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 Culinary Performance feels that we can not properly describe this phenomenon. Please experience for yourself. Jedi Chefs Labels: Culinary Diversions, Lifestyle, Odds and Ends Margo G. Wootan has a message for former Disney chief Michael Eisner. "I think I speak for millions of parents," she wrote to him in an open letter, "when I say: Mr. Eisner, please keep your candy nipples out of our children's mouths."
Yes, Eisner does have candy nipples. And yes, he is putting them in the mouths of children. The nipples are atop containers of Baby Bottle Pop, a candy product made by Topps, the storied bubblegum/baseball-card company that Eisner acquired for $385 million as part of a consortium in 2007 (warning: the above link will cause Jonas Brothers music to emit, unbidden, from your speakers). Wootan is the nutrition policy director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. She calls the marketing of Baby Bottle Pop "food porn," in part because of Topps' use of young stars like the Jonas Brothers and the Clique Girlz to push the product by appearing on the package and in TV spots on Nickelodeon, the Cartoon Network, and Toon Disney. "It's gross for Topps to use young kids to peddle junk food to young kids," she wrote. According to a New York Times article from January, the candy product has two parts, "a nipple-shaped lollipop top and a bottle-shaped container filled with fruit-flavored powder. Consumers are meant to lick the top and dip it into the powder." CSPI notes on its Web site that the product's top three ingredients are sugar, dextrose, and corn syrup, "or, in other words, sugar, sugar and sugar." It also contains a bunch of dyes that CSPI has urged the Food and Drug Administration to ban.
"This is why you're fat" is a collection of caloric and gastronomic overkill.
A shrine if you will, to our lust for food.  The Double Bacon Hamburger Fatty Melt and others... Labels: Culinary Diversions, Entertainment, Odds and Ends  Award-winning Chicago-based restaurant owner and chef Charlie Trotter has created a menu for United Airlines international flights. More... Labels: Eat, Industry, Notable Chefs
Dave let the raw oysters and vodka get to him in a cooking segment with Martha Stewart.
Labels: Celebrities and Food, Drink, Eat, Entertainment  By Beth Kowitt The company that brought premium java into the mainstream is now selling instant coffee. Is this the latest sign of the apocalypse? At an event in New York today, Starbucks (SBUX) introduced the result of its biggest research investment to date: Starbucks Via Ready Brew, available in individual servings (a three-pack sells for $2.95; a 12-pack for $9.95). Before you start accusing the iconic retailer of desperate measures, give Via a try. Here at Fortune, we have a machine that brews a fresh cup from Starbucks beans in less than a minute. We compared it to the Via and couldn’t tell which cup was the instant. Both had a rich aroma and flavor. Starbucks is starting off by offering Via in two roasts—Colombia and Italian. And yes, you do notice the difference in instant form. While some instant brands are barely recognizable as coffee, the smooth, nutty flavor of the Colombia roast and the darker, smokier Italian both hit the mark. We tasted other instant brands too and there was simply no comparison. Kraft’s (KFT) Maxwell House, Smucker’s (SJM) Folgers and Nestle’s (NESNVX) Nescafe, among others, tasted like they were manufactured from chemicals. As Schultz told the crowd this morning, “This is not your mother’s instant coffee.” With Via, Schultz is attempting to break into a $17 billion market that comprises 40% of coffee sales worldwide. In the U.S., where instant is a $700 million market, he sees this as a way to give customers unlimited access to Starbucks, whether on a camping trip, at the beach or aboard a red-eye flight. According to analyst Sharon Zackfia of William Blair & Company, the biggest opportunity for Via is abroad. In the U.K. and Japan, Starbucks’ biggest markets outside the U.S., instant sales make up 81% and 63%, respectively, of total coffee sold. In other countries, the key will be to get Via on grocery shelves.  