Until I read Harlan Howard’s quote inscribed on a wall in Nashville, the reason for country music’s popularity had been a mystery to me. “Country music is three chords and the truth,” Howard once said, and his definition fit so perfectly, leaders at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum placed his words on a prominent 20-foot wall for guests to read at the $37 million complex.
As I worked alongside volunteers in New Orleans four years ago for post-Katrina relief, I felt the symptoms of a cold creeping up on me. “Oh, are you feeling sick?” several locals asked. Their suggestion was universal: “Let me make you a hot toddy.” Though the American Lung Association recommends avoiding alcohol when combating a cold, the drink is said to have originated in 18th century Scotland, where people used the alcoholic beverage as a medicinal elixir.
When Jane Owen first arrived at Montana State University, she had her eyes on a degree in business administration. Her freshman class catalog showed a list of television electives, which was the influence Owen needed. The Oregon native ditched business administration (much to her mother’s dismay) and focused on a degree in film and television production.
To a beef-loving chili traditionalist, vegetarian chili may sound like blasphemy. But with a hearty helping of beans and seasonings, the spicy black bean chili at Zoup! Fresh Soup Company is a tasty, meatless variation on a favorite winter warm-up. The thick chili aces the “spoon test,” and you won’t miss the meat, says franchise owner Nooshin Mehrnia of Newburgh: “The taste is like a beef chili.”
Growing up on the East Coast, Cammie Harris felt right at home in an urban setting. After the New Jersey native’s husband took a job at Mead Johnson, the family moved to small-town Newburgh, Ind., four years ago. One summer, Harris got a taste of home when she explored Downtown Evansville on the annual loft and condominium tour. The blend of historic buildings and modern aesthetics was “very different from anything else I’d seen in Evansville,” she recalls. “It was more like a city atmosphere, and it really inspired me.”
A dozen years ago, Sandy Robb opened her cake and candy shop on West Franklin Street in a building more than a century old. Her inspiration came from her childhood: “I missed the candy shop,” she says. Today, the longtime cake baker and candy maker still has a knack for sweets. Admittedly, Robb likes traditional candies, including caramel pecan flipovers and blueberry truffles, but that’s her personal preference. She’s adventurous in the kitchen, so on Robb’s shelves in Sandy’s Cakes & Candy Supplies (2301 W.
For many University of Evansville students, the school’s financial aid and scholarship awards have made a college education possible. Currently, 93 percent of full-time students receive financial aid and scholarships, and the average aid package totals more than $19,000 each year. But all that money has to come from somewhere — and recently, the school launched a new fundraising initiative when the UE Alumni Association sponsored a cookbook, What’s Cooking at UE.
It’s healthy, it’s fresh, and it’s real food — made from organic produce and whole grains with nary an artificial ingredient. The catch? Eating lunch at the River City Food Co-op (116 Washington Ave.) demands a little leap of faith. Until you arrive, you never know what’s cooking at this historic home turned whole foods store. Thankfully, the consistently good lunches, served only on Mondays from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m, make this less of a drawback and more of an adventure.
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