Category: Food

There’s more to a UM baseball game than the game itself. For some fans, a trip to see the Hurricanes isn’t complete without one of vendor Mitch Freedman’s famous milkshakes. This season, two new flavors will be added to the hundreds of combinations that are already on the menu.

The first newly introduced flavor is the Grandma Debbie, a shake named after Freedman’s wife of 42 years who has been making homemade cream-cheese brownies for years. She has even shipped the baked goods to Super Bowls and the Masters Golf Tournament.

“We decided to use her recipe and make a cream-cheese brownie shake,” Freedman said.

This will be the first cake shake on the menu, so Freedman also added red velvet because of its general popularity.

Freedman has been selling milkshakes to the lines of fans waiting at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field for more than 30 years. He says the experience has been a central part of his life.

“We started making shakes and 31 years later we are an overnight success,” Freedman said.

His personal favorite is the Nestor Special, a mocha and hot-fudge shake. He said the shake was named after one of his earliest and best customers, Nestor Leon.

“He has since passed away, but his son and namesake have started coming to the games and he moved me to tears last year, thanking me for naming that shake after his dad,” Freedman said.

As for the home of Freedman’s shakes, he says Mark Light is a venue that offers unique relationships with fans.

“It is truly a family experience. Those of us who work there work hard to keep it that way,” Freedman said. “The shake phenomenon is just an outgrowth of that. People love to be involved with shake flavors and future names.”

Info Box:

Freedman’s Milkshakes

Where: Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field

New Flavors: Grandma Debbie and red velvet

Cost: $6 and up

During a September interview series with soon-to-be-inaugurated President Julio Frenk, TMH got the scoop on everything from his hobbies and early life to his favorite books and music. When asked about his favorite food, President Frenk didn’t hesitate, but his answer was a bit unfamiliar.

“I can tell you that right away because I know it,” he said. “…Oaxaca cheese. … I could eat that cheese all my life.”

So what is this stuff, exactly? It’s time for a crash course in cultures – cheese cultures, that is.

Named after a state in southern Mexico, Oaxaca cheese is made from cow’s milk and has a slightly dry, string-like texture. Its mild-yet-salty flavor and semi-soft consistency make it ideal for melting, shredding and pulling apart.

Basically, it’s mozzarella with a Hispanic twist, providing a perfect excuse to combine what are arguably the two best food items there are: tacos and cheese. Some variations even kick it up a notch, flavoring the Oaxaca with cherry pits to provide a hint of heat.

Though it may not be a staple in most American kitchens, Oaxaca can be found in dishes throughout Miami. Celebrate Frenk’s unique heritage and upcoming inauguration at these local restaurants.

Talavera

Talavera shines the spotlight on Oaxaca, offering three different fondue options that are sharable and only $12. You can also spot the semi-soft cheese rolled up in the chicken-stuffed crepes ($18) or oozing out of a tomato sauce-smothered poblano in the chile relleno ($17).

Talavera is located at 2299 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, Fla. 33134

Wapo Taco

At this authentic taqueria, Oaxaca is featured in its best form: melted. The queso fundido con chorizo ($10) is a spicy take on the traditional fondue dish, with Mexican sausage crumbled over warm, gooey cheese and housemade flour tortillas for dipping. Of course, in true Mexican style, guacamole and sour cream are served alongside the dish.

Wapo Taco is located at 2526 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, Fla. 33134.

Latin Burger and Taco

For freshmen and other campus-bound bodies, a taste of President Frenk’s favorite food is available right at UM. Latin Burger and Taco tops their signature burger with melty Oaxaca, along with roasted pimento mayo on a toasted bun. At just $8, the Latin Burger is the perfect between-class snack or grab-and-go lunch. Catch the truck Mondays by the Rock or at the fountain in front of Cox Science Building.

Tasty chocolate, scenic gardens and cold weather came together at the 10th Annual International Chocolate Festival at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden this weekend. At the event, students and other visitors enjoyed the beautiful gardens while sampling different variations of chocolates and listening to music.

