TasteTV celebrates Brightcove annoucement

SAN FRANCISCO - October 30, 2006 - YouTube is no longer the last word in online video. TasteTV celebrates the major internet television announcement today of industry leader Brightcove by highlighting the testimonial video it created for the Brightcove.com launch. The TasteTV video can be seen at: http://corp.brightcove.com/content_owners/network/index.cfm#

Says a TasteTV spokesperson, "Today our partner Brightcove relaunched their Brightcove.com site, using some of the over $20 million in funding they have to move forward with a major strategic announcement which revolutionizes television on the Internet, and is 100% in line with what the Indie Food Channel (TasteTV) forecasted would occur over for the last two years."

TasteTV strongly believes that Brightcove is on the right path for Internet Television. When TasteTV launched in 2004, this was exactly the type of platform and service that it forecasted would develop, and the firm is therefore very happy to see it arrive right on time.

Says the TasteTV spokesperson, "Of course, we do like to joke that we also launched originally as the Indie Food Channel, but spent two years explaining to analysts and media watchers how we could 'possibly be a channel if we didn’t have a station or cable number.' I guess time has answered that question."

You can see the TasteTV video for Brightcove.com at:
http://corp.brightcove.com/content_owners/network/index.cfm#

TasteTV is listed under Food & Drink on www.Brightcove.com, and of course at www.TasteTV.com

About TasteTV
TasteTV, the Indie Food Channel, is the leading On Demand food, wine and lifestyle network, with exciting and delicious programs that range from chocolate, wine, restaurants and recipes to chefs, travel, fashion
& design. Taste It!

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Submit Your "Sexy Dishes" Video to TasteTV

TasteTV invites viewers to join us with your own episode of our program, "Sexy Dishes." Using either a professional, semi-pro, or even home videocamera, send us a short 1-3 minute video telling us about the sexiest dish you've ever had or made (and maybe even how you make it). Don't forget to tell us why it was so great (ie. maybe it was just the company you were keeping).

To get started, simply upload your video submission at TasteTV.com or at the link below.

For more information, go to: http://www.tastetv.com/foodchannel-sexydishes.html

Want to see our version? Check it out:

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Alternative Cooking Methods Show Promise

This blog from the contributors, producers and culinary correspondents at TasteTV at TasteTV.com

FOSTER JOHNSON/LOS ANGELES, Greetings to all y’all food enthusiasts, especially the folks in Northern California.

From down south I say “Howdeeeee”. Yes Taste TV - it is country come to town!

Your southern neighbor and roaming reporter at large has a concept for you to ponder. By the way, when I say Southern, I mean Southern California. And in Southern California you’ll find me on the patio, back porch or backyard grillin’ chillin’ testin’ and cookin’ up a storm at Outdoor Cooking World.

Well, just last week we received a rather interesting cooking contraption from a company in Eilburn Illinois. It is a self contained 22lb. solar cooker. Specifically a SUN OVEN, sent to us from Paul Munsen the Ceo of Sun Oven International.

You’ve heard a great deal of chatter about alternative fuel and the reduction of green house gasses, (especially in recent months as gasoline prices rose to ridiculous levels). So, what would you do with a device that requires no organic based fuel, produces an incredibly low level of carbon based pollutants and can cook anything from bread and pizza to a 12 rib standing roast, chicken (both fryers and broilers), baby backs, etc., all with only the radiant heat of the sun?

In the next few weeks we intend to take this oven hiking in the dessert east of LA and camping in the forest just north of Los Angeles county. Our goal is to see how steady the temperature can be held, as well as to determine if any relevant issues exist in the oven’s capacity to neutralize food born bacteria, especially when used on a not so optimum “sunny day”. I’ll let you know at the end of our test period; just how well this product performs.

You see, eating out at fancy smancy restaurants is all fine and dandy, but eating outside is “heaven on a patio bench”. To accomplish great oven based cooking outside, with no harmful airborne emissions and no requirement to run to the store for charcoal or propane – is like heaven on a cloudless day. Humanity in ancient times believed, if you could touch the sun you would touch the face of God. I’m ready for a little heavenly surprise that might be found in a 22lb. suitcase-like-contraption with fold out mirror panels. How about you?

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2006 BEST CUPCAKES AWARD: SAN FRANCISCO

2006 BEST CUPCAKES AWARD: SAN FRANCISCO

SAN FRANCISCO SOCIAL, 2006 Edition
presented by TCB CAFE Publishing & Media & TasteTV

TCB CAFE Publishing & Media and TasteTV announce the presentation of the Best Cupcakes Award: San Francisco, as originally listed in the publication, San Francisco Social 2006. The bakers that were selected represent the best quality, taste and presentation of this traditional comfort food in the San Francisco metropolitan area, as recommended by the editorial staff for TCB CAFE Publishing & Media and TasteTV.

The winners are:

1. Citizen Cake (Civic Center)

2. Noe Valley Bakery (Noe Valley)

3. Destination Bakery (Glen Park)
   

4. Blissful Bites (Laurel Village/Inner Richmond)

New awards will be presented in 2007 in San Francisco, Northern California, and other selected cities across North America.

ABOUT THE 2006 EDITION

TCB-Cafe Publishing & Media, creators of the bestselling titles, THE CAFES OF SAN FRANCISCO, CHOCOLATE FRENCH, PLAY AROUND THE BAY, and the title, THE FOOD OF FISHERMAN'S WHARF, has launched a new annual lifestyle magazine in book format, the first of which is SAN FRANCISCO SOCIAL (other metropolitan areas are in development). This publication captures and promotes many of San Francisco's most impressive organizations, clubs and associations. The groups featured are from different parts of the cultural spectrum, including social, sports, environmental, fundraising, community, education, and artistic, all of which make up the fabric of life and society in San Francisco. The once a year publication also includes articles on food, wine, collecting, finances, green architecture and organization management.

