Mar 19, 2010 -
As America increasingly becomes a gourmet nation, large food corporations are trying to change with the times. According to a story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, companies like Campbell's and Nestlé are adapting back-of-the-package recipes to appeal to home cooks with more nuanced palates. Reading the article made me realize that I don't think I've ever made a recipe that comes on the back of a bag of chocolate chips or a box of saltine crackers.
- 14 Comments
Aug 20, 2009 -
A number of boutique companies have begun offering a vegetable garden as an added perk for their employees. A garden requires virtually no resources, yet it can bring in huge benefits for the company, such as an increase in office morale, a pronounced focus on worker health and wellness, and an edge over other competitors.
Minneapolis, MN-based branding agency Haberman invested $10,000 to set up a garden for its 30 employees.
- 4 Comments
Jul 01, 2009 -
2009 has been a rough year for casual dining, with many restaurant chains struggling to stay afloat. The solution proposed at Denny's? Become friends with the cool kids.
- 11 Comments
May 13, 2009 -
Could the breakfast staple, Cheerios, be classified as a drug? That's what the Food and Drug Administration is claiming, based on the product's labeling that it's "clinically proven to help lower cholesterol." On May 5, the FDA sent a warning letter to General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, charging that the cereal's cholesterol-lowering health claims violate federal law.
- 11 Comments
Apr 24, 2009 -
After embittered battles this year over Roquefort, beef, and Coca-Cola, France has decided it needs to show the rest of the world some love. Concerned that outsiders perceive two of France's top exports, wine and cheese, to be unapproachable, the French government, with the help of local producers, has agreed to spend $2.1 million to sponsor cocktail parties in 19 different countries. While many events around the globe will take place in large convention centers, the program in the US will be different.
- 1 Comment
Apr 17, 2009 -
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, wine columnists and founders of Open That Bottle Night, recently assessed the world of online wine, only to find it came up short.
"Some really fine stores out there haven't spruced up their sites since dirt was invented," they lamented.
- 16 Comments
Mar 13, 2009 -
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal that reviewed online dining reservation applications prompted a discussion I had with PartySugar about the preferred method for booking reservations. If possible, I'll score a reservation online; it's convenient and sites such as OpenTable offer incentive points for doing so. Party, however, always prefers to book over the phone; she believes it's easier to get a reservation that way.
- 24 Comments
Feb 27, 2009 -
Chances are you've got at least one bottle you've been saving for a special day, but what if you don't know what that significant occasion will be? That's the idea behind Open That Bottle Night, a dedicated evening when wine aficionados proclaim there's no time like the present to open a meaningful bottle of wine.
2009's event takes place this Saturday, Feb.
- 5 Comments
Feb 20, 2009 -
For every cilantro lover who basks in the bright, citrusy flavor of the herb, there's an equal and opposite voice that denounces its soapy, overly floral scent and taste. So why is cilantro (and not, parsley, oregano, or sage) so polarizing? At least one scientist believes that preference for cilantro may be a genetic trait.
- 28 Comments