Top Stories » Expert Columns » Profiles & Trends

Email the editor: mmoran@gourmetretailer.com

Happy New Year! There are no shortages of culinary messages this season: As consumers in the wintry states look for more indoor activities, media pros are sending out the culinary stars to melt away the winter doldrums. Expect innovative new marketing messages and new media outlets to begin catering to your customers — from TasteTV to new Food Network stars, gourmet eats remain in focus.

The Small Screen
TasteTV is inviting viewers to broadcast their own local restaurant, cafe, bar and nightclub reviews on TasteTV.com. In each video, viewers recommend restaurants they like and explain why. With each video, the reviewer gains credibility as a food or “scene” critic, while the rest of the TasteTV community benefits from their first-hand experiences. In addition to local restaurant reviews, TasteTV also invites viewers to submit episodes for the program, “Sexy Dishes,” in which they describe the sexiest dish they’ve ever had or made, and who or what made it so great.

TasteTV is the first and leading On Demand food, wine and lifestyle network, with exciting and delicious programs ranging from chocolate, wine, restaurants and recipes to chefs, travel, fashion and design. Launched in 2004 as the Indie Food Channel, the network has been at the forefront of new media in both online television and cable on demand video.

Food Network’s newest addition, Chef Robert Irvine, has a mission . . . should he choose to accept it. His challenge? Overcome culinary obstacles and deliver a delicious meal before his time runs out in “Dinner: Impossible.” This new half-hour primetime series, which tests the skills of one the world’s most experienced and respected chefs with a new culinary feat each week, premieres on Wednesday, January 24 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Each week, Robert (with the help of his two sous-chefs, George and George) is thrown a new culinary curveball and the team must figure out a way to solve their challenge before time runs out. This season, one of the challenges asks Robert to make dinner for 150 passengers aboard a luxury locomotive. The catch? He and his team have only four hours to devise a menu, shop for ingredients, prepare 600 hors d’oeuvres, soup and salads, and get most of the prep work done on the entrees. If he falls behind, he and his team will be left behind when the train leaves the station. Once the train is rolling, Robert and his team must maneuver around the unfamiliar confines of two very tight train cars to pull off a precision dining experience that includes a strictly regulated start time and requires he deliver the entrees exactly at the halfway point in the trip. Is Robert “more powerful than a speeding locomotive” or is this dinner destined to be derailed?

Marc Summers, host of the popular Food Network show “Unwrapped,” will return as host for the third season of “The Next Food Network Star.” The entire process will be documented in a limited series that is slated to premiere in June 2007. Food Network will select seven finalists, with the eighth finalist chosen by an online viewer vote at www.FoodNetwork.com. The eight finalists will travel to New York City in January 2007, where their culinary skills will be put to the test through a series of challenges, each of which will result in an elimination. A panel of judges, including Bobby Flay (“Throwdown With Bobby Flay”) and Giada De Laurentiis (“Everyday Italian”), will narrow the field down to two contestants, with the ultimate winner being determined by Food Network’s viewers. The winner will receive a six-episode series that will premiere in summer 2007, as part of the network’s weekend “In the Kitchen” programming block, which airs from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. ET/PT every Saturday and Sunday.

The network also announced that “Guy’s Big Bite,” hosted by season two winner Guy Fieri, has received a 13-episode pick-up. The series, which airs Sundays at 10 a.m. ET/PT, satisfies America’s appetite for big, bold and broad flavors by cooking food that is as fun, fearless and fundamental as Fieri’s larger-than-life personality.

Production has begun on the new Food Network series, “Giada’s Weekend Getaways,” premiering on Friday, January 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. The half-hour weekly series, hosted by popular chef Giada De Laurentiis, follows Giada across the country as she combines her passions for food and travel on a search for delicious vacation destinations for food lovers.

In each episode, Giada introduces viewers to a different destination that is ideal for an enjoyable weekend getaway. From unknown hideaways to five-star meals that are worth the splurge, Giada visits all of the local hot-spots and must-tries that should be on any foodie’s list. She also shows viewers how to save time and travel smart in order to get the most out of a three-day weekend. From the best place to enjoy an exotic cocktail, to the perfect spot for indulging in the local cuisine, Giada shares the ultimate itinerary for a fabulous weekend.
Locations that will be explored include: New York City, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, San Francisco, Calif., Napa, Calif., Jackson Hole, Wyo., Seattle, Wash., Austin, Texas, Santa Fe, N.M., Charleston, S.C., Miami/South Beach, Fla., Cabo, Mexico, and the Bahamas. Giada is also the author of two successful cookbooks, Everyday Italian (Clarkson Potter, 2005) and Giada’s Family Dinners (Clarkson Potter, 2006).

The Cook’s Shelf
Rev up your customer’s motors with a fast new cookbook featuring Angie Skinner, wife of NASCAR star Mike Skinner. NASCAR is one of America’s fastest-growing sports with no signs of slowing down, and Race Day Grub (Wiley & Sons; March 2007) takes hold of this phenomenon, helping you create promotions for race days, Father’s Day and more. Perfect for complementary NASCAR merchandising, as well as everyday accoutrements such as barbecue tools and the like. Fans will gain insights into the sport as Skinner shares the race-day routines and recipes of drivers and their families and fans, and uncovers the special traditions behind classic NASCAR dishes.