Every year, Fairchild brings chocolate makers and connoisseurs together. Scholars gave lectures about cacao plants, plant breeding and chocolate production in different countries. The goal of the festival is to educate visitors about the different ways of making chocolate while giving them something sweet to munch on.

“For me, it’s amazing because I’m here to teach about chocolate production,” said William Navas, a visitor experience coordinator. “When you explain that to the people it’s amazing because they don’t know that from the trees – from the seeds – you’re going to have such a nice, delicious product like the chocolate.”

In addition to the lectures, garden visitors were also invited to watch cooking demonstrations and to receive free samples from vendors.

“The people want to taste chocolate,” Navas said.

One demonstration involved making a sculpture out of pure, solid chocolate. It consisted of multi-colored flowers sprouting from a brown stem, all carved out of chocolate.

Ryan Hauslinger, a student from Johnson and Wales University majoring in baking and pastries and a designer of the chocolate sculpture, explained the process of making something out of chocolate.

“We started last night and basically tempered chocolate, which is [when] you take chocolate up to a certain temperature and then bring it back down,” he said. “Then they had certain molds they could pour the chocolate into and let it set, and that’s what made it harden the right way. Now, they’re assembling the chocolate into a sculpture. The flowers are white chocolate, too.”

People were eventually able to taste the sculpture since every piece of it was edible.

“People can eat it after, but I’m not sure if they’ll want to eat it,” Hauslinger said.

While the festival began Friday, rain, clouds and cold weather held many visitors back. On Saturday, however, the festival was busier. Navas was impressed with the overall turnout.

“[Saturday] was amazing. We had 2,600 people in the butterfly conservatory alone. That means there could be probably around 5,000 people at the festival [Saturday],” he said.

Caroline Blake, a visitor and Miami native, described the blend of chocolate samples and gorgeous garden views that the festival offered.

“It’s a nice, different experience to get a little bit of the chocolate and the food pieced with the beautiful Fairchild Gardens here. You get to see what Miami can offer,” she said.

Thanksgiving is just a week away, and Americans are ready to celebrate the season with family, football and most of all, food. But how do other countries commemorate the fall harvest and show their gratitude for another bountiful year? Here are four international “Thanksgivings” with traditional recipes you can incorporate into your feast on Thursday.

Czech Republic:

The Czech Republic celebrates Obzinky in late August or early September, at the end of harvest season. Workers make wreaths of corn, wheat and wildflowers, as well as a doll made of the last sheaf of wheat called the “Baba.” Landowners host a party and a dance for the workers in the evening as they feast on roast pig and kolache, pastries filled with jam.

Ingredients:

2 packages yeast

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups warm milk

6 cups all-purpose flour

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

2 cups jam or pie filling

1 egg white, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in milk. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

Combine flour, sugar, egg yolks, salt, butter and milk mixture in a large bowl and mix until the dough is stiff.

Knead dough until smooth, cover and let rise for an hour until the dough has doubled in size. Repeat.

Roll dough out to 1/2-inch thickness, then cut into circles with a glass. Let rise for 45 minutes.

Place a tablespoon of jam on each round. Brush with egg white and bake for 12 minutes until golden brown.

Nigeria:

The New Yam Festival is celebrated by the Igbo people of Nigeria at the end of the rainy season, usually in early August. The yam is the first crop to be harvested and its symbolic significance as a source of life is celebrated with prayers of thanks, folk dances, parades and masquerades. The starch is prepared in many ways for the feast, but the most common is Yam Fufu, mashed yams.

Ingredients:

2 pounds yams

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil the yams in a large pot of water for 25 minutes, until soft.

Peel and cut up the yams into large pieces.

Add butter, salt and pepper, then mash with a potato masher until smooth. Shape the mixture into balls and serve.

