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'Tis the season for celebrity chefs. Or so it would appear. All of the licensing deals signed earlier this year should be resulting in revitalized retail shelf space this month and in the months to come. How consumers respond to this plethora of new product is anyone's guess, but if history is any indication, plenty of dollars will be spent. Finding out which celebrity your consumers favor is the key.

Celebrity News
It's a hot year for celebrity chefs. Not only are the likes of Rachel Ray, Emeril Lagasse, and Daniel Boulud heating up their own kitchens, but they are also courting your customers via a wealth of new licensing deals.
Everywhere you turn this season you'll see Food Network star Rachel Ray. The former gourmet cooking school instructor is a brand's dream and accordingly, she has landed licensing deals across all categories, including Furi Knives. She's even launching a lifestyle magazine that bears her name and vision with The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. The popular host of three of the Food Network's top-rated television shows, including "30-Minute Meals," and author of a series of cookbooks that have sold more than two million copies, she will serve as editor-in-chief of Every Day with Rachael Ray. The magazine will debut in September with nationwide distribution.
Daniel Boulud signed a licensing agreement with Salton, Inc. to create electric kitchen appliances under the Daniel Boulud Kitchen (DBK) brand; the new line is scheduled to hit the marketplace in 2006. DBK, which was launched by the chef in the fall of 2003, currently includes cookware, cutlery, bakeware, kitchenware, tableware, kitchen textiles, and seasoning collections. The new Daniel Boulud Kitchen Electrics will include a selection of appliances the chef feels are essential to the home cook. From hand-held blenders to stand mixers and beyond, Boulud has poured his expertise into each piece.
Two well-known chefs have moved into the tabletop arena. Joanne Weir has signed a deal with Pfaltzgraff that will bring the PBS television chef home with your customers. It's a new range of premium bakeware, dinnerware, and serveware that will entice her viewers to cook and entertain.
Emeril Lagasse is putting his face on the table with the introduction of Emerilware from Wedgwood Housewares Group. The new assortment includes the Professional Stoneware line with restaurant-quality product for around $30 a place setting. Available this month, the line is accented with woodenware products as well. Also launching in Emerilware are more decorative designs, including Nola, which is patterned after the logo of the celebrity chef's New Orleans restaurant.
Emeril's Delmonico by Emeril Lagasse (October, William Morrow) will also add to the branded icon's reputation. Following on the heels of Emeril's 10 book, the restaurant-inspired Emeril's Potluck that has sold nearly 243,000 copies since its September 2004 publication, Emeril's Delmonico will feature recipes from his best-loved restaurant. Adapted and simplified for home cooks, the recipes feature a combination of Old World classics and Emeril's kicked-up Creole creations.
Meyer Corporation and Michael Chiarello expanded their partnership with the production of the new NapaStyle cookware and cutlery line. Chiarello's cookbooks and Food Network television shows help promote his NapaStyle range; it includes housewares, food, and other culinary products. The current assortment of NapaStyle includes 11 pieces of cookware, three cookware sets, and four cutlery items.

On the Newsstands
To celebrate the much-anticipated summer season, Real Simple editors will road test dozens of ice cream scoops in this month's issue and next month, will swing their attention to graters. Real Simple will also feature Silvermark's Toss & Chop in the August issue as a "really cool, must-have" gadget. For the scoop on scoops, Real Simple chooses those that best handle rock-solid ice cream. Graters are put to the test to see how they stand up to veggies, cheese, and chocolate in four categories: Box, handheld, flat, and rotary.
In the July/August issue of Bridal Guide, the 'Registry Report' is called "All Fired Up" and it's all about grilling equipment. The report includes features on the following products: Krups' Universal Grill, the Silicone Barbecue Brush by Chef'n, The Performer Grill by Weber, Charcoal Companions' Grill Brush and Corn Basket, the Silicone Grillmat by Grill Friends, and the ET7 Remote Check by Maverick.
The feature tabletop story is called "Garden of Delights" and will be tableware inspired by gardens from around the world. Some products highlighted include: Chelsea botanical cups by Mottahedeh, Floral Haven covered sugar bowl by Spode, Versace's Butterfly Garden teapot from Rosenthal, Labors of Cupid's sterling silver dessert fork, Mottahedeh's Ch'ing Garden square bowl, Butterfly and Bamboo teacup and saucer by Lynn Chase, the Blue Fin lustreware teacup by Wedgewood, the Flower stem vase by Syratech, and Cherry Blossom salad plates by Noritake.
Saveur immerses itself in the season this month with a look at the perfectly ripe, juicy, silky-textured mango. Acclaimed cookbook author, actress, and Saveur Contributing Editor Madhur Jaffrey writes about her long-standing love for this fruit, which originated in her home country of India some 4,000 years ago and is loved there in all its 20-some varieties. Then she whisks readers off on a brief trip to other mango-eating cultures, including Vietnam, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and gives us delicious recipes both savory and sweet, from a Vietnamese 'salad' of grilled beef and green mangos to India's mango kulfi, a thick, velvety ice cream made with the pulp of ripe mangos.
For a taste of travel and food, Saveur focuses on Valencia. This jewel of a city in Spain's fastest-growing region is blossoming into an essential gastronomic destination (for food lovers, it is the next Barcelona). Editor-in-Chief Colman Andrews writes about the old and the new cuisines side by side, visiting a rustic cottage for paella cooked over an open fire with rice growing in fields nearby and modern restaurants with delicate food like octopus carpaccio.
Cooking Light gave us some insights into their trends and possible features in the coming months. Great for your produce section or Cookware Department is Cooking Light's "In Season" column, which this month looks at snap beans; in August, Swiss chard; and in September, bell peppers. Responding to readers' requests, grilling recipes and techniques will be featured all season. This month, BBQ experts Bill and Cheryl Jamieson will provide a story on how to smoke foods on a home grill. Cooking Light also offers a variety of recipes using grilled chicken and a cookout for the 4 of July. The August and September issues will offer grilling stories as well — an Italian grilling menu in August and a vegetarian grilling piece in September.
Cooking Light editors also see an ongoing appetite amongst their readers for authentic world cuisines — inspired by the fact that its 11.4 million readers travel internationally. This month, they'll present a piece on Indonesian sates, as well as a technique story on how to make Mexican carnitas. That will be followed by a story on everyday Chinese cooking by Lee Ann Chin in August, and an entertaining-themed piece on Spanish tapas for September.

