Lorie Hutson

Tart is Smart is taking a page from the success of POM Wonderful, the pomegranate juice/health drink that's making headlines. The Othello, Wash.-based company is now selling its juice made from tart cherries at Albertsons and Safeway stores in the West. The juice will make its nationwide debut just before Christmas. The family-owned TPG enterprises, which produces Tart is Smart, has been growing more than 300 acres of tart cherries in the Othello area for the past eight years. The cherries used to be sold to other producers as ingredients. Last year the company started making ready-to-drink juices in four flavors from the fruit, including: Tart Cherry, Cherry Berry, Cherry Blueberry and Cherry Grape, according to product manager Loren Queen.

Your dining dollars can help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. When you eat out today, some local restaurants will donate money to the relief effort as part of Dine for America. More than 13,000 restaurants nationwide are donating all or a portion of profits to the American Red Cross. Dine for America was started in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

It first drew lines at Spokane's Pig Out in the Park. Now, Sonnenberg's New York-Style Italian Sausage has drawn the attention of one of the country's foremost foodies – David Rosengarten. Rosengarten, who is perhaps best known for his Food Network shows, writes a monthly newsletter on food and wines called The Rosengarten Report. In it, Rosengarten writes about the world's finest gourmet foods from foie gras to Kobe beef and truffle oil. He also dishes on burgers, pork rinds and this month admitted his secret fondness for Doritos.

Here's the best new excuse to have chocolate for breakfast: Latah Latte. Latah Bistro owners are serving up tastes of some of the finest chocolate in the world with your morning (or afternoon, or evening) java. About a dozen of the most popular chocolates served in their restaurant are available at the latte drive-through window in "petites," two-square bites of fine chocolate bars. They cost from 50 cents to $1.

If your supermarket's varieties of apples throw you for a loop when it comes to picking the best fruit for pies, sauce and cider, you're not alone. Readers sent letters recently asking for some guidance. Delores Jones of Otis Orchards said in her note, "I'm not sure which ones are for eating only, which ones are for cooking only, which ones are good for both."

How many ways can you say, "Oink?" It's the time of year again when we find out. Pig Out in the Park, the five-day food and music festival that rings in Labor Day, begins at 10 a.m. tomorrow in Riverfront Park. Organizer Bill Burke is serving up a menu from 45 different food booths, representing 18 cuisines and washing it down in one of three beverage gardens. By his count, that's at least 250 ways to stuff yourself silly.

He may live in a pineapple under the sea, but he's no slacker when it comes to veggies. Starting this month, parents will have help encouraging their little ones to eat foods that are good for them. Nickelodeon stars such as SpongeBob Squarepants will make their debut on packages of spinach and baby carrots in the grocery stores nationwide. Dora the Explorer, and Sportacus and Stephanie from the Nick Jr. series LazyTown also will appear on baby carrot packages from Grimmway Farms, Inc. Boskovich Farms will feature SpongeBob on its bags of spinach. And, LGS Specialty Sales, distributors of oranges, tangerines and clementines, will host characters such as SpongeBob, Dora, Blue's Clues and The Backyardigans on bags of fruit. Nickelodeon characters also will appear on cartons of lowfat milk once upcoming deals are finalized, according to a news release.

The new Idaho Food Code, adopted by restaurants this month, has a few changes you might consider for your own kitchen, says food safety specialist Sandy McCurdy. Toss out that kitchen sponge, says McCurdy, who is with the University of Idaho Extension office in Moscow.

If you have been seduced by the incredible Three Chocolate Mousse at Take the Cake, here's some good news: Gina Garcia is opening a new bakery and cafe. Garcia closed Take the Cake on South Sherman Avenue last month after 12 years and will reopen Monday as Bittersweet Bakery and Bistro in a new location on South Grand Boulevard. Take the Cake favorites such as the Three Chocolate Mousse, Lemon Chiffon Cake and Chocolate Marquise will still be on the menu, Garcia says. "We're just going to add on."