Canada:

Our Canadian neighbors to the north celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October. Their celebration is very similar to the American version but it commemorates Sir Martin Frobisher’s arrival in Newfoundland in 1578. The food is very similar to that of an American Thanksgiving but often features more wild game and plenty of Canada’s famous maple syrup.

Maple Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 pre-made pie crust

2 eggs

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat together all ingredients, then pour into pie crust.

Bake for 40 minutes and serve warm.

China:

China’s Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival (also called Trung Thu in Vietnamese) is celebrated between early September and October on the day of the full moon. The festival is a time for reunion, harmony and historically, moon worship. Participants release paper lanterns and eat mooncakes, round pastries stamped with elaborate designs and traditionally filled with lotus bean paste. Our simplified recipe calls for the jam of your choice instead of this difficult-to-find ingredient.

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

3/4 cup dried milk powder

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup melted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups jam

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix flour, milk powder, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.

Beat together the eggs and sugar, then add butter and vanilla and stir until combined.

Stir in the dry ingredients until combined.

Knead the dough until smooth. Form into a log shape; refrigerate for an hour and then slice the dough into 15 to 20 circles.

Flatten the rounds into 3-inch disks, put a spoonful of jam into the center and pinch together the edges to form a ball.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Featured image courtesy Pixabay user cegoh

The change from summer to fall might not be as obvious in Miami, but there’s one way we know it’s around the corner: the long-awaited arrival of pumpkin spice lattes, of course. For those looking for an alternative way to indulge in pumpkin this fall, drop the lattes and try these easy and delicious recipes.

Start your day off right with Pumpkin Pancakes (from All Recipes)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowl.
2. Whisk milk, pumpkin, egg and oil together in a bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, 1 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, about 1 minute more. Repeat with remaining batter.

Put down the peanut butter and whip yourself up some Pumpkin Butter (from Minimalist Baker) for a twist on a classic spread.

Ingredients:

• 2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2/3 cup coconut sugar or muscovado sugar (or substitute organic brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (Grade A is best)
• 1/2 cup pure unsweetened apple juice
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (1 tablespoon or 15 ml)
• 2 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat and stir to combine.
2. Once it begins bubbling, reduce heat to low and simmer. You’re looking for a frequent bubble, so if there isn’t much going on at the surface, increase heat to medium-low heat. If it is bubbling too vigorously, reduce heat to low.
3. Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leaving it on the stove for another 5-10 minutes will deepen the flavors and thicken the texture.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, add more coconut sugar or maple syrup for sweetness, lemon juice for acidity, cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for warmth, or salt to balance the flavors.
5. Once cooled completely, transfer to a large glass container and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, sometimes more (depending on the freshness of your ingredients).
6. Enjoy straight from the fridge, or let it warm to room temperature before adding to items like waffles or pancakes.

Didn’t think pumpkins and Hispanic cuisine could be mixed? Think again, and try out this recipe for Pumpkin Quesadillas (from Rachel Ray).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups canned pure pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 8-inch flour tortillas
• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. In bowl, stir pumpkin and cumin; season. Spread over 4 tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts. Top with remaining tortillas. In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-low. Cook quesadillas one at a time, turning once and adding more oil between batches, until browned, for 3 minutes. Cut into wedges.

Don’t forget the seeds! Make sure to get maximum use out of your pumpkin by making these delectably easy Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seeds (from Real Simple).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the seeds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry throughout for 50 to 60 minutes.

1. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, toss the seeds with the butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Return the seeds to the baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

What pumpkin recipe list would be complete without dessert? Try your hand at this No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake (from Kraft) to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 8 ounce whipped topping, thawed and divided
• 1 ready-to-use graham cracker crumb crust
• 2 1/2 cups of Cool Whip

Directions:

1. Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar and pumpkin pie spice with mixer until blended. Gently stir in 2 1/2 cups Cool Whip.
2. Spoon into crust.
3. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.
4. Serve topped with remaining whipped topping.

Feature photo courtesy Pixabay user Alexas_Fotos.

