Your Steak Is More Expensive, but Cattle Ranchers Are Missing Out
Demand for beef is spiking as people dine out and grill, but the profits aren’t being evenly distributed. Ranchers blame the big meatpacking companies.
By JULIE CRESWELL

Smithfield Foods is sued by an advocacy group claiming it stoked fears of meat shortages.
The group claims there were ample supplies of meat in cold storage even as Smithfield warned that the country was in danger of running out of meat.
By MICHAEL CORKERY

Grocery-to-Table Is a Challenge for Restaurants in the Pandemic
Looking for new ways to get their food to customers, chefs are reinventing their dishes as retail offerings — and it can be tricky.
By Jane Black

A GOOD APPETITE
It’s Time for Spinach Dip
That retro party staple gets a fresh, garlicky upgrade just in time for your summer barbecues, or your breeziest weeknight dinners.

Full of minced herbs and Greek yogurt, this dip runs through with deep, bright flavors.
By Melissa Clark

More Than ‘Just Takeout’
A new generation of Chinese American chefs is celebrating the inventiveness, resourcefulness and deliciousness of American Chinese food with menus dedicated to the classics.
By Cathy Erway

Pasta Grannies

Wolfgang Puck Answers a Few Questions

The Understated Splendor of Grilled Oysters
J. Kenji López-Alt makes a compelling case for throwing your oysters on the grill this summer, and offers three vibrant ways to finish them.

Flavored butters give these grilled oysters added appeal.
By J. Kenji López-Alt

Sponge Cakes You’ll Make Again and Again
Claire Saffitz has tips and recipes for a perfectly fluffy dessert that’s as good alone as it is paired with supple summer fruit.

Sponge cake gets a bad rap for being dry, but when properly made, it is tender, bouncy and soaks up whatever flavors it’s paired with.
By Claire Saffitz

SQUARE FEET
Craft Distilleries Aim to Make Whiskey an Experience
Despite the financial pain wreaked by the pandemic, the industry grew in 2020 as businesses moved tastings and other activities outdoors.
By KEITH SCHNEIDER

Mark Peel, Who Helped Forge a New Culinary Path, Dies at 66
A pillar of California’s pioneering food scene, he worked at Spago and was a founder of the renowned Campanile and La Brea Bakery.

Mark Peel in 2006 at Campanile in Los Angeles, his signature restaurant. One food critic wrote, “It is hard to overstate Campanile’s contributions to American cooking.”
By Kim Severson