<![CDATA[Tag: food news – NBC4 Washington]]> https://www.nbcwashington.com Copyright 2023 https://media.nbcwashington.com/2019/09/DC_On_Light@3x.png?fit=558%2C120&quality=85&strip=all NBC4 Washington https://www.nbcwashington.com en_US Thu, 22 Jun 2023 06:59:22 -0400 Thu, 22 Jun 2023 06:59:22 -0400 NBC Owned Television Stations An ice cream truck favorite has been discontinued: ‘Crime against humanity' https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/an-ice-cream-truck-favorite-has-been-discontinued-crime-against-humanity/3371391/ 3371391 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/06/good-humor-icecream-bars-2x1-ob-230616-fb8841.webp?fit=300,150&quality=85&strip=all Summers will never taste as sweet.

Everyone has their go-to ice cream truck treat — the one that flings you out the door the moment you hear the jingle coming in your direction — and mine has always been Good Humor’s Toasted Almond bar.

With an almond core encased by vanilla ice cream coated in almond-flavored crunchy bits, it was the perfect balance of creamy and crunchy, as well as comforting and refreshing. And, critically, it was not too sweet (the ultimate Asian compliment for a dessert).

But, as I just learned while trying to stock my freezer with the toasty-tasting treat for summer, it’s been discontinued — for some time now, actually.

On June 3, 2022, in response to Twitter user @blizzle_j’s question, “Where the H*ll did you put the Toasted Almond Bars?” Good Humor tweeted, “Hi there, the Good Humor Toasted Almond bars have unfortunately been discontinued. We apologize to our customers that may be disappointed by this news but are excited to continue offering our customers a wide variety of treats available in stores and ice cream trucks.”

To confirm this devastating news, I reached out to Good Humor, which had this to say:

“At Good Humor, we’re always updating our product portfolio to reflect consumer preferences. A necessary but unfortunate part of this is that we sometimes must discontinue products in order to ensure we can offer customers the best variety of treats nationwide. Due to this, we had to discontinue the Good Humor Toasted Almond bars in 2022. We apologize to our customers that may be disappointed by this news, and while we do not have a current plan to bring back this product, we are excited to continue offering our customers a wide variety of treats available in stores and ice cream trucks.”

So, yeah, it’s real. After more than 60 years of its glorious existence, Toasted Almond is no more.

For a quick bit of cake-coated history, by 1961, when Unilever purchased Good Humor, its product line had grown to 85 flavors or combinations, including Toasted Almond, Strawberry Shortcake and Chocolate Éclair, and then, in 1992, the company relaunched those three classic offerings.

The first person I had to tell was my dad, who first introduced me to the unique treat in the ‘90s when I was a kid, and had eaten it as a kid, too. We bonded over our shared love of Toasted Almond every summer when the ice cream truck came down our street. I got a SpongeBob Popsicle or Choco Taco (RIP!) every now and again, but usually, the sound of the ice cream truck meant it was “Toasted Almond Time.”

“This is a dark day in my life. The ringing of bells in my childhood neighborhood always heralded that Good Humor Toasted Almond was at hand,” he tells me over text. “Chocolate Éclair and Strawberry Shortcake were favored by some, but nothing in life was better than that guy in the white hat and uniform reaching through that tiny door in the side of the truck and magically extracting that perfect Toasted Almond on a wooden stick.”

And he’s not alone: Many on social media have echoed his frosty feelings.

“I will never buy anything Good Humor again until these are brought back. A modern tragedy,” tweeted one person in response to the news.

“This right here is a damn crime against humanity,” tweeted another.

“Please bring them back!!! This was the favorite flavor among many! I grew up eating these with my dad, we need them back!!” wrote another Twitter user, who seems to have had a similar childhood to mine.

“hi there good humor! i think this is possibly the worst decision youve ever made 🙂 kindly bring them back and i promise to single handedly make it worth the investment <3 if not then i can guarantee ur business will continue to decline severely from this point on. no pressure !” tweeted someone else, rather ominously.

And then, on Sept. 12, 2022, the Change.org petition was launched: “Bring the Good Humor Toasted Almond Bar Back,” by Tammy Regan.

