Oy! Whatever will we do without Bruni? In case you missed it, the big food news of the week is regarding New York Times and Diner’s Journal writer Frank Bruni. According to the Times announcement, after five years at his regular post, Bruni is leaving to focus on personal writing projects, like his upcoming memoir, and settling into more of a writer-at-large role for the Times’s Sunday magazine. Needless to say, food blogs across the interweb are all a-twitter, not only with the announcement but as to who will be replacing the revered reviewer. It’s a Bruniocalypse, according to Eater New York!
Mega-company PepsiCo announced the launching of a new website to assist restaurateurs in growing their business during these difficult economic times. According to Restaurant News Resource, GrowMyRestaurant.com was developed ‘to assist foodservice operators…by providing information and tools via a one-stop shop that address an operator’s most pressing needs — such as driving traffic, growing average check, managing employees and understanding their customers and competition.’
What could be better than reading Bon Appetit? Having them buy you dinner! The Bon Appetit Now website is currently running a sweepstakes where one lucky winner will win a $250 dinner-for-two gift certificate at the restaurant of your choice! I suppose it could be a dinner for one, or even four, depending on how much you (or your companions) can scarf down! Good luck!
Thanks to the Twitterverse, we’ve stumbled across a great collection of food blogs at Real Food Media. Today, the Kelly the Kitchen Kop is hosting Real Food Wednesdays, packed with great links to real food posts! Check it out here!
Tony Abou-Ganim, Steve Olson, Patricia Richards, Francesco Lafranconi
When wine and spirits consultant Steve Olson took the stage at Friday’s ‘Cocktails and Cuisine’ event at Wynn’s Encore, I knew we were in trouble. The spunky, aptly-named ‘wine geek’ announced from the stage that we’d be having six cocktails during the two hours of the presentation. Ouch. As his sidekick, and master mixologist in his own right, Tony Abou-Ganim moved from guest to guest, pouring an intoxicating Latin drink into empty glasses, I was glad I had downed a large breakfast.
During the event, Tony and Steve, along with fellow mixologists Francesco Lafranconi and the Wynn’s Patricia Richards, demonstrated how to make a number of cocktails. Guests were able to mingle and interact with the masters as they poured, muddled, and mixed at their own ‘mixing tables’, with each drink paired up with fabulously decadent small bites created by chef James Benson.
Six cocktails? Two hours? We were all good friends after that! Remember – ‘We’re not drinking, we’re learning!’
Hot on the trail of my celebrity chef weekend extravaganza at the 2009 Vegas Uncork’d festival, SmartMoney.com has a great list of Ten Things Celebrity Chefs Won’t Tell You.
While I’ll be the first to tell you how fun it is to get to know ‘celeb’ chefs, it’s long been a complaint of mine that most ‘celeb chefs’ really aren’t chefs at all. Sure, they’re nice and friendly, and they’re familiar with the kitchen to a certain extent, but most fans would be surprised at how few really have experience in a restaurant kitchen.
“It’s not necessary that there are professional chefs on the Food Network,” says Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential author and a celebrity chef in his own right. “But what they really need are good cooks, and they have precious few of those.”
Perhaps it’s my experience in catering that makes me a bit of a stickler with that regard, but I’m always more interested in the chefs who actually put in the hours in the kitchen – the Bartolottas, the Bourdains, the Buscaglias – vs. the Rays, if you will. I’ve noticed that even some of the more local celeb chefs aren’t always working the line. Nonetheless, the list of ten is certainly interesting to peruse.
One of the things that I’ve loved most about the Vegas Uncork’d event is the personal interactivity. From blackjack to cocktails to the Ultimate All-Star Interactive Luncheon, it’s really been a great opportunity to rub elbows with culinary stars while learning a few tricks of trade.
Saturday’s Ultimate All-Star Interactive Luncheon was the ultimate in audience participation. Hosted by super business woman Elaine Wynn and Bon Appetit’s Barbara Fairchild, the event included five courses, each demonstrated and hosted by top chefs, with cooking stations and assisting chefs at every table.
The five top chefs chosen for the demonstration were Alex’s Alessandro Stratta, Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare’s Paul Bartolotta, Switch’s Marc Poidevin, Daniel Boulud Brasserie’s Daniel Boulud, and Wynn/Encore’s Frederic Robert. The fabulous menu included Chilled Lobster, Sauteed Sea Scallops with Porcini Mushrooms, Spring Gnocchi with Peas and Proscuitto, Marinated Squab Breast with Caramelized Japanese Eggplant, and Strawberry Vacherin! Mmmmm, mmmm! Guests were delighted to receive autographed aprons from the super chefs as well.
For a quick clip of the luncheon, tune in to Wednesday’s broadcast of Late Night with Carson Daly. Carson slid in to the seat next to me just long enough to shoot a few promos for the show and down a bit of the first course!
