To aspiring chefs who filled Hance Auditorium at Johnson & Wales University on Thursday, the man with the razor-like Chinese chopper knife was an artist - a poet whose ingredients and precise cuts mingled like rhymes in a verse.

The 'week' is an 11-day festival that will bring some of nation's best brewers to Charlotte.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about wine rating systems. My aim was to suggest that wine buyers should learn to trust their instincts, rather than buy wines "by the numbers."

You know you're in South Carolina when the barbecue restaurants serve hash. What's hash? Well, one of the closest places to Charlotte to find out is Burk's BBQ in Rock Hill.

The same natural chemistry that makes asparagus so notoriously hard to pair with wines also gives it a fresh grassy flavor that makes it an excellent match for so many foods.

It sort of crept up on me - the fact that I suddenly really like eating salmon. Soon after salmon's health benefits started making headlines, I began buying salmon whenever it went on sale at the supermarket.

A Tweet this morning directs folks to a survey that asks which name you like best for the followi...

On Dining

Red Flannel Hash is a tasty mixture of beef, potatoes and beets. It takes its name and color from the beets.

Rice pilaf is one of the world's great culinary gifts. It's not just a recipe but the foundation for thousands of dishes from around the globe.

A few weeks back, I was pondering which winter dishes I haven't had enough of this year. And now ...

I'll Bite

Browse the collection of Observer-tested recipes from Food Editor Kathleen Purvis and other trusted publications. Or you can search recipes submitted from readers around the region.

Had everyone at the restaurant been clued in on what daily specials were, visit would definitely have gone smoother.

I'm all about food that can multitask. If I'm going to put the effort into something, I want it to be not just a dinner, but a building block.

Domaine Guenault, Sauvignon, Touraine, 2008