CONFESSIONS OF A PRISON COOK: A FUSION OF FOOD & CRIME

  Vin Diesel   is accused of stealing a glass dish from an ice cream shop in Hartford,   Wisconsin , on May 29 while in town visiting family. The   Fast and Furious  star popped into Scoop DeVille, where he ordered a hot fudge #sundae with nuts and whipped cream in an old-fashioned tulip bowl.   According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , the 50-year-old actor, whose birth name is Mark Sinclair, moseyed on out with the glassware and never came back. Owners Carrie and Ray Stelzer don’t seem to mind that Diesel jacked their dish. They told the outlet that he’s welcome to keep the dish as a souvenir. They enjoyed his visit and hope he comes back.

Rich Paloma, a former policeman turned reporter, doubts that the string of  nut  heists in California’s Central Valley are isolated incidents. If anything, they’re the work of a “ nut  mafia,” he said in an interview with NPR. If so, the shadowy network hit the jackpot with its latest heist: Three trailers loaded with $400,000 worth of  walnuts . https://business.time.com/ 2013/11/07/californias-nut- mafia-strikes-again

A group of thieves posed as  truckers to steal a  huge cargo loads of #walnuts. https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/thieves-pose-as-truckers-to-steal-huge-cargo-loads/

A former military policeman is  facing a federal narcotics rap  after he allegedly sought to  smuggle several pounds of  methamphetamine to Japan  in the form of 45 #Snickers bars. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/meth-smuggled-as-snickers-579823

Mobster Al Capone's favorite dish was #Spaghetti and Walnut Sauce. walnut sauce – a simple oil and bread [crumb] base with toasted nuts and a smattering of cheese. Interestingly it was a more traditional recipe that, after Capone’s death, his sister sold to Ragu, who used it to make their very first spaghetti sauce. https://outlandishrecipewednesday.wordpress.com/2018/05/09/capones-secret/

In 2017, eight men in Zimbabwe  were arrested for planning to  steal large amounts of #macadamia nuts  from a private property.  https://www.herald.co.zw/macadamia-nuts-thieves-nabbed/

"Dubai" brand Pistachio & Knafeh Milk Chocolate and related pistachio products have been recalled in Canada and the U.S. due to  Salmonella contamination  linked to a significant foodborne illness outbreak, with illnesses reported across Canada and at least one hospitalization in the U.S.. The outbreak is linked to the  pistachios  used in the products, which can be contaminated before or during harvest or processing.  As of September 2025, there have been hundreds of cases reported in Canada, and the FDA escalated a recall for a popular pistachio-cocoa spread sold under the Dubai brand name to a Class 1 alert, its highest level. In 2016, California nut farmers  found a massive increase in  complex and highly organized  operations  that focus on  stealing large shipments of # pistachios, #cashews, #almonds  and  other sought after #nuts.  

In 2018, a New Mexico man  assaulted a police officer after he was  confronted for stealing #pecans  from a local property.  https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/crime/2018/10/30/suspected-pecan-thief-accused-punching-deputy/1820838002/