Category DIshes

One of the best parts of Little Italy? You guessed it: its food. When Italian immigrants first arrived in the U.S., they had to make do with the ingredients they had on hand. Restaurant owners were also looking to cater to American palates.…

In Greater Seattle, you’ll find excellent Indian shefs, and today, we're diving into North Indian cuisine with North Indian cuisine specifically. Northern Indian food tends to lean into more subtle and nuanced flavors and uses more…

Manhattan’s Little Italy is, without a doubt, the most famous Little Italy in the world. A massive part of Italian-American history, the neighborhood once housed large clusters of Italian immigrants who brought the bella vita to the city:…

Seattle’s Chinatown Historic District is a bustling residential neighborhood, a popular tourist destination, and, of course, a hub for Chinese food and food culture. In fact, it was once the heart of the most extensive Asian community…

Did you know that the largest minority group in Washington state are persons of Latino origin? In Seattle, about 6.6 percent of the city’s diverse population is made up of the Latin American community. The origins of the Latin American…

Ever since the first recorded Filipino resident moved to Seattle in 1883, the Filipino community has played a strong role in the history of the city. In 1979, Delores Sibonga became the first member of the Seattle City Council. Bob Santos,…

Ethiopian cuisine is made up of distinctively flavorful dishes that represent the deep cultural heritage of East Africa. Seattle is home to a growing population of Ethiopian communities, and the food scene is the best way to explore this…

Injera, a sour, spongy flatbread made from an ancient grain called teff, is the most iconic food in Ethiopia’s culinary history. Its exact history remains a mystery, but there have been unpublished records dating back to 100 B.C.! During…

#23 A home-cooked meal doesn't have to be cooked in your home. Using the online platform, diners can order fresh, delicious meals made by members of their local community. The service helps talented cooks—many of them immigrants and women—earn…

Ramen is a popular Japanese dish consisting of wheat noodles served in a meat or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and accompanied by toppings such as sliced pork, dried seaweed, and green onions. Over the years, ramen…

To know tahini is to love it. The sesame seed-based paste is creamy, nutty, and versatile, and widely used in cuisines around the world. Its origins can be traced back to ancient times, when sesame seeds were widely cultivated in the Middle…

San Francisco has one of the largest Japanese communities in the United States. The first Japanese immigrants arrived in the city in 1869 in search of economic opportunities and better living conditions, and just one year later, the U.S.…

Pad Kra Pao Ask any Thai native to name a few of their favorite comfort food dishes, and pad kra pao will surely make the list. Its origins can be traced back to the mid-1900s, when street vendors would serve stir-fried dishes on street…

In his 1949 book La Méditerranée, French historian Fernand Braudel (1902-1985) identified the Mediterranean “trinity” of olives, the grapevine, and wheat. Here, we'll explore the origins of each. Olives An olive tree has been standing…

Shef is proud to work with people from all over the world who are passionate about bringing people together around a plate of food. One of our talented Shefs, Shereen, shares her story of learning to cook, her desire to contribute to her…

Coffee with raw egg yolk? Don’t knock it ‘til you try it! Cà phê trứng, a traditional Vietnamese drink, consists of brewed Vietnamese coffee topped with an airy, sweet cream made of whipped egg yolk and sweetened condensed milk.…

Bánh xèo is the Vietnamese variation of the classic European crepe. This appetizing and extremely popular street food is made with a rice flour batter that’s both light and crispy when cooked. While it's unclear exactly when bánh xèo…

If you were to walk through downtown San Francisco in the 1870s, you’d see wide streets lined with tall, Victorian-style buildings. You’d watch men in top hats and tailored suits alongside women in puffed Italian sleeves and long skirts…

If Chinese cooking is an art, then the wok is the easel and paintbrush of the Chinese kitchen. Watch one in action and you'll quickly understand: blazing fire heats a shallow pool of oil, the wok's contents get tossed in a powerful rocking…

When you think of Vietnamese cuisine, a piping hot bowl of phở likely comes to mind. Phở is Vietnam's most popular dish, with a long history beginning in the mid-1880s in Northern Vietnam during the peak of French colonialism. European…

Walking along the streets of Ho Chi Minh, hungry street food eaters are met with the wafting aroma of fried bột chiên. The pan-fried Vietnamese rice cakes are crispy on the outside and creamy and fluffy on the inside — indulgent and…

There’s no mistaking the signature tart flavor and crusty crunch of a thick slice of sourdough bread. It’s the perfect platform for any sandwich, the ideal dipper for a brothy bowl of soup, and the ultimate BFF for your butter board.…

Chinese cooking is commonly referred to as an art form, and the rich history of Chinese ingredients and flavors are best seen through the common Chinese ingredients used today. Learn more about some of the core Chinese pantry staples, then…

Chinese festivals are an integral part of the country's culture. Read on to learn about three of the most significant ones: Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival. Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the most…

Loco moco is an iconic Hawaiian comfort food that has been widely adopted all over the world. The simple yet satisfying dish consists of white rice topped with a sunny-side up egg, a hamburger patty, and gravy, and can be enjoyed for breakfast,…

To eat in New York is to be spoiled with choice. Why settle for mere Chinese food when you can select from restaurants that specialize in Hunan, Henan, or Yunnan dishes? But there are limits: Some cuisines are too niche to sustain a commercial…

The new online marketplace Shef connects customers with food entrepreneurs – many of whom are immigrants or refugees – working out of their homes. Correspondent Lilia Luciano looks at how Shef is offering opportunities to aspiring chefs…

Launched in 2019, Shef provides freshly cooked meals that customers can browse and order to be delivered. Shef uses local, home cooks that are trained and safety certified. Read more at Cool Hunting

This year's list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a whole—ultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring…

"Laila Mir, a former accountant and financial advisor, is now cooking and delivering each week nearly a hundred home-cooked Afghan meals for the refugees, with help from Shef, a regional online food service specializing in ethnic cuisines." Read…

Maryam Boddie, owner of a catering business in Manhattan, was at her wits’ end when COVID forced her to close her enterprise and lose the only income for her family of nine. Then she discovered Shef.com, an online platform where cooks sell…