“Good Humor made the poor decision of discontinuing their Toasted Almond bar stating it was ‘less popular across the country’. Many have said that due to the lack of stock in stores, this helped perpetuate that thought,” Regan writes in the petition’s description. “This flavor is a favorite among many, including my 91-year old mother. … I am hoping that with enough signatures, Good Humor will see how popular their Toasted Almond bar is and bring it back.”

As of this writing, it has 1,705 of its 2,500-signature goal.

Fortunately, a quick Google search tells me it’s still available on some grocery sites, like Instacart and Stop & Shop.

“I may have to buy a new freezer and hoard as many as possible before I say goodbye to this iconic dessert,” my dad says.

He and I will have to limit ourselves to one Toasted Almond a summer for the foreseeable future — until Good Humor decides to bring it back. (It’s not an “if,” it’s a “when,” I’ll keep telling myself.)

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. Here are more fan-favorite foods, discontinued:

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Wed, Jun 21 2023 08:56:16 PM
US approves chicken made from cultivated cells, the nation's first ‘lab-grown' meat https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/us-approves-chicken-made-from-cultivated-cells-the-nations-first-lab-grown-meat/3371114/ 3371114 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/06/AP23171023350201.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 For the first time, U.S. regulators on Wednesday approved the sale of chicken made from animal cells, allowing two California companies to offer “lab-grown” meat to the nation’s restaurant tables and eventually, supermarket shelves.

The Agriculture Department gave the green light to Upside Foods and Good Meat, firms that had been racing to be the first in the U.S. to sell meat that doesn’t come from slaughtered animals — what’s now being referred to as “cell-cultivated” or “cultured” meat as it emerges from the laboratory and arrives on dinner plates.

The move launches a new era of meat production aimed at eliminating harm to animals and drastically reducing the environmental impacts of grazing, growing feed for animals and animal waste.

“Instead of all of that land and all of that water that’s used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which operates Good Meat.

The companies received approvals for federal inspections required to sell meat and poultry in the U.S. The action came months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration deemed that products from both companies are safe to eat. A manufacturing company called Joinn Biologics, which works with Good Meat, was also cleared to make the products.

Cultivated meat is grown in steel tanks, using cells that come from a living animal, a fertilized egg or a special bank of stored cells. In Upside’s case, it comes out in large sheets that are then formed into shapes like chicken cutlets and sausages. Good Meat, which already sells cultivated meat in Singapore, the first country to allow it, turns masses of chicken cells into cutlets, nuggets, shredded meat and satays.

But don’t look for this novel meat in U.S. grocery stores anytime soon. Cultivated chicken is much more expensive than meat from whole, farmed birds and cannot yet be produced on the scale of traditional meat, said Ricardo San Martin, director of the Alt:Meat Lab at University of California Berkeley.

The companies plan to serve the new food first in exclusive restaurants: Upside has partnered with a San Francisco restaurant called Bar Crenn, while Good Meat dishes will be served at a Washington, D.C., restaurant run by chef and owner Jose Andrés.

Company officials are quick to note the products are meat, not substitutes like the Impossible Burger or offerings from Beyond Meat, which are made from plant proteins and other ingredients.

Globally, more than 150 companies are focusing on meat from cells, not only chicken but pork, lamb, fish and beef, which scientists say has the biggest impact on the environment.

Upside, based in Berkeley, operates a 70,000-square-foot building in nearby Emeryville. On a recent Tuesday, visitors entered a gleaming commercial kitchen where chef Jess Weaver was sauteeing a cultivated chicken filet in a white wine butter sauce with tomatoes, capers and green onions.

The finished chicken breast product was slightly paler than the grocery store version. Otherwise it looked, cooked, smelled and tasted like any other pan-fried poultry.

“The most common response we get is, ‘Oh, it tastes like chicken,’” said Amy Chen, Upside’s chief operating officer.

Good Meat, based in Alameda, operates a 100,000-square-foot plant, where chef Zach Tyndall dished up a smoked chicken salad on a sunny June afternoon. He followed it with a chicken “thigh” served on a bed of potato puree with a mushroom-vegetable demi-glace and tiny purple cauliflower florets. The Good Meat chicken product will come pre-cooked, requiring only heating to use in a range of dishes.

Chen acknowledged that many consumers are skeptical, even squeamish, about the thought of eating chicken grown from cells.

