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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 SEPTEMBER

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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September Food Holidays:

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

SEPTEMBER is:

• Better Breakfast Month
• All-American Breakfast Month
• California Wine Month
• Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
• Family Meals Month
• Hunger Action Month
• National Biscuit Month
• National Bourbon Heritage Month
• National Chicken Month
• National Cholesterol Education Month
• National Food Safety Education Month
• National Fruits & Veggies Month
• National Hazelnut Month
• National Honey Month
• National Mushroom Month
• National Papaya Month (also June)
• National Potato Month
• National Rice Month
• Organic Harvest Month
• Whole Grains Month
• Grains of the Month: Rice & Wild Rice
• Canada: National Organic Month
• Scottish Food & Drink September
• UK: Seed Gathering Season
• UK: Sourdough September
• UK: Sustainable Seafood September

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DID YOU KNOW?

The pasta and seasoning mix known as 'Hamburger Helper' was introduced in 1970 by General Mills. The product was created during a meat shortage, and was designed to help housewives stretch a pound of ground beef (hamburger) into a tasty family meal.  It was an unqualified success and other versions, including Chicken Helper, were later introduced.

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Friday, September 18, 2026

Daily Trivia Questions are below

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“If the melting pot exists, the cheeseburger may well be its most palpable product; to take a bite of it is to take a bite of history...”
Elizabeth Rozin, ‘The Primal Cheeseburger’ (1994)
 

FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:

• National Cheeseburger Day (Hamburger Trivia)
  (100 Hamburger Variations  ---  Hamburger Quotes)

• International Grenache Day (Sept 18, 2026 - 3rd Fri)
  [Grenache Association] The Grenache Grape is one of the most widely planted red wine grapes in the world, it is often used in blends.

• St. Winnoc, patron of millers.

• [International Housekeepers Week / Environmental Services Week]  (Sept 13-19, 2026 - 2nd full week)

• [Folic Acid Awareness Week] (Sept 13-19, 2026)

• Biscuits and Gravy Week (Sept 13-19, 2026 - 2nd full week in Sept)  (Biscuits & Gravy Article & Recipe)
  (Biscuit History  ---  Biscuit Quotes)

• UK [British Food Fortnight] (Sept 17-Oct 2, 2026)
 

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

1709 Samuel Johnson, dictionary author, was born. I have read somewhere that he served his cat fresh shucked oysters.

1838 The Anti-Corn Law League was founded in Great Britain by Richard Cobden. The Corn Laws levied tariffs on imported food, which raised food prices.

1851 The first edition of the ‘New York Times’ was published ('The New York Daily Times')

1883 Elmer Maytag was born. Founder of the Maytag Co., washing machine manufacturer. One of his descendants was Fred Maytag II, whose Maytag Dairy Farms manufactures Maytag Blue Cheese.

1910 Ray Geiger was born (died April 1, 1994).  Editor of the Farmers' Almanac from 1934-1993, and editor of American Farm & Home Almanac from 1964-1990.

1927 Al Lapin Jr. was born (died June 16, 2004).  Entrepreneur and restaurateur, co-founder with his brother Jerry of International House of Pancakes in 1958 in Toluca Lake, California.

1952 ‘Jambalaya (On the Bayou)’ by Hank Williams was #1 on the Country Charts.

1990 A 500 pound, 6 foot high Hershey Chocolate Kiss was put on display at Times Square in New York City.  (Chocolate Trivia  ---  Chocolate Quotes)

2009 The animated movie 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' opened in U.S. theatres. A clumsy inventor's gadget causes food to fall from the sky like rain.

2010 'Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer' by Billy Currington was #1 on the Country Charts.

2020 The movie 'A Chef’s Voyage' premiered. Following Chef David Kinch journey from their 3 Michelin Star restauran in California on a collaboration with three legendary chefs at their iconic restaurants in Paris, Provence and Marseille.

2023 Olive oil prices rose to fresh records as severe droughts in major producing areas continue to crimp supplies.  Global prices of olive oil surged to $8,900 per ton in September.
 

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

September 13-19, 2026  135th Bean Soup Festival & Fair - McClure, Pennsylvania

September 14-20, 2026  Colorado Wine Week
Statewide, Colorado

September 14-20, 2026 - Vermont Cheese Week
Statewide, Vermont

September 16-19, 2026  60th Annual Morton Pumpkin Festival - Morton, Illinois

September 17-20, 2026  King Turkey Day Festival
Worthington, Minnesota

September 18-19, 2026  25th Annual Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival - Natchitoches, Louisiana

September 18-20, 2026  28th Annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival - Albany, Ohio

(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?
· Beech Nut Baby Foods are introduced in glass jars.
· Empire State Building opens. It was built on the site of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
· The new 47 story, 1500 room Waldorf-Astoria hotel opened on Park Avenue in New York City.
· Canned rattlesnake goes on sale. Packed by George K. End of Arcadia, Florida.

2) This fruit is classified botanically as a true berry - a many seeded pulpy fruit, that grows on a giant herb plant.  Ripe fruits glow bright indigo under a black light (ultraviolet or UV).  In the U.S. they were an occasional novelty import in the early 1800s.  They became widely known to the public at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of America in 1876.  Name this fruit.

3) A biennial Eurasian plant of the goosefoot family. There are 4 distinct forms of this plant, each one grown for a different purpose.  One for its edible root, one for its edible leaves, one for its high sugar content, and one for livestock feed.  They come in 3 colors, red, whits and yellow.  Name this plant.

4) What do the following have in common:  blueberries, gooseberries, cranberries, grapes, tomatoes, bananas and peppers?

5) These fruits are native to every continent except Antarctica, and there are up to 2,000 varieties, with more than 300 wild species in Europe alone. They can naturally hybridize and create new forms to adjust to climate, soil and other environmental factors.  In medieval England they were considered unfit to eat after Michaelmas (September 29) as it was believed the Devil spat or urinated on them after that.  It is the Official State fruit of Alabama and Kentucky.
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

In 1838 there were 1.6 million sheep in Vermont and 292,000 people.
 

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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: (Trivia)
(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)
(Trivia)
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?

In 1912 Cracker Jack started the tradition of giving a "prize in every box."

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Website last updated on Friday, September 18, 2026