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10 Tasty Museums About Food

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:15:55 -0700

The news of a just-opened Waffle House museum in Atlanta has inspired me to seek out other food-centric museums in the US. Here are my 10 favorites, from the flashy World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta to a kitschy Spam tribute to a homespun homage to ice cream. Have you been to any foodie museums? Check out my slideshow, then tell me all about it. Source

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Yummy Link: Food Museums

YumSugar — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:45:13 -0700

From Pez to Spam and everything in between, if it has a fan, then it probably has a museum. Here's a list of the top ten food museums. Just don't touch or eat the displays! - Chow

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:30:00 -0700

A fruity, nutty, crunchy crumble is the perfect way to celebrate late Summer.
Check out our gallery of the world's best food museums.
Inspired by New York Fashion Week, I planned a swanky, stylish party of my own.
We share (and commiserate) our biggest disasters in the kitchen.
This week's nachos combined sweet with savory for a scrumptious result.
Our step-by-step instructions for peeling shrimp will have you making scampi stat.
How well can you identify different regional hot dogs?
PartySugar reviews a delicious, exotic Spanish wine that I'm definitely adding to my list.

Gwyneth, Mario Team With Chipotle For Spain . . . on the Road Again

partysugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:30:24 -0700

I can't wait to watch PBS's up and coming travel-food show, Spain . . . on the Road Again. The show - which has already been filmed - stars the random, but fabulous foursome of Gwyneth Paltrow, Mario Batali, Mark Bittman, and Claudia Bassols. Although the air date is yet to be determined, more details about the show have been released. According to an article in Advertising Age, the series will:

culminate in an Iron Chef-esque competition emceed by Mr. Batali and Ms. Paltrow. In between visits to the Prado Museum in Madrid, an impromptu chat with starchitect Frank Gehry and countless trips in topless convertibles furnished by Mercedes, Ms. Paltrow lets her newfound appreciation for the less-refined side of food shine.

In an attempt to highlight their "Food With Integrity" slogan, Chipotle has signed on as the show's main sponsor. The fast-food Mexican chain owned by McDonald's wants people to know their commitment to using natural meats and organic products.

While the combination of Chiptole, Gwyneth, and Mario seems odd, I have a feeling the show is going to be amazing. What do you think of the partnership? Are you looking forward to Spain . . . on the Road Again?

Source

Why Have a Pizza Pie When There's a Pizza Pope?

YumSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:02:01 -0800

British food artist Prudence Emma Staite has a new exhibit up at the Museum of London. This time the experimental artist has created sculptures of the Colosseum, Spanish Steps and Pope Benedict XVI using enough dough to make 500 pizzas. Her exhibit will be on display until November 13.

Each piece is handcrafted and baked by Staite, but personally, I want to see the oven she baked these in!

Be sure to check out the gallery below. My favorite is the one of the museum worker grating parmesan cheese on top of the Colosseum!

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PartySugar Behind The Bash: de Young Opening Party for Vivienne Westwood: 36 Years in Fashion

partysugar — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:59:58 -0800

In order for me to fully provide you with the most informative advice on everything that has to do with parties, I'm writing a new feature entitled, PartySugar Behind The Bash where I'll give you the scoop on San Francisco's hottest parties and most outrageous nightlife. I'm attending the events, speaking with the party planners, and getting the recipes so you can incorporate the up to the minute trends, decor, and dishes into your fabulous parties. After fretting about what to wear, I attended the opening party for Couture & Cocktails Vivienne Westwood: 36 Years in Fashion, an incredibly fashionable exhibit at the de Young museum. Despite the fact that I didnt see Ms. Westwood, the party was totally oversold and overcrowded with about 2300 people in attendance and lines, lines, lines everywhere, the majority of the people looked amused, satisfied, and enlivened by the party and the atmosphere was like an old school rave with a grown up make over. For the menu, look, music, an interview with the event planner and lots of pics, read more

Bon Appetit catered the fiesta and the food consisted of two small tables, one upstairs and one downstairs. Although they were dressed in a beautiful royal blue satin tablecloth topped with a black and white damask runner with dimension, levels, and interesting platters, the food tables were extremely sad. The pretzel sticks, grissini, black olive tapenade and roasted garlic spread was picked over and ravaged looking and the poor servers could not restock the tables quickly enough. The candy tables were a wonderful source of decoration as the brightly colored wrappers were both childish and chic.

