Shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, pimento peppers and a secret dressing are all the ingredients needed to become a local pimento cheese connoisseur. However, Jack Barrett, the mastermind behind the culture of undeniably delicious pimento cheese, only knows the secret dressing. The 32-year-old Jacksonville native has a strong passion for food. His creative nature in the kitchen is not something he likes to share in full detail, but after tasting his cheesy concoction, it's understandable why he wants to keep his recipe a mystery. Leaving the taste buds to determine the ingredients makes the experience of his trademark Pimchee one of a kind.
Jack has been in the restaurant business since he was a teen and is a strong believer in word of mouth promotion to create buzz. He has an Instagram and Facebook page, but Jack believes that you can be successful in Jacksonville just by putting your product in as many local opportunities as possible. It doesn’t hurt that the food editor for Florida Times-Union is a big fan of his cheese. It’s hard to believe that this is a guy who is at the leading edge of a foodie movement in Jacksonville, Fl. He looks the part of the jovial, almost cherubic chef, but he seems more at home, on his computer debating obscure recipes with the dark recesses of the internet than leading a movement. However, this is exactly what makes him so successful. Jack isn’t your typical foodie. He isn’t actively seeking some sort of elitism that justifies the existence of his finely honed craft. Jack is an artist, but he isn’t looking for some arcane detail that defines him as special, though he clearly is. Jack, if given all of the time in the world, would be doing exactly what he is doing in this moment, creating art with his cheese, and all of the wonderful things that you could think of pairing with it. So, where does this cheese mastermind make his Small Batch Pimento Cheese? Jax Kitchen, located off Emerson Street in Jacksonville, is where Jack makes the magic happen. Entering into the kitchen, the smell of food is very apparent, yet nothing is being cooked. The sweet aroma formed over time due to many different caterers coming to prepare large dishes has seeped into the walls. Jack glides around the corner wearing a backwards black Adidas hat with accents of camo, a black T-shirt covered by a black apron, navy shorts, and black, green and red tennis shoes. "Come on back," he shouts. We head to a separate room inside of the kitchen. (An 8 x 8 baby blue room with temperatures averaging between 55-60 degrees.) Despite his attire, the cold didn't seem to bother Jack. Steel counters are occupied by containers filled with shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, a strainer draining pimento peppers of its reddish orange juice into a Tupperware, a scale, red solo cups and a blender. Jack has a separate container full of a thick white substance that looks like some sort of chunky mayonnaise in his hand which he admits is his secret dressing. After weighing the ingredients out, the dressing is first into the blender and then the shredded cheese. He blends the two ingredients together in a pulsating rhythm, never leaving the blender fully on. This method allows the cheese to stay in a relatively shredded form which gives the texture of his Pimchee cheese a certain edge. Jack pours a red solo cup filled with the drained pimento peppers into the blender and pulsates the mixture. After a couple of blends, Jack hands me a spoon sample of his creation. The creamy dressing matched with the chunks of white cheddar cheese and pimento peppers instantly made my stomach cry out, "I love cheese, I love cheese," but from the laughter that followed, I realized it wasn't just my stomach confessing its love. Jack works his magic in other Avant-garde pursuits. He has written several cookbooks that blend the whimsical with the clinical, allowing him to make some extra money outside of making cheese. His newest book, The Daily Cook and Cocktail Maker includes 110 recipes. People don't necessarily know how to cook or where to even begin making cocktails, so the goal of Jack’s cookbook is to help them through that process. Collaborating innovative alcoholic beverages with decadent food is something Jack finds essential to his cheese business. He teams up with Jacksonville’s Aardwolf Brewing Company to host beer and cheese tasting events, where foodies of the community wait with baited breath for these new offerings. The brewing company selects a flight of four beers to go along with Jack’s four flavors of cheese: Classic, Sriracha, Bacon, and Tai Chili. Jack’s Sriracha Pimchee blend is excellent with Aardwolf Brewing Company’s Double IPA. The spicy kick of the sriracha-based cheese blends well with the hops of the Double IPA. All this from someone, who isn’t ideally considered an artist, yet that is exactly what he is. He is a food artist, creating the cutting edge while never leaving his hometown. A gritty, everyman exterior hiding glorious treasures for those who are willing to take a chance and peer in past the roughness. He breaks convention organically, without that specific intention. He gave me a sample of cheese to take home, but it is safe to say it did not make it to my refrigerator.
