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?

Happy warm, sunny Friday!
Am I the only one who wishes that instead of sitting at her desk today, she was out in the yard with her hands in the dirt? Followed by a lazy afternoon on the deck, sipping something frosty and grilling something savory?
Well, if Mother Nature cooperates, maybe you folks can spend tomorrow on such important endeavors. Unfortunately, I will be attending a wedding (no offense to my friends on their special day).
In honor of the great grilling weather, I’m going to give away THREE books today! That’s right! And it’s going to be easy to win, too. These books will go to the first, second and third people to comment on this entry and tell me they want them. Anyone who has won a book before is disqualified, though.
First commentor wins “BBQ Bash: The Be-All, End-All Party Guide, from Barefoot to Black Tie” by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig.
Winner No. 2 gets “Burgers: 52 Easy Recipes for Year-Round Cooking” by Sally Sampson.
Winner No. 3 will receive “BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbecue Belt” by David Gelin with a foreward by John T. Edge, the unofficial Mayor of Southern Cooking.
Also, stay tuned for next week’s Front Burner column. I’ve wrested a very important rub recipe from one of the best chefs in the South.
I’ll be back later to announce winners.

UPDATE posted Tuesday: Speaking of bugs in chocolate, check out this entry from one of my favorite blogs, Slashfood.

Here’s the quote of the day in food news:

“Insects can feed the world. Cows and pigs are the S.U.V.’s; bugs are the bicycles.”

That was spoken by a guy named David Gracer for a New York Times article about edible bugs. Gracer is apparently a huge proponent of eating bugs (entomophagy), and he has been traveling around trying to talk chefs into hopping aboard the bug bus.

Now, I like to think of myself as a fairly adventurous person when it comes to food. And I think the argument that bugs are simply the land version of shrimp or crawfish is a compelling one. But could I eat a bug? Well, I just shuddered, if that tells you anything.

What do y’all think? And I’m sure one of you is going to point out that I’ve probably eaten lots of bugs, just without knowing. Thank you in advance for that.

Today’s Extra section includes my article about the late chefs Malinda Russell and Edna Lewis.
If you haven’t had an opportunity to read it, click here.
Researching the lives of these two extraordinary women was quite fascinating, and their influences on the world of cuisine are astonishing.
I’m curious as to whether any of you had heard of Russell or Lewis before now? And what were your impressions about the influence of black cooks on the culinary scene before you read this post or the article?
I ask because I found that I knew very little before I began this project. And it seems a little sad that many others are as uninformed as I was.
Also, do you own any cookbooks by black authors? Have you seen any black chefs in or around Roanoke?
Thanks for taking this little quiz. And if you don’t read the article for any other reason, read it for the killer coconut cake recipe at the end!

Okay, I realize it’s not exactly the same, but if Saveur can find 100 extraordinary food finds around the world every year, we should be able to list at least 25 of our favorite dishes, restaurants, markets, chefs and more here in Southwest Virginia.
I’ll go first. Here are five picks. Give me yours!

1. Carlos Brazilian’s Artichoke-Brie Soup.
2. El Palenque desserts (which are still available, in case you didn’t know.)
3. Southwest Virginia Farmer’s Markets. The fingerling potatoes! The heirloom tomatoes and beans! The tiny cabbages! The fresh peaches! The possibilities are endless.
4. Floyd County. Face it, they rate high in fine local food producers.
5. Roanoke- and Blacksburg- area ethnic markets. Must explore more.

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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