Welcome to the third installment of Food for Thought. This Friday, I have a handful of great articles for you to read over the weekend. I love a good “best of” list, and there are two! It’s a good day in my opinion when content is centered around coffee and butter. In addition, we’re remembering the life of a California cuisine pioneer, catching up on the recently announced finalists for the 2022 James Beard Awards, and getting French chateau vibes by way of Asheville, NC. See below for links to content I’ve enjoyed this past week. I hope you enjoy it too.

Bon week-end!

Sally Schmitt, a pioneer of California Cuisine and the original owner of The French Laundry, passed away last weekend.
I’ll be the first to admit, I was not familiar with Sally Schmitt. Come to find out she, much like Alice Waters, was one of the original culinary trailblazers in California focusing on fresh, seasonal ingredients and drawing inspiration from France. I love this quote within the article from Sally Schmitt’s daughter:

"She instilled in me a lifelong passion of living every day amongst beauty that you create yourself,” Hoffman said to the paper. “You can go on a trip, you can have a fancy car, but what is most important is the quality of life that you live every day.”

Words to live by.

Fancy Butter Brands, Ranked from Worst to Best
French butter brands claimed the top three spots on this list. Are we surprised? I think not. Coincidentally, I came across this documentary series about six weeks ago that follows Dubai-based food bloggers and chefs on a journey throughout France to learn how French butter is made. In episode 2, the butter factory they visit is Beillevaire (#3 on the best butter brands list). Each episode in this series is about 5 minutes in length, so it’s a quick and fun way to learn about the French way of making butter, take in the beautiful French scenery, and listen to the language.

The Best Coffee Shops In Every State
I love these “best in state” lists from Food and Wine for two reasons. 

1) For the states that I have lived in or visited, I like to see if I have I been to these coffee shops and agree with their selection. As far as Kentucky is concerned, Louisville’s Please and Thank You is most definitely deserving of the accolade. I was a frequent patron of their Clifton/Crescent Hill location since we lived in that neighborhood. If you ever go, do not pass up the chocolate chip cookie. It’s one of the best you’ll ever have.

2) For the places I want to visit, I appreciate recommendations on where can I experience the best coffee shops in each state (according to this publication). I have my eye on Orchard Coffee in Waynesville, North Carolina.

What do you think of this list? Do you agree with the coffee shop pick in your state?

On a similar note, there’s another food list that just came out. The 2022 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Nominees were announced this week! Charlotte is all a buzz as Chef Greg Collier was named a finalist for Best Chef. This makes him the first chef and first Black chef from the Queen City to advance to the second round of these awards. 

And while we’re on the topic of North Carolina, I have it on my bucket list to visit Asheville and the Biltmore House in 2022. This WSJ article has me itching to go. French luxury in the Blue Ridge Mountains? Yes, please!