“We call it the ‘ick factor,’” she said.

The sentiment was echoed in a recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Half of U.S. adults said that they are unlikely to try meat grown using cells from animals. When asked to choose from a list of reasons for their reluctance, most who said they’d be unlikely to try it said “it just sounds weird.” About half said they don’t think it would be safe.

But once people understand how the meat is made, they’re more accepting, Chen said. And once they taste it, they’re usually sold.

“It is the meat that you’ve always known and loved,” she said.

Cultivated meat begins with cells. Upside experts take cells from live animals, choosing those most likely to taste good and to reproduce quickly and consistently, forming high-quality meat, Chen said. Good Meat products are created from a master cell bank formed from a commercially available chicken cell line.

Once the cell lines are selected, they’re combined with a broth-like mixture that includes the amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, salts, vitamins and other elements cells need to grow. Inside the tanks, called cultivators, the cells grow, proliferating quickly. At Upside, muscle and connective tissue cells grow together, forming large sheets. After about three weeks, the sheets of poultry cells are removed from the tanks and formed into cutlets, sausages or other foods. Good Meat cells grow into large masses, which are shaped into a range of meat products.

Both firms emphasized that initial production will be limited. The Emeryville facility can produce up to 50,000 pounds of cultivated meat products a year, though the goal is to expand to 400,000 pounds per year, Upside officials said. Good Meat officials wouldn’t estimate a production goal.

By comparison, the U.S. produces about 50 billion pounds of chicken per year.

It could take a few years before consumers see the products in more restaurants and seven to 10 years before they hit the wider market, said Sebastian Bohn, who specializes in cell-based foods at CRB, a Missouri firm that designs and builds facilities for pharmaceutical, biotech and food companies.

Cost will be another sticking point. Neither Upside nor Good Meat officials would reveal the price of a single chicken cutlet, saying only that it’s been reduced by orders of magnitude since the firms began offering demonstrations. Eventually, the price is expected to mirror high-end organic chicken, which sells for up to $20 per pound.

San Martin said he’s concerned that cultivated meat may wind up being an alternative to traditional meat for rich people, but will do little for the environment if it remains a niche product.

“If some high-end or affluent people want to eat this instead of a chicken, it’s good,” he said. “Will that mean you will feed chicken to poor people? I honestly don’t see it.”

Tetrick said he shares critics’ concerns about the challenges of producing an affordable, novel meat product for the world. But he emphasized that traditional meat production is so damaging to the planet it requires an alternative — preferably one that doesn’t require giving up meat all together.

“I miss meat,” said Tetrick, who grew up in Alabama eating chicken wings and barbecue. “There should be a different way that people can enjoy chicken and beef and pork with their families.”

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Wed, Jun 21 2023 02:44:08 PM
Häagen-Dazs for breakfast! The ice cream brand is coming to the yogurt aisle https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/the-scene/haagen-dazs-for-breakfast-the-ice-cream-brand-is-coming-to-the-yogurt-aisle/3370188/ 3370188 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/06/GettyImages-1247056490.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Häagen-Dazs is now … part of a complete breakfast?

On June 6, the ice cream brand announced it is coming to the yogurt aisle with a new offering called Häagen-Dazs Cultured Crème.

“Häagen-Dazs is bringing luxury to the yogurt aisle with the debut of Häagen-Dazs Cultured Crème,” Häagen-Dazs’ parent company, General Mills, said in a press release.

“Inspired by the rich taste and texture of the indulgent ice cream, Cultured Crème offers a new way for tastemakers to experience what they love about yogurt and ice cream in one snack.”

Häagen-Dazs Cultured Crème will be available this month. General Mills

Häagen-Dazs says each flavor of Cultured Crème is made with fewer than nine ingredients, including fresh milk, cream and real fruit, with no colors from artificial sources or artificial flavors. The product is not technically yogurt. Using a combination of dairy cultures, it is made through a fermentation process that lasts as much as five times longer than it takes to create traditional yogurt, the company says, making it thick and creamy like ice cream, without the sour flavor that can sometimes accompany yogurt.

Häagen-Dazs Cultured Crème will be sold in six flavors: vanilla bean, strawberry, coffee, lemon, blueberry and black cherry.

