Two years ago (seems like a lifetime ago) I visited Akiva Resnikoff at his original cookie bakery in Emeryville, California. At the time he was making a few functional cookies and delivering locally to a few cafes and stores. With a goal to grow, The Cookie Department took some smart steps: Raised funds by running a successful Kickstarter campaign. Decided to… Read more →
One day while at a local cafe, a conversation at the table next to me caught my ear. Lisa Curtis was discussing superfood Kuli Kuli Bars with a food product development gal. The bars, using the moringa leaf, and the story intrigued, and Lisa agreed to a spontaneous video interview (also as part of my Cafe a Day project). Hear… Read more →
We used to bring “artigianale” products home from Italy for all the reasons that the Slow Food manifesto raved about: the uniqueness, the good flavor and the story. Today this farmer’s market vendor whose products I really love fumbled with apologies that some labels left off “organic” and some flavors came in pre-cut varieties while others didn’t. He seemed so… Read more →
Food photographer Iris Richardson came to the 2013 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP ) conference for tips and connections. Instead, that’s what I got from her. Based in New Jersey, Iris shoots photos for food brands from the multi-national to small artisanal startups. This former chef-turned-longtime-photographer offered some valuable advice for food companies getting ready to translate their good… Read more →
The year’s biggest trend was: NOTHING! The phrase “free from” so stood out that at times the food companies giving their spiels were so busy rattling off what the products were free from, they forgot to talk about the actual product benefit. Packaging trends reflected the long list so free from gluten, GMO, transfat…with more information-packed designs, some tapping into… Read more →
As I pat myself on the back for resisting dipping my Greek Shepherd Bread into olive oil (something I cannot resist when Judy’s Love Sticks* are on hand)), I thought the first in my series of ExpoWest wrap ups should suitably begin with the most memorable of the tens of thousands of calories I must have consumed in “better for… Read more →
Popcorn over runneth this year’s ExpoWest, in a variety of delicious flavors and forms. So how did Quinn Popcorn rise to the top like…yes, a bag of microwave popcorn as my most innovative best product pick? It was a no brainer. 1. The packaging and instructional design kick ass. Would that all startups could have a designer on the team…. Read more →
We always heard those stories about Russians lining up in the dead of winter to get ice cream. And aside from people lining up in the California winter, I’m not quite sure that sight has graced any U.S. ice creamery. So I always wondered, in the non-ice creamish season, could a shop serve something else to offset the downtime? Recently… Read more →
Food accessibility for seniors, people on budgets and people with mobility problems are my big food security bandwagons. So when I met Sea Fare Pacific at the Fancy Food Show, the Oregon-based company’s tuna-in-a-pouch immediately caught my eye. Sure albacore tuna fished off the West Coast packed only with salt sounded appealing as an alternative to canned circles of tuna… Read more →
There’s a crazy plethora of food business events happening this March across California. As they appeared in my inbox, a visual road trip crossed my mind. March 7-10th, 2013 a big chunk of the natural food world will flock to ExpoWest in Anaheim, California. On March 10th hop in your car (preferably not at rush hour) to head north to… Read more →
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