You know the type – there are some people that the moment they step foot in the kitchen, everyone magically disappears. Is there hope for them? Or are they doomed for a life of eating of breakfast cereal and burnt toast?
Photo Credit: Sheep Purple @ flickr
We are moving away from highlighting the best chefs around to taking the worst of the worst, and teaching them the tricks of the trade. Starting January 3 on the Food Network, twelve chefs will divide into two teams and compete in a culinary bootcamp under the careful direction of Anne Burrell and the other led by Arizona chef Beau MacMillan. Each team member will learn kitchen techniques and apply these skills in weekly elimination rounds. In the end – they must prepare a 3-course meal for a team of food critics, who just happen to think it is Burrell and MacMillan preparing their tasty treats. The grand prize – a $25,000 cash prize – to use however they would like – perhaps to um, open their own restaurant. Well, we’ll see about that.
Will you schedule this humorous, disaster-filled show of culinary explorations into your Sunday night TV schedule? Or, is the Food Network going too far away from the real reason that you tune in?
Worst Cooks in America will premiere at 10:00 pm on January 3, on the Food Network.
While wine charms have their place, I think it’s always great to see a refreshing idea. These beautiful cocktail napkins will do their job (and let you keep track of your wine glass or your Coke or coffee) while still adding a unique touch to your table. They were designed by Carol Pulitzer of Butterfly & Co. and sell for only $18 (for a set of 6). Did you realize that they are actually numbers, but look like a piece of art? How Genius! They are a perfect hostess gift, too. In addition to cocktail napkins, Butterfly & Co. also offers guest towels, greeting cards and children and maternity tees.
I know we’re not a trade publication, but I read something recently that I found extremely interesting in Today’s Restaurant News. This was an excerpt from Howard Appell’s letter from the editor in the last issue, “I just heard a story about how during WWII sugar was being rationed and in short supply. Pepsi Cola was an upstart company and Coke was the main soft drink Company. Coke pulled back most of their advertising, thinking they could not deliver anyway. Pepsi on the other hand increased their advertising and when the war ended they became a major player over night because of the name recognition and the demand they had built up.”
This definitely made me think. As many restaurants are struggling during the off season and because of the state of the economy, they often think that pulling advertising dollars is the answer. Is this the time to let things fall through the cracks, or is it time to step things up a bit and increase your share of the market? Definitely, a thought to ponder.
Photo Credit [248am.com]
Experts tell us that sipping a few glasses of wine per day can be healthful. Wines (especially red wines) contain anti-oxidants and anti-ageing properties that not only give us that warm and fuzzy feeling, but now, when applied externally, seem to firm up and actually rejuvenate the skin.
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