5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

In a country filled with weight loss reality shows and Double Downs, the omnipresence of food insecurity and hunger in the United States might come as a shock to some.

Jilly Stephens is the Executive Director of City Harvest. The non-profit organization dedicates itself to ending hunger in New York City by collecting leftover food from restaurants, grocery stores, manufacturers, and farms and distributing it to those in need.

Five Shocking Statistics About Hunger: Jilly Stephens
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We're getting down to the wire in The People's Best New Chef 2011 race. While the ultimate winner will be determined by the top vote-getter across all regions, howzabout you stand up for your neck of the woods?
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Justo Thomas is a symphony conductor.

His music: seldom heard. His stage: a sterile ten by five foot white-tiled room. The temperature: as cold as the fluorescent lighting above.

“Nobody comes down here. All this space is mine. Nobody comes in here,” says Thomas.

Here is the basement of Le Bernardin, arguably the best seafood restaurant in New York and most likely the country. Thomas, its fish butcher chef, has been “performing” at this three Michelin-star restaurant for seven years.

In the tucked away area, there’s a continual rhythm of sharp clings followed by loud thumps and wistful rings. But Thomas’s instruments do not include strings, percussion, or woodwinds. His are a half-dozen German-made steel knives.
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Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• A Minnesota man landed in jail after drunkenly breaking into a restaurant to cook wings. - My Fox 9

• How pimento cheese became Southern.  - The Cheese Man

• Orlando: home of the "happiest place on earth" and the most fast food restaurants in America. - The Daily Beast

• Eat a sardine, save the ocean. - Guardian

• Our favorite expat offers wisdom on food blogging. "Find your niche and say something that people will enjoy reading or learning from you." - David Lebovitz

The Vintage Cookbook Vault highlights recipes from my insane stash of books and pamphlets from the early 20th century onward. It's a semi-regular thing.

Remember aaallll the way back to a few weeks ago when we posted a righteous recipe for a Frank and Corn Crown from the 1965 Better Homes and Gardens Meat Cook Book, and Sarah of all.of.my.dirty.little.secrets took up our challenge to craft one of her own at home?
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More from CNN Travel

Previously - "Tom Colicchio talks childhood hunger" and "Hungry at the holidays"

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday and the most delicious finds on TV.

Warning: Today's food holiday may contain traces of nuts.

Considerably more specific than National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day, February 25 is National Chocolate-Covered Nuts Day. But don’t fret! - that still leaves you with plenty of options to cover in chocolate.

Sweet, salty and bite-size - cashew think of anything better?

What's on TV?
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Pssst! Got a sec to chat?

We are utterly thrilled when readers want to hang out and talk – whether it's amongst themselves or in response to pieces we've posted. We want Eatocracy to be a cozy, spirited online home for those who find their way here.

Consider the daily Coffee klatsch post as your VIP lounge – the primary comments thread for readers who'd like to chat about topics not related to the articles we're running. That way, everyone knows where to find each other, and each post's comments section remains on topic.
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