Because protesters cannot live on Ben & Jerry's alone, the Occupy Wall Street food committee is on the hunt for a commercial kitchen space. A proposal at last night's General Assembly meeting laid it out: "Winter is coming. We need hot food 2 sustain itself" #ThePeoplesKitchen." more ›

Remember how people used to think we'd be cooking on the moon by year 2000? AquaVelvet dug up these futurescapes (plus a few more) from the 1972 "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape [pdf]" exhibit at the MoMA, while PaleoFuture has a full rundown of vintage "kitchen of the future" ads from the '50s, '60s and '70s. Space-aged refrigerators, seated dishwashers, stovetops with built-in pots and pans—it's 2011 and we're still waiting. Future, are you out there? If you can hear us, tell Rosie we want pork chops for dinner. more ›

The chef at the Roger Smith Hotel in midtown has resigned amidst accusations that he put on a white hood in the kitchen and asked a black employee, "How does that make you feel? Do you feel insulted? Remember these days." Cook Julius Jones, the only black person working in the kitchen at the time of the incident, tells the Daily News he was shocked by the incident, and after reporting it to the union, he plans to sue. more ›

Times reporter Henry Alford got the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to send an inspector to his kitchen. (Your tax dollars at work, saving journalism!) After a thorough review, inspector Beth Torin told Alford his kitchen's so unsanitary she wouldn't eat in it. And this after he spent a day cleaning it! Violations included Alford's washing his hands in the kitchen sink, a too-warm refrigerator, and a broken meat thermometer. But the biggest transgression was his cat, which "can blithely go from litter box to tabletop or kitchen counter, transporting bacteria." In the end, Torin has a heart and says, "I'll give you the cat if you swear you’ll wash your hands in the bathroom. Then I’d come over. You’ve got to eat somewhere." more ›

Isn't there some new cooking-at-home, hipster foodie, artisinalista trend happening? Apparently it hasn't made it from the outer-boroughs to Manhattan, where Paper's Alexis Swerdloff reports for the NY Post on kitchenistas—or in other words, those city dwellers who turn their kitchens into closets. more ›

A group of Brooklyn homeowners say they've fallen victim to a Park Slope Ponzi-schemer who convinced them to pay up-front for kitchen and bathroom repairs—then delivered sub-par work, if he did any work at all. At least eight victims are pursuing legal proceedings against Brooklyn Kitchens and Baths owner Brian Ackerman, who allegedly owes the customers about $60,000 for unfinished or unsatisfactory work. more ›

On a deliberately cheap stage (footlights made from soup cans, lavish curtains painted on canvas), two actors are currently performing what is probably the most unique twist on Romeo and Juliet in history. The script is not Shakespeare's; it's derived from hours of recorded telephone conversations of people recounting what they remember about the play, which most haven't revisited since high school. In the telling, new characters are created (like Euristhepiss, Romeo's flamboyent friend), the poetry is mangled (Where DOTH my Romeo? Juliet is the sky, and I am the sun!"), and gaps in recollection are filled with inspired invention. Digress, memory! more ›

Brooklyn chef Neil Ganic doesn't take guff from anybody—not even paying customers. A disgruntled diner shared with Eater a hilarious account of her recent experience at the Carroll Gardens restaurant Petite Crevette, where dinner ended with a crazy outburst from Ganic. After her husband sent back an order of Cioppino (fish stew) because it contained lobster which was "pretty much raw," the kitchen returned a dish that "was still kind of weird and gloopy." The couple then "politely" asked for the check, but "suddenly, Neil Ganic comes running out of the kitchen with a LIVE LOBSTER and throws it on the table." We called Ganic to confirm the story, and his response made us wish more people in the restaurant industry were this much fun: more ›

A successful psychologist specializing in couples therapy faces felony assault and weapons-possession charges for slashing her husband with two kitchen knives on September 29th. Joyce Poster-Lederman, who practices on the Upper West Side and Riverdale, allegedly cut husband Selwyn Lederman, also a psychologist, during a domestic dispute in their West 84th Street apartment. Police sources say the marriage therapist got pissed during the argument and came at Lederman with a knife in each hand. more ›

