Talking Spices with Malika Ameen

Malika Ameen’s first memory of food is her mother’s biryani. As an adult living far from home, the aroma of braised beef, basmati rice and spices cooking together would bring tears to Ameen’s eyes because it reminded her so powerfully of home and her mother. “I can envision my parent’s house and me in my…

Adopting a Goat or Two

This article was published in the June 2015 issue of the Irish American News under the “Guilty Pleasures” column. When you discover what you love to do at a young age, career changes can be difficult. However, it is possible to go from horseback riding to goat rearing, just ask Nicky Haynes. Haynes was an international…

Derek O'Brien and his team.

A Soda Bread Contest and a Passionate Baker

This article was published in the May 2014 issue of the Irish American News under the “Guilty Pleasures” column. Early this spring, I was invited to judge a soda bread contest in Oak Park, Ill. The contest, a long-running tradition started by Jim and Anne August at their Irish Shop in 2008, brings in anywhere…