Screenshot from Fox.com

Gordon Ramsay speaks with Amy and Samy before things get really bad.

Yesterday, the Internet completely blew up with the story of the war between Amy's Baking Company owners Amy and Samy and everyone on the planet earth (with the possible exception of some cats).

The Scottsdale, Arizona, restaurateurs have the dubious distinction of having Kitchen Nightmares host Gordon Ramsay walk out on them, before telling them they were "too far gone" (to which Amy replied, "Yala, yala... It's Christmas. Let's go home"). Of course, in the 40 minutes or so prior to that moment, we also watched Amy's husband Samy tell a customer to "get the f**k out of here," Amy fire an employee for asking a question, and the couple pocket the servers' tips.

After the show aired, Amy got busy on her business' Facebook page calling Yelpers "shit" and saying that God was on their side. The couple later claimed that their Facebook, Yelp, Twitter, and website had all been hacked.

More »

Andrew Cebulka

Best Chefs America features photos of emerging food trends.

There's nothing new about peer reviews. Many professions, most notably attorneys, scientists and physicians, frequently evaluate their peers in an effort to maintain a standard level of competence and acknowledge outstanding members of their field.

With the publication of Best Chefs America, add chefs to the list of professions with peer reviews. The 2013 edition, a 386-page hardcover ($75) volume, is a directory, by state, of nearly 5,000 of the best chefs in America. The book also names current food trends and the 25 most influential chefs in America.

The data for the book was complied from over 5,000 confidential telephone interviews with chefs. According to Gabe Joseph, executive vice president of Best Chefs America, the chefs interviewed were chosen from a list of thousands of chefs nominated by food writers, chefs, and culinary professionals. "We made tons of calls -- close to 70,000. Our vice president of business conducted 1,000 interviews himself. Each chef has a gatekeeper, so our toughest task was getting the initial contact. There was really nothing in it for them (the chefs) to speak with us."

Read also:
- Miami's Top Ten Chefs
More »

The Santos Brothers in their warehouse.

Hialeah-based Premium Blend produces standard wine products, such as Santos Sangria, Choco Noir (its chocolate wine), and V'Nillâ Noir, as well as wine-based products geared toward making restaurateurs' lives easier.

Using wine, PB makes alcohol-flavored products that can be used in place of hard liquor. Your cocktail calls for vodka? They got you covered with Klir Red. Need rum instead? Try the Rhumbero Spice. Premium Blend products are composed of hard liquor and cordial-flavored wines as well as today's most popular cocktail mix flavors. The products are made from a combination of fermented and distilled alcohol at 14 to 24 percent alcohol by volume, depending on each specifc state law.

If you're wondering why someone would want a wine that can be used as a liquor substitute in cocktail recipes, think about how such a product would benefit bar and restaurant owners with only a beer-and-wine license. Suddenly, they have a full-service bar.

We interviewed CEO, Henry Santos, about his company's products and how Miami has influenced them. Although Premium Blend has nationwide distribution, Miami is still home. "We have distributors all over the country. We work with small mom-and-pops as well as the giants of the industries, like Republic National and Southern Wine," Santos says. "We love Miami and especially Hialeah because it's our hometown."

More »

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Farmworkers begin a 200-mile trek to protest low wages.

Immokalee farmworkers and their allies yesterday began a 14-day, 200-mile trek across Florida to protest low wages and poor working conditions.

According to Naples News, about 150 people took to the streets of Fort Myers, some holding signs, a few carrying a large papier-mâché farmworker who had the words "new day" in his basket.

The protest was the official start of the March for Rights, Respect, Fair Food, which will culminate in Lakeland March 17. Lakeland is the corporate headquarters of supermarket giant Publix and a frequent target of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Both the coalition and Publix have been embroiled in a long battle, with the coalition blaming the supermarket chain for low wages and imploring the giant to pay up.