The charges have been dropped against the two men who were arrested for trying to cash a dead man’s $355 social security check. Back in January, David Daloia and James O'Hare made headlines with their foiled scheme to capitalize on O’Hare’s roommate’s death by pushing his corpse in an office chair up to a Pay-O-Matic check cashing joint in Hell’s Kitchen. They were arrested en route after a detective spotted the visibly deceased third man. more ›

It seems like every other weekend, Brooklyn is home to some kind of homestyle cooking competition, with a constant rotation of cupcake-offs, chili massacres, a big jerk-off, and probably some vegan tofu spread-a-thons somewhere. Prizes at these things are typically anything from homely trophies to a few cans of PBR, but the just-announced, upcoming inaugural Risotto Challenge is something special indeed: The prizes are going to be very nice. More on that below. more ›

Now that the cold weather is likely here to stay, at least until the next freak 60 degree day, you might want to hunker down with a cozy-sounding book. more ›

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay doesn’t give a damn about you, your girlfriend, or the special Valentine’s Day dinner you had planned – so drop your fork and get the hell off his set! That seems to be the way things went last Thursday night when diners at New Jersey’s fancy Hannah and Masons restaurant were summarily evicted – mid-meal – to facilitate production on Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA series. No matter how romantic the rabble, it just wouldn’t do to have them cluttering up Ramsay’s frame – one only hopes the cameras were rolling when the guests were asked to leave. more ›

Brendan Canty is the drummer for Fugazi, the rightly revered D.C. post-punk band whose page on the Dischord Records website still states "1987 - present." The group hasn’t played together or released an album since their phenomenal seventh LP, The Argument; in 2002 they embarked on what is looking increasingly like a permanent hiatus. Like his bandmates, Canty has been consumed by various other creative projects: he’s produced albums for Ted Leo and The Thermals, among others; recorded and toured with Bob Mould; composed soundtracks for film and television; directed Sunken Treasure, Jeff Tweedy's live concert documentary; and helmed an eccentric rock DVD series called Burn to Shine. Started in D.C. in 2004, each DVD is shot on a single day with a lineup of bands who each get two takes on one song in a house slated for demolition. Canty will be at The Kitchen Wednesday night to perform live soundtracks to Brent Green’s distinctive stop motion animation films; other musicians on the bill include Jim Becker (Califone) and Fred Lonberg-Holm (Wilco, Freakwater). The 8pm show is sold out; tickets for the 10pm show are still available. more ›

MOVIE: Every national election year reminds us of that part in The Dark Crystal where the hideous Skeksis systematically drain the Gelfling’s “essence” and drink it to increase their power. If you don’t know the scene we’re talking about, you need to go see it on the big screen tonight – a regular-sized TV monitor just doesn’t do Jim Henson’s creepy masterpiece justice. The one-night-only screening will be introduced by one of the film’s puppet makers, Cheryl Henson, daughter of Jim. She’ll be joined by Robbie Barnett, who operated some of the main Skeksis; the pair will sign merch after the screening. more ›

The Under the Radar festival of cutting edge international theater, curated by former P.S. 122 artistic director Mark Russell, continues through next weekend. Here’s a brief rundown of three shows seen so far. more ›

The desperate antics of old-school Hell's Kitchen residents are still making news. James O'Hare and David Daloia were arraigned for forgery, petty larceny and other charges when they tried to cash in O'Hare's roommate's Social Security check - while O'Hare's dead roommate's body was in a chair outside the checking cashing place. more ›

THEATER: Under the Radar, arguably New York’s most exciting theater festival, begins today at The Public Theater and a few other odd locations like the Whitehall Ferry terminal. (There are also a few shows at the Classic Theatre of Harlem, P.S. 122 and The Kitchen.) One of the most buzzed about site-specific shows is Etiquette by the London company Rotozaza. It was a surprise hit at last year’s Edinburgh Festival; here the experience takes place at the East Village Ukrainian restaurant Veselka and involves only two actors: you and a friend (or stranger). It’s described as “a private theatrical experience for two people in a public space; the participants take a seat across from each other at a small table (the stage), put on headphones and follow a recorded script, complete with stage directions taking them through a half-hour play, in which they are both performers and audience.” And after the show, you can get pirogies with the cast! – John Del Signore more ›

