Welcome to Deep Dish, a weekly roundup of food and entertainment news. Last time we discussed the shockingly popular Chipotle furniture resale market.
A lot of things were better when we were younger, don’t you think? AI slop hadn’t overtaken every single social media platform, reservations at great restaurants weren’t as difficult to nab, and Katy Perry had never been to space. I realize I sound like a 1,000-year-old curmudgeon shaking his fist at the sky, but I’m not imagining things—Katy Perry really has been to space. And the steady, gradual decline in quality of the things around us is very real —dubbed enshittification by technologist Cory Doctorow—claiming Reese’s products as its latest victim.
Also this week, we get into the boneless wings controversy, the budding starlet that is (spoiler-alert) actually an 800-year-old style of cheese, and the Italian pastry shop that food director Chris Morocco can’t stop thinking about.
Reese’s Has Definitely Changed Its Recipe, Right? If you’ve had a Reese’s cup in recent years, you’ve probably noticed a change. Maybe it tastes different than you remember—no, not different. Worse. You’re not alone. Years ago Reddit users began posting about an unpleasant flavor they didn’t remember. “They went from being my absolute favorite to inedible,” wrote one user five years ago. Many have long nursed a conspiracy that Reese’s had changed its formula, resulting in this new, worse version of their beloved candy.
On Saturday, Brad Reese, grandson of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups inventor, took to LinkedIn to write a scathing open letter to the Hershey’s Co. for changing the candy’s original recipe for the worse. “Today, REESE’S identity is being rewritten, not by storytellers, but by formulation decisions that replace Milk Chocolate with compound coatings and Peanut Butter with peanut‑butter‑style crèmes across multiple REESE’S products,” Reese wrote.
The Hershey Company released a statement in response to Reese’s post. “As we’ve grown and expanded the Reese’s product line, we make product recipe adjustments that allow us to make new shapes, sizes and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask for, while always protecting the essence of what makes Reese’s unique and special: the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.” it reads.
Reese’s allegations were vindication for the scores of Reese’s fans who were sure they’d noticed a change. Reese echoes many of their sentiments. “It was not edible,” he told The Associated Press in an interview. “You have to understand. I used to eat a Reese’s product every day. This is very devastating for me.” —Sam Stone, staff writer
“Boneless Wings” Are Wings, Legally Three years later, the debate has finally been settled in a court of law: Boneless chicken wings are indeed wings. In 2023, Aimen Halim of Chicago filed a claim against Buffalo Wild Wings, claiming that its boneless wings do not qualify as chicken wings. To be fair, they’re essentially chicken nuggets made of breast meat, as opposed to boned wings.
The judge, in a fit of dad-jokery, dismissed Halim’s claim, writing “his complaint has no meat on its bones.” Later, the judge went on to write about how Halim claimed the “boneless wings failed to ‘meat’ expectations.” Okay, fine, the boneless wings are wings, but surely it can’t be legal to make such terrible jokes? —S.S.
Grana Padano is One Step Closer to Stardom A few months ago, I wrote about how Parmigiano Reggiano signed with UTA. Cheese? With a talent agency? What a laugh! Well, four months later, another cheese is getting the star treatment, and I remain without an agent. The joke, obviously, was on me.
Over the course of the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games, the consortium that oversees the production of Grana Padano cheese is spending a whopping $6.5 million to promote it. We’re talking cheese-centric billboards and pounds of free Grana in giveaways. I’ve learned my lesson: Never underestimate cheese. —S.S.
The Pastries That Live Rent Free in Chris Morocco’s Mind Have you ever been haunted by a bakery? You don’t have to feel embarrassed, as it’s happened to all of us. The bakery that Chris can’t stop thinking about at the moment is Philly’s Fiore, a “quietly excellent bakery and restaurant,” the BA food director writes.
Fiore stands out for its pastry program—one that’s not Italian American, but OG real, Italian-from-Italy Italian. That means it serves some unfamiliar (but unforgettable) treats like torta della nonna (a pine-nut-topped baked custard set in flaky pastry), or torta di nocciole (a hazelnut torte with a touch of chocolate). Read on to discover Chris’s favorites and the story behind this hidden gem. —S.S.