Miami is known for its flavorful offerings and diverse dishes. It’s difficult to choose a place to dine among so many delicious offerings, so whether you’re looking for a quick bite near campus or a place to check out while exploring the city, here’s your guide to Miami must-haves sorted by neighborhood.

Brickell: Chicken and Waffles at American Social

American Social puts a twist on this Southern classic brunch dish by blending in cherries, mascarpone cheese and bourbon maple sauce. A unique addition is the vanilla flavor of the waffles, which brings it all together.

American Social is located at 690 S.W. First Court in Miami.

Coral Gables: Smashed Avo at Threefold Cafe

Everything about this avocado toast is far from typical. The smashed avocado is topped with an optional poached egg and garnished with basil, feta, lime, mushrooms and thyme, all on a piece of rye bread.

Threefold Cafe is located at 141 Giralda Ave. in Coral Gables.

Coral Gables: Smashed Avo at Threefold Cafe

Everything about this avocado toast is far from typical. The smashed avocado is topped with an optional poached egg and garnished with basil, feta, lime, mushrooms and thyme, all on a piece of rye bread.

Threefold Cafe is located at 141 Giralda Ave. in Coral Gables.

Design District: Bacon-wrapped Dates at Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill

If you’re in the midtown or Wynwood area, you have to check out these dates. They’re wrapped in slightly crispy linguica bacon and stuffed with manchego cheese. The bacon adds a nice salty touch while the dates keep the dish sweet.

Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill is located at 3252 N.E. First Ave. in Miami.

Downtown: Oysters at Mignonette

Mignonette uses a rotating selection to show its offerings of oysters from both the East and West Coasts. If it’s your first time or if you’re unsure which type of oysters you like, order the sampler plate to try a diverse selection.

Mignonette is located at 210 NE 18th St. in Miami.

Key Biscayne: Crab Cake at The Rusty Pelican

Made with grilled corn, chives and peppers and served with a chipotle aioli sauce on the side, this appetizer is to die for. Even though it’s only one cake, its large size is filling and the inside is stuffed with fluffy, baked crabmeat and covered with a light breading.

The Rusty Pelican is located at 3201 Rickenbacker Causeway in Key Biscayne.

Little Haiti: Shrimp and Grits at Blue Collar

Made with Trugole cheese, Nueske’s bacon and New Orleans-style barbecue sauce, this dish is a unique combination of flavors. While the sauce may seem like an odd choice for shrimp, it’s an unforgettable combination that you have to taste.

Blue Collar is located at 6730 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami.

Miami Beach: Star Luca Pizza at Visa-O1

This pizza is so beautiful, you won’t even want to eat it. However, it smells too good to resist. It comes in the shape of a star, making it easy to pull off a small piece and is great for sharing. Each portion is filled with mozzarella and ricotta cheese along with San Marzano sauce and spicy salami.

Visa-O1 is located at 1680 Michigan Ave. in Miami Beach.

Miami Beach: Fried Oreos at Prime 112 Restaurant

If you’re looking for a dessert that is unique and slightly unconventional, then go for fried Oreos. The fancy steakhouse’s sweet dish comes with vanilla ice cream, a delightful complement to the cookies.

Prime 112 is located at 112 Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.

West Miami: Pan Con Lechon at El Palacio De Los Jugos

Pan Con Lechon is a quintessential Cuban dish, translating to roast pork sandwich. The roasted pork is seasoned and then chopped up and topped onto toasted fresh bread. It’s a dish you can’t go without trying in Miami.

El Palacio de Los Jugos is located at 5721 W. Flagler St. in Miami.

Featured image courtesy Pixabay user joakant

College is a time for broadening your horizons. But don’t confine your education to the classroom – Miami’s diverse ethnic food scene provides a great opportunity for culinary exploration. Whether you’re a picky eater looking for a little change or a food aficionado chasing an edible adventure, there’s a delicious dish waiting for you to devour it.

