Jenny Boone has got a great scoop over on her Storefront blog about a possible expansion of Awful Arthur’s Towers Mall location that will include a brewery.
We’re short on details at this point, but be sure to check back for more information as this news unfolds.

Congratulations to Julie F., who submitted her mother’s recipe for warm, soothing rice and raisins and won our Mother’s Day recipe contest.
Julie’s name was drawn today by my co-worker, Pete Dybdahl.
Julie wins a prize package consisting of a Pampered Chef apron, spatula, paring knife, measuring bowl and seasoning blend. She has also won Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Women.
Thanks to everyone who entered this contest. I like Julie’s entry because it shows that even the simplest things our mothers made for us when we were growing up were made with love.
Julie, to claim your prize, please e-mail your full name and address to me at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the great moms who read this blog!

Yesterday’s Front Burner column featured a photograph of two culinary students stuffing Roma tomatoes with mushroom duxelles.

An alert reader called me yesterday afternoon to ask me a question about that picture: Why aren’t those students wearing gloves?

It’s the second time I’ve heard that question since I started covering the food beat. The last time, I shot a video of a man making cheesesteaks without gloves.

Thinking back on Thursday’s event, I’m pretty sure that some of the chefs did wear gloves while they prepared food. But more than half, I’m sure, did not. And since I’ve been hanging out with a lot of chefs over the past year or so, I’ve noticed it is not a practice that is always followed.

This morning, I called up Robert Parker at the Virginia Department of Health to ask him whether chefs are supposed to wear gloves. My bet is that they aren’t required to — otherwise, why would so many of them choose to go without?

“I think we’re all starting to pay attention to that, and that’s a good thing,” Parker said.

I wanted to have an answer for you all right now, but Parker wanted to check with the proper folks at the health department for an accurate response. As soon as I hear back from him, I’ll be back with an update.

Meanwhile, what do you think? Should chefs be required to wear gloves?

I know there are a few chefs reading this blog, so I’d love for them to chime in and answer this question: What are the issues that need to be considered here, from your perspective?

I spent much of the day on a farm in Pittsylvania County, so I’m just now checking back on the blog.
Apparently, the grilled cheese topic is still going strong. I even got a note from a friend and Kroger employee who jokingly requested that I give them a heads up next time I plan to write about grilled cheese so they can stock bread and cheese. I’m pretty sure he was joking, anyway.
In addition, my mother found herself at the West Virginia Welcome Center yesterday afternoon, where one employee said, “Aren’t you Lindsey Nair’s mother?” and proceeded to chat with her about grilled cheese sandwiches.
Since I’m short on time today, I think I’ll just introduce our next Cookbook Giveaway.
This week, the book isn’t exactly a cookbook but it sure is packed with good food talk. It’s called “Roadfood” by Jane & Michael Stern, and it has recently been updated with 200 new listings.
The Sterns call their book “The coast-to-coast guide to 700 of the best barbecue joints, lobster shacks, ice cream parlors, highway diners and much, much more.”
The Sterns did make their way through Virginia, but I won’t tell you if they highlighted any local food joints. That would just spoil the fun of reading the book!
To win this book, however, I’d love for you to tell me the best roadside joint you ever stumbled upon, and why. The deadline is 5 p.m. next Wednesday.

Are you about to dig into an eye-popping beauty of a meal or snack? Then, STOP! Before you do, take a photo first, and e-mail it to me at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com.
Your photo could be featured on the Fridge Magnet blog as the Photo of the Week.

You guys just have to see this video. It’s a clip from an episode of the Maury Povich Show featuring a girl who is terrified of pickles.
I stumbled across the video during my daily journey around the world of food blogs. It was featured on Diner’s Journal, a blog by Frank Bruni of The New York Times.
Bruni acknowledged that he usually sticks to more serious matters on his blog. Lately, those matters have included how much to tip a waiter for a $2,000 bottle of wine and whether fancy New York restaurants will let you carry out a doggie bag.
But today, he condescended to blog about pickle paranoia. As he put it, “this post tilts sillier and more vacuously theatrical than most.”
I suspect one reason for Bruni’s decision was so that he could ask readers what food scares them the most. And since it’s such a tempting question, I can’t help but ask it myself.
Personally, I’m only frightened by the thought of eating foods (term used loosely) like brains. And bugs, but we’ve been there before.
What scares you?