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Pete'sThanksgivingSlideShow Pete’s Bar packed Neptune Beach with thousands of families and friends during its annual Thanksgiving Day street party. From nine to two, First Street in Neptune Beach was filled with people looking to celebrate giving thanks with their closest relatives and friends. Mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, and beer were heavily featured on Pete’s Thanksgiving day menu. There was no shortage of human turkeys, Indian headdresses and pie hats. People come from all over Jacksonville to start their Thanksgiving morning off partying in and outside of Pete’s Bar. For some, it’s a tradition. Erica Burt, a Neptune Beach local, says Pete’s Thanksgiving is one of her family’s most favorite events of the year. The Burt family moved into their house off Cherry Street three years ago and loves inviting their friends and family over to celebrate a Pete’s Thanksgiving. “We have people come in and out of the house,” said Burt. “It stresses my dad out sometimes, but I say the more the merrier.” Drinking is a big aspect of Pete’s Thanksgiving and the Burt family embraces that concept. Burt says that eating and drinking with your closest friends and family is what keeps them coming back every year. Through the years, the Burt’s have started their own tradition to add on to Pete’s Thanksgiving party. “Every year my mom likes to order these strange Thanksgiving Day hats,” said Burt. “There have been pies, turkeys, and headbands with drum sticks on them. We get a lot of hype about them and take our family Christmas card in them. It’s a funny way to get a Christmas card out, but my mom loves it.” Pete’s Thanksgiving Day street party is also a good way for people to catch up with someone they haven’t seen in a while. Many people come back into town to be with their family and to go celebrate at Pete’s. Daya Weeder, an Atlantic Beach local, says her family has gone to Pete’s on Thanksgiving since she was a little girl. Now that she’s in college, she loves that going to Pete’s reunites her with her friends who are back in town for break. “It’s nice because everyone goes so you get to see everybody that you’ve grown up with or haven’t seen in a while,” said Weeder. “Pete’s brings everyone together for Thanksgiving.” Pete’s Thanksgiving isn’t a family tradition for everyone. Some just go to party with their friends before their thanksgiving meal with their family. The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is a huge night at the beaches for young adults to reconnect with each other before family time intervenes. Delaney O’Malley, a Jacksonville Beach native, says she carries the partying from Wednesday night into the morning hours at Pete’s which has become her and her friend’s tradition. “Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is such a big night because everyone is back in town and looking to party with each other,” said O’Malley. “My friends and I spend Wednesday night together then wake up early to continue partying with each other at Pete’s before we have to go home to our families.” Drinking, laughter, and love are among the many things you can expect to experience at Pete’s Bar on Thanksgiving. Despite ordinance issues in the past, Pete’s Thanksgiving Day street party is here to stay. The pressure to vote is at a peak with Election Day approaching on Tuesday, November 8th, leaving the fate of the candidate’s future in the White House in the voter’s hands.
Front runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have not shied away from their thoughts about each other’s plans for the United States and neither have the American voters. The issue of immigration has remained a strong topic throughout this election considering the difference in both parties’ views. Trump’s “build a wall” campaign has rubbed many Americans the wrong way. His plan to move all illegal aliens out of the country on his first day as president has raised concern for people and families of different ethics backgrounds. Marjorie Castro, a student at Florida International University and Brazilian native, cannot believe that Trump has a shot at being president and is even more shocked about his plan to build a wall between Mexico and the United States. “I am not from Mexico, but I know what it’s like to be an immigrant in this country and have friends and family who are not legal citizens” said Castro. “Trump is not just putting a physical wall between borders, he’s putting a wall between humanity.” Clinton’s plan for immigration policies’ are different than Trump’s, but still raises other concerns for voters. Her pandering to ethic groups saddens financial accountant Jeffery Albanese. He believes that what Clinton plans to do might sound good, but doesn’t believe she will actually execute those plans. Though immigration policies might not directly affect Albanese, he believes the method each candidate used to promote their policy on immigration was very off-putting. “It’s unfortunate a middle ground is rarely found politics,” said Albanese. “Because while we are a country founded and driven by immigration, our system does not facilitate good and fair naturalization.” Paul Miller, who works for an employee benefits company, says that voting for Clinton would hurt his line of business, but voting for Trump would hurt his morals. Clinton increasing Medicad and national sponsored programs gives employers less of an incentive to offer as many benefits to their employee’s and spend money on what Miller’s company offers. However, Miller says he is not voting for Trump due to the way he speaks about immigrants and his plans for immigration policies. “The main reason I am not voting for Trump is because of the hateful statements he makes on a daily basis,” said Miller. “His comments on immigrants and minorities do not represent what it takes to be the President of the United States.” Interview with Bianca
