A Quick Bite With | Page 7 of 10

Posted on November 11, 2016November 11, 2016 by Staff Writer

A Quick Bite With Congressman Jim McGovern

Congressman Jim McGovern at the James Beard Awards

An advocate of the people and a relentless leader for change, Congressman Jim McGovern has influenced and impacted the foundation of human rights. As a man dedicated to the nation’s biggest problems, including poverty and hunger, we couldn’t help but wonder, ‘what makes him tick?’ As a Sutton native with an ever-evolving commitment to the brighter future of Central Massachusetts, Congressman McGovern allowed us to peer inside the mind of a man diligently trying to reconnect people with the essence of food.

Food is a crucial component to our everyday survival, and while we enjoy the romantic side of dining – inviting friends for wine tastings and seeking out the finest meals, we can’t have it without understanding the connection food creates between people and cultures. “Family meals bridge gaps. Not just with family but with friends and strangers. The foods we have in common, what we enjoy most or enjoy least and coming together to partake in meals is important,” says Congressman McGovern. “I think we have to shift our focus more to meals. Our culture is busy, but we need to take the time to appreciate what we have and most of all, make time to really enjoy it. In Europe, meals are an event. People spend time preparing, making and enjoying their meals.

Congressman McGovern is right. Meals in Europe are not just about eating for survival but also about tackling the day-to-day challenges of unequal balance between work and family. The moment a family meal is instituted into the daily routine, even if it is breakfast or lunch, the balance between work and family becomes less of a burden. The time spent amongst family, friends and strangers over a meal or a bottle of wine is time well spent. In Spain, the tapas dish is meant to infuse this very theory into community and its relation to food – a theory practiced in the local Central Mass food scene with restaurants like Bocado. In France, lunch is the biggest food event of the day – a meeting of community over a meal that can last hours.

Split between his Irish and Polish heritage, Congressman McGovern is able to dabble in authentic homemade cooking traditions passed on from generations. “My aunt makes an unbelievable Irish stew every year after the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Worcester,” he says. While family style cooking is one that is dear to his heart, it is also something that is not easily duplicated. “I can not recreate my grandmother’s cooking, or my mom, for that matter – who still cooks till this day,” says Congressman McGovern as he continues to explain his long love of home cooked meals.

“We do a lot of cooking in my family. For me, personally, it helps clear my mind,” says Congressman McGovern. “I take great pleasure in creating something from nothing. Having a dish created by me that tastes good is only important if I can share it with everyone. My wife loves when I cook my umbrian pork – a pork shoulder seasoned with salt and crushed fennel, slowly cooked for four to six hours with a little white wine.”

As a student at Worcester Academy, Congressman McGovern’s ties to food were connected not in the school’s dining hall, but instead in the dorm rooms, where he was able to experience the cultural foods of his classmates. “Worcester Academy made a big impact on me in politics because of the international students. There is a whole world out there, I realized, and we need to care more than just about ourselves but about the world as a whole,” he says. “There was no variety in the dining hall at the time, instead my dining experience really happened when I was connected with the international students and their culture. I am still a fan of Indian food today and as I get older, I am more inclined to experiment with my food – and I love that. Some of my favorite restaurants are filled with Salvadoran, French, Spanish and European foods. The best part is that some of the world’s finest restaurants are right here in Central Massachusetts and I hope we are the next location to receive the Michelin Star.” Mass Foodies highlighted the new movement in Central Massachusetts’ food scene and it can’t be ignored. Worcester is a growing city and the food scene is helping, drawing the attention of visitors, investors and well-known chefs.

As Congressman McGovern continues to explore the various dimensions of food and culture, he is on a quest to open the pathway of food accessibility and better health for all members of the community, including restaurant owners and chefs. “There are extraordinary restaurants in Worcester that buy from and support local farmers. Restaurants and chefs are leading the way in helping to prevent food waste. There are 42 million people suffering from food insecurity throughout the country. It is a topic we do not talk about as much as we should, but it is solvable. Hunger, to me, is a political condition. We have both the infrastructure and resources to end it, but we do not have the political will and the restaurant industry is becoming more aware of this. These leaders are socially conscious of their contributions,” he says. “Food has a curable value. Food is medicine.”

Posted on October 17, 2016February 27, 2017 by Staff Writer

A Quick Bite With Joe Cox

Joe Cox, President of the Ecotarium in Worcester, sits down with Mass Foodies to talk food culture!

