Jenn Hall

Edible Jersey: Writing the Clam’s Next Chapter (Best American Food Writing 2019 Notable)

September 12, 2018 by jennhallwrites

2019 Eddy Award, Best Feature “Mother Nature, she’s the boss.” Billy Mayer looks at the bay, his eyes taking on the deep blue hue of the waters where Obes Thorofare and Steelmans Bay meet. “You have to look at the moons. You have to look at the tides. All that knowledge? Nobody is going to teach you that. You can’t describe that. It’s just something that you pick up over time.” Mayer speaks to a primal truth with the poetry […]

Categories: food & drink, on the water, sustainable & just

New Jersey Monthly: Water Dog Smoked Fish Brings Seafood with a Twist to Ventnor

December 11, 2019 by jennhallwrites

When day dips toward dusk, Ventnor’s skies become a study in pastel, pinks giving way to violets. Driving down the main drag, it’s the ideal time to admire the deep salmon-hued exterior of Water Dog Smoked Fish, which opened its permanent digs here this fall after several successful years on the farmers’ market circuit. This is very much a win for the local dining community. Though the set-up is modern casual, anchored by deli cases and a creative menu of […]

Categories: food & drink, on the water

Edible Philly: The 12 Oysters of Christmas – A Shellfish Guide

November 27, 2019 by jennhallwrites

AS THE AIR SHIMMERS AND THE HOLIDAYS NEAR, we gather with chosen or inherited families and feast. So, too, do the oysters. This time of year, bivalves load up on glycogen and amino acids, preparing for a long, foodless journey into spring. They binge on algae and plankton, their meats turning bright, plump and sweet. “The flavor is a little bit crisper than it might be in the summertime, when they’re coming out from a reproductive cycle,” oyster farmer Lisa […]

Categories: food & drink, on the water

New Jersey Monthly: The Union Market & Gallery Welcomes the Holiday Season

November 22, 2019 by jennhallwrites

On Tuesday earlier this November, the season’s first snow fell on the Tuckerton Seaport, a postcard shout-out to the approaching holiday season. Stepping into the warmth of the Union Market & Gallery, the celebratory vibe continued—everything was merry and bright, from the indie-folk soundtrack to a steaming bowl of loaded potato soup, a special well-suited to the weather. Since it opened in 2017, a cool blend of locals has made this makerspace-meets-cafe their creative home in southern Ocean County. For […]

Categories: food & drink

New Jersey Monthly: A Meditation on Chili Oil and Tradition at Taste of Szechuan in Cherry Hill

November 13, 2019 by jennhallwrites

While the skill of a Szechuan chef may be assessed through their ability to balance four primary flavor components—ma (numbing), la (hot), xian (fresh) and xiang (fragrant)–it is in their chili oil that one detects their passion. Chili oil is personal. It leaves its mark both figuratively and in an ombre ring of red on the plate. Chili oil is alchemical. It expresses more than the sum of the peppers, spices and oil of which it’s made. At Taste of […]

Categories: food & drink

Edible Jersey: In the Kitchen with Buki Elegbede

November 11, 2019 by jennhallwrites

The wild ride that is Baked by Buki began as a fluke. Newark resident Buki Elegbede’s older sister, Anu, asked him to bake cookies for her holiday party, circa five or six years back. She was well aware that he knew his way around a bake tray. “I did, and they were delicious,” Buki recounts. “Then . . . she called again.” In short order, he was her go-to boutique baker for all things sweet and festive, from spooky Halloween […]

Categories: food & drink

Edible Jersey: Savoring Pie at Bürbelmaiers in Ocean Grove

November 11, 2019 by jennhallwrites

At Bürbelmaiers, one might be forgiven for thinking that teleportation has become a reality. Every bit the proper British pie shop, the cozy space would be as at home in London or Leicester as it is in its column-lined storefront in Ocean Grove. As it happens, science fiction plays a role in the shop’s origin story. The experience of a “Star Trek moment,” to be exact. Well before pies became his culinary muse, Chef Peter Burbela worked as an NJIT-trained […]

Categories: food & drink

New Jersey Monthly: Elsie’s Pickle Sandwiches – The Mission that Sparked a Briny Sensation

November 6, 2019 by jennhallwrites

Jersey is no stranger to destination sandwiches. Think White House Subs in Atlantic City. The Fat Cat in New Brunswick. Pork roll, egg and cheese anywhere else. To that pantheon of portable meals, we can now add Elsie’s Pickle Sandwich—only hold the bread. This sandwich is all about its pickle bun, an innovation so ingenious that it has rapidly launched this family-run Haddon Township sandwich shop into viral sensation territory. “Is this the golden age of the pickle?” – Michael […]

Categories: food & drink

New Jersey Monthly: In Maple Shade, a Pizzeria Deeply Rooted in Family and Tradition

October 19, 2019 by jennhallwrites

The first time I went to Tacconelli’s Pizzeria in Maple Shade, the woman seated behind us was celebrating her 95th birthday. Generations were gathered to honor her: the birthday girl, her daughter, her grandson. Crisp pizzas steamed on tray stands, and the soundtrack was one of familiar conversation and laughter in the black, red, and wood-toned dining room. At some point, the chatter spilled over to the next table. A pair of Italian aunties wished grandma happy birthday. Then, they […]

Categories: food & drink

Courier-Post: Chef Greg Vernick’s new restaurant is a love letter to the sea

October 9, 2019 by jennhallwrites

When Chef Greg Vernick turned 14, his summer vacation began with an announcement. That year, rather than attending camp or lazing on the beach, he would work. Each summer, the Vernicks ventured from their home in Cherry Hill to Margate, seeking salt breezes and a respite from inland heat. “My family and I decided that I could live down in Margate for the summer and get a job,” Vernick says. “So, we mocked up a fake resume and drove down […]

Categories: food & drink

New Jersey Monthly: Rai Rai Ramen Sets Up Shop in Mount Laurel

October 2, 2019 by jennhallwrites

When the Mount Laurel location of Rai Rai Ramen opened this summer, it had a decidedly big ladle to fill. Broths simmering, it set up shop in the former strip-mall home of Chulicious. There, Sheri Chu and her father/chef, Chun J. Chu, had developed a cult following with regional Taiwanese and Sichuan classics, before the restaurant was briefly sold and then closed. In the dining room, the healing scent of Chu’s chicken soup had perfumed the air: pure comfort. Fortunately, […]

Categories: food & drink

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