By  Veronica Meewes   –   Culturemap Austin

Watch Charlie Rajeh turning lamb on the grill or tossing fattoush, and you’d never guess he didn’t cook a thing until he was 18.

When he moved to Austin from Lebanon to attend UT in 1989, he had no tolerance for the McDonald’s and Chinese buffets his peers were visiting.

“I couldn’t stand it,” he says. “I never touched food in my life, never cooked in my life. But I started calling my mom [and] every time we’d spend a couple hours on the phone and I’d say, ‘How should I cook this?’ and ‘What should I do here?’”

After working at nightclubs on Sixth Street as a bouncer and barback (including one night as Willie Nelson’s on-the-spot backstage bodyguard), Rajeh began cooking professionally.

He started a catering business in San Antonio, which he still operates, and for 10 years, he owned an Obee’s sandwich shop on Anderson Lane. In addition to the Italian sandwiches for which the franchise is known, he featured a “secret Arabic menu,” which became more popular than the other offerings.

In July 2014, Rajeh decided to open a food truck in Austin called Beirut so he could cook and serve the type of Lebanese food he grew up eating. He saw a need for it in the Austin market, and he noticed that many of the places serving similar dishes make the “watered down” version.

“They always try to make it so Americanized,” says Rajeh. “They’re popular — I’m not saying they’re not — but it’s not my deal.”

Tucked away on Barton Springs Road and Jessie Street (in the lot across from Juliet), Beirut attracts plenty of regulars — many of Lebanese heritage. They come for the bright citrus-laced tabbouleh, rose water lemonade, shawarma and gyro wraps made from freshly grilled meats, silky smooth hummus, and baba-ghanouj topped with sumac and Lebanese-style pickles.

Preserved vegetables are a big part of Lebanese cooking, though not one often seen in Austin. Before coming to the U.S., Rajeh’s family moved from Beirut out to the mountains during the civil war. “The entire neighborhood made everything from scratch to prepare themselves for the wintertime,” he remembers. “Everything is seasonal, so they’d can tomatoes and all sorts of jams and figs.”

Rather than shaving the meat off a spit, Rajeh uses the fresher approach of cooking each serving to order. “You have to have a high volume or the meat sits forever [on the spit],” he says. “I don’t like the idea of turning it off and turning it back on. It won’t be as fresh. So that’s why I decided to do it on the grill, but it’s the same idea.”

His shish-tawook wrap features garlic-marinated chicken, fries, tomatoes, pickles, and tour (garlic whipped with olive oil), which is wrapped in a pita and toasted. His falafel is some of the crunchiest in town, served with fresh parsley, mint, and tomato. An extra punch comes from radishes and pickles, and, most importantly, traditional tahini sauce is served in lieu of tzatziki.

“Some customers come argue with me and say ‘This is not falafel!’” says Rajeh with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘Believe me, this is the way it’s supposed to be.’”

BY LAURIE LUCAS / STAFF WRITER   –   The Press Enterprise

You don’t have to be Jewish to covet corned beef on rye with a fat pickle. And you don’t have to be Jewish to pop into a pickle-making workshop at 7 tonight at the Chabad Jewish Community Center, 3579 Arlington Ave., No. 100, Riverside.

Pickle maker Leon Stern, 70, of Running Springs, will guide you through the alchemy of transforming Melissa’s cucumbers – an organic brand – with salt water and spices into pucker powering pickles.

“Simple and healthy, using the best ingredients,” he said.

Raised in a small Jewish community in South Africa, Stern learned how to make everything, including pickles and furniture, from his Latvian-born family in the traditional, Old World style.

As a software writer, Stern is no Luddite.

“Everything I know about technology and the modern world, doing things the old way adds a little balance,” he said.

The workshop costs $25 and will include making sauerkraut and naturally fermented ginger soda. Leave happy with a natural drink and a jar of kosher pickles. Wait for the pickles to mature and just add corned beef, mayo and rye.

For more information, or if you’re interested in a bread-making workshop, call Chabad at 951-222-2005 or visit jewish riverside.com

by Taylor Sezan   –   Daily Nexus

Located in the Paseo Nuevo shopping center in downtown Santa Barbara, CA along State Street lies Pickles & Swiss. It’s a quaint little shop with friendly faces working there. The employees care about their customers and are just happy to be there.

My favorite thing about this place is the fact that it’s friendly to picky eaters such as myself. Some food joints don’t let customers modify recipes because it’s a hassle, but you don’t have to worry about that here. The employees are more than happy to accommodate your personal preferences.

