Rachel Litner Associates

Food Bloggers on Gourmet, Hot Shows and Trends

We all know food is the stuff that sparks deep emotions and a sense of community that goes way beyond your basic recipe. Last night's food blogger event in NYC was all about giving people a "platform for their passions," as Kat Kinsman (AOL FOOD/Slashfood) says.  Other panelists were from Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn, The Food Section, and The Nibble. A really good discussion, sponsored by PRSA-NY.

Here's a quick recap:

• Did the food bloggers kill Gourmet? No, it was a business decision, McKinsey killed Gourmet. And of course, Chris Kimball's anti-blogger NY Times op ed about Gourmet came up too.

• What are readers talking about? Gluten-free, slow cooking and bacon (now there's a wacky trio). Plus, the ever-addictive Food TV shows. And in between all the nail-biting competitions, sometimes we even pick up a cooking tip or two. Remember PBS?? 

• What's on their "must-attend" food trade show lists? Fancy Food and Food Fete.

• The FTC's Dec '09 guidelines for bloggers requiring full disclosure of freebies and payments:   The panelists said it won't have a huge impact on them, they'll add a tagline and move on.

Gourmet Show and the Golden Gate Bridge

Just came back from the San Francisco Gourmet Show on Monday. As expected, traffic was down, big time, but there were still some great products to check out, especially in the cleaning and kitchen tools category. Among my favorites: Goodbye Detergent! (Just Say No to Soap!); two lumps of sugar; fusionbrands; and last but not least, StuckOnTools, the brainchild of a surgeon-turned product developer.

Of course, in kitchen electrics the big story was Cuisinart, and the debut of the company's new Elite food processor collection. OK so I'm biased, but I'm not the only one that loves the product. It's hitting retail shelves now and the feedback from buyers and press is super positive. People love the fact that the blade locks in place, the unit is so quiet, among other things. Check it out here, and look for the podcast on Homeworld magazine's website from the show, which should be posted soon.

And what conversation about San Francisco is complete without mentioning restaurants?? I loved Zuni Cafe, whose chef and co-owner is Judy Rodgers. The restaurant is all about seasonal organic ingredients with a French and Italian cuisine influence. Definitely have the roasted chicken for two, their signature dish. Another great place is La Mar, a wonderful Peruvian restaurant located at the Ferry Building. We tried an array of food - cebiches, empanadas, the works, just for fun. A feast of flavors, and a great view to boot!

"It's time to get happier..."

I'm a real fan of Bulldog Reporter, that offers conferences, newsletters and other resources for PR professionals and journalists. Last week's food and beverage audio conference spotlighted some of the most seasoned editors out there: Hugh Garvey, Bon Appetit; Tina Ujlaki, Food & Wine; Regina Ragone, Family Circle; Megan Steintrager, Epicurious.com; Nancy Hopkins, Better Homes and Gardens; and Phillip Rhodes, Cooking Light. They all agreed that fresh, honest cooking, local stories, sustainability, and affordability continue to resonate with their readers. They also pointed to the rise in home cooking, with a new focus on simpler foods and more casual approach to entertaining.

And on an upbeat note, they see brighter times ahead for the home cook, as the economy slowly rebounds. As Phil Rhodes put it, "It's time to get happier, we've been sad for so long." Food has always been the gateway to great times, added Tina Ujlaki. "Food gives us a reason to celebrate and come together at the table. Plus,it doesn't have to cost a lot of money." Nancy Hopkins summed it up perfectly: "Food is a way for our readers to get back to themselves. Maybe you can't afford a $400 pair of boots, but you can afford a $4 jar of conserve."

That's a great way of looking at it. I left the conference feeling inspired by such a positive  conversation. The magazine industry is more challenging than ever, and these editors sounded pumped and focused. Definitely one of the more meaningful teleconferences I've participated in!

 

Practicality Returns to Kitchen Design

Leslie Clagett, author and international kitchen and bath expert, knows her stuff.  I recently had a chance to hear her firsthand when I attended a teleconference in which she gave a great design trends presentation.  The teleconference focused on kitchen and design trends.  According to Leslie, practicality is one of the major trends right now.                                                   

"Gone are the experiments we saw in recent years with colors like tangerine, apple green and yellow," she said.  "Newer small electrics are sticking to the familiar palettes of white, black and silver.  Ostentatious hues of the past may be too discretionary for the times."

 

Kohler Iron/Occasions Integrated Sink/Kitchen Island

As far as design is concerned, retro is out, and classic modern is in, Leslie reports. Novelty or highly specialized kitchen appliances, such as countertop pizza ovens, have been left behind for tried-and-true products, like toaster ovens, blenders and food processors. Overall, it seems that consumers are using small appliances more as practical tools, rather than kitchen eye candy.

In addition to this, consumers are opting for phased or highly targeted improvements when it comes to renovation, said Leslie.  Rather than tackling an entire room all at once – which can be quite costly – consumers are instead focusing on highly visible changes that alter the appearance and appeal of a room, without breaking the bank.

For more fantastic information on kitchen and bath trends, check out Leslie’s blog.

Christmas in July, i.e. Holiday Gift Guide Event

I went to a great NYC event last week sponsored by Propel Media Events: the Third Annual Holiday Gift Guide Show, at the NY Marriott Marquis. It was a Media Preview, with about 200 press attendees and 70 exhibitors. There are TONS of media previews out there now, and this is one I'd highly recommend for those in the lifestyle, food, or electronics business. I liked the fact that there was such a huge variety of product categories, with only a few exhibitors in each category. Talk about an eclectic mix!