I do like to talk about chain restaurants sometimes. But for the most part, I’m more interested in local establishments.
I receive tons of e-mails and press releases from the corporate guys, and I usually give them a polite scan before hitting “delete.” Today, though, a Carrabba’s spokeswoman sent me an e-mail that grabbed my attention.
That could be because the sender, Amelia Turner, opened by saying she grew up in Southwest Virginia. She had also checked out my column and my blog, which I think is nice. But it also has to do with the fact that Carrabba’s is sponsoring a contest, starting today, with a grand prize that includes a free trip to Las Vegas.
All you have to do is log on to the Carrabba’s Web site and write a love letter to your favorite food. Sounds bizarre, I know, but once you check out the site, you’ll see a few examples there. The contest starts today and runs through the end of March.
If I had to write a love letter to my favorite food, it would probably begin, “Dear Macaroni and Cheese, you are so creamy and delicious. But I love how you can sometimes be all crunchy on the outside…”
If y’all enter, good luck. If you win, I want a postcard from the Sin City.

Hey folks, as you might have noticed at the end of my Front Burner column today, I’ve got Sunday brunch on the brain again.
Ever since before I started this food beat, I’ve been dismayed by the lack of a truly unique Sunday brunch experience in Roanoke. I’m craving something quirky and cool that doesn’t just serve standard breakfast options until 2 p.m.
Until recently, the best brunch I’d experienced around these parts was at Cafe Succotash in Vinton, which has long since closed. I can remember having some kind of twist on eggs Benedict with spinach and fresh tomato, all washed down with a poinsettia (champagne and cranberry juice).

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Those of you who keep a regular eye on this blog know that I am being stalked by Peeps, the soft, pillowy, marshmallowy candy.
That’s right, stalked by Peeps.
They keep appearing in my mailbox. Every time I think I have been frightened as much as possible, a new and different kind of Peeps appears.
This time, as you can see, they are green. And accompanied by giant tulip Peeps.

Chicken Rules at Towers Mall has closed its doors for good, and people are depressed.
My editor, Kathy Lu, is one of them. She wrote a Cornershot for yesterday’s newspaper about how the little rotisserie joint was her go-to spot for a dinner that tasted almost homemade.
Kathy even brought a Chicken Rules pot pie to a potluck once. I remember because I had to restrain myself from eating the entire thing.
Since Kathy’s Cornershot ran, I’ve heard from several readers who also miss Chicken Rules already and wanted to know why it closed.
Today, I talked to Vernon Johnston, the former owner, who said business was steady for the three years his restaurant was open, but it never grew.
Johnston opened the restaurant in 2005, and it survived the coming of Fresh Market and Ukrop’s. Still, Johnston said, the location was not ideal. He believes location was “80 to 90 percent” of the reason he had to close.
“It was off the beaten path where people didn’t go,” he said.
Johnston doesn’t know what his next move will be, but he doubts if he will ever open another restaurant.
In other restaurant news, Coda coffee shop in Grandin Village is closing. Retail reporter Jenny Boone has the scoop on that over at her blog, The Storefront. Check it out.

I have a $25 gift card to Provisions with Flo’s name on it. Flo left the 1,001st comment on Fridge Magnet since the blog began in March.
Sherry, who was the 1,000th person to comment, never replied to my announcement that she had won. Boo!
Flo, email me at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com to claim your prize!