I highly suggest trying the Crispy Chicken West. The original recipe calls for breaded chicken, bacon, tomato, romaine lettuce, BBQ sauce and ranch all put on a lightly toasted baguette. For myself — as a picky eater — I modify it to my taste. It ends up having the chicken, bacon, BBQ sauce and then I add chipotle sauce, sometimes cheese. This ends up being an entirely different sandwich, but the main components remain the same. The crispy chicken is still crispy, flavorful and moist.

The chipotle sauce is delicious, smoky and adds a nice kick to the sandwich. The baguette is neatly cut in two, making it more manageable to eat. When you first bite into the sandwich you get the crunch of the chicken and bacon combination. The bacon is chopped into small pieces and is spread throughout so you don’t end up getting a mouthful of all the bacon at once. The bacon smell and taste adds a nice crunch and salty sensation alongside the soft chicken.

Each bite fills you with a warm sensation that comes from the heat of the ingredients and the spice of the chipotle sauce. With the added BBQ and chipotle sauce there is a combination of sweet, spicy and smoky aromas. The BBQ sauce is sweet and sticky while the smoky chipotle sauce is creamy and smooth.

Although the sandwich ends up being a little bit pricier than what I would normally pay for a sandwich, the experience that comes along with eating it is worth the price. Plus it’s easy to get full, or at least satisfied, after eating one half of the sandwich.

And since the store is called Pickles & Swiss, they garnish each serving with a pickle wedge on the side. This way, if you are still left craving something extra — which likely will not happen — you can have an extra little snack to fully round out your meal.

So if you ever find yourself downtown and craving a sandwich, head on over to Pickles & Swiss to try the Crispy Chicken West or one of the many other sandwiches they have to offer — original or modified to your taste!

In honor of Opening Day at Fenway April 11, it’s time to hunt down some good dogs to start the season right.

Chef Mike Gracie of The Harp, a sports bar just steps from TD Garden and North Station, kicked off the 2016 Red Sox Season with a creative line-up of fun frankfurter flavors heaped atop a base of all-beef Block and Barrel on a buttered and buttery grilled hot dog bun. Each dog is $3, but I suggest ordering a platter of all of ‘em, including a plain dog.

I took a couple of 12-year-old members of Red Sox Nation to try out the dogs. They tried flavors they’d never consider before, and some of them they were surprised that they liked.

THE GREEK — Feta & roasted red peppers. They didn’t like the feta so much. I liked the mix of salty and savory, struggling to prop the cheese and diced tomatoes back onto the hot dog. It was a great combination.

GUAC DOG — house-made guacamole mixed with sour cream, and topped with chopped red onion. Henry liked this one, although Xander was no fan of the guacamole. I loved this combo, so creamy.

REUBEN — Sauerkraut, melted Swiss & Russian dressing. I had to convince these boys to try it, and they were surprised it wasn’t that bad. “Not a strong flavor,” said Xander. Add his friend Henry, “It was vinegary, and I didn’t really taste the Russian dressing.” So that’s a win, I guess. I thought this was a fun hot dog to try.

MARGHERITA — House made mozzarella with roasted tomatoes & basil. Xander: “Very tomato-ey.” said Henry: “I loved it. Hot dog that tastes like a pizza!” This was perhaps their fave.

SPICY PICKLES + BACON — Housemade crunchy pickles & tiny cubes of smoked bacon. The chef makes the pickles in-house, with apple cider vinegar brown sugar and pickling spices, including cardamom and allspice. Henry: “The pickles blended well with the bacon and the hot dogs.” Xander liked the pickles, and he liked the bacon, although he didn’t like them together so much. You can also order the pickles as a side.

SRIRACHA DOG — Kale slaw, with broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots and ranch dressing, Sriracha BBQ & ranch dressing. Apparently, the kids didn’t like the spicy sauce. “It hurts!” said Xander. “It killed me!” said Henry. But I love spicy, and combined with a healthy salad atop the dog, this was a full meal.

Be sure to order a side of fries, which are crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside, perfectly seasoned. We also had the xxx salad, with xxx

Open for lunch, dinner and late night dining, the Harp is a fave for happy hour, pre-game gatherings and post-game partying with plenty of sports on the many TVs. It has a huge square bar, with two separate doors, with entertainment at night.