“We are thrilled to introduce a new experience to the yogurt aisle this summer through the luxury of Häagen-Dazs,” General Mills’ senior brand manager Benjamin Myers said in a statement. “From the smooth, creamy texture to the delicious, premium flavors, our new Häagen-Dazs Cultured Crème inspires anytime indulgence.”

The new line will be available in grocery stores nationwide beginning this month with a price point of $1.99.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY

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Tue, Jun 20 2023 11:56:11 AM
US beefs up campaign to ensure accurate animal welfare claims on meat, poultry packaging https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/us-beefs-up-campaign-to-ensure-accurate-animal-welfare-claims-on-meat-poultry-packaging/3367345/ 3367345 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/06/COWS-BEEF.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it hopes to weed out false or misleading animal-welfare claims on meat and poultry packaging with new guidance and testing.

The claims — such as “pasture-raised,” “humanely raised,” and “raised without antibiotics” — are increasingly popular with consumers and allow producers to charge a premium. Perdue “free range” chicken breasts with no antibiotics sell for $5.78 per pound at Walmart, for example; store brand chicken breasts without those claims sell for $2.79 per pound.

Both meat producers and animal welfare advocates say the USDA isn’t adequately substantiating the claims or ensuring they meet consumer expectations. The USDA lets producers define some terms, including “humane,” which can lead to widely varying conditions for animals. Other claims like “free range” are clearly defined by the USDA, but some producers are skirting requirements.

The USDA must approve all animal welfare claims on meat and poultry labels before products can be sold. But unlike “organic” claims, which are verified in person by government regulators, animal welfare claims are substantiated with paperwork submitted to the USDA.

The USDA doesn’t have the regulatory authority to check animal welfare claims on farms, said Sandra Eskin, the USDA’s deputy undersecretary for food safety.

“There are plenty of companies out there that are following the law and many that are not, and that’s just not fair,” Eskin said.

Eskin said the USDA plans to update its guidelines to require more documentation from companies making animal welfare claims. It will also strongly encourage companies to hire third-party verification groups, such as Human Farm Animal Care, a non-profit organization in Virginia that certifies animal welfare claims.

To substantiate “no antibiotics” claims, the USDA also plans to explore new testing that can find traces of antibiotics in animals once they arrive at processing plants.

Eskin said the agency may also update definitions of certain claims, a change some producers have been pressing for. Perdue Foods, a major poultry and pork producer, recently asked the USDA to clarify the difference between “free range” and “pasture raised.” The agency uses the terms interchangeably, Perdue said, even though “free range” chickens may roam in dirt or shrubs and not necessarily pasture.

The nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute, which monitors animal welfare claim submissions to the USDA, found that 85% of the 97 claims it reviewed had inadequate documents substantiating the claims.

“A lot of the substantiation is a sentence or two: ‘I raise my animals humanely,’” said Dena Jones, director of the Animal Welfare Institute’s farmed animal program. “It is wholly inadequate.”

Jones said the USDA has been overwhelmed with new claims as producers try to meet consumer demand for higher animal welfare standards. Last year, Eskin said the government received more than 120 label applications each week.

But Jones praised the steps the USDA is taking, especially its move toward promoting third-party verification.

“It benefits the animals, the earth, the farmers who are spending more money to improve their practices and it benefits the USDA because it makes their process easier,” Jones said.

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Wed, Jun 14 2023 04:30:20 PM
Food prices are squeezing Europe. Now Italians are calling for a pasta protest https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/food-prices-are-squeezing-europe-now-italians-are-calling-for-a-pasta-protest/3365445/ 3365445 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2021/03/Pasta-Dish-.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all When it comes to skyrocketing pasta prices, Italians are crying: Basta!

They have had enough after the cost of the staple of every Italian table soared by twice the rate of inflation. One consumer advocate group is calling for a weeklong national pasta strike starting June 22 after the Rome government held a crisis meeting last month and decided not to intervene on prices.

“The macaroni strike is to see if keeping pasta on the shelves will bring down the prices, in the great Anglo-Saxon tradition of boycotting goods,” said Furio Truzzi, president of the group, Assoutenti. “The price of pasta is absolutely out of proportion with production costs.”