Thai

A simple and healthy appetizer option is edamame soybeans steamed in their pods and served with salt. For one of the most accessible main dishes, try pad see ew. It consists of flat rice noodles stir fried with vegetables in soy sauce.

For a uniquely Thai dish, order a green papaya salad. Unlike traditional salads, there’s no lettuce to be seen here. Instead, it is often prepared with a peanut dressing and unripe papaya shredded into a noodle-like consistency. If you can handle the heat, give volcano duck a try – just be sure you have a full glass of water to go along with it.

Indian

For a gentle introduction to Indian food, start your meal with an order of naan. This baked flatbread is tasty even when plain, but can also be seasoned with garlic and onion, or stuffed with cheese. For a main course, try tandoori chicken. This classic dish could be described as a curry barbecue chicken, and the mildly spicy sauce is perfect to soak up with a piece of naan.

If you’re feeling bold, try a pickle side dish. This acquired taste consists of incredibly sour and salty pickled lemons, often imported directly from India. For a more unique meat option, order goat kurma, a hot curry dish made with onion and garlic paste.

Greek

No matter how picky you are, you can’t go wrong with pita and hummus. The chickpea spread is addictive and endlessly customizable for different tastes. For a relatively familiar meal, a good option is joojeh kebab; the grilled chicken dish often comes with rice and a side salad as well.

If you like your steaks rare, take it one step further with raw kibbeh, which is made of either minced lamb or beef. The meat is mixed with bulgur, mint and oil, and eaten on pita. Those who prefer seafood can try something new by ordering marinated octopus head.

Cuban

Moros y Cristanos, or black beans and rice, is the perfect gateway food to Miami’s signature cuisine. Sandwich lovers should consider the medianoche, a Cuban twist on a traditional ham and cheese which is prepared on slightly sweet bread with pickles.

Cuban food provides plenty of opportunities to explore strange meats. Carnivores ready to stray from Cuban sandwiches and vaca frita can order such dishes as pigs’ feet and liver steak.

Featured image courtesy Pixabay user Unsplash

 

Featured image courtesy Pixabay user jp26jp

For anyone looking to add a little spice to their life, Indian food can do just the trick. With staples like naan (oven-baked flatbread), flavorful protein dishes like chole (spicy chickpeas) and a variety of vegetable and meat curries, Indian food can leave your stomach full and your palate happy. For vegetarians and vegans, there are many flavorful dishes without meat, too. Although India may be more than 9,000 miles away, Miami has plenty of great Indian restaurants. Here’s your guide to some of the city’s Indian offerings to satisfy your craving for the flavors of this exotic cuisine.

 

Bollywood Masala

For a spot that’s cheap and fast, but still bursting with flavor, Bollywood Masala is the place to go. No more than 10 minutes away from campus, this fast-food style restaurant offers diners the opportunity to experience traditional Indian food in a contemporary setting. Ranging from modern dishes like lamb and chicken tikka wraps to more standard Indian cuisine like paneer makhani (cheese in a creamy sauce) and mango lassi (a yogurt-based drink), Bollywood Masala’s fusion of exotic spices, fresh vegetables and authentic flavors is sure to keep you coming back for more.

Bollywood Masala is located at 7400 S.W. 57th Ave., Unit 4 in Miami.

Taste Buds of India

Boasting some of the best online reviews among Indian restaurants in Miami, Taste Buds of India offers individuals an authentic Indian dining experience, complete with excellent service and a cosmopolitan ambience. Although it’s on the pricy side, Taste Buds of India remains true to its promise: each dish is carefully thought out, taking full account of the freshness and seasonality of local ingredients. For those looking for something a little out of the box, Taste Buds of India also has a specialty Indo-Chinese menu featuring tasty fusion dishes like Gobi Manchurian (fried cauliflower) and hakka noodles.

Taste Buds of India is located at 5850 Sunset Drive in South Miami.

