Six of Northeast Ohio’s top chefs teamed up to present “Six Courses for a Cure,” a gourmet wine dinner at the Sheraton Suites - Akron/Cuyahoga Falls, on Aug. 19, benefiting the Meredith A. Cowden Foundation. Proceeds from the dinner will fund a National Graft vs. Host Disease (GvHD) Symposium at the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland Nov. 4, which will be attended by some of the nation's leading hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplant specialists and research scientists.

GvHD, a complication of bone marrow transplant, results when the patient’s body is attacked by the new immune system created by the transplant. It can cause death if not controlled, and there is currently no cure. The symposium in November will be the first of its kind to address GvHD.

Few things go together like summer time and picnics, and on June 22 Haven of Rest hosted its 20th Annual Community Picnic at Grace Park.

This yearly outreach offered an afternoon of fun, games and free food to people who do not have the resources to go to an amusement park or vacation. During this special event, children and adults enjoyed music, face painting and horseback riding, among a number of other activities. This year, an estimated 600 people attended and the organizations served close to 1,500 hot dogs. A fun-filled afternoon can bless people in a big way.

A recent food drive at Chick-fil-A restaurants helped feed those who donated food to the hungry.

During this year's event, held June 16, if someone donated two cans of fruits or vegetables to Haven of Rest, they received a coupon for a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. Locations in Chapel Hill (Cuyahoga Falls), Fairlawn, Macedonia, Belden Village Mall and Dressler Road in N. Canton all participated. Their combined efforts raised 3,677 pounds of much needed food for this ministry.

Putting fresh, local, sustainably grown vegetables on the table of everyone in our community is the aim of an organization called City Fresh.

City Fresh is a Cuyahoga County nonprofit program of the New Agrarian Center that supports the creation of a sustainable local food system in Northeast Ohio. Founded by Brad Masi, the program was meant to address the needs of those who are most at-risk within our community.

The New Agrarian Center is committed to building a stronger and more sustainable regional food system in Northeast Ohio: a food system that promotes health in the broadest sense of the word -- healthy land, healthy communities, healthy individuals and a healthy economy.

On Dec. 22, hundreds of people stood waiting in line for food at four local churches. They came hoping to get just enough food for Christmas, but they left carrying much more: whole 12-pound turkeys.

“The look on their faces, realizing they were getting these turkeys, was just amazing,” said Mary Coppenger, food cupboard coordinator at Arlington Memorial Baptist Church. “You have no idea how much they were appreciated.”

The location that used to be The River Brasserie and Bar -- before that LeFever’s, and even before that, a power plant -- is now Samira, and it is bringing an upbeat dining experience to the banks of the Cuyahoga River.

Owner Nick Dadich went for the opportunity to open his second restaurant because it was a good business opportunity, the price was right, and he couldn’t pass up the location. That can be attested to by the dark water and snowy banks visible from the large glass windows in the restaurant. Dadich's goal with the resturant is to change the culture and give customers an upbeat, yet relaxing experience.

Most residents don’t realize that deserts exist throughout Northeast Ohio. In fact, there are a number of “food deserts” scattered throughout the region.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, food deserts are areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet. Last year, The American Journal of Epidemiology reported that people with no supermarket near their homes were up to 46 percent less likely to have a healthy diet than those with more shopping options.

Something pretty amazing happens when you roast vegetables. I love roasting garlic, asparagus, potatoes and peppers.

This was my first time roasting broccoli, and I’m a huge fan. The sweetness you get from the caramelization is a great flavor booster in this Pasta Salad with Roasted Broccoli from Everyday Food Magazine. Another one of the “light” editions from January/February 2006.

If you are looking for a healthier pasta salad that’s not drowning in an oily dressing, this recipe is for you. A warning to friends and family: If you invite us to a cookout this spring and summer, I will be toting along this pasta salad. It’s fresh, bright and amazing. I made a few alterations to the recipe. I have quite a lot of pine nuts in the freezer, so I swapped out the walnuts for them.

This evening the community was invited to visit Ms. Julie's Kitchen on South Main Street where the good folks from TreeHouse Organics chatted with us about their family of local organic farmers, master gardeners, green growers, beekeepers and craftspeople.

In recent years there has been a growing awareness of how we, as a population, interact with the food world around us. We question whether we are treating our environment in ways that are sustainable for future generations, whether the way we grow our food is healthy for us as well as the animals bred to feed us, and whether, as a culture, we’re doing the right things to maintain healthy families.

We are beginning to pay more attention to where our food comes from, how it’s raised, how it’s processed and how it gets into our bodies. From massive poultry businesses to quality control in food distribution to putting meals on our tables, we are asking more questions and not always liking the answers we are being given.