Call me wishy-washy. I can't decide if the Utah Legislature's proposal to do away with Department of Agriculture's organic certification program is such a terrible idea.

On one hand, if the state program ends, Utah producers who want the special certification will have to sign on with a private company. These out-of-state businesses charge significantly more money than the $500 state fee.

But how many Utah farmers and producers actually have gone after the organic certification? The process is onerous, requiring significant amounts of record keeping, testing and inspections.

A small group of Utah producers obviously think it is worth the effort, for health and environmental reasons and because it is a savvy marketing tool.

But many small, family-run producers I've met don't use pesticides and avoid animal feed with added hormones — just like their certified counterparts. These busy folks simply don't have the time or money to pursue organic certification.

So if you build a relationship with a local farmer or producer — and trust their methods — why does the little green and white label really matter?

Let me know your thoughts.

Carl's Jr. may be a big corporation, but at least it has a sense of humor.

Following an accidental shooting and destruction last week of a toilet at a Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Centerville, the hamburger chain announced Wednesday that it will hold a memorial service for the potty on Jan. 30.

In case you missed the story, a customer, who had a concealed weapons permit to carry a handgun, was pulling up his pants in the Carl’s Jr. restroom when the gun fell out of his holster, discharged and destroyed the toilet. No one was hurt in the accident, other than the defenseless toilet, pictured above. Read The Tribune story here.

“By all accounts, it was a good toilet; reliable and well liked by customers and crew members alike,” Brad Haley, executive vice president of Carl’s Jr. marketing, wrote in a tongue-in-cheek email sent out Wednesday.

“It seems only fitting to have a formal service to let everyone say goodbye to such a critical member of our team that was in very close contact with the public each and every day. Our thoughts go out to the surviving men’s room urinal and porcelain sink. We only hope that the new toilet can fill the void left by its predecessor, but so far it hasn’t made much of a splash.”

Carl’s Jr. manager, Christian Martinez, also joked about the toilet's demise:

"We have received e-mails and cards from all over the country expressing condolences for our loss. People will have the chance to say goodbye in their own way at the memorial service, and we’ll be handing out bottles of Kaboom® Bowl Blaster toilet cleaner to the first 50 attendees. It was the toilet’s favorite.”

Beer lovers in Utah already appreciate the state's great — and growing — brew pub scene.

But now folks in other parts of the country might come to enjoy beer in the Beehive thanks to a story in Sunday's New York Times travel section.

Freelance writer — and Salt Lake Tribune restaurant critic — Vanessa Chang gives a toast to Wasatch Brewery, the state's first modern craft brewery, but she also boasts about all those that followed from Red Rock to Roosters.

After he takes the oath of office today, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle will be "gaming" for lunch.

Plenty of foie gras, truffles and Ahi tuna are being served at the Sundance Film Festival. But after checking out a few dining events this weekend, the award for the most popular dish goes to --- drum roll please ---- braised beef short ribs.

Internationally acclaimed chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, will make his first foray into Utah, opening a signature restaurant at the new St. Regis, Deer Crest Resort in Deer Valley in Aug. of 2009.

“I can't wait to combine two of my great passions – cooking and skiing." the Michelin-starred chef said Thursday in a news release announcing the venture.

The restaurant will serve guests and residents of the new St. Regis, Deer Crest but also will be accessible to skiers of Deer Valley Resort and Park City.

Vongerichten's legendary cuisine will be complemented with a stellar wine cellar and the St. Regis Wine Aficionado Program that includes exclusive wine vintages.

Ogden resident Ruth Kendrick — and her recipe for ginger-scented honey hoisin chicken thighs — will be one of nine regional finalists in this year's National Chicken Cooking Contest.

The grand prize is $50,000

Kendrick, a long-time Utah cooking instructor and chocolate maker (pictured here), represented Utah in yesterday's Mountain Regional competition, besting state winners from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming.

As the regional winner, she received $1,000, and advances to the May 2 finals in San Antonio.

Here's her recipe:

Ginger-Scented Honey Hoisin Chicken Thighs with Sesame

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons pepper
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
4 cups cooked white rice
1/4 cup sliced scallions, green tops included

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In large skillet, heat cooking oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides. In medium bowl, mix soy sauce, honey, hoisin sauce, chicken broth, ginger and pepper. Pour mixture over chicken, turning to coat. Cover pan and place in oven. Bake about 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in sesame seeds. Place hot rice on serving platter, add chicken and sauces and garnish with scallions. Makes 4 servings.

"Operation No Kid Hungry" is a new campaign to help end childhood hunger.

Sponsored by the national anti-hunger group Share Our Strength, it responds to President-elect Obama's commitment to end childhood hunger by 2015.

Here are two ways Utahns can help.

1. Text the word "SHARE" to 20222 on your mobile device to donate $5. AT&T will match text donations up to $100,000.

2. Sponsor a food drive at work, school or in your community.

For more information visit strength.org.

If you crave Thin Mints, Do-si-dos and Samoas — but don't know a Utah Girls Scout — you are in luck.

For the 2009 cookie ordering season — which runs Jan. 17 through Feb. 1 — residents in the Salt Lake Valley can participate in a new pilot program, appropriately called "Cookies on Call."

Dial 801-716-5147 and you will be put in touch with a local Girl Scout who will take your order. Cookies will be delivered sometime between March 13–29.

The Girls Scouts of Utah is promoting its new cookie hot line through advertisements on UTA buses and through local radio stations.

