Business Fri Aug 28 2009

Out With the Old, In With the New

Dana Joy Altman, a local food writer and former co-manager of the Green City Market, knows there are lots of people who want to cook more, using fresh foods and seasonal ingredients (and not just the masses inspired by a brand-new interest in Julia Child). To help steer people toward the best ingredients and the best way to organize their newly-stocked refrigerators and pantries, she's offering a pantry rehab service. The rehab, which is available for only the next few months, costs $1,500--but before you blanch at the price, consider that it includes groceries and new containers to store them in (you decide whether they come from Goodwill, Target or some other kitchenware source), and eight hours of learning and shopping with Ms. Altman. She'll also make sure you have the cookware and utensils necessary to prepare your healthy meals.

Ms. Altman also knows that not everyone has $1,500 for her service.

So, she's putting together a book that she hopes will be a step-by-step guide for home cooks who want to revitalize and reorganize their refrigerators and pantries (thus the rehab's limited availability). "I love Alice Waters and Michael Pollan," she says, "but the people I want to reach might not read Pollan's 10-page treatise from the New York Times magazine." Her blog, which not only offers tips on finding and preparing seasonal foods, but also compares different artisanal cheeses to bands, such as Air Supply and the Black Keys, helps with her more immediate goal of bringing "beautiful food" to the masses. "The more we request local and sustainable food, the more it will become available," she says.

— Lori Barrett / Comments (2)