By MILT FREUDENHEIM Nina Zagat, the queen of eat-and-tell restaurant guides, is invading a new and even trickier reviewing niche: doctors. The ubiquitous Zagat guides are known for an assortment of mostly leisure-related topics including hotels, spas, golf courses, movies and nightlife. Now the editors are asking people covered by one of the country’s largest commercial insurers to post reviews of their doctors and rate them in categories like trust and communication. As in other Zagat guides, the responses are summarized and presented as scores that, in this case, are edited by the insurance company WellPoint. They can be viewed only by WellPoint customers. The reviews are being introduced online to millions of WellPoint’s Blue Cross plan members across the country. Ms. Zagat said in an interview that unlike the food reviewers, patients are not encouraged to be “pithy and witty” (you will not read how a doctor’s “icy hands” and “crowded waiting room” made the exam “a downer”). Not surprisingly, many doctors, including those in California, Connecticut and North Carolina, where the Zagat-WellPoint venture was first introduced, have given the idea low marks. “It is curious that they would go to a company that had no experience in health care to try to find out how good a doctor is,” said Dr. William Handelman, a kidney specialist in Torrington who is president of the Connecticut State Medical Society. “It certainly is very subjective.” Dr. Angelo S. Carrabba, an obstetrician in Rocky Hill, Conn., complained that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, a WellPoint company, was “treating medical care provided by dedicated and caring physicians as if we were preparing a meal.” Dr. Ronald C. Thurston, a psychiatrist in Ventura, Calif., questioned the validity of the Zagat feature, which is also offered by WellPoint’s Blue Cross of California unit. “Patients notoriously ignore their doctor’s advice to eat well and exercise,” he said. “Often they quit taking their pills when they’re feeling better. They usually don’t understand the technologies and skills needed for treatment.” More... Labels: Critics, Health, Industry  Just to make your day a little bit brighter, try adding a slice of bacon. Need a side of bacon on your web site? Just put it at the end of http://bacolicio.us/ For example: http://bacolicio.us/http://www.culinaryperformance.com Labels: Culinary Diversions, Entertainment, Odds and Ends  A federal appeals court has ruled that Taco Bell Corp. is responsible for a $42 million judgment awarded to the creators of the fast-food chain's popular Chihuahua sales mascot. A Michigan jury in 2003 found that Taco Bell didn't properly pay the dog's Grand Rapids, Mich., creators, Tom Rinks and Joe Shields, when it launched its $500 million advertising blitz in the 1990s that popularized the phrase "!Yo quiero Taco Bell!" After the verdict, Taco Bell blamed advertising agency TBWA Chiat/Day for stiffing the dog's creators. More...By James Hibberd LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - No F-bombs allowed. How will he do it? The Fox network aims to air at least one live special in which "Hell's Kitchen" star Gordon Ramsay, famous for his R-rated language, shows viewers how to make a dinner. The program will urge viewers to make a three-course homemade meal along with the world-famous British chef. "It has been picked up, and I can't wait for it to go live," Ramsay said Wednesday. "My frustration is that most cooking shows don't really cook ... their ingredients are prepped earlier, that's not cooking ... It's nice to show the journey from live ingredient to (finished meal)." Labels: Eat, Entertainment, Industry, Learn, Notable Chefs  By Lincoln Anderson Could the cookie be crumbling for Lafayette French Pastry bakery owner Ted Kefalnios? After concocting a bizarre batch of “Drunken Negro Face” cookies allegedly “in honor” of President Barack Obama, Kefalnios has been receiving death threats, and now a group of militant black activists is vowing to “shut him down” for good. Last Saturday afternoon, about 20 members of the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense rallied long and loud in the freezing cold outside the 80-year-old Greenwich Ave. pastry shop, which was closed for the day. “Ray-cist Lah-fay-ette!” they chanted as they circled round and round inside a protest pen police had set up. “Brick by brick, wall by wall — we’ll stay out here and make you fall!” they cried. “You’re a coward and a racist, that’s why you closed the bakery today,” a female Panther bellowed at the store’s shuttered gate. “We’re going to shut you down Ted Kefalnios! You think your gates are closed now — we’re gonna keep you closed!” Shaka Shakur, their leader, vowed they will be back every Saturday until they “get results.” They’ll be checking the store “to see if the cookie is there,” another Panther added. “We want to get this pushed all the way to being a hate crime,” Shakur told The Villager. “As far as we’re concerned, it’s the same as a lynching. Kefalnios said, ‘Obama is going down the same path as Lincoln and he’ll get his’ — that’s a threat. Related story... More... Labels: Kitchen Catastrophes
Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. said it won't renew its sponsorship contract with Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps because of a photo that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company said Thursday that Phelps's behavior _ caught on camera and published Sunday in the British tabloid News of the World _ is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg." The company put Phelps on boxes of its Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes. The 23-year-old swimmer, who won eight gold medals in Beijing, has kept the backing of many sponsors since the photo surfaced from a November house party at the University of South Carolina. Among those standing by him, even if they don't condone his behavior, are Visa Inc., Speedo, luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega and sports beverage PureSport's maker Human Performance Labs. Labels: Celebrities and Food, Crime, Industry  AVENEL, N.J. (Fortune) -- There are a lot of unhappy lines in this recession, but this wasn't one of them. The people that snaked around Denny's restaurant in Avenel, N.J., may have been cold and wet, but no one was complaining as they stood in the snow, waiting for the restaurant chain to disprove the old myth that there's no such thing as a free lunch (or in this case, breakfast). "A free meal in an economy like this? Heck yeah," said Joe Barrera, who waited in line with his wife Tuesday to take Denny's up on its offer of an on-the-house Grand Slam breakfast. The two go to Denny's a couple of times a year, but that may change. "I'd give them my loyalty if they did this every once in a while," he said. By the time the couple got in line at 9:15 a.m., manager Sam Kaul estimated that almost 300 people already had been served. Normally he would have seen between 25 and 30 customers at that point in the morning. The phone hadn't stopped ringing, and he personally had answered more than 100 calls. "Free freaks people out," Kaul said as he shuffled in customers who had to wait about 20 minutes for a seat. "They call and say, 'What's the catch?'"  Lieutenant Chris Cowan said that sheriff's investigators in Richland County, South Carolina, where the alleged incident took place, are gathering more information about the photograph. Cowan did not specify what charge was being considered and declined to discuss details of the investigation. Phelps, the American winner of eight gold medals at Beijing 2008, this week apologized for his "regrettable" behavior and "bad judgment" after a Sunday newspaper published the picture, which was apparently taken at a party at the University of South Carolina in Columbia last November. The 23-year-old made no admission of what substance was involved, but major corporate backers, which include Speedo, Omega, Visa, Subway, and Kelloggs, have so far remained supportive, even though the episode is the second time he has fallen into controversy following an arrest for drunk-driving in 2004. Labels: Celebrities and Food, Crime, Industry  Celebrities Robert De Niro, pop star Justin Timberlake, and rapper Jay Z as well as celebrity chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten and "Top Chef" TV show judge Tom Colicchio are among restaurant owners who have been hit with lawsuits for mistreating employees at their posh eateries, including allegedly dipping into tips and refusing to pay overtime. The celebrity-owned restaurants have been hit with class actions representing hundreds of current and former workers. In one of the latest developments, the Nobu restaurant chain, in which De Niro is a partner, agreed to settle the case against it on Friday (Jan. 30) for $2.5 million, according to court papers. A hearing to approve the Nobu settlement is set for February 6. Two waiters sued in 2007 on behalf of hundreds of workers at three of the exclusive Japanese restaurants. They said they were forced to share tips with management and the chain, which charges high prices for its fare and also allegedly cheated them out of overtime pay. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and others, opened Nobu in New York's Tribeca area in 1994. It has since expanded to 16 locations around the globe. The settlement covers Nobu, Nobu 57 and Nobu Next Door, all in Manhattan. Current employees and ex-employees who worked there between August 2001 and August 2008 will get an average of $3,300 each, court papers said.More... Labels: Celebrities and Food, Crime, Industry, Kitchen Catastrophes  One morning last week, as she prepped the launch of her new magazine, Sandra Lee was taken aback. Why? She’d just celebrated Christmas a second time. “It’s snowing outside so I reset up all of Christmas in the show and if you see the shots, they’re breathtaking,” she said. The Food Network star is getting a jump on the photos for her holiday special, many issues down the road. Monday, her magazine, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, makes its newsstand debut. Inside, the cook known for her crafty use of grocery-store shortcuts shares tips about quick, foolproof decorating, cooking and entertaining, and features seasonally themed dinner party plans. The first issue includes her takes on Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. Good thing she’s got a jump on Christmas 2009. Though, if Lee has her way, even the mother of all holidays will be something that you can prep without too much pain.  