While this book won’t be turning consumers’ heads, it’s one that might help you get your customers to notice your own brands. PRIVATE LABEL STRATEGY: How to Meet the Store Brand Challenge (Harvard Business School Press; $35.00; February 2007) is a must-read for specialty retailers of any size. In it, authors Nirmalya Kumar and Jan-Benedict Steenkamp expose and debunk the myths surrounding the role of private labels in the marketplace –– and help lay out the most successful strategies for launching, leveraging and competing against store brands.

Kick those winter doldrums with The Glory of Southern Cooking from award-winning author James Villas (Wiley & Sons; March 2007). This is one of the most complete, authentic and authoritative books available on Southern cooking. There are more than 380 recipes for cherished favorites like buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken and pecan pie, plus new recipes by top Southern chefs such as Louis Osteen. Laced with colorful stories, anecdotes and fascinating lore about the recipes’ origins, with great recipes that tell perfect cross-merchandising stories.

On the diet forefront is The MediterrAsian Way (Wiley & Sons; March 2007) by Ric Watson and Trudy Thelander, covering the best of all worlds — Mediterranean and Asian food and lifestyle. From the creators of the popular Web site MediterrAsian.com, which attracts over 1.3 million page views a month, readers will learn the secrets of the MediterrAsian lifestyle and how to use the MediterrAsian Balanced Meal System (MBMS), a five-step meal preparation system. A 14-day plan with food, exercise and relaxation suggestions makes it easy for readers to follow the MBMS. More than 150 simple, delicious recipes draw from Italian, Greek, Provençal, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisines, and include everything from stir-fries and sushi to tasty pasta dishes, stews and salads. With charts, maps, photos, and a 16-page color insert, The MediterrAsian Way is an innovative, one-of-a-kind, practical guide to a healthier diet and lifestyle.

And finally, get ready for the grilling season with The Kingsford Grilling Cookbook by Rick Rodgers (Wiley & Sons; March 2007). It has great dishes for family barbecues, holiday cookouts, relaxing weekend picnics, and tailgating. Spiced up with charts, tips and hints, the book also includes guidance on shopping for the perfect ingredients, caring for equipment, and grilling more efficiently for quick weeknight cookouts.

Celebrity Corner
Daniel Boulud’s new cookbook, Braise: A Journey Through International Cuisine, will keep him in the public eye over the coming months. He’s attending a host of public events including the Naples Wine Festival in Florida. Rounding out last year, Boulud appeared on national networks as well as cooking up an appearance on “Emeril Live!” His book, the definitive cookbook on the time-honored cooking technique of braising, is a great tool to merchandise in-store with his own branded products or your own tools of the trade. Inspired by traditional braised foods from nearly every continent, Boulud has developed more than one hundred recipes for flavorful, slow-cooked dishes that reflect the vast panoply of contemporary cooking.

Celebrity cook Paula Deen has joined forces with meat producer Smithfield Foods in an exclusive partnership aimed at promoting meals at home. To achieve the partnership’s goal, Deen will be involved in a number of activities including community outreach efforts, personal appearances, Web-based recipe and meal preparation tips, and print and broadcast communications, including webcasts and new product development. She will initially promote various Smithfield-branded products. In return, Smithfield will use its Web site and other promotional venues to market Deen’s signature products, including her cookbooks, seasonings, BBQ sauces, aprons, T-shirts, gift certificates, and cooking school.

Deen and her sons, Jamie and Bobby, own and operate the highly popular The Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah, Ga., and she and her brother run the equally successful Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House nearby. Known for her “down-home” personality and traditional Southern cooking, Deen has authored four cookbooks, publishes a lifestyle magazine called Cooking with Paula Deen, and has her own TV show, “Paula’s Home Cooking,” on the Food Network.

Eat Well Be Well Foods, Inc. has teamed up with NBA All-Star and recent Hall of Fame inductee, Dominique Wilkins, making him its national spokesperson to help educate consumers about diabetes. Eat Well Be Well endeavors to become the one brand that diabetics, pre-diabetics and all health-conscious consumers can rely on to assist them in managing blood glucose levels and maintaining a healthy body. Partnering with Wilkins is a natural progression for Eat Well Be Well Foods as the company strives to further convey its key messages to consumers — there are real-world solutions for preventing and managing diabetes.

Wilkins was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes at the age of 40 and has since committed his personal time to education initiatives that help Americans both prevent and manage this chronic condition. Wilkins will use Eat Well Be Well products to help educate consumers during a series of year-long events and promotions, including a satellite media tour and visits to select media markets.

Capresso tapped the celebrity market during the fourth quarter with tennis icon Roger Federer in a print advertising program that included 22 high-profile consumer magazines reaching a total combined audience of over 33 million.

Federer, the world’s No. 1 ranked tennis player, is the focal point of new creative for the Jura-Capresso IMPRESSA Z5. Communicating the values of performance, precision, prestige and passion for excellence, the ads tell why Federer chooses Jura-Capresso automatic coffee centers: “Whether it’s tennis or coffee, Roger Federer knows you always have to serve your best.”

Capresso’s fourth-quarter advertising for the Jura-Capresso IMPRESSA Z5 and the Capresso CoffeeTEAM Therm appeared in magazines such as Architectural Digest, Bon Appetit, Conde Nast Traveler, Cooking Light, Food & Wine, Forbes Life, GQ, Gourmet, House & Garden, Martha Stewart Living, O at Home, Robb Report Home, Wired and more. You can expect the campaign to still have some play as we enter 2007.