If you could stand waiting in the mile long lines to get to the bar you could choose from five drinks, one from each of the five major liquors: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and whiskey. The specialty cocktail that was advertised on the invite, a Gin Viv (created especially for the party), was either missing or given a different name, because when I asked the bartender for one he gave me a blank stare and said the gin drink was called a Blueberry Crush. I ordered one, which was both too sweet and too bitter due to the pomegranate juice and gin respectively. I'm not much of a gin fan and preferred the vodka cocktail: a refreshing mix of sprite, vodka, and freshly squeezed (at least the bartender swore it was) blood orange juice. The best things about the drinks were the garnishes, which consisted of exotic fruits in vibrant colors: blueberries, blood oranges, prickly pears, apples, and mangos.

The look was staged by Blueprint Studios and was sparse with all of the tables dressed in the aforementioned royal blue and black/white combination creating a regal effect. At each side of the bars topiary floral arrangements of white roses, blue marbles, clear glass, and water were stationed. In the upstairs main room where the DJ was bumping his selection, the decor revolved around five giant paipier maché outfits: three dresses and two suits, all of which I am assuming were modeled after pieces by Westwood. While I enjoyed the arrangement of these sculptures, which was pyramid like with the largest and most beautiful dress being strategically placed above the bar, it felt off. The DJ was to the left side and party going-dancers didn't know whether they should congregate in front of the DJ or the focal point of the room, the bar.

The music, spun by DJ Shissla, was electronic based remixes of urban classics such as Lady Marmalade and the Pussy Cat Doll's Don't Cha. The crowd was a touch on the raunchy side of scandalous: more punk than glam, more deconstructed than structured, with girls in corsets, men in skirts, and swaying bodies in teetering chunky platform shoes everywhere.

The highlights of the evening were the trio of stylish young ladies who instantly adopted me as their friend and allowed me to cut in line with them at both the bar and the exhibit (thank you Katie Coleman!), seeing the oversized blue alligator skin 7 inch platform shoes that caused Naomi Campbell infamously to fall on the runway, and speaking with the lovely, modestly dressed young event planner.

Ashley, the event planner for the museum, informed me that this party was a test of sorts as it was the first time the de Young had ever opened up its doors for the opening of an exposition to the public. Here's what she had to say:

Party: What was your most memorable party?
Ashley: This is it! There are over 2300 people here and I think this is the best party I've done so far.
Party: What is your favorite flower?
Ashley: Tulips.
Party: What is your guilty pleasure food?
Ashley: Kit Kats.
Party: What's your advice to the everyday hostess?
Ashley: You've got to be really organized. Think from the guests perspective and think through everything from beginning to end.
Party: A successful party is...
Ashley: When a lot of people are laughing, dancing, drinking, and smiling. Most importantly laughing.

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PartySugar Behind The Bash: The Modern Ball

partysugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 11:13:32 -0700

A little while back, I was lucky enough to be sent a ticket to the Museum of Modern Art's biannual gala fundraiser, The Modern Ball. The event, which took place on Wednesday night, was absolutely spectacular. When I spoke to event planner Stanlee Gatti, he explained how he sees the world vibrantly through colors and it was wonderful to see his words transformed into reality. Gatti transformed the bottom floor of the museum (and part of Minna Street) into a lush playground perfect for a party. The entry room was lux and gracious with its billowing red curtains and plush velvet ottomans. Another room was green with astroturf covering every surface and artistic black and white photographs patterned on the walls. The third room was wallpapered in a shiny silver foil a la Andy Warhol's factory, with specially crafted Campbell soup cans as centerpieces.

To take a look at these rooms and hear more about my late night revelry with FabSugar, DearSugar, and the incredibly tall, dark, and handsome Anthony, read more

The drinks flowed freely from super accessible bars (we Sugars drank Champagne, Anthony gin & tonic) and the overall feel of the bash was that similar to a wedding with all age groups represented. I spent much of the evening looking for Mr. Gatti because I wanted to tell him how much I loved the look of the party. Alas, I never found him. Colors richly dominated each of the rooms in layers and textures. Two live bands played - Fab preferred the indie rocking Scissors for Lefty, while I enjoyed the Spanish singing Salvador Santana - with DJs spinning a mix of house and pop in the green and silver rooms.