Grocery prices have risen more sharply in Europe than in other advanced economies — from the U.S. to Japan — driven by higher energy and labor costs and the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine. That is even though costs for food commodities have fallen for months from record highs, including wheat for the flour used to make pasta.

Stores and suppliers have been accused of profit-padding “greedflation,” but economists say retail profits have been stable and the problem comes down to the higher cost to produce food.

Feeling the pressure, some governments in Europe have capped prices on staples or pushed for agreements with grocery stores to bring down costs, something that’s popular with the public but can actually make food prices worse.

Shoppers like Noée Borey, a 26-year-old picking up groceries at a chain store in Paris, said she is all for setting ceilings for some food to help low-income workers and students.

She buys less meat and opts for less expensive grocery stores.

“Inevitably, all the products I buy have gone up by 20%, whether it’s butter or berries,” Borey said. “I’m not buying cherries anymore because they cost 15 euros a kilo” (about $8 a pound).

The French government reached a three-month agreement with supermarket chains for them to cut prices on hundreds of staples and other foods, which is expected to be extended through the summer. Britain — where food inflation has reached 45-year highs — is discussing a similar move.

Countries like Hungary, with the highest food inflation in the European Union, and Croatia have mandated price controls for items like cooking oil, some pork cuts, wheat flour and milk.

The Italian government says it will strengthen price monitoring by working more closely with the country’s 20 regions but won’t impose such limits.

Spain has avoided price controls but abolished all value-added tax on essential products and halved tax on cooking oil and pasta to 5%.

The measures come as food banks are seeing soaring demand in some countries.

“Things are not getting better, they are getting worse for people,” said Helen Barnard of the Trussell Trust, a charity that operates more than half of the food banks in the United Kingdom.

Spending much more to buy essentials like milk, pasta and fresh vegetables to “top up” donations received from supermarkets is a struggle for Anna Sjovorr-Packham, who runs several community food pantries serving discounted groceries to some 250 families in south London.

“While the demand from families hasn’t gone up hugely, the cost has, and that’s been really difficult to support,” she said.

Prices for food and non-alcoholic drinks have actually fallen in Europe, from 17.5% in the 20-country euro area in March to a still-painful 15% in April. It comes as energy prices — key to growing and transporting what we eat — have dropped from record highs last year. But economists say it will be many months before prices in stores settle back down.

In comparison, U.S. food prices rose 7.7% in April from a year earlier, 8.2% in Japan and 9.1% in Canada. They hit 19% in the U.K.

The numbers play into expectations that the European Central Bank will raise interest rates again this week to counter inflation, while the U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to skip a hike.

In Europe, turning to price controls plays to voters, who get constant reminders of the inflation every time they hit the checkout counter, said Neil Shearing, group chief economist for Capital Economics. But he said such changes should be reserved for instances of supply shocks, like war.

Such controls could actually make food inflation worse by increasing demand from shoppers but discouraging new supply, he said.

“The current food price shock does not warrant such intervention,” Shearing said.

While pasta remains one of the most affordable items in many grocery baskets, the symbolism hits the Italian psyche hard and comes as families are absorbing higher prices across the board, from sugar to rice, olive oil and potatoes.

Italian families of four are spending an average of 915 euros ($984) more a year on groceries, an increase of nearly 12%, for a total of 7,690 euros a year, according to Assoutenti. A full one-third of Italians have reduced grocery store spending, according to SWG pollsters, and nearly half are shopping at discount stores.

But even discounts are not what they used to be, and it’s toughest for pensioners.

“Before, you could get two packs (of pasta) for 1 euro,” said Carlo Compellini, a retiree who was shopping in central Rome. “Now with 2 euros, you get three packs.”

Inflation is putting little indulgences out of reach for many, creating a new divide between the haves and have-nots.

The recent opening of a Sacher Café in Trieste, an Italian city whose Austro-Hungarian roots are evident in its stately architecture, led the mayor to a much-ridiculed response recalling for many an out-of-touch remark attributed to Marie Antoinette.

Asked about complaints that a slice of the famed Viennese chocolate cake was too pricey at nearly 10 euros, Mayor Roberto Dipiazza responded, “If you have money, go. If you don’t, watch.”

___

AP reporters Sacha Bianchi and Angela Charlton in Paris; Sylvia Hui in London; Rebecca Preciutti in Rome; Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary; and Jennifer O’Mahony in Madrid contributed.

