FoodReference.com Logo

FoodReference.com     (since 1999)

 

HOME   |   Articles   |   Food_Trivia   |   Today_in_Food_History   |   Food_History_Timeline   |   Recipes   |   Cooking_Tips   |   Food_Quotes   |   Who’s_Who   |   Culinary_Schools_&_Tours   |   Trivia_Quizzes   |   Food_Poems   |   Cookbooks   |   Free_Magazines   |   Food_Festivals_&_Events

Chef James

“The duty of a good Cuisinier is to transmit to the next generation everything he has learned and experienced.”
 
Fernand Point, 1941

FEATURED FOR AUGUST

Updated: Over 9,000 Food Festivals

Summer & Picnic Food, Tips & Recipes

Grilling & Barbecue Articles & Recipes

Sports & Tailgating Articles & Recipes

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
 

 


** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

FEATURED RECIPES & TIPS

· Original Frank's Redhot Wings

· Ultimate Party Wings

· More Chicken Wing Recipes

· More Appetizer Recipes·

· French Onion Dip

· Jack's Screaming Red Sauce

· Potato Salad Recipes

· Cole Slaw Recipes

· Chicken Salad Recipes

· Kickoff Kabobs

· Banana Bread Recipes

· Mushroom Appetizer Recipes

· Crunchy Snack Mixes

· Mustard and Mustard Sauces

· Salsa Recipes

· Baked and Stuffed Potato Recipes

· Mac & Cheese Recipes
 

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
 

 


** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

August Food Holidays:

For Details, History and more DAY, WEEK and MONTH Food Holiday designations, including LINKS to Holiday Origins and Additional Information:
SEE Detailed AUGUST Food Calendar

AUGUST is:

• Air Conditioning Appreciation Days
  (July 3 to Aug 15)

• Get Acquainted with Kiwifruit Month

• Grains of the Month: Rye and Triticale

• Maine Lobster Month: Maine Governor Paul LePage issued a proclamation declaring August 'Maine Lobster Month' in July 2012.

• National Catfish Month (1984, President Ronald Reagan)

• National Goat Cheese Month

• National Panini Month

• National Peach Month

• National Sandwich Month

• National Water Quality Month

• Canada: National Blueberry Month
  (July in U.S.)

• UK: National Fishing Month]
(July 25-Aug 30, 2026)

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

DID YOU KNOW?

Melons have no starch reserves to convert to sugar before they ripen,  so they will not get any sweeter after they are picked (their texture will soften though).  The sugar content actually decreases rapidly after they are picked, so they should be left on the vine as long as possible to sweeten.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Sunday, August 23, 2026

Daily Trivia Questions are below

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“Too few people understand a really good sandwich.”
James Beard (1903-1985)
 

FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:

• National Sponge Cake Day (Sponge Cake Recipe)
  (Sponge Cake and Angel Food Cake Facts)

• [Cuban Sandwich Day] was invented in 2016 by a newspaper reporter on the Tampa Bay Times.

• World Kitchen Garden Day (Aug 23, 2026 - 4th Sun in Aug) An opportunity for people around the world to gather in their gardens with friends, family, and members of their local community to celebrate the multiple pleasures and benefits of home-grown, hand-made foods.

• St. Rose of Lima Day, patron of gardeners and florists.

• [World Water Week] (Aug 23-27, 2026 - annual Aug or Sept) World Water Week is organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and takes place in Stockholm, Sweden. It has been the annual focal point for the globe’s water issues since 1991.    (Water Trivia & Facts)
 

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

1617 The first one way streets were established in London.  Seventeen one way streets were created to regulate "disorder and rude behaviour of Carmen, Draymen, and others using Cartes."

1813 Alexander Wilson died.  Scottish naturalist, ornithologist and poet. Founder of American ornithology.

1858 'Ten Nights in a Barroom,' a melodrama about the evils of drink, opened at the National Theater in New York City.

1859 At the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City, the first elevator in an American hotel began operation.

1872 The first Japanese commercial ship to visit the U.S. arrives in San Francisco carrying a cargo of tea.

1902 Fannie Merrit Farmer opened Miss Farmer's School of Cookery in Boston, Massachusetts.  Author of the 'Fannie Farmer Cook Book', she was the the first cookbook author to use standard measurements - teaspoon, tablespoon, cup, etc.
(Fannie Farmer Short Bio)

1933 The film 'Dinner At Eight' premiered at the Astor theatre in New York City.

1955 Hail falls to a depth of 1 foot in Rushmore, Minnesota.

1994 Joyce Chen died (born Sept 14, 1917).  Chinese American Chef, restaurateur, author.  She is credited with popularizing northern-style Chinese cuisine in the U.S. Cookbook: 'The Joyce Chen Cook Book' (1962). PBS TV show: 'Joyce Chen Cooks' (1967).

