THIS CAFE LIFE

Cape Cod is a timeless New England escape — lighthouses, sandy beaches, cranberry bogs, and harbors lined with fishing boats. But visit in autumn and the Cape reveals a whole new personality: crisp air, colorful foliage, bustling farm stands, and small-town festivals. This guide takes you from Falmouth & Woods Hole at the Upper Cape to Hyannis, Chatham, Truro, and Provincetown, with stops for farmers’ markets, cranberry bogs, fall celebrations, and biking trails along the way

When winter hits, most produce pulls back — but citrus does the opposite. Walk through any market in January or February and you’ll see it immediately: pink grapefruits, blood oranges, Meyer lemons, pomelos, tangelos. Each variety carries a different balance of sweetness, bitterness, acidity, and aroma. For a cook, it’s one of the most exciting moments of the year. This is when ideas start to stack up.

A chef’s review and guide to brands, shapes, and how they behave in the pan. Gluten-free pasta has quietly undergone a revolution. A decade ago, most options were fragile, gummy, or limited to one or two shapes. Today, the category is deep, refined, and — when chosen thoughtfully — capable of producing pasta dishes that behave exactly the way they should: holding sauce, keeping their structure, and finishing properly in the pan.

Gluten-free pasta doesn’t need defending anymore — but it does need respect. For a long time, gluten-free cooking was framed around absence: what you couldn’t use, what you had to substitute, what would never be “quite right.” Pasta suffered most. Overcooked, under seasoned, or smothered to hide its texture, it became something people tolerated rather than enjoyed.

There’s a quiet kind of confidence in braising. It isn’t rushed. It doesn’t rely on spectacle. Instead, it asks for patience, heat, and a well-chosen vessel — and rewards you with dishes that feel settled, generous, and deeply comforting.

A Practical Guide for Everyday Cooks Choosing a kitchen knife isn’t about owning the “best” one — it’s about finding the tool that fits how you cook, how often you cook, and how much care you want to give it. The right knife feels natural in the hand, performs reliably, and earns its place through daily use.