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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 OCTOBER

• Updated: Over 9,000 Food Festivals

• Halloween Trivia, Articles & Recipes

• Pumpkin Trivia and Facts

• Grilling & Barbecue Articles & Recipes

• Sports & Tailgating Articles & Recipes

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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
 

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October Food Holidays:

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

OCTOBER is:

• Fair Trade Month
• Grain of the Month: Corn
• National Apple Month
• National Applejack Month
• National Caramel Month
• National Chili Month
• National Cookbook Month
• National Cookie Month
• National Country Ham Month
• National Cranberry Month
• National Dessert Month
• National Eat Better; Eat Together Month
• National Farm to School Month
• National Kitchen and Bath Month
• National Pasta Month
• National Pickled Peppers Month
• National Pizza Month
• National Popcorn Poppin' Month
• National Pork Month
• National Pretzel Month
• National Seafood Month
• National Spinach-Lovers' Month
• National Toilet Tank Repair Month
• New Zealand Cheese Month
• Non-GMO Month
• Squirrel Awareness Month
• Vegetarian Awareness Month

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DID YOU KNOW?

Cloves are an important ingredient in the spice blends of Sri Lanka and North India. They are used in garam masala, biryanis, and pickles. In the U.S., cloves are used in meats, salad dressings, and desserts. Clove is a key flavor contributor to ketchup and Worchestershire sauce seasoning blends. Chinese and German seasonings also depend on Cloves to flavor meats and cookies.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Daily Trivia Questions are below

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“The dessert crowns the dinner. To create a fine dessert, one has to combine the skills of a confectioner, a decorator, a painter, an architect, an ice-cream manufacturer, a sculptor, and a florist. The splendour of such creations appeals above all to the eye - the real gourmand admires them without touching them! The magnificence of the dessert should not allow one to forget the cheese.”
Eugene Briffault (1799-1854)
 

FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:

• National Dessert Day
  (Dessert Recipes  ---  Dessert Quotes)

• Chocolate Covered Insect Day
  (Why Not Eat Insects)

• National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day (Oct 14, 2026 - Wed. during National School Lunch Week - since 2011)

• National School Lunch Week (Oct 12-16, 2026)
  [School Nutrition Association]

• Canada: National Family Week (week before Thanksgiving Day - Oct 12-18, 2026)

• UK: National Baking Week (always Oct 14-20)

• UK: Seed Gathering Season (Sept 21-Oct 21, 2026)
[The Tree Council]  Gather seeds, fruits and nuts which can be nurtured to grow the trees of the future.
 

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

1721 The Governor of the Colony of Connecticut, Gurdon Saltonstall, proclaimed November 8, 1721 as a day of "Publick Thanksgiving"

1834 Henry Blair of Glenross, Maryland received a U.S. patent for a corn planter.  He is one of the first African Americans to be granted a patent.

1926 'Winnie-the-Pooh' by A. A. Milne is published. Tales about his son Christopher Robin and his stuffed animals: the honey loving Pooh Bear, Eeyore the donkey, Piglet the pig and Tigger the tiger.

1953 Clarence Saunders died (born Aug 9, 1881). Founder of Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain in Memphis, Tennessee, the first true self-service grocery store (see also Sept 6, 1916).

1955 Thomas Keller was born. Award winning American chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. His 'French Laundry' restaurant in California has been awarded 3 Michelin stars since 2006. He has been awarded several Best Chef awards from the James Beard Foundation, and a long list of accolades and awards as a Chef and for his several restaurants. [ThomasKeller.com]

1957 Canada celebrates the first Thanksgiving Day as a statutory holiday; officially the 2nd Monday in October. (It had been an annual holiday since 1879 with varying dates). (Canada Thanksgiving Trivia)

1962 Irma S. Rombauer died (born Oct 30, 1877).  Author of 'The Joy of Cooking' - one of the most published cookbooks, she originally had to pay to have the book privately published in 1931. Finally in 1936, publisher Bobbs-Merril Co. published the cookbook and it has been in print ever since.

1966 A hailstone 16 inches in diameter crashed through a truck windshield in Dodge County, Minnesota.

1972 'Everybody Plays The Fool' by Main Ingredient is #1 on the charts.

1978 President Jimmy Carter signed a bill legalizing home brewing.  The bill allowed brewing 100 gallons per adult, up to 200 gallons per household.  However states could still set there own limits.
(Beer Trivia  ---  Beer Quotes  ---  Beer Articles)

2013 Gary Miller won the 40th Annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off with a pumpkin that weighed 1,985 pounds. Miller of Napa, California took home a cash prize of $11,910, or $6 a pound. (Newer records have been set).
(Pumpkin Trivia and Facts  ---  Pumpkin Recipes)
 

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

October 1-November 1, 2026  Arizona State Fair
Phoenix, Arizona

October 8-18, 2026  Mississippi State Fair
Jackson, Mississippi

October 13-17, 2026  Annual Bradford Pumpkin Show
Bradford, Ohio

October 14-17, 2026  La Fκte du Champagne
New York, New York

October 15-17, 2026  81st Annual Peanut Festival
Grapeland, Texas

October 15-18, 2026  World Food Championships
Indianapolis, Indiana

October 15-18, 2026  89th Annual International Rice Festival - Crowley, Louisiana

(SEE ALL FOOD FESTIVALS and OTHER FOOD EVENTS)
 

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FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ    (new DAILY questions)

1) All of the following events took place in the same year.  What year is it?
· Commercial avocado production begins in Florida.
· United States Steel was incorporated by J.P. Morgan
· Montreal, Canada passes a by-law to make indoor toilets mandatory.
· American Safety Razor Co. is founded to sell stamped steel razor blades for use with a one-time purchase razor handle.
· Beatrix Potter privately printed 250 copies of 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' for family and friends.

2) Eating candy can counteract what physical effect caused by flying at high altitude?

3) In the colorful language of the lunch counter and diner, what is a "cluck and grunt?"

4) What deadly chemical compound do lima beans contain?

5) This Italian cows' milk (and sometimes goats' milk) cheese named after a village that was once outside of Milan, but is now really a suburb of the city. The cheese dates back to the 9th century, with the blue/green mold (more green than blue) developing accidentally sometime around the 11th century. Before then it was similar to a cheese called Panerone made in Lombardy.  Name this cheese.

6) All citrus fruits originated in the Old World, except this one.  Some mature trees can yield up to 1500 pounds of fruit in a season. The average yield is 350 pounds.  Name this fruit.
Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers
 

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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
 

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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

An essential oil obtained from the fruits and leaves of the dill plant, is used not only for pickles, but also in chewing gums and candy.

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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'

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

 

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Classic Fish and Seafood Recipes
 

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IN SEASON FOR AUTUMN (Fall)

VEGETABLES: (Trivia)
(Recipes  --  Tips)
Beets
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Collard Greens
Cranberries
Green Beans
Kale
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions
Parsnips
Peas
Plantains
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Radishes
Rutabagas
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes & Yams
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Winter Squash
 

FRUITS (Tips)
(Trivia)
Apples
Bananas
Grapes
Kiwifruit
Mangos
Pears
Pomegranates
Raspberries

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DID YOU KNOW?

When you are going to beat egg whites, let the eggs sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using them. The egg whites will beat to a greater volume.

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Website last updated on Tuesday, October 13, 2026