Zaika

With their executive chef hailing straight from the world renowned Taj Mahal hotel in India, this five-star rated restaurant offers a unique contemporary twist on traditional Indian dishes. One of Zaika’s strong points is its accommodating menu, including gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options that can be made to order. With high customer satisfaction and excellent service, this hole-in-the-wall restaurant is not to be overlooked.

Zaika is located at 2176 N.E. 123rd St. in North Miami.

Ayesha Saffron

Indian Restaurant

If you’re ever around Key Biscayne, this tasty little restaurant is a must on your to-do list. Offering a cozy and well-lit ambience, the intimacy of Ayesha’s dining experience is one of its key highlights. Despite being a little less affordable, Ayesha makes good use out of the abundance of fresh local seafood, featuring dishes like saffron mussel stew and shrimp madras in a curry sauce.

Ayesha is located at the Galleria Shopping Center, 328 Crandon Blvd. in Key Biscayne.

 

Featured image courtesy Pixabay user LoggaWiggler

Japanese street corn, lychee grape tiradito, lemon fish chirashi and salmon ceviche. These dishes aren’t currently on Sushi Maki’s menu, but they will be – along with other vibrant dishes made using locally sourced ingredients – starting Oct. 5 as part of the company’s menu update.

The Coral Gables-based chain celebrated 15 years of service along with the new menu with an exclusive tasting event at the Coral Gables location on Thursday night.

President and CEO Abe Ng and his wife and co-founder, Christina Ng, welcomed foodies, members of the media and Sushi Maki lovers to sample new sakes and local craft beers in the “beer garden” on the outdoor terrace as waiters served lobster tacos and miniature ahi poke bowls.

Later, Christina Ng sat guests for the main event: tasting the new entrees. The Veggie Head Roll, filled with vegetables and covered in savory aji amarillo sauce, was a crowd-pleaser, along with the Snowed In Roll: a bite of snow crab, Marine Stewardship Council certified krab and soy wrapper with a new Sushi Maki creation, ponzu butter.

Sushi Maki has 20 locations in South Florida, so using ingredients found in the area was an important next step for Ng, who said it was the “right thing” to do.

“We’re so fortunate to have a variety of places in town to share the goodness of sushi,” he said. “We’re excited to be able to imagine and create incredible recipes, and share them with so many people through new and unexpected places.”

New rolls will be available at Sushi Maki in the University of Miami food court in spring 2016.

 

 

 

We all know that smell – that sweet, distinctive smell that wafts about in front of Club Richter on Wednesday afternoons. It’s the smell of warm empanadas and coconut; it’s the smell of fresh-made crepes and crisp fruit. We know that smell means one thing: it’s farmer’s market season again.

This year’s inaugural farmer’s market started strong with 34 vendors from around Miami bringing all kinds of enticing products to campus. From handmade decorative stickers to Argentine-style poached eggs and steak, there was something for everyone at this week’s fair.

As always, the gyro stand enjoyed a lot of attention. With lines exiting the stand in all directions, the palatable greek wraps were being cooked, rolled and devoured at an astonishing rate. Another UM favorite was the kettle corn booth, which gave out samples to students, many of whom proved helpless to the sweet taste and crunch of the corn.

Students also flock to the coconut shakes stand. “It’s the best coconut shake in the world,” boasted Alonso Marquez, the proprietor of Coconut Products, a Miami-based coconut business offering delicious Venezuelan-style shakes. He knows it takes more than just a good-tasting product to win over picky, health-conscious UM students. Marquez’s shakes are chock-full of potassium, magnesium and iron. His business is a rather innovative one, as he is one of the very few coconut shake businesses in all of Miami.

Cries of “Come get lost in this sauce!” and “I got the spice for ya life!” could be heard resonating from the booth of another familiar face around UM, the self-proclaimed “Hot Sauce Boss.” Malik Jamal, who has been selling hot sauce at UM for years, has been “slangin his sauce” all over the U.S. since 2003. In 2009, his product was even declared the official hot sauce of the NBA.

The UM Farmer’s Market will be back with irresistible grub and trinkets every Wednesday.