Le Bon Appetit was a nice event, and eating food from visiting chefs is a great way to get an idea of what we’d like to have here.

The loss of a neighbor followed by an old photo bring a flood of memories and reminder that time is fleeting. We bring you new barbecue, wings, the return of a big event and Penny’s new restaurant Downtown.

Memphis Italian Festival, Celtic Whiskey Tasting and 2022 Craft Food and Wine Festival are all upon us, and look at Grind City Brewing, taking up all the river views.

With Memorial Day here, it’s time to start cooking summer favorites; Flame MaLaTang brings the heat to Midtown; and it was a great year for the Memphis Greek Festival.

Barbecue fest wraps up for the year, COVID is over me, and wha?? Fudge with 7,000 calories?

A restaurant closes due to COVID. But the show goes on at Liberty Park where Memphis in May’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is back.

An accidental hot sauce douse prompts a culinary epiphany for a friend — and a question for you. 

Have you thrown a big party since COVID? I was out of practice and it was hard; Williamsburg Village in East Memphis keeps hopping; and Cooper-Young is getting bigger and badder.

With an important birthday coming up, picking a menu for the party takes care and attention; Fancy’s Fish House is open; you can eat for $10 at New Asia.

Festival season is coming into full bloom and this year it begins with a flurry of beer fests.

It was an eventful week in Memphis, with van Gogh at Graceland, an anniversary at Hampline and sushi at Do, which closed almost 10 years ago.

Fresh-cut French fries and even better, fresh onion rings, make even a plain burger special; the sides matter.

St Patrick’s Day returns full-on to Celtic Crossing; Dō Sushi returns for a popup next week; sad news about a Downtown restaurant and good news for East Memphis beer lovers.

Desserts have been everywhere lately, and they’ve been hard to resist.

Memphis weekend features Catalan food, a stroll through the tractors and combines at the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show, and a tribute to Father Nicholas Vieron at the Memphis Restaurant Association banquet.

Sweet Grass makes Wednesdays fun with corn dogs and half-price bottles of wine, Beale Street Brewing’s new beer and catching up with Gus’s Wendy McCrory.

Cristina McCarter has opened Feast & Graze on S. Main, and The Daily Memphian is giving away one of her charcuterie boxes for Valentine’s Day.

Southern food talk brings back memories, the Liars’ Lunch group finds its chicken tenders, Sunrise is coming to East Memphis, Gus’s is in Germantown and Whataburger is nixed for Collierville.

Sure, it would be nice to be on a beach and enjoying the surf and the sand, but if COVID is keeping you from escaping the cold weather, there’s always soup. Soup will never let you down.

Grocery store shelves are bare, produce departments are all but empty early in the day, and whose fault is it? Yes, it’s COVID.

Blue Plate Café to close after the death of its owner, Memphis Pizza Café goes to shorter hours due to staffing issues and we’re trying Kind January instead of Dry January. 

With hopes for a better 2022, we look to new places and a return to dining reviews; catch up on food stories you missed over the busy holidays. 

José Andrés was in my kitchen, via Zoom, and I forgot to tell you about it (but now I am). McEwen’s is open, a Guinness record is coming to Memphis, and so is a Hy-Vee grocery.

Pralines, milk punch and Frank Grisanti’s tiramisu recipe all delivered this week; Melissa Cookston’s Southaven BBQ store has opened; McEwen’s opens next week. Why, Merry Christmas!