-By Michelle Moran

Here are a few of the marketing message being transported through the airwaves and popping up in the magazine section that your customers might discover. Use these nibbles to develop your own displays, promotions and demos in the next few months, tailoring them to your customers' desires.

Personal Reading List There are some interesting reads out there beyond the traditional cookbook aisle -- some perfect for your business and others great reads for you and your clientele.



Bob Livingston's HOW YOU DO…WHAT YOU DO: Create Service Excellence That Wins Clients for Life (Available Now; McGraw-Hill) is a strategy-oriented guide that offers a proven roadmap for organizations looking to differentiate themselves by identifying Service Excellence as their top strategic and cultural priority. Livingston is a client service professional, schooled in over 40 years of interactions with clients and customers, including having been head of sales at Unilever's The Lipton Company and as an advisor to The Nielsen Company and several Fortune 500 companies. In addition, he helped transform the culture of the 17,000-employee CROSSMARK Company. HOW YOU DO…WHAT YOU DO features supermarket case studies from Wegmans, Walgreens and Bristol Farms.



"You could describe the road my life has taken as a series of unexpected and even improbable turns..." So begins AMARCORD: Marcella Remembers: The Remarkable Life Story of the Woman Who Started Out Teaching Science in a Small Town in Italy, but Ended Up Teaching America How to Cook Italian (October 2008; Gotham Books) by legendary cooking teacher and award-winning cookbook author Marcella Hazan. Recipient of two Lifetime Achievement Awards (from the James Beard Foundation in 2000 and IACP in 2004) and a knighthood from her own country, Marcella Hazan is the author of six classic cookbooks published over the past 35 years. She lives in Longboat Key, Fla., with her husband Victor, her lifelong collaborator and writing partner, himself an authority on Italian food and wine.

The Big & Small Screens
Locavore extraordinaire and filmmaker Craig Noble brings the bounty of local, seasonal food to the table with his culinary expedition "TABLELAND," which won the Best Feature Film at the NYC Food Film Festival in June. "TABLELAND" is an engaging documentary that profiles the production and benefits of local and seasonal food. It's about the people with their hands in the dirt; the farmers, chefs and consumers of small-scale, sustainable food. From the orchards of BC, the inner city gardens of Chicago to the Napa Highlands and everywhere in between, "TABLELAND" showcases the successful production of tasty, local and seasonal food from field to plate. Noble is gearing up for 12 screening events between now and September. On a grass-roots level, over 1000 copies of "TABLELAND" have sold this year. Readers can purchase the film directly from Pixel One Productions online at sales@p1-productions.com.

Big Island Bees and Captain Cook Honey Company were featured on the very first episode of the new Food Network program, "How did it get on my Plate?" which aired Monday, July 7, on the Food Network Channel.

Also this month, Planet Green celebrates the launch of Emeril Lagasse's new series with a night of world premiere episodes of "EMERIL GREEN." Six episodes of the exclusive series will debut on the new network on Monday, July 14, from 8-11 p.m. (ET). In "EMERIL GREEN," Chef Lagasse shares his philosophy for fresh, organic, locally grown foods with Planet Green viewers. "EMERIL GREEN" will air regularly Monday through Thursday at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (ET).

The complete schedule for Monday, July 14, 2008 includes the following:

8-8:30 p.m.
Episode: "Fish Tales"
Fish is one of the healthiest foods you can eat but with so many different varieties, how do you make heads or tails of them? In this episode, Chef Lagasse helps ballroom dancer Marnie prepare a meal made from several different types of fish that is worthy of her husband's hometown, New Bedford, Mass.

8:30-9 p.m.
Episode: "Light for Life"
It takes motivation and inspiration to make a lasting change in your life, and eating healthy is a change that you never regret. So what happens when you reach a goal and don't want to backslide? In this episode, Chef Lagasse fuels Laura's new healthy lifestyle with a recipe designed to help her keep off the 130 pounds she lost.

