Hot Cocoa Is DeathbedFood.
For 2018, In-N-Out Burger added a new menu item – the first in more than a decade: hot cocoa. It made big news among the burger set as In-N-Out rarely adds items to its highly successful short list of burgers, fries and shakes. Immediately after reading the news, I discovered that a nearby bakery, M.H. Bread + Butter in San Anselmo, also introduced it to their menu! Coincidence?
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RAMON RISING – The Movie Teaser
In October, I announced that my company, The Documentary Studio, is producing a new feature documentary called RAMON RISING about the incredible life story of Ramon Resa. Now, I’m happy to report that the film trailer is ready for viewing.
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Whole Foods’ Market Research Mines Millennials
Corporate America drools over selling to the young. Companies spend over $40 billion globally for market research each year – my guess is 90% is focused on Millennials. The $40 billion question is, is it worth it? In the case of Whole Foods 365, the answer is YES.
Whole Foods 365 {Photo: LA Times}
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In Praise of Probiotics for Crops
Probiotics are good for us. They are good bacteria that balance out our systems and help build our immune systems. Apparently, they are good for plants as well. Probiotics for crops may start an agricultural revolution, one that reduces our need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides on a scale way beyond organic farming.
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Starbucks and I to Bust a Move in Shanghai
Starbucks just announced that it’s going to open a 30,000 square foot store in the city in late 2017. As Nick Brown of Daily Coffee News reported, it will be Starbucks’ first international Reserve-brand roastery and tasting room. And it will be high-profile, located in the glitzy Taikoo Hui Project now being developed in one of the world’s busiest shopping destinations.
Planned Taikoo Hui Project {Photo: HKR International}
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Food Cart Puts Money Where It Counts
BREAKING: The New York Times reports that The Halal Guys food cart in New York is donating $30,000 to a local college in Queens. Hail The Halal Guys.
Photo: Halal Guys Facebook
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Soda Can Be Good For You – And Your Community
A few days ago, Mark Bittman published a piece in The New York Times about Philadelphia entitled “Taxing Sugar to Fund a City.” In it, he explains how Philadelphia may implement a precedent-setting 3-cent soda tax soon.
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Sick of Antibiotics in Fast Food
I saw an article today on Marion Nestle’s Twitter feed called “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: The Hidden Costs of Antibiotics in Fast Food.” I’ve known for awhile that antibiotics have been used in our food supply and haven’t been happy about it. But this single infographic showed so many startling statistics that I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
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Fed Finally Makes New Rules on Food Safety
48 million Americans become sick with food-borne illnesses and 3,000 die every year. As the New York Times reported last month, the Federal government has passed food industry rules to reduce those statistics. Sadly, those rules come 5 years after Congress passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), a law aiming to ensure the food supply is safe by shifting the focus to preventing food contamination rather than responding to it. I shutter to think about how many people became sick or died during those 5 years.
Photo: CA Dept of Public Health
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Jonathan Gold’s Good (Food) Writing
Thanks to Wayne’s World, the name Jonathan Gold sends waves of “I’m not worthy” through my head. Gold is the food writer in this town – maybe in the world. He’s the Los Angeles Times’ restaurant critic with fans all over. His @TheJGold Twitter feed has almost 72,000 followers – more than Senator Barbara Boxer, Michele Bachmann and innumerous B-list celebrities. But most intimidating to me is that he won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2007 – the first restaurant critic to do so. I want to write like him.
Read more …
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OLDER NEWS:
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LACMA Should Showcase Korean Food
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Thankful for Taco Bell’s Biscuit Tacos
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Organic Spinach Listeria Hysteria
Farmshop LA Says Emailing Harms Others’ Appetites
Bill Hader Cultivates Chipotle Food For Thought
Prince Bans Phones | Why Restaurants Should Too
Is Paula Deen’s Diabetes Worthy of a Scarlett Letter?