2004 The French Parliament passed a bill to combat obesity among French youth.  The bill bans junk food and soft drink vending machines in French schools, and requires health warnings or an alternate tax on snack food and soft drink commercials.  The provisions become effective in September, 2005.
 

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

A FEW FEATURED FOOD FESTIVALS
(See All 9,000 Food, Wine & Beer Festivals)

August 21-September 7, 2026  Alaska State Fair
Palmer, Alaska

August 24-30, 2026  Payne County Fair
Stillwater, Oklahoma

August 26-29, 2026  Annual Denver Food + Wine Festival - Denver, Colorado

August 26-September 7, 2026  The Great New York State Fair - Syracuse, New York

August 27-30, 2026  161st Acton Fair - Acton, Maine

August 27-30, 2026  138th Annual Gillespie County Fair - Fredericksburg, Texas

August 27-September 7, 2026  Minnesota State Fair
Falcon Heights, Minnesota

(SEE ALL FOOD FESTIVALS and OTHER FOOD EVENTS)
 

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ    (new DAILY questions)

1) All of the following events took place in the same year.  What year is it?
· The population of the U.S. is now 31,443,321. Farmers are 58% of the labor force.
· The U.S. has about 30,000 miles of railroad tracks.
· The August Schell Brewing Company, New Ulm, Minnesota was founded.
· Louis Pasteur invented the process of pasteurization
· George A. Hormel was born. Founder of meat packing company, George A. Hormel & Co.

2) Who was Professor Jerry Thomas, and what is he supposed to have invented?

3) Chocolate originated in the Americas. Where did vanilla originate?
  a) the Americas.  b) India.  c) Thailand.
  d) Australia.  e) Madagascar.

4) Which of the following foods were introduced to America from Europe ?
  [a] the white potato.
  [b] the tomato.
  [c] the pumpkin.
Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers
 

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Read an article about Chef James and the FoodReference.com website published in the Winona Daily News, Minneapolis StarTribune, and numerous other newspapers: Click here for the Article
 

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Dedication
This website is dedicated to:
· Gladys Ehler, my mother, who taught me patience and how to make Sauerbraten (it is still my favorite)
· Edward Ehler, my father, who taught me a love of books and history.
· Barbara Saba, my sister, who taught me how to dance.
· Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, my nephew.  Died in action on Feb. 7, 2007 in Iraq.  He was 30 yrs. young.

          Chef James
 

TOP

DID YOU KNOW

Anyone allergic to pollen or aspirin should avoid eating cucumbers. They can cause an unpleasant mouth itch.

** ** ** ** ** **

 


** ** ** ** ** **

A FOOD LIFE

"There are those who say that a life devoted to food -- cooking it, eating it, writing about it, even dreaming about it -- is a frivolous life, an indulgent life.  I would disagree.  If we do not care what we eat, we do not care for ourselves, and if we do not care for ourselves, how can we care for others?"
Fictional cookery writer Hilary Small, in episode 6, series 2 of 'Pie In the Sky'

** ** ** ** ** **

Click Here for
Food Emergency
Websites, Phone #s, E-mails, etc.

 

** ** ** ** ** **

Classic Fish and Seafood Recipes
 

** ** ** ** ** **

DID YOU KNOW?

Herring is a common name for members of the family Clupeidae, consisting of numerous species of  fish, including the Shad, sardine and menhaden.

* ** ** ** ** **

IN SEASON FOR SPRING

VEGETABLES
(Recipes  --  Tips)
Asparagus
Avocados
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Collard Greens
Kale
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Onions
Peas
Plantains
Radishes
Rhubarb
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips

FRUITS (Tips)
Apples
Apricots
Bananas
Blackberries
Kiwifruit
Lemons
Limes
Pineapples
Strawberries

** ** ** ** ** **

DID YOU KNOW?

McIntosh Apples were discovered on a single mutated plant in the late 1700's by Canadian John McIntosh.

** ** ** ** ** **

  Home   |   About Us & Contact Us   |   Privacy Policy   |   Chef James Biography   |   Bibliography   |   Food Links  

Please feel free to link to any pages of FoodReference.com from your website.

For permission to use any of this content please E-mail: james@foodreference.com

All contents are copyright © 1990 - 2026 James T. Ehler and www.FoodReference.com unless otherwise noted.
All rights reserved.

You may copy and use portions of this website for non-commercial, personal use only.
Any other use of these materials without prior written authorization is not very nice and violates the copyright.

Please take the time to request permission.
 

Website last updated on Sunday, August 23, 2026