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What Anthony Bourdain Was Really Like, According To Chef Ludo Lefebvre - Exclusive Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock By Jorie Mark/Oct. 7, 2021 11:16 am EST In the years since his death in 2018, the culinary community has been reeling over the loss of Anthony Bourdain. In his lifetime, Bourdain was somewhat of a mystery, from his surprising lack of a celebrity-sized fortune to reports of his shy, restrained demeanor off-camera. For anyone who’s binged cooking shows, high-energy foodie celebs are the norm; Bourdain, gently engaging with local cooks on his Travel Channel “No Reservations” series, came across as humble and curious....

What It’s Like To Work At Red Lobster, According To Employees Bloomberg/Getty Images By Boshika Gupta/Updated: Jan. 13, 2022 3:36 pm EST Red Lobster is a popular name in the world of chain restaurants. From servers to managers to corporate employees, Red Lobster employs roughly 45,000 people, according to Forbes. The seafood chain even made the magazine’s list of America’s Best Large Employers list of 2021. But how do employees actually feel about working there?...

Why Award-Winning Chef Rick Bayless Was Thrilled To Work With A Fast Food Burger Chain - Exclusive Smashburger By Steven John/Updated: Feb. 3, 2023 3:27 pm EST Chef Rick Bayless is not a fast food kind of guy, frankly speaking. In fact, when asked if he had a favorite spot during a recent Mashed interview, Bayless thought for a moment and then answered with an unequivocal “no,” and further said, “I’m not much for that....

Why Coca-Cola Was Originally Alcoholic vfhnb12/Shutterstock By Angela Gervasi/Oct. 26, 2021 12:25 pm EST Coca-Cola may be loaded with sugar, but history tells us the iconic American soft drink could have been a lot more scandalous. Rewind to the 19th century, when pharmacist John Pemberton mixed a concoction of wine and coca extract (yes, the same plant used to make cocaine). According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pemberton — who’d fought in the Civil War as a Confederate — began experimenting with syrups and tonics in Atlanta, Georgia after the war ended....

Why Taco Bell Fans Think The Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco Is No More Facebook By Emily Weaver/Oct. 19, 2021 12:28 pm EST In sad fast food news, Taco Bell has officially removed the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco from its menu, per The Takeout. The fried chicken taco debuted less than six weeks ago and became an instant hit among Taco Bell customers. The unexpected menu drop has left fans stunned, causing many to turn to social media looking for answers....

Croque Madam Sandwich Recipe Liz Capozzoli/Mashed By Liz Capozzoli AND Mashed Staff/Updated: Sept. 13, 2021 11:06 am EST If ever there were an Instagram-worthy brunch or breakfast sandwich, it’s the croque madame. A gorgeous layering of crisp buttered bread, ham, Gruyere cheese, more bread, and a fresh fried egg to top things off isn’t just hard to beat, it’s almost unbeatable. Of course, that goes for taste as well. Decidedly indulgent, these sandwiches are satisfying at every bite and sure to keep your appetite sated for hours to come....

Fans Are Raining Hearts On Giada De Laurentiis’ Beautiful Family Photo FashionStock.com/Shutterstock By Ashley Steinberg/Nov. 30, 2021 10:42 am EST Family time during the holidays can be a great time to catch up and share stories — or it can be a time where discussions can get heated and someone leaves the table upset, even if the pictures always look pretty on Instagram. For celebrity chefs and personalities, it’s no different....

How Rutherford B. Hayes Tricked White House Guests With ‘Spiked’ Punch Everett Collection/Shutterstock By Maria Scinto/Oct. 13, 2021 4:36 pm EST We know all about the follies and foibles of the more recent presidents, from JFK’s womanizing ways through Bill Clinton’s issues with interns (well, one particular intern) and Donald Trump’s alleged “Stormy” relationship with an adult film actress. The peccadilloes of earlier presidents, however, have long ago faded from memory....

Katie Lee Biegel Just Announced A Major New Kitchen Collab Debby Wong/Shutterstock By Lucy Maddox/Updated: Feb. 2, 2023 2:18 pm EST Like many celebrity chefs, Katie Lee Biegel grew up surrounded by food lovers. “I was raised in a modest, tight-knit family in West Virginia, and each evening centered around the dinner menu,” the Cooking Channel star shares on her website. “Eager to get involved, I began cooking with my grandma at the young age of 4....

Lemon Cake Recipe Molly Allen/Mashed By Molly Allen/Updated: Sept. 17, 2021 10:45 am EST The old adage, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” comes up time and time again. And while we can definitely get on board with a nice, refreshing glass of cold lemonade on a hot summer’s day, we’d much rather put our lemons toward making a delicious cake. There’s something so magical about a lemon cake. It’s packed full of incredible flavor....

M&Ms’ New Packages Celebrate These Iconic Albums AS photostudio/Shutterstock By Erich Barganier/Updated: Jan. 30, 2023 11:25 am EST When it comes to wrapping up chocolate, some confectioners have set a high bar. Saveur illustrated a few prominent examples of creatively wrapped treats, including Marou’s single-origin chocolate bars that feature wrappers in the same vibrant colors of the candies’ cacao pods, as well as Omnom’s animal-themed wrappers with illustrations resembling origami sculptures....