Book Shelves
Chocolate continues to be a hot topic among foodies and the trend in hot chocolate is a story well supported by author Michael Turback and Ten Speed Press. In Hot Chocolate (September), the first book to emerge from the growing trend of haute chocolate consumption, preeminent chocolatiers from around the world contribute more than 60 recipes, including concoctions like Lavender-Pistachio Hot Chocolate, Maple-Whisky Hot Chocolate Toddy, Nutella Hot Chocolate, Malted Milkball Hot Chocolate, and the famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate from Manhattan's Serendipity 3. Turback suggests adding rosebuds or cayenne, frothing with a Mexican molinillo, or adding dollops of schlagobers (Viennese whipped cream), and includes ingredient and tool resources, plus a fascinating account of the history of liquid chocolates.
For a seasonal focus, take a look at A Return to Family Picnics (Available Now, Multnomah Publishers). It provides an excellent opportunity for cross merchandising during the summer and fall picnic seasons. This unique cookbook includes recipes for gatherings of all sizes, with regional recipes reflecting culinary traditions and favorite meals from around the nation. Each menu idea includes salads, side dishes, and desserts. Pick a menu and create a merchandising theme around it!
Health-conscious customers still trying to fit into those summer swimsuits might be interested in a series of new calorie- or carb-conscious cookbooks. Against the Grain by Diane Kochilas (August, William Morrow) is the first cookbook to offer low-carb versions of exotic Mediterranean dishes. Kochilas presents 150 recipes (each with carb counts per serving) for seafood, poultry, and other meats, vegetables and greens, and other dishes that are low in carbs.
A just-plain-fun read for the upcoming gift-giving season might include Turning the Tables (August, HarperCollins) from celebrated online restaurant critic and food columnist Steven A. Shaw (aka "The Fat Guy"). Designed to provide readers with the inside scoop on how restaurants operate, Shaw offers an unprecedented, comprehensive look at the restaurant industry with a complete view of every aspect of the dining experience, along with useful, practical advice for deriving the most from restaurants, whether it's a French bistro or a sushi bar, for a date or a business power lunch.
Speaking of gifts, Diane Phillips wraps things up for you and your customers with The Perfect Basket (September, Harvard Common Press), a guide to creating the perfect gift basket. With everything from a martini basket to a cooler filled with tailgating supplies, the book is a great read for your customers, as well as your staff. She even gives ranges for gift baskets with a "basic" martini basket starting at $30.00 and an over-the-top example at $150. Could be just the right starter for a make-your-own gift basket display for the holiday season or even year-round.
A must-read for every foodie is El Bulli by Ferran Adria (August, Ecco). Adria is widely considered to be the most innovative, influential, and perhaps the greatest chef in the world today. El Bulli, the restaurant where he creates his masterpieces, has become a pilgrimage site of sorts; food connoisseurs from around the world journey down a dizzying coastal road to Roses, Spain, to experience his unconventional tasting menu — often consisting of 25 or more courses. But if you want a reservation, get in line. In El Bulli 1998–2002, Adria and his collaborators have created a completely unique guide to cooking that raises the profession to an art form never captured before. This volume filled with full-color photographs presents not only El Bulli's unparalleled recipes, but also an analysis of their development, philosophy, and technique. Visually stunning, El Bulli 1998–2002 is presented as a boxed set that includes the main volume, along with a detailed User's Guide and an interactive CD that contains each recipe numbered and catalogued by year. This incredible collection isn't cheap — it retails for $350, but El Bulli 1998–2002 is truly as awe-inspiring as the meals served at its namesake.
Middle Eastern foods continue to increase in popularity, so you might want to check out The Arab Table by May Bsisu (September, William Morrow). This comprehensive guide examines the Arab table's rich foods and traditions. Sections on Ramadan and other major Arab holidays explain their significance, provide information on the customs, and offer tips like what to bring (dates and nuts) to someone's home during Ramadan, and what to say. The 175 recipes are broken down into 35 menus and include everything from light soups and salads to hearty meats and stews, poultry, fish, and desserts. All of the recipes are tailored to modern supermarkets and busy lifestyles, so home cooks can enjoy dishes like Shorabat Adas (orange lentil soup with cumin), Musaka Betinjan (eggplant, chickpeas, and tomatoes in pomegranate syrup), Fatet Lamice (lamb with yogurt, nuts, and rice), and Kamar al Dean Matbokh (apricot pudding with almonds and pistachios) without spending hours in front of a hot stove.
And finally a bit of sticky fun with The Ultimate Peanut Butter Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough (September, William Morrow) brings the Ultimate authors back with the latest addition to their top-selling cookbook series. The hundreds of recipes and thousands of variations feature good old American peanut butter in every way imaginable from cookies to curries. The Ultimate Peanut Butter Book is the tenth addition to Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough's Ultimate cookbook empire. With major new book and television projects in the works, the popular series is set to expand even further.