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Mon, Jun 12 2023 09:03:09 AM
What's the big dill? Pizza Hut launches Pickle Pizza https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/the-scene/whats-the-big-dill-pizza-hut-launches-pickle-pizza/3362615/ 3362615 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/06/web-230607-pizza-hut-pickle-pizza.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Pizza Hut heard the debate about pineapple on pizza and upped the ante.

The company announced the launch of its Pickle Pizza on Wednesday, saying it is the “first national quick service pizza restaurant” to serve up such a creation.

“Building on the recent resurgence of pickles, Pizza Hut is taking this trend to new heights with its own twist on the pickle phenomenon by adding the sour, tangy food as a pizza topping,” the company said in a press release.

The pizza will include buttermilk ranch sauce, Nashville hot chicken, cheese, white onions, a ranch drizzle and, of course, the star of the show – spicy dill pickles.

“We’re always looking for innovative ways to add new tastes and textures to our dishes, and pickles have been gaining popularity due to their versatility,” Penny Shaheen, Pizza Hut’s Head of Food Innovation, said. “With our new Pickle Pizza, we’re tapping into the latest food trends while also putting culinary thought into how they come to life on a pizza. Our recipe is all about great flavor, balancing the tanginess of pickles with other classic ingredients we know taste good on our beloved pizza.”

Pizza Hut is debuting the new menu item in a limited release. The Pickle Pizza will be available at the 932 8th Avenue location in New York City from June 9-11. It is available exclusively through carryout at a $17.99 price tag and must be ordered in-store.

When asked about the possibility of a wider release, a Pizza Hut representative told TODAY.com that “there is always a chance this will be brought nationally at a later date.”

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Wed, Jun 07 2023 12:01:59 PM
Padma Lakshmi Announces She's Leaving ‘Top Chef' After 17 Years https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/padma-lakshmi-announces-shes-leaving-top-chef-after-17-years/3360307/ 3360307 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/06/GettyImages-1491379928.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Padma Lakshmi is packing up her knives and leaving “Top Chef” after 17 years.

The longtime host, 52, announced June 2 in a statement on social media that she will exit the Bravo cooking competition after Season 20 in part to focus on her Hulu series, “Taste the Nation.”

“After much soul searching, I have made the difficult decision to leave Top Chef,” wrote Lakshmi, who is also an executive producer for the show. “Having completed a glorious 20th season as host and executive producer, I am extremely proud to have been part of building such a successful show and of the impact it has had in the worlds of television and food.

“After 17 years, many of the cast and crew are like family to me and I will miss working alongside them dearly. I feel it’s time to move on and need to make space for ‘Taste the Nation,’ my books and other creative pursuits,” she continued.

Lakshmi concluded by telling fans she was “deeply thankful” for so “many years of love and support.”

The former model joined “Top Chef” in its second season in 2006, replacing original host Katie Lee.

The Indian-American TV personality and author has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards for “Top Chef,” including three for Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Competition Program.

“Padma Lakshmi leaves behind an incredible legacy on Bravo’s ‘Top Chef.’ Her impact on the Emmy, James Beard and Critics’ Choice Award-winning series is undeniable.  We are grateful to Padma for being a consummate host, judge and executive producer, and for bringing her ingenuity and exceptional palate to each episode where she ate every bite of food on the series for over 17 years and 19 seasons.  She will always be part of the ‘Top Chef’ and the NBCUniversal family and has a seat at the judges’ table anytime,” a spokesperson for NBCUniversal, Bravo’s and TODAY’s parent company, told TODAY.com in a statement.

Though Lakshmi’s departure comes as a surprise, she sounded uncertain about her future on “Top Chef” in an oral history of the show published last month in The Hollywood Reporter.

“I hope the show does well. Television is always an unpredictable realm. No show lasts forever. I think we have had a really, really great run. I hope the show continues for a really long time,” she told the publication.

During a visit to “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last month, Lakshmi stunned fans when she opened up about just how many calories she eats behind the scenes on “Top Chef.”

“First half of the season when we have a lot of contestants, eight or nine thousand calories a day … easily,” Lakshmi said, before jokingly challenging Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez to an eating contest.

Hot dogs with no ketchup,” she quipped.

