Table talk

Zupas, a fast-casual restaurant chain, is hosting a "World Tour" of dishes from New England, France, Italy, the Mediterranean, India, Asia, New Orleans and the Caribbean. The event runs for the next eight weeks, with soups, salads and sandwiches, such as New England Chowder, Pina Colada Chicken and the Hawaiian Barbecue Panini Sandwich. Zupas has also launched a new line of fondue desserts.

Customers may pick up a passport for the World Tour at the two Utah Zupas restaurants, 408 W. 2230 North, Provo, and 64 E. 12300 South, Draper. Each week customers can get a stamp from each region, which makes them eligible for prize drawings of Zupas gift cards and a Caribbean cruise (www.zupas.com).

Travel Channel's series "Taste of America" was in Salt Lake City Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, host Mark DeCarlo learned to make "classic Mormon Jell-O" at the home of Holly Bowen. On Monday the crew filmed a segment on Cummings studio chocolates.

"Taste of America" explores the underlying story of food and cultures. The show's second season premieres Dec. 6, and the Utah episode may air sometime in December or early 2006.

The Olive Garden restaurant chain honored Provo general manager Travis Ballingham with the company's Michelangelo Award. The award is presented annually to a manager in each of Olive Garden's six divisions throughout North America. Ballingham, of Salt Lake City, was selected from among almost 100 restaurants in his division.

The Michelangelo Award represents "passion, excellence and demonstrating the art of the impossible," according to a company press release.

The award is a crystal vase handcrafted in Florence, Italy, Michelangelo's birthplace.

Chick-fil-A restaurants are giving away an interactive "Adventures in Odyssey" CD-ROM with every Chick-fil-A Kid's Meal, beginning Monday through mid-November. The disks, developed by Focus on the Family in partnership with Digital Praise, feature a half-hour of the children's adventure program, which teaches moral and biblical principles.

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E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com