The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodbor…
The Best Thing I Ate 
Tri-State Bites and Brews newsletter
Past Tri-State Bites & Brews newsletters
Good nutrition is the fuel for happiness, intelligence, accomplishment and enduring health. But American kids are being deprived of those remarkable benefits in record numbers and to a degree that is hard to wrap your head around.
When Amber Bettcher decided to cut gluten out of her diet in 2009, she was struck by the lack of options in the tri-state area.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S., regardless of race or ethnicity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As temperatures begin to warm and the tri-state area awakes from winter, one of the first signs has long been area maple trees beginning to ooze out their bounty.
Area school officials are concerned about the impacts of proposed updates to nutrition standards for school meals that would further restrict sodium levels and potentially eliminate flavored milks for younger students.
You could say that in her heyday, Ultra Violet, a member of Andy Warhol’s Factory known for her purple hair was ultraprocessed — full of added ingredients that were quite unhealthy. Rather like ultraprocessed foods.
PITTSBURGH — Andrew Alvarez’s immigrant parents had high standards. From an early age, he knew they hoped a career in medicine or engineering would follow his 2004 high school graduation.
ST. DONATUS, Iowa — The owners of a historic St. Donatus house and barn soon will begin brewing their own beer on the property.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Dubuque; Stockton, Ill.; and Fennimore, Wis.
On a recent evening, an eclectic crowd of aspiring chefs crowded around Leslie Shalabi at Convivium Urban Farmstead in Dubuque, where the stainless steel countertop was bedecked with broccoli, scallions, potatoes, soy sauce, rice, coconut milk and peanut butter.
Lori Gravel’s favorite part of her job is exposing people to the myriad benefits of hops, a small green flower typically used as a bittering agent in beer.
A Dubuque man has expanded his barbecue business from a food truck to a physical location.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from the tri-state area. In addition to this update from Galena, Ill., we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
The Ginter family is busy preparing for its huge annual community Thanksgiving dinner, now in its 60th year — making it something the scions heading it have never known.
An Iowa State University Extension and Outreach workshop in Dubuque will teach participants how to use cabbage to make kimchi or sauerkraut.
CHICAGO — There is no need to purchase a plane ticket to sip in one of the best bars in the world; look no further than Chicago’s West Loop.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Dubuque and Manchester, Iowa, as well as Shullsburg, Wis.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from the tri-state area. In addition to this update from Manchester, Iowa, we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
A downtown Dubuque bar and restaurant will change its name and ownership next week.
BELLEVUE, Iowa — A Dyersville-based brewery soon will take over ownership of a popular brewery in Bellevue.
Maple syrup is famously made in spring, when below-freezing nights followed by warm days cause the sap stored in a sugar maple’s trunk to flow up and out of the tree and into buckets or plastic tubing for boiling.
Here’s a different take on chili. It’s made with black beans instead of kidney beans. These give a lighter texture to the chili and are perfect for a vegetarian meal.
EPWORTH, Iowa — After a period of isolation, Divine Word College could finally open its doors again and share a multicultural feast.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. In addition to this update from Farley, Iowa, we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
Dimensional Brewing Co. owners will tear down the rear portion of an adjacent downtown building as part of their future expansion plans.
When the weather turns cool and crisp, area businesses turn to flavors of apple and pumpkin.
The Ginter Free Thanksgiving Dinner for the homeless and those in need is returning in person this year at the Joliet Event Center, 781 Locust St.
I love to make lasagna, but it takes time to make.
One of the iconic dishes of West Africa, jollof rice is vibrantly colored and heavily spiced. And it reflects how cultures across continents blend with delicious results.
There’s nothing like a great hand-held snack when you’ve got the munchies but also don’t want to spend a lot of time fooling around in the kitchen.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Dubuque.
I tasted a delicious salmon infused with a flavorful teriyaki sauce at the Vale Food Co. in Miami, a healthy, fast casual restaurant.