I want you to check out one of the coolest corporate restaurant Web sites I’ve seen in quite some time. The chefs who create the dishes you order at Red Lobster have been writing their own chef’s blog for several months now, and it is jam-packed with useful information about cooking seafood in your own kitchen.
On the site, you can find a plethora of seafood recipes, kitchen tips and demonstrations. You can also take a peek inside the interactive Red Lobster kitchen, where they suggest which seasonings to keep on hand for seafood preparation.
I love the fact that this blog allows readers to interact directly with trained chefs. Seafood can be expensive and daunting, so advice from professionals would go a long way toward turning out a successful dish.
I also like the fact that while some Red Lobster recipes are obviously secret (like those killer cheddar-bay biscuits I always want to smuggle out in my purse), the chefs are willing to share others, such as a Sweet Maple and Dried Cherry Glaze.
Here’s that recipe:

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After I re-ran a former blog post about grilling turkeys in my Front Burner column yesterday, I received a hearty response from readers. Many say they’ve been grilling the Thanksgiving bird for decades now and wouldn’t have it any other way.
The first call I got was from a fellow named Chris who left me a voicemail message saying he grills his bird on a low flame (about 200 degrees) for 5 1/2 to 6 hours.
“It comes out fine every time,” he said.
Then, Rebecca Seaster rang me up to say that she and her husband grill birds all the time. Even better, they use an old Southern Living recipe that calls for brining the turkey first, then stuffing the cavity with onions and other vegetables for extra flavor. Mmmm mmmmm!
Rebecca insists that you must cook the turkey breast side down, saying it turns out a deliciously crispy skin. She promised to drop her recipe in the mail for me, so as soon as it comes I will type it up and post it on the blog.
Here are a few more reader responses:

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Roanoke Times retail business reporter Jenny Kincaid Boone has started a new retail blog on this site called “The Storefront.” There, she will explore business openings and closings, shopping, trends and other retail-related news on a daily basis.
I am not mentioning this on the Fridge Magnet blog just to promote the work of a very talented reporter and friend. I think those of us who are interested in new restaurants in Southwest Virginia should keep an eye on Jenny’s blog for that kind of news. I try to keep an eye on restaurant openings and closings and my readers are good about passing along tips. But Jenny has been writing a retail column for The Roanoke Times for about 4 years now, so she often hears about a new restaurant even before I do.
Her latest entry, in fact, is about a new El Rodeo opening soon on Orange Avenue. Jenny explores the business angle of such restaurant news, but I would like to press my fellow foodies about what this means for us– can this area really handle another El Rodeo or El Toreo?

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This morning’s Front Burner column in Extra was about wings, and if you’d like to see my wings video, go here.
Thanks to all the blog readers for your great comments and suggestions about this favorite food.
I received a wonderful e-mail this morning from a reader who says she is a native of Buffalo, N.Y.
Here are some excerpts from what she had to say:

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My darling readers, I have emerged from beneath the crush of deadlines and I am still alive to tell the tale. Except the tale isn’t really all that interesting, so I will spare you. Suffice it to say that four deadlines at once have forced my blog entries this week to be a little wimpy. For that, I apologize.
How might I make it up to you? Well, I have an idea: free cookbooks!
I mentioned on the blog a few days ago that I receive many free cookbooks in the mail from publishing companies. When someone commented that I am one lucky gal to get all these free cookbooks, it got me thinking. I mean, I’m never going to have the time to whip up all these delectable dishes myself.
Henceforth, I will be giving away a cookbook once a month to some lucky reader who plays along with my silly game, “Answer my question, please.”

This month’s selection is “Great Bar Food at Home” by Kate Heyhoe. It includes such tasty little recipes as Eggplant Pizzettes, Beer-Bathed Shrimp and Authentic Garlic Fries.
To win this book, shoot me a comment with a few sentences about your favorite bar food. Where did you find it and what was so great about it?
The best comment wins the book. The deadline is noon on Wednesday, October 10. I will announce the winner on Friday. But you’ll have to provide your address so I can mail it to you.