Paul Bartolotta, Marc Poidevin, Daniel Boulud, Frederic Robert, Alessandro Stratta
Boulud and Bartolotta talk seafood before the event!
Yesterday’s presentation of the ‘Farm to Table’ panel, as part of the Vegas Uncork’d festivities, was outstanding! Four top Las Vegas chefs – Edmund Wong, Bradley Ogden, Rick Moonen, and recent James Beard Award winner Paul Bartolotta – sat side by side to discuss the importance of sustainability and the support of local food production, with Barbara Fairchild, Editor-in-Chief of Bon Appetit, Andrew Knowlton, BA’s BA Foodist, and Vegas’s top restaurant reviewer, John Curtas.
The panel discussed everything from fishing to farm production, even out here in the dry region of Vegas. Surprisingly, there are a number of farms within the local area who are utilized to provide menu ingredients. All of the chefs encouraged their consumers, and restaurant guests, to continue their education on organics and local food availability, noting how important it is as chefs to develop sustainable menus themselves.
“As a definite, you shouldn’t ever have [the outrageously over-fished] Chilean Sea Bass on your menu,” noted chef Rick Moonen.
All four chefs thanked their ‘foragers’, or staff members who are dedicated to finding local produce, and building relationships with farmers and producers. Wong, the Executive Chef of the Bellagio, with over twenty members in his food purchasing team, mentioned having a staff member who’s sole responsibility is to check ripeness of his produce inventory.
Moonen, with a long history of sustainable interest and support, noted that his restaurants even require questionnaires for their wine producers to ensure proper, sustainable production of their wines.
“I never thought I’d see this tipping point [of restaurants/consumers going green and sustainable],” Moonen commented.
On the importance of consumer education of food production:
“Let’s get people to buy fresh first, and then we’ll try to get them to buy organic…consumers have a bigger pull with what’s going on in their grocery stores [than they realize].” – Barbara Fairchild, Bon Appetit
On understanding the cost of local/organic vs. traditionally harvested food items:
“As a consumer, you must realize that the cost to produce unique food is not cheap.” – Paul Bartolotta
Paul Bartolotta, John Curtas, Andrew Knowlton, Barbara Fairchild, Bradley Ogden, Edmund Wong, Rick Moonen
Woo! We finally made it in to Las Vegas late last night to start the Vegas Uncork’d show! Arriving to the late-night benefit at PURE for Three Square, the intimate gathering atop the Caesar’s nightclub was a great way to start the party. Fellow foodie guests included Bon Appetit’s Barbara Fairchild, Andrew Knowlton, spirits consultant Steven Olson; celeb chefs Bobby Flay, Cat Cora, and Kerry Simon; and Las Vegas restaurant reviewer, John Curtas. The drinks were fab, the seats were comfy, and the view of the Strip was well worth the short hike in tall boots!
Recently, there have been two websites that have developed suggested lists of ethics for food bloggers. It’s been quite the discussion within the food blogging community, and I took a moment to write up a post on Accidental Hedonist about the recent controversy!
Daily Blender is headed to Vegas today for the Vegas Uncork’d show. You can follow us live here on Dailyblender.com or via Twitter! And we’re off!
Last night was the first round of the James Beard Awards, where the food media, from publication to individual writers, are recognized for their writing and contributions.
A personal big congrats to Epicurious.com for winning the Food Website award, and to Rebekah Denn, former food writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, who won for her feature article, “High on the Hairy Hogs.”
Other James Beard Media Award winners include:
Newspaper Feature Writing Without Recipes
Kristen Hinman, Riverfront Times, “The Pope of Pork“
Newspaper Feature Writing With Recipes
Rebekah Denn, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “High on the Hairy Hogs“
Newspaper Food Section The Washington Post
Newspaper Feature Writing About Restaurants and/or Chefs
Katy McLaughlin, The Wall Street Journal, “Sushi Bullies“
Magazine Feature Writing With Recipes
Edna Lewis, Gourmet, “What is Southern?“
M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award
Aleksandra Crapanzano, Gourmet
Tonight, the Best Chef and Best Restaurateur awards will be handed out! Stay tuned to DailyBlender.com tomorrow to find out who won these prestigious awards!
I’ve come across a few fun food links lately and wanted to pass them along for your weekend pleasure!
http://isiticedcoffeeweather.com/
At this hilarious website, you can enter in your zip code and the wonder that is the Internet will tell you whether or not it’s Iced Coffee weather where you’re at.
http://foodlebrities.com/
Someone’s had a little too much fun with Photoshop on this. I spent a long time laughing at Goudacris.
http://foodgawker.com/
Populated by many of our favorite food sites, this is the ultimate for the Food Porn lover in you!
http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com
I found this blog via Twitter – you, too, can follow @obamafoodorama – and I have to say, I love the concept. It’s fun and fascinating at the same time. I might even try to work ‘chowbama’ into a conversation this weekend.