It’s this past August, and it’s my birthday, and the incoming voicemails are, as they have been for some time, inexplicably delayed. Today seems to be the day to consult the oracle: “How to fix ...” The answer comes from the ether immediately: Too much stuff from the past. Some of the old on…
Outside the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, a woman in a headscarf slaps a ball of dough between her formidable hands and stretches it over the dome of a large saç griddle.
Apple pie. Pumpkin spice. Buttered rum. This is how we embrace autumn at our home bar.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Dubuque native Jeremy Herrig has played a major role in Portland’s Brews for New Avenues, a rare beer auction and charity gala that celebrated its 10th anniversary in August.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. In addition to this update from Benton, Wis., we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
Even when they are tasty, creamy pasta sauces can be unappealingly heavy. A few bites and you’re done.
CHICAGO — Next time you wander through the specialty food aisle in Whole Foods, you might want to look for the Colts name for a product with regional ties.
Noticing so many eastern Mediterranean and Lebanese restaurants becoming popular, I was hungry for a quick dinner with their savory and aromatic flavors.
Now that the kids are back in school, it’s back to the grind of running from one place to the next, with a home-cooked dinner often an afterthought.
Japanese udon noodles are all about the chew, but it’s hard to replicate the texture with what’s available in American markets.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Dubuque, Asbury and Bellevue, Iowa.
HOPKINTON, Iowa — Standing beside a patch of fresh basil at her daughter’s house in Hopkinton, Jill Wagener demonstrated the proper way to harvest the delicate herb.
Owners of Bread & Vine Bakery, the café in Galena, plan to bring their sophisticated fare to a novel, true nightclub in The Magnolia event center in Dubuque’s downtown.
When the leaves begin to transform to their vibrant autumn hues and the temperature dips to reveal crisp and cool days, few things sound better than a bowl of piping hot chili.
Every time I’ve gone to Istanbul to visit family, I stuffed my face with spicy köfte kebab and other meaty dishes.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Maquoketa and Dubuque, Iowa, as well as Galena, Ill.
As the air becomes cooler and crisper, local breweries are keeping German roots in mind.
GALENA, Ill. — Ashley Baker remembers where she was when her boyfriend, William Flores, heard that Blaum Bros. Distilling Co. had announced the release of its final run of the popular Oldfangled Knotter Bourbon Founder’s Stash.
The owners of a Dubuque County restaurant will receive the Iowa Restaurant Association's top honor this fall.
Tuscany’s solution for stale bread, panzanella, is just the start of salad solutions for stale bread.
I wanted to make this enchilada dinner in a hurry without having to wait for my oven to preheat or to cook the filling ingredients. The answer was my microwave.
Football season is in full gear, which means many of you already have grabbed some parking lot, popped the trunk, lit the grill and pulled something cold from the cooler while tailgating.
MANCHESTER, Iowa -- A nationwide coffee chain recently opened a drive-thru location in Manchester.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. In addition to this update from Bellevue, Iowa, we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
One of our secret ingredients to build flavor fast is miso. As an umami base, it helps balance and unify sweet and sour notes in everything from chicken to pasta, even cookies.
I’m a sucker for eggplant in any form but really adore it in Chinese food, especially when it’s tossed in a spicy garlic sauce accentuated with the gentle heat of chili.
LOS ANGELES — What is a dumpling?
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state areas. In addition to this update from Dubuque, we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
Tacos are a terrific midweek meal because they cook up fast and don’t require a lot of preparation, other than some chopping and dicing of ingredients.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Dubuque, Guttenberg, Iowa, and Galena, Ill.
An annual grape-stomping event is scheduled to take place later this month at an Elizabeth vineyard.
Julie Kremer gazed down the city-block-length table — covered with white linen, carefully arranged place settings, flowers, bottles of wine and pitchers of water. Strung lights hung above the tables, crossing the street at intervals. Lit torches burned along the curb.
SHULLSBURG, Wis. — Mouthwatering Mexican food, sugary sweet snowcones, perfectly pulled pork and more.
ELIZABETH, Ill. — Standing near his rural Elizabeth garden on a recent afternoon, Mitch Allen held up a palmful of hot peppers.
