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Boston Business Journal

July 25, 2008

"In her literary debut, Block chronicles a 10-step meal makeover for her family of four, sifting through the misguided plethora of healthy-eating do's and don'ts and revealing what it really means to buy, cook and eat sustainable, organic and, for the most part, locally grown, seasonal ingredients with two kids in tow.

Witty and informative, 'Dinner Diaries' also turns to a handful of Boston businesses and area chefs, who champion locally grown foods, for guidance. It ain't easy, is the consensus. The biggest gripe is price. It's also easier said than done in the month of February, Block discovered. 'I think businesses have an extremely hard time putting their ideals into practice,' Block said in an interview. When Tony Maws, chef-owner of Craigie Street Bistrot in Cambridge, raised the price of his organic hangar steak two dollars, customers gave him beef about it. 'It's really difficult,' said Maws, who pays 50 percent more for his organic hangar steak than if he bought it from a traditional purveyor.

Granted the steak is from Oregon, but the issue remains the same when you're buying organic; you pay.

As for Block's family, saying farewell to refined sugar - at least on the weekdays, for the most part - and eating less beef? 'Eating well takes more effort, sacrifice and expense, but now we've found that the payoffs have been worth it,' writes Block. 'We've become more of a team.' Groceries are a tad cheaper, too, without all that red meat, she said."