iCreate Café Draws People To Pottstown With Healthy, Plant-Based Meals

icreatelogojanuaryPottstown, PA – “Vegiterranean” might not be an official word in the dictionary but it’s the word iCreate Café owner Ashraf Khalil uses to describe his dishes that are a combination of vegetarian and Mediterranean food.

The café at 130 King St. may seem like just another building from the outside but once customers walk in, they are greeted with a variety of colors, comfortable couches and plenty of seating. The small café does a lot with a little including also being a computer training center. But in recent years, it’s been the vegetarian fare that keeps people coming back.

Khalil, or Ash as most customers know him, said Mediterranean fare uses a lot of legumes such as chickpeas, fava beans and lentils. As a native of Syria, he grew up on dishes that included more plant-based foods than meat. He said there were very little animal sources in meals, partly because it’s very expensive to buy overseas.

“That’s one of the reasons we love hummus. We grew up eating it back in Syria, not knowing it has all this protein but because it’s cheap and affordable,” he said during a recent cooking demonstration at the café.

Read more:

http://www.pottsmerc.com/lifestyle/20150323/icreate-cafxe9-draws-people-to-pottstown-with-healthy-plant-based-meals

Healthy Kids Day To Be Held At Pottstown YMCA

Saturday, April 25 at 10:00am – 1:00pm
On Saturday, April 25, 2015, the Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA is holding a free community event at 16 Y locations to inspire more kids to keep their minds and bodies active. YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day®, the Y’s national initiative to improve families’ health and well-being, features games, healthy cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts, moon bounces and much more to motivate and teach families how to develop a healthy routine at home.
Pottstown YMCA, 724 N Adams St, Pottstown, Pennsylvania 19464

 
Sponsored by Independence Blue Cross

PA Farm Show Guide: Free Samples, Celebrity Chefs, Tasty Demos

Planning to visit the 2015 PA Farm Show when it kicks off Saturday?

Here’s a quick guide to where you can see the celebrity chefs, snag a free sample and catch a cooking demo.

The PA Farm Show runs Saturday through Jan. 17 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. If you’re looking for food, you’ll want to head to the PA Preferred Culinary Connection stage in the complex’s Main Hall.

According to a news release, samples of each dish will be offered to audience members and Pennsylvania wines may be recommended for pairings.

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/food/index.ssf/2015/01/your_guide_pa_farm_shows_free.html

Free Diabetes Program Comes To Pottstown Library Starting Today

Pottstown, PA – free informational diabetes program will be offered in Pottstown starting today.

The program is for adults diagnosed with diabetes and their families. Participants will attend two-hour classes that include discussions about diabetes, exercise and cooking demonstrations.

The free program called “Dining with Diabetes” will be offered every Friday in October starting with an informational and registration session today. The classes will be taught at the Pottstown Regional Public Library from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The library is located at 500 E. High St.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/lifestyle/20141002/free-diabetes-program-comes-to-pottstown-library-starting-today

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Chef To Sizzle At Roma Ristorante

English: City of Allentown from east side

English: City of Allentown from east side (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While farm-to-table is a notable dining trend, Roma Ristorante is about to introduce TV-to-table fare to the culinary lexicon.  A special dinner hosted by the Allentown restaurant on Jan. 21 will feature a live demonstration by chef Clemenza Caserta, an alumnus of Fox Broadcasting’s popular “Hell’s Kitchen” series.  Caserta, who hails from Staten Island, was among the contestants in this year’s 10th season of the cooking competition that stars fiery-tempered celeb chef Gordon Ramsay — the sole judge of the show.

Eighteen initial contestants, chosen from 200,000 applicants, according to Caserta, are divided between two teams, with one chef eliminated each week.  The final six compete individually and receive a coveted black chef’s jacket.  Caserta withstood the blistering harangues of Ramsay to enter this elite group of finalists, exiting the show in the number four spot.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/restaurants/blog/mc-hells-kitchen-chef-to-sizzle-at-roma-ristorante-20121227,0,2815477.story

Strasburg Chef Out On ‘Hell’s Kitchen’

Logo of the Fox Broadcasting Company

Logo of the Fox Broadcasting Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Barbie has left the kitchen.

Strasburg resident Barbie Marshall made it all the way to the final four on FOX‘s “Hell’s Kitchen,” but the chef was eliminated at the conclusion of Monday night’s broadcast.

In its 10th season, “Hell’s Kitchen” is hosted by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.  Marshall was one of 18 contestants competing for the head chef’s position at the Gordon Ramsay Steak restaurant in Las Vegas’ Paris Hotel.

At the end of Monday’s episode, Ramsay told Marshall, 34, that he considered her improvement to be significant.  He called her a smart woman who should take her experience on the show “and run with it.”

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/722446_Strasburg-chef-out-on–Hell-s-Kitchen-.html#ixzz24sHpOd2Y