Local Jacksonville gardener said compost is the key ingredient to making her plants delicious and healthy enough to give away to the community in her mission to end hunger. Gardening activist Bianca Madaffari is a part a the non-profit organization called the Food is Free Project which aims to connect neighbors through gardening and harvesting food that is available to everyone. Through her experience with this organization, Madaffari has learned that to have a successful garden you need to love and care for your plants, but using compost doesn’t hurt. By using vegetable scraps and other plant based items from her kitchen, Madaffari has been able to make her own compost while avoiding the use of chemicals. Madaffari has kept her garden as healthy as it can be while not letting anything go to waste. She says that anything that can decompose and attract bugs is a great thing to put into the soil. “A lot of people want to use chemicals on their plants because it’s easier and it gives you bigger plants, but if you have a good, solid compost you don’t need any chemicals at all to make any of your plants thrive,” said Madaffari. Madaffari’s desire to be a part of the Food is Free Project stemmed from her passion to end world hunger. The organizations self-guided mission allows people to grow food that is free to the public while bringing neighbors together. Madaffari says that the only regulation for this organization is that you share any extra harvest you have with the community. “You grow what you want and give away what you can,” said Madaffari. The organization is based out of Texas, but Madaffari says she looking to expand the project into the Jacksonville area and has already started to inspire some of her neighbor’s to join the mission. Adriana Jaramillo, who lives down the street from Madaffari, says that the Food is Free sign in Madaffari’s yard is what drove her to walk over to her neighbor’s house and ask about the organization. “It was a sign, literally and figuratively,” said Jaramillo. “I went to take out my trash and came back with tomato seeds.” Even though the following is small right now, Madaffari says she can already see the movement rippling out with her neighbor’s. Her next door neighbor Amy Tran just planted a citrus tree in her yard that she hopes will provide a nice amount of fruit for the neighborhood to enjoy. “I wanted to grow something other than tomatoes or peppers,” said Tran. “I figured fruit would be a good addition to Bianca’s vegetable garden and a yummy thing to share.” Getting involved with the Food is Free Project is a simple task said Madaffari. By either googling the Free if Food Project or going to the Food is Free Project Facebook page, you can find all the information you need to begin your journey of gardening and sharing harvest. “If you have any interest in gardening, then you should start doing it,” said Madaffari. “Don’t let anything hold you back.” An expert in the development of drugs for infectious diseases said Tuesday night at the Adam W. Herbert University Center that the issue for developing treatment for infectious diseases is not in the science, but in the funding.
Jon C. Mirsalis, vice president of translational development at SRI International, said that the war on infectious diseases has been going on for a really long time. It’s a war that can’t be won, but it can be fought with the right amount of support. It’s finding that support, particularly from congress, that seems to be the challenge. Most of the funding for the infectious disease development comes from the federal government. It takes two to 10 billion dollars to make one drug and even if the drug is created it would cost too much for the average person to buy it. “No one gets rich developing anti-infective drugs,” said Mirsalis. Mirsalis said it is because of this that congress decides to not make the drug at all and this is where the problem lies. “We’re facing extinction by infectious diseases and nobody is coming up with treatments,” said Mirsalis. Diseases such as Malaria, Chagas and Zika have been around for many years, yet the preparations for fighting these diseases have never been met. When the Ebola epidemic arrived in 2014, immediate action was taken to find a vaccine, but it was too late for many who were already infected. Mirsalis said if there had been stable funding throughout the years, there would have already been a treatment plan before the epidemic. Debbie Gustafson, a member of the audience, was taken aback by how prevalent these diseases were in our society and how little there is being done about the issue. The fact that there is a kissing bug out there biting and emptying its bowls on people’s lips causing them to obtain the infectious Changa Disease sent a chill down her spine. “It’s not only how you can get the disease that scares me,” said Gustafson. “It’s the fact that there’s nothing out there to treat it.” Mirsalis said that world needs to be more concerned with fighting these diseases than they are with nukes. Humans have the ability to create, but a bacterium has the ability to resist, therefore there will be no cure for infectious diseases. So, do we stand a chance against these diseases? Mirsalis said if we work together; government, Pharmaceuticals and academics, we may, “live to fight another day.” The Associated Press made an impact in the dental hygiene community this year when it reported that flossing might not be as essential to preventing cavities and gum disease as everyone might have thought.
