YumSugar

Help Stamp Out Hunger This Weekend

YumSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:00:29 -0700

This Saturday, May 10, the US Postal Service is running their 16th Annual Stamp Out Hunger campaign. During the day long drive, they'll gather food in over 10,000 cities, in each of the 50 United States.

To participate, all you have to do is leave a bag of non-perishable food - canned veggies, meats, soup, cereal, pasta, and rice - near your mailbox. Be sure to put it out before the postal carrier arrives. They'll take it back to the post office where it will then be delivered to a local food bank, pantry or shelter.

However, citizens living in New York City and Chicago are encouraged to take their food to a local post office branch because the mail carriers won't be able to easily transport all the donations they receive.

To find out if your community is participating, call your nearest post office.

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Can You Speed By Our Drive-Thru Quiz?

YumSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:50:20 -0700

Learning that North Korea got its first-ever fast food restaurant left me pondering our country's fast food culture. While American fast food isn't without its caveats, there is one thing that I can certainly appreciate: the convenience of the drive-thru window! From Starbucks lattes to Kentucky Fried Chicken, commuters on the go can order just about any kind of food imaginable.

Since today is National Drive-Thru Day, I thought I'd grill you on the history of the nation's most convenient food service. Can you speed past my tough questions? There's only one way to find out!

Take the quiz

When You Eat Fast Food, Do You Hit Up the Drive-Thru?

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:15:00 -0700

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Are You a Fast Food Junkie?

YumSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:50:07 -0800

In case you haven't been looped in, yesterday wasn't just Monday. It was also what some might argue to be the biggest food holiday of the year. No, not Thanksgiving; I'm talking about National Fast Food Day!

To celebrate the momentous occasion, I thought I'd test your knowledge of the drive-thru world. Have you been able to keep up with all of the newest offerings at your favorite fried franchises? Start playing to find out.

Question 1 of 8

Bacon & Cheese Angus Third Pounder

KFC Closing Stores For a Good Cause

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:00:36 -0700

Is KFC trying to make amends for the Double Down, its infamous sandwich made with chicken patties instead of bread? The chicken chain is taking a break from inventing indulgent new foods to fight hunger, starting next Tuesday. Over the next few weeks, KFC will temporarily close more than 15,000 locations during the lunch rush and convert them into "World Hunger Relief Kitchens."

The kitchens will serve free grilled chicken meals to needy families while also raising awareness with charitable food drives and car washes at the shuttered stores. Fighting hunger is a pet cause of parent company Yum Brands, which launched a World Hunger Relief fund in 2007. Though there is some irony to KFC giving away free grilled chicken while it's being sued for grilled chicken, I can definitely get behind this good cause.

What do you think about the store closings: publicity stunt or sincere do-gooding?

How to Prepare For a BBQ Festival

YumSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:50:23 -0700

Over the long weekend, while many of you were hosting barbecues of your own, I headed over to Sparks, NV, for the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off, one of the country's largest outdoor barbecue events. I was more than stoked to chomp down on award-winning ribs all day long, but - given the scope of the festival and its four-hour driving distance from my house - I wanted to maximize my first experience there by being as prepared for the event as Michael Phelps was for the Summer Olympics. If you're planning on heading to a major barbecue festival (or any food extravaganza, for that matter), I've got some tips to share with you.

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Taco Bell's New Focus: Drinks, Premium Food, and Breakfast

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:00:44 -0700

Turns out McDonald's and Burger King won't be the only fast food chains focusing on premium products. So will Taco Bell.

On Tuesday, Yum Brands Inc., which operates Taco Bell, held an investor meeting and announced dramatic plans to shake up the menu at the Tex-Mex chain. Among other things, the game plan includes zeroing in on premium foods, highlighting healthy options, and testing a new line of breakfast offerings.

This year the company launched a nine-item Fresco menu, filled with healthier alternatives that have less than 9 grams of fat, that will be the focus of a "Drive-Thru Diet" campaign in January. It also has plans to extend its selection of beverages, based on the current success of its Frutista Freeze drinks. On top of everything else, the corporation is about to enter early market testing on a breakfast menu, slated to launch in 2012, that'll feature cobranded foods from brands like Seattle's Best, Cinnabon, and Jimmy Dean.

Do you think the fast food corporation's marketing tactics will bring in more diners? Have you sampled anything from Taco Bell's new menu? If not, would you be willing to give it a try?

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Noteworthy Nibbles - May 5-12, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:00:11 -0700

Many of you are gearing up for Mother's Day, but if you've got some time to spare, there are plenty of enjoyable events worth checking out. There are two national events to note: You can celebrate American Craft Beer Week (find out what is happening in your neck of the woods) and on Saturday, help fight hunger at the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Here at Yum, we're all over the specials going on during Sexy Dishes Week and the new cocktails being showcased at SF Cocktail Week. Where will you be?