Just as the grills are getting stoked for prime cookout season, the American Institute for Cancer Research has issued its annual warning: Grilled foods may raise the risk of cancer. I was tempted to chuck the news release in the trash and continue with my blissful charbroiled ignorance, but there is some good information in the brochure about limiting your exposure to potential health hazards.

Good news about one of the most vexing problems of barbecue season: Too many hot dog buns. Chicago hot dog maker Vienna Beef and bun baker S. Rosen have announced they will make equal-sized packages (that's 8 hot dogs and 8 buns), according to the Chicago Tribune.

When you fire up the briquettes this weekend for the annual bash to welcome summer grilling season, remember this advice from the researchers at Washington State University: You can't judge a burger by its color. We all know hamburger patties that are brown all the way though are safe to eat. Right?

CenterStage executive chef Kile Tansy is leaving dinner theater and Ella's Supper Club for something a little closer to home. Tansy, 44, is retreating from restaurant work to open a new catering company called "Cooking with Kile," which combines cooking classes with a dinner party at private homes.

Perhaps your interest in wine has only been a passing fancy. You enjoy it but have never really taken the time to learn more. Starting Friday and through this weekend you can indulge that curiosity without traveling far from home. The 10 wineries in the Spokane area are opening their doors for the annual Spring Barrel Tasting. Come ask all of the things you've wanted to learn about wine. Or, quietly sip samples and listen to winemakers talk about how they make wines.

A self-taught chef whose first job was in a sandwich shop has been honored by his fellow chefs for his professionalism. Spokane Athletic Club Executive Chef Raymond Delfino won the 2004 Chef Professionalism Award from the American Culinary Federation for the western region. In July, he'll be considered for the ACF's national award.

Helping someone who might otherwise miss a meal is simple: Dine out Thursday at one of 15 Spokane Valley restaurants. Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels hopes to raise awareness about hunger among seniors and enough money to start a new lunch program with the fund-raiser, says director Pam Almeida. "Eat Out… So No Senior Goes Hungry" is part of a national campaign to raise money and recruit volunteers for the meal delivery programs for senior citizens.

You forgot. Again. Valentine's Day is looming and you've got nothing… no dinner reservation, no flowers on order, nothing to show your sweetheart just how much you love them. The Red Lion Hotel at the Park and Dairy Farmers of Washington had poor fools like you in mind when they created this special.

Nine of North Idaho's best chefs are donating their skills at the Art on the Edge mARTi gras party fund-raiser in Coeur d'Alene on Feb. 5. The chefs will compete for the title of best Cajun chef in the Northwest, while partygoers enjoy a feast like no other this side of New Orleans. The mouthwatering menu is far too extensive to list, but here are some of the highlights: Crab Beignet with Creole Sauce appetizers; Spunky Crawfish Chowder and Cajun Seafood Gumbo soups; Catfish Étoufée and Jambalaya entrees; and the Marti Gras classic King Cake, along with Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce desserts.

Three… two … one… Happy new resolution. If you're like most people, you're recommitting yourself to that healthy eating or weight loss goal for 2005. Here's one way to help you stick to your resolution: Sign up for a new free service from the American Institute for Cancer Research.

What is Inland Northwest flavor? If you wanted to showcase the best Inland Northwest cuisine for someone who had never been to the region before, what would you make? You can help us create the ultimate Inland Northwest menu by entering your recipes in The Spokesman Review's Flavors of the Inland Northwest Recipe Contest. Winners in each of four categories will be asked to demonstrate their dish or participate in a cook-off at The Spokesman-Review's annual Cooking Expo on Feb. 25. And professional chefs will use the winning recipes to demonstrate a four-course Ultimate Inland Northwest Meal at the Expo on Feb. 26.

If you could capture the flavors that define the Inland Northwest in a recipe, what would you make? Get ready to create an original dish that showcases the best ingredients this region has to offer in the Flavors of the Inland Northwest Recipe Contest. We'll create the ultimate Inland Northwest menu with the winning recipes for appetizers, entrees, salads or side dishes, and desserts. The winner in each category will be invited to whip up his or her dish at The Spokesman-Review's Cooking Expo in late February.