Jeremy's classes at In Good Taste were always popular and none more so than his grilling classes. In one class, he taught students how to make this delicious grilled shrimp dish. It was the favorite of all the students in that class so I wanted to share it with you, and Jeremy readily agreed to it.

Many of you will still remember Jeremy who was with us for many years in various roles including instructor, Sous Chef, and Kitchen Manager. He also did a stint at Copia, the American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts in Napa. Last year he took the position of Chef de Cuisine at Fenouil in the Pearl where he no doubt continues to wow people with his cooking. Keep up the good work, Jeremy!

Cookbook lovers, don't miss this one! On July 22 and 23, we will be holding a sidewalk book faire. This means that we will be selling many, many fabulous cookbooks at ridiculously low prices. They must go. We are bursting at the seams and the staff has threatened a mutiny unless I cut back the excess books. I can't have that so I need your help! You'll know me as I'll be the one crying in the corner as I watch all my lovely books disappear. You'll be the one laughing.

This year The Alliance Francaise de Portland is hosting Bastille Day celebrations in the Pearl at Jamison Square Park on July 15th. The highlight of the day will be the 2nd Annual Waiters Race, as well as French cuisine, wine, music, art, and other cultural specialties. Read more about it here.

Bastille Day celebrations will also be held - on Bastille Day itself (July 14th) - at Carafe Bistro.

Other July events n the Pearl include:

• In Good Taste Sidewalk Book Faire on July 22
• Pets in the Pearl on July 22
• 2nd Annual Great Distillers Festival on July 22
• The Portland Farmers Market every Thursday at Ecotrust

I've seen Indian recipes calling for amchur and recently I saw the spice in your store. What is it and how would I use it?

A: Amchur (also known as khatai powder or green- mango powder) is made from green, unripe mangoes. The mangoes are peeled, sliced, and dried in the sun and then powdered. It has a tart taste on the tongue and is used in Indian dishes such as dals, soups, chutneys and pickles. Amchur is one of the core ingredients in chaat masala.
Source: "The Indian Grocery Store Demystified" by Linda Bladholm, and conversations with Suneeta Vaswani (Cooking teacher) and Leena Ezekiel (In Good Taste instructor).

As we all love Indian food and are addicted to Leena's recipes, we now carry a full line of Indian spices, salts and black peppers. Amchur Powder comes in a can and sells for $5.95 Call us if you'd like us to ship it to you. Our phone number is 503.248.2015.

Update on back-ordered products:

- OXO is back! (Everything but the mango slicer).
- Le Creuset pans (to replace Teflon pans) - we have a few in. Hurry before they disappear! The rest are on backorder.
- The cedar sheets are back in.
- Stramondo's delicious organic marzipan is back in, as well as the Pistachio Cream for your gelato.

New products include:

- Aleppo Pepper, the hot new spice (in more ways than one).
- Various grilling tools.
- Alice's Stick Cookies. Don't ask - just taste. You'll be hooked for life!
- Fabulous CIA pans which make cooking and clean-up child's play.

Did you know that Pam, our retail manager, has a culinary degree and has lots of experience in catering? She regularly creates wonderful dishes at home and then shares the recipes with us. This recipe is one of her recent creations. It's delicious, quick and easy, and doesn't heat up the house with hours of cooking.

We will be closed on Independence Day.

We have some new instructors in our fold, and each month I'll introduce you to them. The latest person to join our team is Barb Randall who has taught cooking classes in the Portland area for a number of years. If you'd like to learn more about Barb, click here for her bio. You'll love the menus she has created for you.

I have taken over management of the cooking school as Chef Lucy moves into a teaching-only role. This frees her up to pursue her other interests, such as writing. Cheryl Russell will be joining the team to help me. Many of you know Cheryl from her wonderful work with Taste of the Nation for the past 18 years and we are delighted to have her on board. Her immediate focus will be on working with our guest chefs as well as corporate customers. Next time you're in the neighbourhood, come and meet Cheryl.

We will ship the salt to any destination in the United States or refund the shipping if you pick it up at the store.

Limit of 2 per customer.

Special Price $20.25 USD

This month, Judith Bishop reviews the latest book from Jane and Michael Stern, Two for the Road: Our Love Affair with American Food. You've heard them on The Splendid Table (NPR), now read their exploits - after you've read Judith's review, of course.

If you pick the book up at the store, we'll refund the shipping charges.

Our Price: $21 USD