Our Latest Hotline MVP

Every month we choose a Food52er to thank for his or her generous help and guidance on the Hotline, and we're excited to announce that July's Hotline MVP is PHIL!

PHIL is relatively new to the Food52 family (if you haven’t already chatted with him, give him a warm welcome in the comments!), but if you’ve spent any time over on the Hotline lately, you might not have realized that, because you'll see his warm, friendly responses everywhere. He answers questions left and right, but doesn’t just spout advice and leave. He engages in conversations, checks back in on situations, and frequently asks question-posters to report back with what they decide to do.

This month he weighed in everything from fish to vegetarian dishes, using up extras to freezing extras, menu planning and so much more. And it seems he has a good sense of humor, too.

One of our favorite responses from PHIL this month was his answer to BerryBaby’s query for new grilled cheese sandwich ideas. He promised her something different, and it is:

I haven't made it in a few years, and there is only 1 place left in Brooklyn that makes it. I guess you can call it grilled cheese. It's called a vastedda. You take FIRM fresh ricotta (like a tofu consistency) fry it in oil for a few minutes. Then you put it on a roll, top it with matchsticks pieces of Caciocavallo cheese and a little pepper. Traditionally it is made with cow spleen also, but I skip the spleen, or you can get it with fried chickpea batter (panelle).

Congratulations to PHIL and thanks to everyone who participates over on the Hotline—the community wouldn’t be the same without you.

To thank our members for their dedication to helping out their fellow cooks, every month we’ll choose a Food52er whose activity on the Hotline has caught our eye, and treat him or her to a $25 gift certificate to our Shop. Want to boost your kitchen karma? We’re looking for enthusiastic participation throughout the month that is helpful, thoughtful, and considerate.