The film directed by Nora Ephron, starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child. Labels: Entertainment, Notable Chefs  ONE of his television shows is called The F-Word, but celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's famous use of the expletive has landed him in hot water with British audiences. Viewers flooded Channel 4 with complaints after Ramsay swore 243 times in a two-hour screening of Gordon's Great British Nightmare on Friday, The Sunday Mirror reported. His language included "187 F-words", the newspaper said. Lib-Dem MP Don Foster told the tabloid: "This is getting beyond a joke. When you hear about this much swearing in a single programme, you're tempted to utter an expletive yourself. "We have got to tone it down because bad language on TV is seeping into society.'' An Ofcom spokesman said the UK's communications watchdog could not immediately comment on complaints received over the weekend. Labels: Critics, Entertainment, Kitchen Catastrophes, Notable Chefs The game debuted to poor reviews. Some things are better left to actual Chefs. Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine is a disgracefully bad attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Iron Chef. Labels: Entertainment, Lifestyle, Odds and Ends  The Rocky star joined Danny DeVito, Charlie Sheen and his Planet Hollywood restaurant partners at eatery Buca di Beppo in Hollywood on Wednesday night to celebrate its recent purchase. "If someone said you have to eat one kind of food for the rest of your life, Irish, English, German or Italian, it’s Italian," Stallone told Fox News of Buca di Beppo's fare. "And the beauty of this is, my wife doesn’t have to cook for a long, long time," Stallone joked. "Thank God." Labels: Celebrities and Food, Drink, Eat, Industry  Bernie Madoff's lawyer served up a sweet deal for a convicted fraudster - who moonlights as a chef - keeping him free on bail so he can help cater the Academy Awards. Vincent Montagna, who is represented by Ira Sorkin, pleaded guilty to defrauding his hedge-fund investors of $10 million in 2006, but has been out on bail ever since. More here... Labels: Crime, Notable Chefs  There is something special about food related graffiti in the bathroom. Labels: Entertainment, Odds and Ends  ...Trained by the Culinary Institute of America, studying under luminaries such as chefs Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Ferran Adria and working in some of the most diverse kitchens, including Daniel in New York, French Laundry in Napa Valley, Calif., and El Bulli in Spain, the nomad chef has cultivated a myriad of experiences. Years ago, he turned Fishbone from a flop to a foodie destination. For a six-month stint in 2003 and 2004, he served strange bites of gastronomic curiosities at his eponymous restaurant. Afterward, he successfully ran the back of the house at One Midtown Kitchen, and was recognized by Gayot Guide as one of the “Top Five Rising Chefs of 2005.” In 2006, he battled Mario Batali on “Iron Chef.” Then it was onto delighting senses in 2007 at Element Gastro Lounge + Food Lab, Blais’ molecular gastronomic cuisine forum. In 2008, we cheered for him in season four of “Top Chef” (he came in second place). Blais worked for a brief time in Tom Catherall’s Home restaurant in the fall. For the past year though, he’s been plotting something grandly simple, something so fun and entertaining that even the purist of palates could enjoy: Flip. In December, Blais and business partner Barry Mills opened the instantly and insanely popular Flip Burger Boutique in the urban, deconstructed Howell Mill Road area in West Midtown. The small restaurant is packed every day and night (closed on Sunday), but the tables turn quickly, and whatever time you have to hang out at the bar, sipping on an array of vino, beer, cool cocktails and vintage soda offerings, is worth it. Read the whole story here... Labels: Drink, Eat, Industry, Notable Chefs  Starbucks is to close more stores, sell a newly delivered $45m corporate jet and cut headquarters staff and worker benefits as it battles a slump in sales that has tracked the broader collapse in global discretionary spending.More here... |
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