Nuts Are A More Popular Super Bowl Snack Than You May Have Thought Studio Mars/Shutterstock By Chase Shustack/Feb. 11, 2022 11:13 am EST Your friend is hosting a Super Bowl watch party at their place and you (who are either a Rams fan, a Bengals fan, or just wanting to get out of the house) decide to join them. As you peruse the smorgasbord of snacks, piling a few hot wings on your plate next to your slice of pizza, you notice something that seems almost out of place....

Pumpkin Chocolate-Covered Pretzels Recipe Kristen Carli/Mashed By Kristen Carli AND Mashed Staff/Oct. 28, 2021 3:31 pm EST If you’re in the mood for a creative and tasty Halloween treat, then we have just the thing for you! (Actually, it would be great for any fall month as well.) These pumpkin chocolate-covered pretzels are incredibly cute and festive, and they also taste just as good as they look. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s really easy to make, and people of all ages can enjoy it....

The Retro Way McDonald’s Australia Is Celebrating Its 50th Anniversary McDonalds AU By Erich Barganier/Dec. 17, 2021 4:14 pm EST Fifty years ago, McDonald’s opened up their first Australian location in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona, according to the company’s website. The opening of the restaurant was a cause for massive celebration and was heralded with a big event. According to Australian Food Timeline, a chartered double-decker bus brought patrons to the restaurant and a man in a clown suit, who may or may not have been the Ronald McDonald, handed yo-yos out to children....

The Scary Reason This Ohio Hospital Is Offering To X-Ray Halloween Candy Syda Productions/Shutterstock By Boshika Gupta/Nov. 2, 2021 12:00 pm EST Eating lots of sweet and delicious candy is a crucial part of annual Halloween celebrations. According to a poll cited by Reader’s Digest, a whopping 68% of the U.S. population took part in Halloween festivities in 2019. What’s more, an impressive number (69%) of the participants chose to purchase candy for the festive season....

The Surprising Food Subway Is Selling In South Korea SUDONG KIM/Shutterstock By Lauren Rothman/Dec. 7, 2021 2:32 pm EST Have you ever eaten in a Subway? If so, you’re probably familiar with its wide-ranging menu of subway sandwiches, from classic oven roasted turkey to wildcards like sweet onion chicken teriyaki (via the official Subway website). This global behemoth is certainly a convenient option — considering that, with more than 41,000 locations worldwide (via Statista), you can find one no matter where in the world you are — but it doesn’t always enjoy the best reputation, having suffered various scandals such as baking its bread with a bleaching agent also found in yoga mats (via CNBC) and continued allegations that the tuna in its popular fish salad isn’t actually tuna, but some other unidentifiable species (via the New York Times)....

The Sweet Way Ina Garten Honored Julia Child For New Documentary Manny Carabel/Getty Images By Erich Barganier/Oct. 11, 2021 4:06 pm EST If you love the personality and recipes of Julia Child, you can’t afford to miss the latest documentary centered on the late cooking star. According to Variety, “Julia” delves into Child’s personality and life, while drawing on contributions from other cooking stars, like Ina Garten and André Cointreau. While many superfans of Child might not take away a ton of new info from the documentary, the movie gives stars like Garten the chance to reminisce and remind audiences why Child had the power to touch the lives of home cooks everywhere....

The Truth About The Strudel Scene In Inglourious Basterds YouTube By Kalea Martin/Sept. 1, 2021 10:37 am EST Did the Nazi Hans Landa recognize Shosanna in the restaurant? That’s the big question presented by an iconic scene in Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 film “Inglourious Basterds,” and the answer lies in the ingredients of the strudel. The most common misconception about the meaning of the scene is that Landa is using the strudel to determine whether or not Shosanna is Jewish (via Reddit)....

The Unexpected Way COVID-19 Led To An Increase In Counterfeit Wine Day Of Victory Studio/Shutterstock By Owen Duff/Sept. 17, 2021 2:34 pm EST In case you hadn’t heard, the pandemic has thrown global supply chains for a loop. COVID-19-related safety measures have greatly slowed traffic at ports worldwide, creating bottlenecks, storage space scarcity, and labor shortages, reports the Washington Post. Nonetheless, one industry has found a way to thrive amidst the chaos: the wine-counterfeiting business....

This Gift Set Is The Perfect Valentine’s Day Present For Cheese Lovers Wisconsin Cheese By Ashley Steinberg/Jan. 18, 2022 4:49 pm EST “Say Cheese!” may be a popular term for photographers, but cheese lovers will likely also be saying it to their Valentine this year, thanks to this special cheesy gift. Historically, cheese has not had much of an association with Valentine’s Day. In 2017, the National Confectioners Association put out a survey that found “94 percent of Americans want to receive chocolate or candy for Valentine’s Day” (via PR Newswire)....