After analyzing 25 studies that compared the use of a toothbrush to the combination of floss and toothbrushes, the AP found the evidence for flossing to be, “weak, very unreliable” and “a moderate to large potential to bias.” The AP filed a request last year under the Freedom of Information Act to the departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture for their evidence, only to see that the flossing recommendation has been removed from the federal government’s latest dietary guidelines. Flossing is a crucial aspect in many people’s daily dental hygiene and some people rely on science to guide what they do and don’t do. Devon Tyler, a freshman at Florida State College at Jacksonville, is an avid flosser and has been for years. After reading the AP story, “Medical Benefits of Dental Floss Unproven,” Tyler says his dental routine will stay the same. Brush, floss, and then mouth wash. To change his dental hygiene, a full and extensive study must be done. “I’m a very analytical guy that focuses on science,” said Tyler. “Just because there isn’t enough evidence from these studies, doesn’t mean that flossing doesn’t work.” The American Dental Association still credits flossing as being, “an essential peat of taking care of your teeth and gums,” but the AP might make those who don’t floss feel a little less guilty. Shelby Buchanan, a junior at Bishop Kenny High School, never flosses. After reading the Buzzfeed article, “Scoop of the Decade,” Buchanan says that we are all so quick to believe what is presented to us even without the proof. Our dentist is our doctor and we are told to trust what our doctor says. “I always knew that brushing was just as good as flossing,” said Buchanan. “Now I won’t feel as guilty for my flossing habits or lack thereof.” Flossing has been known to cause potential harm. Flossing can, “dislodge bad bacteria that invade the bloodstream and cause dangerous infections,” according to the AP. Not only could it be a possible health hazard, flossing can be a painful experience for many people. Maya Lamsal, a Public Health major at the University of North Florida, doesn’t floss because of the pain it causes her, not because she doesn’t want to. Cosmopolitans, “Turns out flossing isn’t quite as healthy as we thought,” gave Lamsal some hope for the future. “Now I won’t have to force myself to floss out of fear for my health,” said Lamsal. “No more swollen gums for me.” The New England Journal of Medicine released the results of a yearlong study Thursday which compared the death rate of left-and right-handed people to see why fewer left-handed people are among the elderly population.
Researchers found that the average age at death for right-handed people was 75 and 66 for left-handed people. Right-handed females tend to live six years longer than left handed females and right-handed males live 11 years longer than left-handed males. The study was conducted by Diana Halpern, a psychology professor at California State University at San Bernadino, and Stanley Coren, a researcher at the University of British Columbia. They studied the death certificates of 987 people in two southern California countries. Relatives of the deceased were queried by mail about the subject’s dominant hands. Halpern, who is right-handed, said her study should be interpreted cautiously. Mothers should not worry about their left-handed children or try to change which hand they use. “It should not, of course, be used to predict the life span of any one individual,” said Halpern. “There are many, many old left-handed people.” Cathy Carmichael, a right-handed Jacksonville nursery attendant, said her mother used to worry about her brother being left-handed in a world made for right-handers. She can remember her mother mentioning several things that her brother might struggle with throughout his life. “My mother would rant about how my brother wouldn’t be able to use scissors or a chainsaw safely,” said Carmichael. “They were over the top examples, but I can see where she was coming from.” Car accidents were another factor involved in the study. Left-handed people were four times more likely to die from injuries while driving than right-handers and six times more likely to die from accidents. Halpern said this could be the result of engineering being geared to the right hand and foot. “There are many more car and other accidents among left-handers because of their environment” said Halpern. Dylan James, a left-handed DJ in Jacksonville, said that he struggles with his equipment sometimes because it is not catered to his dominant hand. He had to learn how to move his equipment around to best fit his needs. “When I first started to DJ, everything felt out of whack,” said James. “Now my turn tables are setup in a way where my left hand can have more control.” Christine Mguyen, a right-handed sophomore at the University of North Florida, said she has trouble accepting the results of this study. She does not understand how a proper study could be conducted if only 10 percent of the American population is left-handed. “Wouldn’t there be more right-handed people alive regardless” said Mguyen. “I would be curious to see how they leveled out all the factors.” Halpern said that researchers thought they might have been analyzing old people who were forced to change from left handers to right handers, but that was not the case. “The truth was that there simply weren’t many left-handers left alive, compared to right- handers” said Halpern. |
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February 2017
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