The coalition claims if Publix paid "one penny a pound" more for its tomatoes, that gesture could make the difference between current conditions and one in which approximately 30,000 workers (both migrant and U.S. citizens) would have access to bathrooms, shade from the sun, and protection from chemicals in the field.

More »

Celebsview.com

Julia and Paul Child -- culinary sweethearts.

Throughout history there have been famous couples that have worked together. in just about every industry.

Some duos that come to mind are Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall; Bonnie and Clyde; John Lennon and Yoko Ono; Hillary and Bill Clinton; Masters and Johnson; Irene and Frederic Joliot-Curie; Carl Sagan and Anne Druyan; Bill and Melinda Gates; Julia and Paul Child; Sigfried and Roy....the list goes on.

These couples served as each others muses and partners not only in love, but in a shared passion regarding their combined interests. Though many of us cringe at the thought of working with our significant other, it works for some special people who have the ability to share everything with their partners -- and know the secret of leaving the business at work at the end of the day.

More »

You read about the Great Twinkie Extinction here on Short Order (and everywhere else) and maybe you applauded, or more than likely, felt as if yet another piece of your childhood was being torn away from you by The Man.

Well, there may be a reason to rejoice, put your footie pajamas on, and couch potato your way back to childhood: The Return of the Twinkie.

Hostess Brands, the makers of Twinkies and other iconic childhood delights such as HoHo's Snoballs, filed for bankruptcy last year and ceased making its sugar and preservative-laden baked goods, but it seems that the company has found a way for its legacy to live on -- maybe profitably so.

More »

Miami-based Burger King is cutting ties with a United Kingdom meat supplier found to be using horse meat to "beef up" its products.

Burgers from processors Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods in Ireland and Dalepak Hambleton in Britain tested positive for horse DNA, according to Reuters. Part-horse patties were also sent to grocery chains throughout the UK.

The scandal sent shockwaves through the nation's multibillion-dollar beef industry, but other than being gross by American standards, it almost seems like no big deal. The UK sends "thousands of horses a year abroad to be killed for meat," according to a story in USA Today.

More »

Eating House

Unique Eats, which showcases America's most exciting restaurants from high-end dining rooms to casual neighborhood treasures, and sometimes even visits eateries with no permanent address, wrapped up filming in the Magic City this past week.

The 30-minute show packages segments of unique dishes chosen in a particular category such as meat, wine bars, comfort foods, and desserts. It showcases the thought process behind a dish and then shows a chef preparing it. Commentary from food writers, chefs, restaurant consultants & owners, and other foodies adds wit and fun.

Take for example, chef and TV personality Lee Ann Wong, who in the episode below asks a very important question: "What could be more simple and more delicious thank a nice juicy linked piece of meat ... on a plate?"

The answers is Daniel Boulud's sausage selection at DBGB.

See also:
- Miami Restaurants Make Their Own Bacon
- La Camaronera: Miami Seafood Staple Launches Table Service, Plans to Open for Dinner Soon

More »

What better way to enjoy Chipotle than without the endless lines that snake outside of the burrito shops?

With investors citing concerns of higher pricing than other fast food chains and long lines flat-lining lunchtime profits, the company is launching catering services, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

More »

Like Coke versus Pepsi or McDonald's versus Burger King, some business battles will be waged forever. After all, people have strong opinions about what they put in their pie-hole.

The same goes for supermarkets. Some people are die-hard Whole Foods junkies; others (as former Northeasterners know) swear by Wegman's. But yesterday one BuzzFeed contributor made the case that Miami's most ubiquitous corporate chain, Publix, is in fact, the "best grocery store to ever exist."

Here at Short Order, we're cynics, and despite the stores' virtues (we admit, their cookies pretty much melt in your mouth), we can't jive with the whole sunshine and lollipops perspective. In our opinion, they still have some work to do, and here are five reasons why.

Because nobody's perfect, not even Publix.

Read also:
- New Publix Satisfies North Beach's Growing Hunger
- Publix Now Accepts Digital Coupons in Florida, but Not in Miami

More »