A real cross-section of journalists from the general consumer press (print and web), lots of eco-friendly products and niche manufacturer/exhibitors. A lot of things caught my eye, to name a few: Penny Stones,  beautifully packaged glass conversation starters, the brainchild of a stay-at-home mom; Verterra serveware products made with fallen leaves with no chemicals, glues or bonding agents, To-Go Ware's bamboo utensil set, and SPI Inc.'s wireless speaker bath pillow.

One of my favorite tables, though, was the Equal Exchange association, where I had a chance to talk to Rodney North about the association's many initiatives like sustainable farming, outreach in the schools, fair trade products, coffee books, you name it.

Another one of my favorites was the Neutrano table, which featured the first watch phone in the U.S. Neutrano’s smartphone combines the most popular personal electronic devices - a phone, camera, multimedia player and a wrist watch - inside a surprisingly easy-to-use and appealing wrist watch.

Check out www.propelmediaevents.com for their next venue, and let me know which media events are at the top of your list. There are some other worthwhile events coming up in June. Stay tuned!

 

How do you define Cool?

Jeremy Gutche, founder of TrendHunter.com, the world's largest network for trend spotting, kicked off the Association for Consumer Trends Forum on May 7th with an inspirational overview, to say the least. His keynote address, "Unlocking Cool and Exploiting Chaos," tried to answer questions like, "How do we filter what's most important against all the other distractions out there?" His answer: Relentlessly obsess about your story, stick to what you know, and obsess about the important things like knowing your customers, your prospects, and everything else that has to do with what you do best.

Yes, it sounds about as basic as you can get, but simplicity and authenticity are golden. Jeremy's presentation also included his top 20 trends for 2009, and definitely worth checking out. Some of my personal favorites: ageless inspiration, 1960 culture, and smallchitecture.

These Girls Know Their Cheese

It was all about cheese this past Wednesday on a wonderful tour of Cowgirl Creamery in Petaluma, California, courtesy of the Association for Consumer Trends Forum (ACT). Our first stop was the creamery, where we got a great overview of the cheese making process and tasted their signature MT TAM cheese in three different stages: one day, one week and two week-aged cheese. My personal favorite was the one day old cheese which Melissa (Cowgirl's cheese maker pictured below) likes to call "milk candy," (it is a soft-ripened cheese with a buttery taste).

                                                                          

Walking through the creamery, the conversation turned to talk of rinds, brining cheese and inevitably mold. "Eating the mold is a personal decision," Melissa says. The longer the cheese sits, the thicker the rind. Personally, I like the taste! The creamery produces two batches of cheese daily, totaling about 3,000 pounds per week.  Their cheese is completely organic and is nettle wrapped by hand (see below).

                                               

These artisanal cheeses are available at Cowgirl Creamery stores in San Francisco and Washington D.C., nationwide at Whole Foods markets, and through Cowgirl's parent company, Tomales Bay Foods.

Cowgirl Creamery was founded in 1997, and its dairy farm (which feeds 850 cows daily) was the first to be completely organic in the western United States.  Here is Cathy Tresch, one of the owners  of the dairy farm in Pt. Reyes Station, introducing us to one of the young calves (just a few weeks old!)  

 

An interesting fact: 

How do you know when cheese has gone bad?: There are  no hard and fast rules, though the creamery generally doesn't recommend eating anything older than 30 to 45 days. Ironically, the better and more complex the taste, the more likely it is bad.  It If it starts to smell like ammonia, it's time to toss it out.

Healthful Eating is on Everyone's Agenda

The push to offer sustainable food options in corporate dining halls, school cateterias and hospitals is gaining big momentum these days. It doesn't hurt that Michelle Obama has made fresh, nutritious foods a big priority for the White House kitchen, with healthful eating and living being a key agenda item. A recent New York Times article by Rachel Swarns said it best: "Fresh, nutritious foods are not delicacies to be savored by the wealthy, but critical components of the diets of ordinary and struggling familes."

You can't talk about sustainable food without mentioning Alice Waters,who was just interviewed on CBS 60 minutes tonight by Lesile Stahl. All of Waters' ventures are fascinating, from Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California to the Edible Schoolyard. Now her passion has seen its way to Rome, namely, the  august American Academy, where several dozen scholars and artists are presented with its coveted Rome Prize for a year of study. Problem is, the dining hall food was lousy before Waters came along. So after two years in the making, Waters and her team of chefs found a way to lure fellows back to the table with a foodservice menu that mainly relies on ingredients delivered by local farmers, grown on the academy's grounds or foraged by the academy's fellows in field trips. All food scraps are composted and not much is thrown away. Check out the article in today's New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/fashion/15rome.html

Frito-Lay Tries to Enter Minds (and Lunch Bags) of Women

Having "The Real Thing" Could Soon Cost You

It’s no surprise that the recently proposed 18% “obesity tax” on non-diet soft drinks in New York State unleashed a flurry of protests from the restaurant and chef community. A February story in New York magazine captured the sentiments of some of New York’s finest. Read on for a colorful snapshot of suggested items to tax for food transgressions considered to be far more serious than Coca Cola.

My favorite comment comes from Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan St. Bakery and Co. “I would impose a tax on any diner who asks that their meal be deconstructed (pasta or pizza with sauce on the side, salad without dressing). All the monies would be used to fund training centers and group therapy for frustrated chefs and servers.”

And speaking of sugar, check out www.wholesomesweeteners.com, makers of an alternate zero-calorie sweetener that is made from organic sugar. The product (called Wholesome Sweeteners’ Organic Zero) was cited in a February 11^th Wall Street Journal article by Joseph De Avila, that highlights two FDA-approved ingredients:  rebiana, found in the stevia plant from South America, and erythritol, found in fruits.

Note:  Organic Zero uses only organic erythritol and tasted the most like real sugar in coffee, according to De Avila.