James O’Hare and David Dalaia, both 65, were arrested after they wheeled in the corpse of O'Hare's roommate to a check cashing office, attempting to cash in O'Hare's dead roommate's Social Security check. With a roommate like this... more ›

You will never find Chef Bobby Flay too far away from an ancho chili pepper. Back in 1991, he opened Mesa Grill in New York, his shrine to the Southwestern flavors for which he is now famous around the world. In 1992, Mesa Grill won New York Magazine's Best New Restaurant, and the following year, Flay was given the James Beard Rising Star Chef award. Since then, he has created a mini-empire of six restaurants, including two other Mesa Grills, one in Las Vegas and another in the Bahamas. more ›

, is a light dessert drink hat's supposed to be served on March 21st, the Parsi New Year. It is certainly delicious enough to have year round, though, or perhaps on our own New Year's Eve in a few weeks. more ›

Yesterday, Governor Spitzer, Mayor Bloomberg, MTA CEO and Executive Director Lee Sander and other officials kicked off the extension of the 7 line by unveiling a new sign in Times Square pointing the way to Hudson Yards. Ah, nothing like putting in signs for things that won't be ready for years - the 7 will reach 34th and 11th Avenue in 2013. The 7 line extension will cost $2 billion for the 1.5 miles... more ›

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? We're definitely setting our DVR to record The Martha Stewart Show. She’s got a three great New York Italian chefs on today: Odetta Fada of San Domenico, Lidia Bastianich of Felidia and Del Posto, and pastry chef Gina DePalma of Babbo. On Tuesday she’s got cookbook editor Judith Jones, and on Wednesday, New Orleans chef Susan Spicer (Monday-Friday, 1pm, NBC). But the prime time highlight might be a... more ›

MOVIE: BAM pays homage to the late Barbara Stanwyck tonight with a screening of Forbidden. The 1932 Frank Capra-directed film (which tells the tale of a librarian who has fallen for an unobtainable/married man) was supposedly influenced by his real-life affair with the leading lady. Critic and historian Elliott Stein will discuss the film after the 6:50 screening. 4:30, 6:50 and 915pm // BAM Rose Cinemas [30 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene] // $11 Meanwhile, the... more ›

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? Martha Stewart’s got a great line-up of guests this week: Jamie Oliver on Monday, making roast beef and carrot cake; Mario Batali appears on Tuesday, making pumpkin lune (little moon) pasta; and David Chang is on Thursday. And Keri Russell, who is not a chef but played a pie-making wizard in the movie Waitress, appears on Wednesday (Monday-Friday, 1pm, NBC). Also on this week: On Wednesday, Gordon Ramsay... more ›

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? Martha Stewart’s all about Thanksgiving this week; she even has a hotline up T-Day emergencies (email thanksgivinghotline@marthastewart.com). Her mashed potatoes tip? Use buttermilk instead of heavy cream or cream cheese—“Delicious,” she says. On Monday, she’s making sides and teaching people about heritage birds and how to find the perfect turkey. On Wednesday, she’ll be answering people’s last minute holiday questions—sent in via the hotline--throughout the show (Monday-Wednesday, Friday,... more ›

You might have had a copy of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style on your desk in high school or college. It was your go-to reference book whenever you forgot (yet again) where you should stick that damned apostrophe. Michael Ruhlman, food writer, trained chef, and most recently, judge on the Food Network's Next Iron Chef, has created his go-to reference guide for the kitchen, The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for... more ›

The New Oxford American Dictionary has selected "locavore" as its 2007 word of the year. According to the OUP blog, "The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores also shun supermarket offerings as an environmentally friendly measure, since shipping food over long distances often requires more fuel for transportation." Locavore beat out... more ›

What’s worth watching on food-related TV this week? This Wednesday on Kitchen Nightmares (9pm on Fox), Ramsay does his thing on Finn McCool’s in West Hampton. Are we the only ones who wonder if his advice actually does any good? Most places that he revisits after his makeover revert—at least in part—to their prior ways. But if you own a restaurant you want Ramsified, now’s your chance. Download an application to be featured on the... more ›