The Art of Living According to Joe Beef

A new cookbook relays life lessons learned building a Montreal restaurant

In so many ways, Joe Beef seems to fit with current restaurant trends. The team grows their own produce, sources their meat locally and buys from family vineyards, but Joe Beef is not new to the scene. If anything, it’s old hat—a study in history and a return to middle-class values in Montreal. Their cookbook (of sorts) couples recipes with legends, anecdotes with instruction, illustrating …

Knockbox Coffee Company

Coffee obsession reaches new heights in this small Hong Kong café

Given Hong Kong’s tradition of amalgamating cultures and cuisines, it’s no surprise that it’s embracing the craft coffee movement. In the quirky residential neighborhood of Sheung Wan in the Central district, I happily stumbled upon one of the city’s newest coffee shops, Knockbox Coffee Company—a three stool cafe with an intensely serious passion for java. The space is tiny, and shared with gown designer Cerise …

The Scholium Project

A philosopher's reductive approach to wine challenges the palate and the industry

The idea of switching careers in mid-life may seem far-fetched for most, but for philosophy professor Abe Schoener this aspiration became a reality when he decided to turn the tables in 1998 and become a student of viticulture. Taking sabbatical from St. John’s College, Schoener headed west where he enrolled as an intern at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa to gain some insight on …