There are five “Blue Zones” around the world, and the people who live in these areas are 10 times likelier than Americans to reach age 100. The name comes from the blue circles researchers drew on the map when identifying them.
Orange, almonds and honey flavor chicken cutlets for this quick dinner. Boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, available in most supermarkets, are about ½-inch thick. They cook in just 4 to 5 minutes.
In the last few years, more Americans have gotten hooked on the rich, mouth-watering flavors and bold spices of South Asian cuisine. Research has shown an increase in searches for Indian cuisine, making it the second most searched for food on Instagram.
The love of food and the entrepreneurial spirit is embedded in Danielle Stoll’s DNA.
DYERSVILLE, Iowa — A Dubuque brewing company has opened another location with an emphasis on entertainment.
Girl Scouts of the USA have unveiled a new cookie for the 2023 sales season, but you won’t be able to buy the Raspberry Rally directly in person.
Smash burgers are all the rage. They’re ground beef rolled into balls, and smashed with a burger press into thin patties.
It’s time to stop thinking about the difference between sweet and savory spices. Many cooks around the world don’t make such a distinction.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Maquoketa, Iowa, and Fennimore, Wis.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. In addition to this update from Maquoketa, Iowa, we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
For weeknight cooking, we love seared fish since it usually cooks in half the time as chicken or other proteins. But it’s a fine line between cooked and completely dried out.
There is little debate that the sandwich is the mainstay of most kids’ lunches; two slices of bread with anything they might consume layered in between.
When I see the markets filled with summer vegetables, I can’t wait to make them into a salad.
It’s peach season. Time to pull out your rolling pin and celebrate the juicy stone fruit with the free-form pastry known as a crostata.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Dubuque and Manchester, Iowa, as well as Potosi, Wis.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. In addition to this update from Potosi, Wis., we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
Cucumbers and cooked shrimp make a cool and refreshing summer soup. No cooking is needed.
I doctored up rotisserie or bought cooked chicken breast and used zucchini noodles to make this very quick and easy “pasta” salad.
Weeknight ease married to plump texture and briny sweetness.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. This edition highlights developments in Dubuque, Elkader and Peosta, Iowa.
Mussels steamed in a garlic, tomato and white wine broth are easy and inexpensive to make.
Each November in Sardinia, purple crocus blossoms blanket the rolling fields. It’s a striking sight against a lush green backdrop. Those same flowers also provide what locals call “red gold,” or saffron.
Ice cream is the best of desserts any time of year, but it really hits the spot on a warm and balmy summer evening.
SAN FRANCISCO — You’re sipping natural wine in a dining room where the walls, tables and staff are covered in green.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. This edition highlights developments in Galena, Ill., and Rickardsville, Iowa.
CHICAGO — Inflation won’t quit. The price of gas still is in the stratosphere. The stock market is taking a beating. And I won’t even start on crypto.
NEW YORK — If Paul Hollywood needed any evidence that he and “The Great British Bake Off” have become pop culture icons, he just needs to turn on Netflix.
Ripe tomatoes are in season. Here’s an easy way to use them. To keep their fresh flavor, the tomatoes are not cooked.
ELIZABETH, Ill. — A Jo Daviess County community will host its annual celebration of all things garlic later this month.
DYERSVILLE, Iowa — In the year that has passed since Major League Baseball played its first game in Dyersville, the town has welcomed multiple new businesses and attractions to greet visitors as the second MLB game approaches next week.
I am a terrible gardener. I hate weeding, and within weeks of planting anything, the tomato, pepper and other plants start to become overrun with unwanted greenery, and it’s just not a pretty sight.
The Mediterranean diet and the ketogenic, or keto, diet have both received praise during the past few years for their abilities to help people lose and maintain weight, as well as cutting blood sugar levels in people with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes.
For a sophisticated summertime dessert, it’s not always necessary to reinvent the wheel. A classic ice cream sundae will hit the spot with the right toppings.
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. This edition highlights developments in Galena, Ill.; Potosi, Wis.; and Dubuque.