Lakshmi also made headlines last month for posing in a bikini in the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

“It was so exciting to do it,” Lakshmi said during a May 15 visit to TODAY. “I mean, I would have killed for it in my 20s when I was a model, but that it’s happening now is all the much sweeter, and I’m glad they’re being more diverse.”

In a video Sports Illustrated filmed to promote the issue, Lakshmi said, at 52, she was excited to represent older women.

“I love where I am in my life and know my body is not perfect by any means, but I feel beautiful. I feel like I have a very lucky, fruitful, productive life,” she said.

“My thighs may have been leaner, and my boobs were probably slightly higher in earlier parts of my life, but I have never felt better about myself. I hope they see a full woman in all my facets and nuances and some contradictions. I wouldn’t go back to my 20s if you paid me all the money in the world.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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Sat, Jun 03 2023 01:08:04 PM
McDonald's Customers Are Making McFlurry Hash Brown Sandwiches, So I Tried It https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/the-scene/mcdonalds-customers-are-making-mcflurry-hash-browns-sandwiches-so-i-tried-it/3359866/ 3359866 post https://media.nbcwashington.com/2023/06/hashbrown.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 If you love the mess of an ice cream sandwich but hate getting your fingers cold, your moment has arrived. What a time to be alive!

We have Australian mom and businesswoman Kelly Arvan to thank for this creamy, crunchy paradox: The McDonald’s McFlurry Hash Browns Sandwich. Her family’s TikTok is full of wild snack attacks, but the first one they uploaded is a hilarious masterclass in cooperative gnoshing. Not wanting to wake their sleeping baby, they silently take turns smearing soft Danish cheese and pitted dates onto wraps, rolling them, and feeding each other in a wordless, seamless dance so sweet and funny, it’s been viewed over 1.4 million times.

The McFlurry sandwich is all her, though. Arvan tells me she had a random craving for both hash browns and ice cream in bed one night, and the next morning, she headed straight to her local “Macca’s” in Point Cook, near Melbourne, to try it out. The local crew there are big fans of the Arvan family review videos, and cheered them on in the drive-thru. Even Arvan wasn’t sure whether this one would be the treat of her dreams, or a hashdud, until she tried it.

“I dreamed about this,” she says. “Salty, crunchy, potato-y, sweet.” It’s gone in just a minute or two.

More than 5.6 million people have watched Arvan wax poetic about this sandwich, and she is having a great time seeing all the reactions, almost all of which are positive. And the employees at the Arvan family’s local Macca’s aren’t the only ones to get in on the fun. TikToker Jordan Howlett got a hot tip from his local restaurant’s staff: Add bacon.

With near-universal praise, it seems like a must. I found a McDonald’s location on the app showing both Hash Browns and McFlurries available at 9 a.m. (a McMiracle!), decided to try the M&M’s version from Arvan’s second review, and had a big bite.

And then I had another big bite. I’m not surprised this one is making the rounds. It’s reminiscent of a more familiar salty-sweet fast food combo — Wendy’s Frosty and fries — but even more decadent, and the texture from the candy seals the deal. If I try the Oreo flavor (and I will), I plan to eat it parfait-style, with Hash Brown bits sprinkled on top like unholy granola, because it melts in a flash, and there’s a risk of squishy ‘taters.

That’s not the only reason to check the local time and temp before heading out. Since not every McDonald’s offers ice cream in the morning, some fans resort to going through the drive-thru twice, once for the Hash Browns right before breakfast hours end, and a few minutes later when the menu ticks over for lunch items.

TikToker Courtney Mangan noticed the warm potato with cold ice cream equals something of a boon for those with sensitive teeth, too — the warm potato keeps the cold ice cream from causing that frosty jolt. And, since it’s wintertime in Oz, it’s a hand-warming seasonal treat in its home territory.

Arvan tells us this is just the latest in a long line of her own crazy cravings, but it’s led to a series of videos trying strange combination snacks that commenters swear they love, like Nutella and cucumber, or banana bread grilled cheese, with lots more planned.

If you want to give this one a try, bring your biggest, speediest appetite, or maybe some friends; there’s more than enough McFlurry for three or four sandwiches, and it melts faster than a Christmas snowman in Sydney.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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Fri, Jun 02 2023 11:41:33 AM