Added 26 November, 2013
While the bacon fad is already waning, hastened by bacon vodka and bacon-flavored toothpaste, the world needs a new obsession to fill the void. One strong contender is fried chicken. The down-home specialty is showing up on fancy food menus all around the world, and upscale fried chicken shops are opening in fancy neighborhoods from Brussels to...
Added 22 November, 2013
US-based outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia has been branching out the last few years to put their name on all manner of outdoor adventure equipment. Acknowledging that craft beer is a burgeoning trend, particularly with the upscale weekend camping set, the brand has partnered with New Belgium Brewing to put the Patagonia name on a new organic...
Added 20 November, 2013
Starbucks is so ubiquitous, the joke goes, that they just opened another Starbucks inside a Starbucks. In many cities around the world, you can't walk a few minutes in any direction without seeing one of these coffee shops. Now the brand is going even further by putting a shop inside a rail car. In cooperation with the Swiss train operator SBB,...
Added 12 November, 2013
Now that fancy pants bartenders are called "mixologists" and are getting top billing, just like star chefs, it is inevitable that more ingredients from the kitchen should make their way into drinks on the bar. Connoisseurs of olive oil know that many of the best ones go down smooth, be a bit fruity and have a wildly peppery finish. That is what is...
Added 8 November, 2013
Nestlé is behind the world's first museum-quality exhibition for 3D-printed chocolate, at the Museum of African Design in Johannesburg. The show features works by 10 local artists that are printed entirely from chocolate. The all-digital process used free online modeling tools and a printer that normally prints using plastic filament. Will 3D...
Added 8 November, 2013
Nestlé's pledge means that none of its 150 European factories will create any waste that is not reused. That means that there will be no garbage, nothing to go to the landfill and nothing to be incinerated, unless they use it to create energy in the process. What most people don't know is that the company has already met this goal in almost 10...
Added 7 November, 2013
There's been lots of talk about 3D printing over the last couple of years. Much of this chatter has been from technology doubters who complain that real applications haven't been happening. At least fast enough for them. Now, McDonalds one of the largest retail businesses in the world, is considering putting a printer in every restaurant so they...
Added 1 November, 2013
Food and beverage companies often jump on fads quickly in hope of making a quick buck before the fickle market changes its mind. Another strategy is to put lots of products into the marketplace with the knowledge that most of them will fail, but a few will become hits. Fair Quinoa Vodka apparently looked at the market and decided to through the...
Added 31 October, 2013
Regular readers are aware of the emergence of cat cafes in Japan, England and elsewhere, where patrons are surrounded by dozens of felines. Now, in Tokyo and beyond, several cafes have opened that are chock full of owls. Known locally as "fukurou cafes," there are at least a half-dozen in Japan. Some allow patrons to hold the birds, while others...
Added 28 October, 2013
Food tourism is huge these days. Travelers are choosing destinations based on the restaurants there, making reservations far in advance, and centering their vacations around food. The trends surrounding food these days are related to being sustainable, organic, local and small-batch. Put the travel trend and food trend together and you get food...