Other ideas for Opening Day Dogs:

• At Tico, Chef Michael Schlow’s famous Schlow Burger with oozing cheddar cheese, crispy onion strings, and renowned horseradish black pepper sauce is making its way from the exclusive late night menu to the all day menu just for Opening Day. Tico guests can get their hands on a Schlow Burger and any draft beer for just $20. Tico, 222 Berkeley Street, www.ticoboston.com
• The Sonoran Dog at Lone Star Taco Bar East is a Pearl hot dog wrapped in bacon and deep fried, topped with refried beans, pico de gallo, chipotle mustard, and ancho cream in a New England-style brioche bun. lonestar-boston.com
• Griddled Dog at Parlor Sports offers a griddled sausage and buttered bun, with toppings like house-made pickles, chili, and bacon. 3 Beacon St., Somerville, parlorsportsbar.com.
• Max & Leo’s at Game On Fenway offers a coal-fired all-beef hot dog is charred in a 900-degree oven and topped with house-made chili and cheese, or any two pizza toppings such as oasted red peppers, caramelized onions, pepperoni, bacon, or nacho cheese. 82 Lansdowne St., Boston, gameonboston.com.
• Dogzilla at Hojoko is a Neuske’s hot dog is bacon-wrapped, American cheese and jalapeño-stuffed, and deep fried, the glazed with sweet kabayaki sauce and sprinkled with umami bonito flakes, 1271 Boylston St., Boston, hojokoboston.com.

by Kelsey Johnson   –  The Western Producer

I finally had my extended family over for Easter dinner last weekend.

Actually, by the end of the weekend I’d thrown two Easter dinners — the latter being a more im-promptu affair with friends to deal with the 10 pound ham that had taken over my precious fridge space. But that’s another story.

On Sunday night, as my family sat down to eat, the dinner conversation suddenly shifted to pickling, or rather my one young cousin’s utter love of pickles, much to her mother’s horror.

Which is when my smart and highly accomplished 16-year-old cousin discovered pickles are actually made from cucumbers.

Her mind was blown.

Seeing it as a teaching moment, the next 15 to 20 minutes passed with the adults at the table sharing stories about spending time in the kitchen with our mothers canning all kinds of delicious goodies: pickles, pickled eggs, carrots, beets, beans, jams, chutney and salsa.

It was then when we suddenly realized — despite the treasured memories, none of us sitting at the table had a clue how to make those goodies on our own.

Turns out we’re not alone.

As politicians grapple with a burgeoning obesity crisis, nutritionists and researchers are finding that more and more Canadians are lacking basic kitchen skills.

While the 2015 consumer trend report on Canadians’ eating habits found that the number of meals eaten at home had remained consistent, more Canadians were opting for pre-made or frozen meals. Seventy-five percent of the meals, the report found, were prepared in less than 15 minutes.

The Health and Stroke Foundation has repeatedly found that Canadians say today’s hectic lifestyle doesn’t leave time for cooking healthy meals. At the same time, home economics and cooking classes in Canadian schools are harder to come by, despite schools repeatedly being seen as a key to encouraging healthy living.

School breakfast and lunch programs, nutrition and cooking classes and placing greater value on physical education were just some of the suggestions for teaching our children the importance of eating properly and remaining physically active, the Senate health committee noted in its recent report on Canadian obesity.

The report also called for a review and overhaul of Canada’s beleaguered Food Guide, which is something that critics say needs to happen immediately.

Teaching Canadian children how to cook is not a new idea.

In 2014, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture launched its 6 x 16 challenge aimed at encouraging parents to teach their children basic cooking skills.

The idea is that by the time they’re 16, children would be able to cook and plan six healthy, wholesome meals from scratch.

The initiative was later adopted as part of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s food strategy and included as part of the NDP’s food policy.

With the Liberals committed to developing a Canadian food strategy of their own, it’s likely that improving basic cooking skills will be put back on the table.

If adopted, these initiatives must be flexible and take into account Canada’s busy schedules, cultural preferences and on-the-go lifestyles. Tips to meet challenges such as cooking for one, a lack of freezer space and fixed incomes should also be included.

As food prices continue to rise, teaching Canadians of all ages how to budget, plan and cook meals could help ease the current grocery budget pinch, as well as slim down waistlines.

Political negotiations are set to begin shortly with the provinces and territories about the next federal Health Accord and the next Agricultural Funding Framework.

Perhaps it’s time officials took steps to bridge the ever present gap between the farm, the kitchen and people’s plates.

Canadians may just end up healthier if they do.

Kelsey Johnson is a reporter with iPolitics, www.ipolitics.ca.