The food spread was an amazing and delicious array of tiny flavor packed bites ranging from fresh sushi to the classic party fair of shrimp cocktail and crudités with hummus. A ceviche of sorts was served in shot glasses at the bar with crisp tortilla chips acting as ceviche scoops. There were also a lot of great desserts. Fab and I made the mistake of spending far too much time at the chocolate fountain tasting marshmallow, rice crispy treats, and strawberries in the liquid chocolate only to realize 20 minutes later while in the bathroom that chocolate had dripped onto my dress, shoes, and even Fab's toes!

The highlight of the night for me were the mini empanandas (I had been dreaming of empanadas all day at work) and I could not stop eating them! The highlight for Fab was, obviously the fashion, specifically a gold Versace dress that was featured in the ads. The highlight for Dear was successfully avoiding a boy (mission accomplished) and the highlight for the three of us was the photobooth! Guests were invited to take as many pictures as they wanted in one of several old school (you know where you get 4 pics snapped in several minutes) photobooths. It was so much fun, wouldn't it be great to have one to lookbook in!

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Off To Market: Art Snacks

partysugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:15:04 -0700

My friend Vikki is an amazing, up and coming artist. She works at a museum where she sometimes teaches little kids art and how to paint. She is hosting an open house to showcase the kiddies' work and has invited both the children and their parents to the museum. Naturally, she will need an assortment of refreshments and being the artist that she is, she wants both kid friendly snacks and food that is beautiful and graphic like these Puff Pastry Pinwheels With Candied Fruit. She asked me if I had any ideas on what to serve, and now I am asking you, what should Vikki serve at her art party for kids? The snacks should be and look tasty and be both savory and sweet. Please add your best recipes to the recipe database on TeamSugar and give them the keyword, Art Snacks. I love it when you share your recipes with me and I know your ideas will totally impress me, so save those recipes!

Don't know how to add your recipes to the database? It's a cinch - to learn how, read geeksugar's how-to.

Who Needs a Terracotta Army When There's a "Pannacotta" One?

YumSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:01:33 -0700

Twenty of China's famous Terracotta soldiers are currently on display at the British Museum in London. The exhibit, which runs until April 6, 2008, is the largest of its kind outside of China.

So what do terracotta soldiers have to do with food? The folks at The Pastry Case bakery have created their own army. Dubbed "The Pannacotta Army" - although no pannacotta is actually involved - the army consists of over 200 miniature gingerbread warriors, each in their own battle garb.

According to a press release, Kelly Burgess of Roberts Bakery/The Pastry Case said:

"We have been amazed at the interest shown in the Terracotta army and wanted to treat Cheshire visitors to a private viewing, so we came up with our own idea of the Pannacotta Army."

The army will be on display at the Nantwich Food and Drink Festival in Cheshire County, UK.

I'd love to see the terracotta soldiers, but think a gingerbread army is fantastic too. What do you think?

Source

Rachael Ray is Dunkin' Donuts New Spokesperson

YumSugar — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 14:58:19 -0700

Is it just me, or is Rachael Ray everywhere these days? She's at the wax museum, she's on the box of Ritz crackers, she's on the red carpet, she has her own talkshow, you name it she's there. What's that, you're naming Dunkin' Donuts? Why yes, she's there too! I mean why wouldn't the new Dunkin' Donuts spokesperson be there?

Yes you read that correctly. Rachael has just penned herself a deal to be Dunkin' Donuts new spokesperson.

[Rachael] will serve as the donut and coffee shop's "brand representative" and will "appear in a multi-platform marketing campaign for Dunkin' Donuts." Dunkin' Donuts also says that Rachael will "lend her perspective to the Dunkin' Donuts culinary team in the development of new, 'better for you' food and beverage options."

The campaign starts soon and will go until 2010. That means, that for the next 3 years she'll be on tv, in magazines, on the radio, in stores, etc... hrmm, I guess nothing's really changing, now is it?

Source: Everything Rachael Ray
Image Source

So, what do you guys think of this endorsement?