Success Magazine claims that the biggest three traits to success are bundled into three basic life functions – food, sleep and exercise – but when you are the President of a nature and science museum, utilizing all three life functions in it’s needed proportions can be difficult. While food is the almighty glue keeping our minds and bodies in constant motion, it is also the one factor of life that successful people tend to overlook. Whether it is a busy schedule or a lack of interest in cooking a four-course meal, the food routine of successful people can shock the world of nutritionists and health enthusiasts.

“One of my former employees would joke and say that I could get by on one can of diet coke and a handful of tic-tacs – just enough sugar and caffeine to keep me going for the day,” says Joseph Cox, President of the Ecotarium. “I mean, does a cup of coffee and a biscotti count as a meal?”

“As a single man running the Ecotarium, I seldom find the time to cook one meal a day, let alone three. Most often I’ll grab coffee in the morning and lunch is either meeting with supporters of the museum or a working lunch with staff, planning our next great program or exhibit,” says Cox. While sitting down to eat a stack of pancakes, scrambled eggs and toast isn’t on the morning schedule for Cox, he definitely makes up for his short mornings by full investing in dinner. With Worcester’s food hub growing in advanced speeds, there is no shortage of fine dining in the city. “I am fortunate Worcester has so many exceptional restaurants that allow me to keep my kitchen clean,” he says. On his top favorites list is the impeccable deadhorse hill, “For me, dinner is really best enjoyed as a social event and over the past few months, deadhorse hill has become my new dining room. The fantastic team there create one flawless – and often unexpected – dish after another.”

Cox is a man full of world travels and a diverse work portfolio. With a start as a graduate from St. Mary’s University in London with a degree in environmental science and earning a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Leicester while completing a residency at the Getty Museum Leadership Institute and a fellowship in the museum practice at the Smithsonian Institution, Cox set out on the path to museum success with an abundance of worldly exposure. Before joining the team at the Ecotarium, Cox served as the nature center director for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and the director of marketing for the Malta Ornithological Society, giving him the upper hand in seeing the full potential of the Ecotarium and giving him the one thing us foodie crave for – the ultimate taste palate. Traveling for work can be fun but the nights on the town, eating like the locals that are the best of times.

“I tend to stumble across local foods and enjoy the experience of the new tastes and sounds of a country. I am certainly more inclined to seek out a local spot than visit a chain restaurant. The best ceviche I’ve ever tasted was at a tiny bar on the side of a cliff in Mexico – we only discovered it because we rented a jeep to head off the beaten path,” says Cox. “I think I ate mofongo every day when I was in Puerto Rico and would certainly go back for that again.”

Growing up, Cox was raised on the Mediterranean flare. “My dad is English and my mum is Maltese so we grew up with a wonderful meals full of tomatoes, fresh fish, capers, olive oil and pasta – lots of pasta,” he says. “To me, that’s really my comfort food of choice. I do enjoy spending a few hours on a Sunday morning cooking up a giant batch of Bolognese sauce while listening to NPR. I’ll turn it into a spaghetti sauce, lasagna filling and even the basis for an old Mediterranean shepherd’s pie.”

“There is a delicious Maltese dish called “Hobz biz-Zejt” which essentially translates to “bread with oil.” It is a simple sandwich with crusty, sourdough bread slathered with tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, tuna, olives, capers and drizzled with olive oil. It is absolutely amazing and reminds me of home with every bite. My pantry at home looks a bit like that of my Nanna in Malta,” says Cox, reminiscent of his family traditions and Mediterranean heritage.

When Cox is not dining in his home away from home at deadhorse hill or making batches of Bolognese sauce, he is cruising around the city looking for the greatest dishes from the local top chefs. “I love the Cuban food at Cafe Reyes or the perfect tacos at El Patron. Since I am not a cook at home, I’d much rather go out to eat with friends and then go back to my place for cocktails,” he says.

He understands the foodie culture in Worcester and the food hub that is underway and not only does he appreciate every aspect of the variety of restaurants, but he is also encouraging his friends to come give us a try. Cox says, “With Worcester’s growing food scene coupled with our fantastic cultural institutions, I’m encouraging more and more friends from Boston, New York and further afield to pick us for a weekend foodie destination – and they are showing up in droves!”