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Sweet potato
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Tastes

Giving thanks for the miraculous sweet potato

It is safe to say that most Americans probably have not tasted a yam. Despite what some labels may say and what some signs in grocery stores may proclaim, sweet potatoes are not yams. They are different products. If you have tasted a real yam, it Nov 21, 2018 at 4:15 AM

Dr. Eduardo Zayas-Bazán (in plaid shirt) takes a break during the pig roast to talk with friends, including ETSU Professor Emeritus Dr. Tom Burton (in cap).
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Tastes

Roasting a pig and remembering

The ritual will be repeated this month. It has been an East Tennessee tradition since 1971. But its origins go back much longer in time and to a place far away from the Mountain South. Every October, East Tennessee State University Professor Oct 17, 2018 at 12:01 PM

NASCAR legend Junior Johnson (right) on the day he first tried Ridgewood’s blue cheese dressing, with Ridgewood owner Larry Proffitt. Photo by Fred Sauceman.
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Tastes

Dipping Deeply Into Blue Cheese Near Bluff City

It doesn’t come to the table in a cruet. It doesn’t come “on the side” in a small plastic cup. It doesn’t come in a squeeze bottle. Blue cheese dressing at Ridgewood Barbecue near Bluff City is served in a bowl, lipping full. The sizes are small Sep 19, 2018 at 6:00 AM

The raised beds after only two weeks.
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Tastes

The pleasure and promise of two raised beds

The Pleasure and Promise of Two Raised Beds I can think of few things in life more noble than planting a garden. It’s good for the environment. It’s good for the pocketbook. It’s good for the waistline. And probably most important of all, it’s Aug 15, 2018 at 8:36 AM

Jill and Fred Sauceman recently collaborated on a book describing Jill's struggle with lupus and the kidney transplant that saved her life in 2014.
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organ donations

'Chased by the Wolf' tells tale of local couple's perseverance fighting lupus

In 1974, Jill Sauceman was getting ready for nursing school at East Tennessee State University before she was diagnosed with lupus. 

Updated Aug 14, 2018 at 10:23 AM
Eric Wheeler uses the best ingredients he can find for all his bagel varieties. Photo by Fred Sauceman.
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Tastes

For This Former Florida Police Officer, Bagels are the Ticket

They arrive squeezed into Spandex, fresh from the gym. They arrive toting laptops and ready to get a head start on the work day. Some breeze in only long enough to get a cup of coffee for the road. Others loaf and linger for half the morning.

Jul 18, 2018 at 4:00 AM
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Ridgewood Barbecue

Everyone's favorite barbecue joint has had a book written about its history.

"Of all the restaurants I've written about over the years, and there have been hundreds of them, Ridgewood is the one that stands out as worthy of book-length treatment for a lot of reasons," said author, Fred Sauceman.

Aug 26, 2017 at 11:30 PM
Fred Sauceman
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Fred Sauceman

Venezuela meets West Virginia

There are many large American cities that have no Venezuelan restaurants. But you can find one in Elkins, West Virginia, population 7,214. It’s called El Gran Sabor, “the great taste.” There’s a more familiar Mexican section on the menu, but Updated Sep 28, 2016 at 8:41 AM

Raygen Turner serves up a Portal 31 pizza.
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Food & Drink

Pizza powers downtown revival in Harlan

Greg Drury visited over 100 pizzerias from south Florida to Baltimore. “Sometimes I would eat three or four pizzas a day,” he confesses. “Or I would take a bite and leave.”

Aug 17, 2016 at 12:00 AM
The Grease Rack, Newport Tennessee
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Potluck

Cooking for a Cause at Newport’s Grease Rack

The architecture and the ambiance still reflect the days when eating establishments had to classify themselves as private clubs in order to sell liquor. The name is a link to the building’s former life, as a gasoline station.

Sep 15, 2015 at 4:55 PM
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