.

RedPack has a website with plenty of ideas for how to use their canned tomatoes. Click here to search the recipes on their site.

In partnership with RedPack, we’re giving away a prize pack of RedPack Tomato products! Leave a comment here about your favorite way to use canned tomatoes and you’ll be entered to win. You must leave your name and email in order to be contacted following the drawing. Winners will be drawn via a randomizer. Contest entry ends on Tuesday, April 9, at 10:00 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published in Buffalo Spree magazine, September 2012

We know it’s a commitment to pack healthy and fun school lunches, but aren’t the kids worth it? It may be easier than you think to feed them the same fresh and nutritious foods they like to eat at home. One key lies in the box itself. As important as the contents, it provides a basis for what food you can send your child to school with. Opt for a model that keeps food separate and cold, and select one that’s washable (many are dishwasher safe too) so you need not rely on prepackaged foods or purchasing sandwich bags every week. Many new lunchboxes offer hip options to keep fresh food crisp, cold, and safe. Read the rest of this entry »