Hive to Honey

Classic, in fact, was the watchword of the night. “I just wanted to do a straight-up, classic burger,” said former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn of Washington’s Good Stuff Eatery, the defending champion, clad in a boxer’s robe and wearing a giant title belt. “We do classic burgers at Bill’s,” said Brett Reichler, chef of [...]

First came YouTube videos documenting the explosive results of shaking up Mentos and Diet Coke. Now, Bon Appetit notices this: Shutterbugs from around the (virtual) world are capturing the very moment their cookie splashes into their cup of coffee and posting the images on Flickr.
Village Voice

For most fast-food companies, uniformity is key. But SPoT Coffee Ltd. (SPP.V) takes a different approach to building its brand.
Unlike its gargantuan and well-established competitors — Starbucks and Tim Horton’s — the tiny coffeehouse chain doesn’t make sure every location offers the same selection of gourmet brews, baked goods, and sandwiches. Rather, says director Alex [...]

Culver City, Calif., is the home of the newest location of one of Los Angeles’ indie chains, Pitfire Artisan Pizza. The concept is poised to become an indispensable part of the culinary landscape in the city — especially with the location’s new “utilitarian-chic” design that incorporates natural elements, including the food diners will eat.
As guests [...]

Consider chili.
It’s hot, hearty and appropriate to serve in winter months, to be sure, but that’s not the only reason it’s currently restaurateurs’ favorite comfort food.
Chili appears on 43.2 percent of the 6,000 menus that research company Datassential surveys, far outstripping fried chicken, which is on 27.5 percent of those menus, and crushing macaroni and [...]

Mr. Achatz, the mastermind behind the award-winning restaurant Alinea, has been taking his molecular gastronomy skills from the kitchen to the bar—and he’s not alone. A growing number of chefs—including Restaurant Eve’s Cathal Armstrong, WD50’s Wylie Dufresne and Jean George’s Johnny Iuzzini—are embracing the cocktail as the latest frontier to flex their culinary creativity. Mr. [...]

Last month sleek new restaurants with sophisticated menus opened in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Arts and Design. The Whitney Museum of American Art has just announced plans to open a new cafe during the second half of this year, to be run by the celebrated restaurateur Danny Meyer, and at [...]

After more than 125 years in existence, the brand is spending more than $50 million on its first campaign to extend across all of its meaty products: bacon, hot dogs, premade sandwiches, bologna and sliced packaged meats.
The brand wanted to emphasize its name beyond just a few well-known products, said Sean Marks, director for marketing [...]

Most of the marketing rules we lived by just five years ago are practically obsolete. The industry has faced more changes in the last five years than in the previous 50. Let’s face it, there’s no point in improving broken legacy models. Since necessity is the mother of invention, let’s not waste this recession and [...]

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