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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?

Yorkshire pudding is a British speciality.  A batter, similar to that used for popovers, is poured into a shallow pan containing the fat from cooked roast beef, and cooked in the oven. Originally, the batter was placed in a pan beneath the roast to catch the drippings while it cooked.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Daily Trivia Questions are below

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“....the pleasure of eating something because it is expensive has absolutely nothing to do with the taste of good cuisine.”
X. Marcel Boulestin, chef, food writer (1878-1943)
 

FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:

• National Yorkshire Pudding Day (1st Sun in February is British Yorkshire Pudding Day).
  (Traditional Yorkshire Pudding Recipe)

• National M&M Day (M&M Trivia)

• St. Colman's Day, patron of cattle and horses.

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

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

• 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

54 A.D. Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, Emperor of Rome A.D. 41-54, died by poisoning. Known as Claudius I, supposedly he was poisoned with mushrooms by his wife Agrippina, after her son Nero was named as his heir.
(Mushroom Trivia  ---  Mushroom Quotes)

1754 Mary Ludwig Hays (‘Molly Pitcher’) was born (died Jan 22, 1832).  Most famous of the American Revolutionary War soldier's wives who brought water to soldiers on the battlefront - nicknamed 'Molly Pitchers'

1921 In Victoria, B.C. Canada, the Daily Colonist (aka British Colonist) newspaper the term "cold turkey" is used in reference to quitting an addiction - the first known use of the term in print.

1938 Elzie Crisler Segar died (born Dec 8, 1894). Creator of the spinach loving Popeye the Sailer Man in 1929.  (Spinach Trivia  --  Spinach Recipes)
(Spinach Quotes)

1945 Milton Snaveley Hershey of chocolate fame died (born Sept 13, 1857). Founder of the Hershey Chocolate company.

1950 Mollie Katzen was born.  American chef and one of the best-selling cookbook authors of all time. Best known for the vegetarian 'Moosewood Cookbook' (1977)  [Official Website: www.molliekatzen.com]

1973 The Rolling Stones album 'Goat's Head Soup' was number one on the music charts.

2002 'The Ketchup Song' by Spanish girl group Las Ketchup was number 1 in the UK and many other countries. (Ketchup Trivia, Facts & Recipes)

2006 Six Flags theme park in Gurnee, Illinois holds a live cockroach eating contest.

2025 Gold rises above $4,100 and Silver goes over $50.00 an ounce.
 

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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?
· California becomes 1st state to ban restaurants from automatically handing out plastic straws.
· A new record was set for the heaviest Avocado, 5 pounds, 9.6 ounces
· Aggressive turkeys are "creating unsafe conditions" for postal carriers in Rocky River, Ohio.
· Florence, Italy bans people from pausing in the historic center to eat food on sidewalks, roadways and on the doorsteps of shops and houses.
· The movie 'Halloween' opened in U.S. theaters.
· The 185th Oktoberfest beer festival opened in Munich, Germany.

2) Kiwi fruit are originally from what country, and how many varieties are grown there?

3) The Lord's Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence, how many words are in government regulations on the sale of cabbage?

4) What do the following have in common? Shakespeare, Louis XV, the ancient Roman poet Horace, King Alfonso XI of Castile, Thomas Nash, ancient Greek Priestesses, Egyptian priests.

5) What is Gnocchi?

6) What is the most popular red meat in the world?
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

One of the oldest recipes for Yorkshire pudding can be found in 'The Art of Cookery' by Hannah Glasse, first published in 1796.

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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?

The average annual milk production per dairy cow in the U.S. is over 12,000 pounds.

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Website last updated on Monday, October 12, 2026