9-9:30 p.m.
Episode: "Cuba Libre"
Some of the most flavorful pork dishes come from Cuba, a country known for its fantastic flavors. Chef Lagasse cooks up some familiar favorites with a new and modern twist. He helps Bren, an excellent cook who loves it all -- beef tongue, oxtail, you name it. In fact, she's a regular dynamo in the kitchen. But when it comes to making pork, she doesn't know where to start.

9:30-10 p.m.
Episode: "A Winning Combo"
Healthy competition brings out the best in all of us. In this episode, we'll meet Helynn Nelson who is great at everything except cooking. Her husband, on the other hand, can make a gourmet meal out of beans and boudin. Helynn's competitive nature won't allow her to settle for second place, even in the kitchen. Chef Lagasse works to take a novice in the kitchen and up her game with dishes like Oysters with Hot Sauce Sorbet and Snapper Wrapped in Banana Leaves.

10-10:30 p.m.
Episode: "Jambalaya Jones"
When you live in New Orleans for so long, the food just becomes a part of your life. It's the sizzle of andouille sausage or the smell of hot chicory coffee and fresh beignets. But what if you've fallen in love with the flavors of New Orleans and want to recreate those memories? Chef Lagasse helps Mike, who spent time responding to the needs of Katrina victims, recapture the flavors in his jambalaya.

10:30-11 p.m.
Episode: "East Meets West"
Meat may be one of our favorite main dishes but Americans still have plenty of questions. Which cut do you use for grilling? Which grade makes the best hamburger? Or how can you tell if a steak is done? In this episode, Chef Lagasse meets Valerie who loves steak but doesn't know which cut to buy, how to cook it or even how to handle it. Lagasse gives her a little meat know-how and serves up his Beef Lettuce Wrap with a Chimichurri Sauce and Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry as a delicious solution to her dilemma.

Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of 10 award-winning restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando, Miami and Gulfport, Miss. He is a national TV personality and host of "EMERIL GREEN," a new series exploring fresh and seasonal ingredients on Discovery Communications' Planet Green. He has hosted over 1,500 shows on the Food Network, and is the food correspondent for ABC's "Good Morning America." Lagasse is the best-selling author of 12 cookbooks including Emeril's New New Orleans and Emeril's There's a Chef in My World. In September 2002, he established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support and encourage programs creating developmental and educational opportunities for children. Lagasse's home base is located in New Orleans and houses restaurant operations, a culinary test kitchen, and a boutique store for his signature products. Emeril Lagasse joined the Martha Stewart family of brands in April 2008, when Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia acquired the assets related to Lagasse's media and merchandising business, including television programming, cookbooks, emerils.com Web site and his licensed kitchen and food products.

Contests to Catch
In honor of their new NASCAR sponsored car, Steak-umm Sliced Steaks and Burgers is hosting a BBQ recipe contest. Fans can submit their most creative BBQ dishes using either Steak-umm Sliced Steaks or Steak-umm Burgers (Original, Sweet Onion and Real Cheese). Each recipe will be judged on originality, taste, visual appeal, creative use of the product and -- what else? -- mastery of the art of barbecuing.

The grand prize is a Weber Q 100 Liquid Propane Gas Grill. The grand prizewinner as well as two runners-up will also receive a 10" limited-edition Steak-umm frying pan. The contest runs from May 20 through August 14. Winners will be selected by August 18. Entries may be e-mailed to: steakummcontest@sspr.com.

Airwaves
You never know where your customers might get their inspiration. SIRIUS Satellite Radio launched Whole Living on June 30, a daily live call-in show devoted to living a holistic life, on Martha Stewart Living Radio. Whole Living will offer tips, trends, ideas and expert guests to help listeners across the country live a healthier, well-balanced and environmentally conscious life. Whole Living will air live Monday-Friday, 10:00-11:00 a.m. (ET), exclusively on Martha Stewart Living Radio, SIRIUS channel 112.

Whole Living will feature a wide variety of guests, experts, chefs and specialists exploring every aspect of a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. Topics will include food shopping, housekeeping, cooking, entertaining, beauty, mind-body health and more. Upcoming guests include: Mark Bittman, New York Times food columnist and best-selling cookbook author; Dan Barber, renowned chef of Blue Hill restaurant in New York City; Danny Seo, eco-chic expert; R.D. Chin, architect, interior designer and feng shui expert; Sophie Herbert, yoga instructor; and Elizabeth Rogers, environmental expert.