Humboldt, TN: West Tennessee Strawberry Festival - May 3-9
Bay Area, CA: Sexy Dishes Week - May 4-8
Atlanta, GA: Taste of the Nation Atlanta - May 6
Manchester, NH: Taste of the Nation Manchester - May 6
Hartford, CT: Taste of the Nation Hartford - May 7
Las Vegas, NV: Vegas Uncork'd - May 7-10
New Orleans, LA: World Cocktail Week in the Big Easy - May 8

To see the rest, read more.

Charlotte, NC: Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival - May 9
Brooklyn, NY: James Beard Dumpling & Noodle Tour - May 9
Anhalt, TX: Cajun Music & Gumbo Cook-Off - May 9
Santa Monica, CA: Los Angeles BBQ Festival - May 9-10
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Cocktail Week - May 11-18

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Guy Fieri: He's Off the Hook

partysugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:20:27 -0700

Last week I had the chance to speak with Food Network's Guy Fieri. He's the host of three shows - Guy's Big Bite, Diners, Drive-ins, Dives, and Guy Off the Hook - and winner of the Next Food Network Star season two. Filming keeps him incredibly busy, but in his spare time, the celebrity chef - who prefers hot dogs to hamburgers and mustard to ketchup - continues to experiment in the kitchen. He's deeply passionate about food, especially food education for children, and encourages "people to get on the food train." Fieri and I talked about his upcoming appearance at New York City Wine and Food Festival, and I got to see a softer side of the "in it to win it" bad-boy chef.

To see what Fieri had to say when we chatted, read more.

PartySugar: Tell us about your role at the Food Festival.
Guy Fieri: I'm new to the whole food festival thing. My first one was last February in South Beach. I'll be doing a live filming of Off the Hook. It will be two one-hour taped specials featuring all kinds of good food. Anybody that's into food, chefs, cooking, partying - they should go to the festival.

PartySugar: At a festival so large, do any chefs make you star struck?
Guy Fieri: No, not star struck. I'm a big fan of a lot of chefs. I love what Emeril created. Bobby is a bad-ass. Rachael took this whole world and turned it into a new realm. Everyone is the King/Queen of their own kitchen, so I respect them all.

PartySugar: Out of all the seasons of the Next Food Network Star, you are the only one who actually became a FN star; why do you think that is?
Guy Fieri: If I had that answer, I would be churning out new stars for the network! I made who I wanted to become. I did things my way. I don't know really. Divine intervention, perhaps?

PartySugar: Have you ever had a bad experience at one of the diners, drive-ins, or dives?
Guy Fieri: Oh yeah. There's no reason to lie. I'm not a food critic. I usually look at the recipes and can tell what will be good and what won't be.

PartySugar: What's in your fridge?
Guy Fieri: Let me open it for you! Organic blackberry preserves, sriracha, six different jars of olives, 10 kinds of mustard, sesame oil, horseradish, fish sauce, unsalted butter, salted butter. I'm sort of a mad scientist when it comes to cooking. I love every type of condiment and sauce. The vegetable drawer is kind of empty. It's only got red pepper, onion, carrots, new potatoes, celery, and beets. The cheese drawer has three kinds of salami, six cheeses, parmesan reggiano. In the freezer I have bacon cut into small portions 'cause my son likes to have a little bacon at breakfast. Smoked elk sausages, spaetzel that I made, capers.

PartySugar: What's your advice to the everyday home cook?
Guy Fieri: Make two new things every week! Break out new recipes, try new ingredients, experiment with new things. Don't make a whole meal of new dishes for your family, but if you want to give curry a try, make your usual rice, vegetables the kids like, a salad, and then the curry. That way if no one likes the new thing, there is still other stuff they can eat. Don't be discouraged when something goes wrong. But really food is so awesome, everyone can do it. The common denominator between humankind is food. It's empowering to cook.

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Let's Dish: What Are Your Restaurant Pet Peeves?

partysugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:00:48 -0800

A couple of week's ago I was at one of San Francisco's most well-regarded and popular restaurants. While I enjoyed the overall experience - the food was divine, the waitstaff friendly, the location hip - I couldn't get over one thing. As illustrated by the picture above, the food arrived at our table before the drinks! This is one of my restaurant pet peeves: I can't stand it when food comes before drinks. You order the drinks before the food, so it's not logical for the food to appear first.

Now that I've confessed mine, I want to hear about your restaurant pet peeves. Whether it's an overbearing waiter or uncleared plates, do tell: what drives you absolutely nuts when dining out?