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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 AUGUST

• Updated: Over 9,000 Food Festivals

• Summer & Picnic Food, Tips & Recipes

• 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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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)

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DID YOU KNOW?

The name ‘tamarind’ comes from an Arab expression meaning 'date of India.' Tamarind is a slow growing evergreen and is thought to have originated in tropical Africa, but has been grown in India for so long that many believe it to be native there also. It is now widely grown in Latin American. The fruit is pleasantly acidic, and is used similar to lemon or lime juice in Southeast Asian and Indian cooking, and in Latin America the pulp is also a popular ingredient in thirst quenching beverages.

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Saturday, August 29, 2026

Daily Trivia Questions are below

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“The only machine we don't stand behind is our manure spreader.”
Sign in a John Deere sales office.
 

FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:

• More Herbs Less Salt day (Salt Trivia & Facts)

• National Lemon Juice Day (see 1749 below)

• National Chop Suey Day (see 1896 below)
  (Chop Suey History & Origin)

• St. Sabina's Day, patron of housewives.
 

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

1749 Sir Gilbert Blane was born (died June 26, 1834).  A Scottish physician, he served as Physician to the Fleet and head of the Navy Medical Board. He was largely responsible for requiring citrus juice (lemons, later limes) on all naval vessel to prevent scurvy, and improving the general health and sanitary conditions of sailors. (Scurvy Trivia & Facts  ---  Citrus Trivia)

1809 Oliver Wendell Holmes was born.  American physician, poet and humorist.  Author of 'The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table,' 'The Professor of the Breakfast Table,' 'The Poet of the Breakfast Table,' and 'Over the Teacups.'

1893 Sixty independent orange growers formed the Southern California Fruit Exchange, a union of local associations, to market their fruit.

1896 Supposedly, the Chinese-American dish, chop suey, was created in New York City by the Cantonese chef of Chinese Ambassador Li Hung-Chang.
(Chop Suey History & Origin)

1905 Jack Teagarden, jazz trombonist was born.

1915 Nathan Pritikin was born.  A nutritionist who believed that exercise and a low fat, high unrefined carbohydrate diet helped reverse his own heart disease.  He founded the Pritikin Longevity Center in 1976.

1933 Daisy D. Doolin (Frito Company) registered "Fritos" trademark, first used in 1932.

1953 Rick Downey of the rock group ‘Blue Oyster Cult’ was born.

1989 Sir Peter Markham Scott died (born Sept 14, 1909).  British naturalist, artist, and author. A founder of the Severn Wildfowl Trust (now Wildlife and Wetlands Trust) and the World Wildlife Fund.

2007 Alfred Peet died.  He was the founder of Peet's Coffee & Tea in Berkeley, California in 1966.  The founders of Starbucks were fans, and openly acknowledge his influence.

2019 Swiss Winegrower's Fete (Fκte des Vignerons). Held periodically (about every 20 years or so) since 1797 in Vivey, Switzerland.
 

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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)
 

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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?
· 'The Virginia House-wife' cookbook by Mary Randolph was published.
· The Rhode Island Red hen is developed. They will become famous for their brown eggs.
· Italy's first commercial pasta factory by Paolo B. Agnese in Imperia, Italy.
· The British Royal Navy reduces its daily rum ration from1/2 pint to 1/4 pint, and tea becomes part of the daily ration.
· The Glenlivet becomes the first licensed Scotch Whisky distillery.

2) A member of the legume family, with flesh the color and texture of waterchestnuts, this tuber has a sweet, nutty flavor. It is native to the Americas, and was introduced into the Philippines and Malaysia in the 17th century. Its use has spread throughout Asia and the Pacific islands. It is great in salads, and is frequently used in stir fries. The crisp white flesh remains crisp after cooking. Only the roots are eaten, as the leaves, stems, ripe pods, and seeds may be poisonous. The mature seeds contain a fairly high concentration of rotenone, an insecticide.
Name this tuber.

3) This is a European cousin of the American cranberry, especially popular in Scandinavia, where they are used as a topping for omelets and pancakes. There is a smaller North American variety native from Massachusetts to Alaska. They are commonly available as preserves in most specialty food stores.
Name this berry.
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

The 'queen' bee was known as the 'king' until the 1660s when a Dutch scientist discovered that they had ovaries.

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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 SUMMER

VEGETABLES
(Recipes  --  Tips)
Avocados
Beets
Bell Peppers
Carrots
Celery
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Green Beans
Lima Beans
Okra
Onions
Peas
Plantains
Summer Squash
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Zucchini
 

FRUITS (Tips)
Apples
Apricots
Bananas
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Grapes
Honeydew Melon
Mangos
Peaches
Pears
Pineapples
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon

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DID YOU KNOW?

There are some 60 species of grapes and over 8,000 varieties of grapes growing throughout the world, and all can be used to make juice and/or wine.

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Website last updated on Saturday, August 29, 2026