On Martha Stewart Living Radio, channel 112, Martha Stewart and her team of lifestyle experts teach, advise and inspire around-the-clock with shows about entertaining, cooking, pet care, gardening, weddings and much more, including the weekly live show hosted by Stewart herself, Ask Martha. The channel also features a daily show hosted by Martha's daughter Alexis and her best friend Jennifer Koppelman Hutt, called Whatever. For more information, visit: www.sirius.com/marthastewartlivingradio

Hearst Magazines and MSN have partnered to develop and launch a new food-related Web destination named Delish.com, also available at delish.msn.com. The new site, which will launch in fall 2008 and will exist as its own brand, will be owned, built and edited by Hearst Magazines Digital Media and distributed by MSN. MSN and Hearst anticipate that Delish.com's traffic numbers will immediately place the site among the top 10 food-related destinations online.

Delish.com will be accessible through the MSN home page and in editorial programming across its network, including on the MSN Lifestyle Channel and other relevant channels. In addition, all of the advertising inventory for Delish.com will be sold by the MSN sales team, which will also sell targeted inventory in the food category on Countryliving.com, Goodhousekeeping.com, Quickandsimple.com and Redbookmag.com.

"It is estimated that there are currently 60 million unique visitors to food-related Web sites," said Jeff Dossett, executive producer and general manager, MSN. "With a dedicated sales staff on the MSN side and Hearst's notable expertise in both Web site and content development, we are confident that Delish.msn.com will be a leader in this growing category."

Delish.com is about more than just recipes. In addition to thousands of recipes, site visitors will experience the lifestyle elements associated with food through articles, photo galleries, video and interactive tools. The site will also combine recipes and how-tos with engaging content that focuses on entertainment and pop culture as it relates to food.

Cookbooks
The latest book from the Culinary Institute of America, BISTROS AND BRASSERIES: Recipes and Reflections on Classic Café Cooking (July 2008; Lebhar-Friedman Books), is rich with the sights, sounds, aromas and romance of classic bistro fare. By traveling to some of the great bistros and brasseries in the United States and France, the authors truly harvested the crème de la crème of casual French food and warm eatery atmosphere. From simple dishes perfect for a quick and tasteful weeknight meal to more involved recipes like Coq-au-Vin and Cassoulet for special meals and entertaining, BISTROS AND BRASSERIES brings French cuisine home with style, and without intimidation. Other new releases to look out for include:


Latin Evolution by Jose Garces (September 2008, Lake Isle Press)


Giada's Kitchen: New Everyday Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis (September 2008, Potter)


Bon Appetit Cookbook Fast Easy Fresh by Bon Appetit Magazine/Barbara Fairchild (October 2008, Wiley)


Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten (October 2008, Potter)


How to Cook Everything (REVISED EDITION 10th Anniversary) by Mark Bittman (October 2008, Wiley) Rachael's Big Book: More 30-Minute Meals by Rachael Ray (November 2008, Potter)
Magazine Stand
Continuing a dominating streak of wins, SAVEUR won its 16th James Beard journalism award, picking up the honors for Magazine Feature Writing. This year's award stood out, as no other epicurean title won for feature writing.

SAVEUR now has 16 wins to go with the more than 40 nominations it has earned in the 14 years it has participated in this competition, which honors the nation's top culinary professionals. The award, in the Magazine Feature Writing with Recipes category, went to SAVEUR contributor Betty Fussell for her story "American Prime." Fussell told the story of steak from pasture to plate, taking readers from the grasslands of a Montana ranch to the legendary steakhouses of Chicago and New York, and into the backyards of home grillers everywhere. The centerpiece of a special issue devoted to America's iconic food, the article helped the July 2007 issue of SAVEUR become the best-selling edition in the magazine's 14-year history.

Comments? mmoran@gourmetretailer.com