Despite tough, economic times, cookie prices will remain the same price: $3.50 per box.

Brand new in 2009 is the Dulce de Leche cookie, inspired by the classic Latin American confection, it is a combination of rich milk and caramel chips with caramel stripes.

Other offerings including the ever popular Thin Mints (the number one selling cookie in Utah), Trefoils, Samoas, Do-si-dos, Tagalongs, Lemon Crème Chalets (introduced in 2008) and sugar-free chocolate chip.

All varieties are trans fat-free and kosher.

There may be snow on the ground, but I've got tomatillos, peppers and fava beans on the brain.

That's right the 2009 seed catalogues have arrived and it's got me thinking about vegetables and herbs for the new raised garden bed in our backyard. There are thousands of possibilities, but here are a few new offerings that sound interesting:

In the Cook’s Garden catalog cooksgarden.com:

'Pineapple' Tomatillo — a golden-yellow fruit (pictured here) that tastes like pineapple.

'Fried Green' Tomato — even when ripe, it stays green for classic fried green tomatoes anytime.

'Zavory' Hot Pepper — the first habanero pepper to register a mild 100 units of heat on the ‘Scoville’ scale instead of the typical 30,000 units.

From Burpee.com:

"Sweet seedless" tomato — billed as the "world's first" seedless tomato.

"Twice as nice" melon — the rind turns a distinct dark yellow when ripe, so no more guessing when to pick it.

"Pinot Noir" sweet pepper — just like the grape (and wine) its named for, this pepper is sweet with a crisp aftertaste.

Baker Creek Heirloom seeds rareseeds.com:

"Iant's" fava bean — a Guatemalan variety that reaches 6 feet tall and is reputed to contain an elevated level of dopamine, which can benefit those at risk for Alzheimer's.

"Wild Zaatar" oregano— A common herb in Bible times, these seeds come from Israel, Jordan and surrounding areas.

"Strawberry cabbage" lettuce — a 19th Century French heirloom variety with green leaves splashed with red "as if red rain fell on them."

Adam Gertler didn't win season four of "The Next Food Network Star," mostly because he lacked cooking skills.

But those of us who watched the show were always charmed by his adventurous spirit, his goofy sense of humor and his harmonica playing.

So fans like me are happy to hear The Food Network has decided to capitalize on Gertler's comedic personality casting him as the host of a new show called " Will Work for Food."

The series exposes Adam to the world of little-known food jobs. He gets down-and-dirty revealing the secrets behind 26 unique food jobs including lobsterman, beekeeper, competitive eater, Benihana chef and chocolate dress maker.

The show premiers Jan. 19.

Larry H. Miller has always operated an eclectic mix of companies. He started with cars, then moved into professional sports and then restaurants and movie theatres.

But on Thursday the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies (LHM Group) announced that it is getting out of the dining arena. It has turned over operations of The Mayan and Spaghetti Mama's restaurants to Atlantic Restaurant Consultants of South Carolina (ARC).

Miller initially hired ARC about six week ago to improve the operations and profitability of the two restaurants located in the Jordan Commons complex in Sandy. ARC brought in a new chef from California, revised the menu and began accepting reservations -- a big frustration for many diners wanting to get to their movies on time.

Not long after the changes were made ARC offered to take over the operations, Jay Francis, Executive Vice President – Operations said in a press release issued Thursday.

“The Mayan concept of having fun, family entertainment with cliff divers in the setting of a Mayan jungle, combined with great Mexican food has been a dream and wish of Larry Miller’s for years. We are excited that with this change we will be able to continue Larry’s wish to have a one-of-a- kind restaurant for Utah and its visitors."

Attention budding film makers and student sleuths: is your school cafeteria serving "mystery meat' or "real food?"

What would you do for free food?

Would you shave your head? Jump in a vat of Jell-O? How about stand in the cold?

That's what will be happening Jan. 9 when the new Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill at 5300 S. State Street, has its grand opening. The first 50 guests in the door at 10:30 a.m. will receive free meals for a year. (Actually, they will get certificates for one free meal per week for a year.)

Customers of the national restaurant chain have made it a tradition to camp out the night before these store openings to win. Of course, most of the Rubio's are located in sunny California so the only requirement is a lawn chair.

In Murray — in January — winners will need a tent, a space heater, a thermos of hot chocolate and a really big craving for fish tacos.

The Sweet Tooth Fairy Bakery gets a big YUM-O! today.

The Provo bakery, which specializes in cupcakes cakes, cookies and other sweet treats, just overnighted 150 boxes of its "Cake Bites" to the Rachel Ray television show.

The chocolate-covered treats, pictured here, will be featured in the "Snack of the Day" segment. The show is being taped today, Jan. 6, but it will air on another date yet-to-be determined.

Not bad for a company that has yet to open a retail shop. That will happen sometime in January at 1227 S. University Ave. Owner Megan Faulkner has become a baking success simply by word of mouth and through her website and blog at thesweettoothfairy.com

Wading through my holiday emails, I followed a web link that lead me to a copy of this old menu, circa the 1940s or 1950s.

It's from a Salt Lake City restaurant I'd never heard of before: The Pony Express Coffee Shop. Located on 20 East and 200 South, it served classic diner fare.

Customer who were feeling flush could order the "choice New York cut steak" for $2. A little low on cash? Get the Deviled Egg sandwich for .35 cents. Here's the entire menu

Now those were the good old days. Does anyone know anything else about the place? Post a comment and tell us more.