In its summer issue, Vermont Life Magazine has focused on the home-grown food scene and the restaurants that serve it up.

In a story titled "New Finds and Old Favorites: Dining In Vermont" the Vermont Life editors have provided a virtual tour of the best restaurants in the state, broken down by geographic area. (Click here for a virtual tour of the restaurants.)

Below, you can take Vermont Life's behind-the-kitchen door swing into one of Vermont's coolest restaurant hotspots, Michael's on the Hill, in Waterbury. Michael Kloeti, award-winning chef at Michael's on the Hill, brings you into the kitchen on a Friday night, and the next slideshow gives you his step-by-step directions for preparing Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake, one of his favorite desserts. (Click here for downloadable PDFs of his other favorite recipes.)

Finally, for a great read about the history of food in Vermont and the passion that exists here for bringing good food from the field to the table, read Vermont Life's "The Making of a Food Mecca."

Bon Appetit!

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