Following a successful pilot on Carnival Dream, Carnival Cruise Line is rolling out new dinner menus for its dining rooms in a phased approach across the fleet beginning with Carnival Conquest today. The new menus bring more variety to its dining room offerings with dozens of new dishes curated by Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse in conjunction with Carnival chefs. Among the many new menu items are Emeril Selects, which are personally recommended by the renowned chef and restauranteur. “Food is an ever-evolving art, so our approach to the dining room offerings is to infuse a selection of ..read more

Chef Peter Merriman and Handcrafted Restaurants open ‘Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman’ at The OUTRIGGER Reef Waikiki Beach Resort (Monkeypod Waikiki) on world-famous Waikiki Beach. Located within OUTRIGGER Reef Waikiki Beach Resort’s newly transformed Diamond Head Tower, Monkeypod Waikiki pairs prime views of Diamond Head and the Pacific Ocean with its signature menu of handcrafted farm-to-table food, beer, and cocktails.   Monkeypod Waikiki is the largest Monkeypod Kitchen to date, with 13,000 square feet on the golden sands of Waikiki Beach. This marks Handcrafted Restaurants’ fourth Monk ..read more

CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl’s Jr.® and Hardee’s® announced today that the Stars for Heroes™ annual fundraising campaign has raised more than $1 million for veterans and military families in need since the start of the campaign on Memorial Day. The funds will continue to benefit partner organizations USA Cares, Stand Up and Play Foundation, and various local charities selected by individual franchisees. USA Cares provides post-9/11 military veterans and families skills training and financial assistance to create long-term stability. Stand Up and Play Fou ..read more

Cowhorn Kitchen & Wine, an upcoming restaurant serving artfully crafted, seasonal menus from the team behind Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden, is set to open this fall in the heart of Jacksonville, Oregon. The family-owned restaurant will serve refined yet approachable cuisine featuring local ingredients sourced from the vineyard’s working Biodynamic garden as well as neighboring farms, alongside a selection of Biodynamic wines from Cowhorn and its sister property, Johan Vineyards, in Willamette Valley. Located in the space formerly housing The Mustard Seed café and more recently Sunny Side U ..read more

The award-winning Ojai Valley Inn, a luxury resort in Ojai, California with a legacy as a leading culinary destination, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jordan Pilarski as Executive Pastry Chef. Chef Pilarski will lead the pastry programs at Ojai Valley Inn’s flagship restaurant, Olivella, as well as The Oak, Libbey’s Market, Jimmy’s Pub, and all in-room dining and special events.   With nearly a decade of pastry experience, the Johnson & Wales graduate spent five years with Ritz-Carlton at Amelia Island and Bacara before joining the team at Santa Barbara’s Alessia Patisserie ..read more

El Naranjo, Austin’s traditional Mexican restaurant, helmed by 2022 James Beard Award winning Chef Iliana de la Vega and her partner Ernesto Torrealba, welcomes Chef Christian Bravo to Austin for an intimate Yucatecan dinner. Chef de la Vega and Chef Bravo will introduce a curated five course dinner celebrating the food and drink of the Yucatan Peninsula on August 31, 2023. Chef Bravo, Co-Host of “Hombres en la Cocina” (Men in the Kitchen), corporate chef at Crabster in Progreso Yucatan, and Co-Owner of Bravo Catering, will fly in to join Chef Iliana de la Vega for one night only. The Chefs ha ..read more

James Beard Award-winning chef, TV personality, and entrepreneur JJ Johnson is excited to announce the third location of his rapidly growing fast-casual concept, FIELDTRIP. Expanding to the Upper West Side in Manhattan near Columbia University, the new location opens on Wednesday, July 19 at 2913 Broadway (between 113th and 114th Street).    Joining the likes of Shake Shack, Sweetgreen and Dos Toros, the made-to-order rice bowl concept will bring global flavors to the diverse Morningside Heights dining scene. In collaboration with Brooklyn-based designer ..read more

Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap, located in the Del Ray/ Rosemont neighborhoods of Alexandria, today announced its latest experience for The Loft at Lena’s. The second-story space’s theme, that has changed seasonally since it opened in 2020, will open for dinner on Friday, July 21, as Havana 151 – a sultry, elegant supper club with a Latin/Cuban flair. The dining experience will immerse guests in rich and decadent decor with a unique take on an Old Havana luxury hotel of the 1940/50’s. The space carries a sexy, stylish vibe and your imagination will almost smell the cigar smoke hanging ..read more

The Kitchen Collective is excited to announce its launch of a virtual food hall bringing highly acclaimed fast casual restaurants to Tysons, VA. The Kitchen Collective (located at Fairfax Square, 8045 Leesburg Pike) is now open and serving DC favorites Yasmine and Pizza Serata. The multi-branded virtual food hall allows guests a convenient way to enjoy chef-driven meals delivered to their home or convenient curbs-side service. Co-Founder, Reza Farahani’s is excited to bring two popular DC brands to Northern Virginia stating, “Yasmine has quickly become DC’s favorite Kebab bar and Pizza Serata ..read more

David Dobrik and Doughbrik’s Pizza collaborated for National Ice Cream Day with Cookie Pop, Candy Pop and Cereal Pop on July 16th, debuting four specialty soft serve flavors with the Sour Patch Kids, OREO, Fruity Pebbles and M&Ms minis popcorn. A portion of the proceeds from the day to also benefit the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, and a guest DJ set was performed by Sebastian Topete. It was a scorching hot summer day to celebrate the perfect refreshment holiday, National Ice Cream Day. A crowd of excited patrons were already lined up at 1pm for the free ice cream giveaway which ..read more