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Lessons from the Food Critics: 2 - Jan Newberry

Lessons from the Food Critics: 2

Want to know more about what it takes to be a professional food writer? View our ongoing series with those in the field. See Part 2 of our interview with food editor Jan Newberry.

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Myth Cafe Chef Interview by TasteTV - The Brown Bag Special

Myth Cafe



What makes the Myth Cafe's Brown Bag Lunch such a hot item (and why do so many feel the same way about the chef)? Take a look.

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Opal Ultra Lounge: MontBleu Resort , Lake Tahoe

Opal Ultra Lounge



TasteTV visits the swanky and tasty Opal Ultra Lounge, at the hip new MontBleu Resort , in beautiful Lake Tahoe. To see the video, go here:

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Laderach Swiss Chocolates on Chocolate Television - TasteTV

Laderach Swiss Chocolates on Chocolate Television - TasteTV

Get ready to salivate over Laderach's beautiful Swiss chocolates, as presented by Michael Freeman, of Cocoa Bella Chocolates, on TasteTV's Chocolate Television.

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TasteTV at TasteTV.com

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Dwell On Design Video / DWELL Magazine

DWELL on Design: #1

From the pages of the modern home magazine, DWELL, comes the DWELL on Design event, where the best in home and kitchen design, architecture, prefab and modular houses, and sustainable living is presented, viewed and discussed. See Dwell Magazine and Dwell on Design on TasteTV! (Ep. #1).

Attendees experienced architecture through the lens of prefab, sustainability, affordability and urban design. Dwell on Design Conference + Exhibition took place in San Francisco’s Concourse Exhibition Center during the heart of the AIA’s third annual Architecture and the City month.

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R&B singer Kelis Cookbook

The Denver Post (that's right, not TMZ or even in this case TasteTV) has got the celebrity buzz on food:

"R&B singer Kelis is so famous for her milkshakes she's planning a cookbook that will include a recipe for her tasty treat, among other things. Kelis was inspired to do the cookbook, she told World Entertainment News Network, after creating meals for her boyfriend and fellow performer Nas. "Most of my girlfriends don't cook 'cause they think it's too much work. In the book, I show people the basics so they don't get intimidated."

Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick usually are rivals on the court, but last week the two tennis aces were sous chefs for chef Mario Batali. Agassi and Roddick donned aprons at the Dacor Taste of Tennis party in New York, a precursor to the U.S. Open championships which began Monday. Russian star Maria Sharapova also showed off her culinary skills. The event raises money for City Harvest, a charity that collects excess food from shops and restaurants and then redistributes it to needy people around New York.

Clint Thoman, a bartender at TAO at Las Vegas' Venetian casino, has created a drink he calls the Britney Spears. The concoction consists of Stoli Raspberry, fresh raspberries, lemon wedges, sugar, sour mix and 7Up. Thoman told Las Vegas' Celebrity Week he brewed up the cocktail because "Britney is a down- "


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Rooting For the Home Team

History was made in San Francisco this past week when Michelin unveiled its first ever guidebook to the SF Bay Area and wine country. There was much hype about the premier, followed by stunned patrons, food critics and restaurateurs who gawked in disbelief at the renowned guide that failed to include some of their most beloved eateries.

The city was outraged. Newspapers and internet communities blasted the guide for having no understanding of San Francisco cuisine. Oversights, misquotations and blatant wrong information found in the guide were blazoned across the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday. People out here are mad.

I attended a panel discussion Wednesday evening consisting of four San Francisco food writers (one of them also a chef/restaurateur) and the infamous Jean-Luc Naret, the director of Michelin Guides.

Msr. Naret held his own among a panel of skeptical (and some downright outraged) local food writers and the audience members who supported them. Msr. Naret, although clearly outnumbered by Americans, carried himself with authority, dressed impeccably in a dark suit, hair slicked back and styled.

“We do not come here with French arrogance,” he finally said in defense to the numerous accusations from panelists and audience members that his inspectors (food critics) had a French bias.

It was invigorating to see San Franciscans up in arms about, what they felt, was a disservice to their cuisine. “Does it make sense to have Europeans come to America and judge San Francisco cuisine?” was a question brought up more than once.

Msr. Naret pointed out that 3 out of the 5 inspectors were San Franciscans, so our local opinion was, presumably, represented. According to Naret, the inspectors are directed to rate restaurants based on a global criteria, one that is designed to find merit in cuisines from all over the world, not just France.

People weren’t buying it. Audience members took the mic to defend their favorite restaurants that earned too few, or no, stars. What about Zuni, Chez Panisse, Globe, Canteen, Bodega Bay? Food lovers wanted answers.

During this charged rant, I looked down at my copy of the Michelin guide and saw it in a new light. Instead of seeing a bible, I saw a funny little marshmallow-like creature waving at me from the cover of the book. He could easily pass for a cousin of the Pillsbury Dough Boy. This funny little character followed me inside the pages, slurping his tongue over his upper lip to tell me about a restaurant of particularly “good value.” Is this Michelin Man the authority on food?

When it comes down to it, we do not need a guidebook to tell us how we should eat. Where we eat is based on personal instinct, referrals from friends, and sometimes simply what looks and tastes good at the moment. There are several guidebooks out there, many of which are written with opinions from locals. So there’s something out there for everyone.

Although it was clearly not the most popular opinion of the evening, a few audience members ventured to say that the Michelin guide offers an outsider’s perspective of San Francisco cuisine, which is not to be seen as a bad thing; it’s merely an opinion. Also, they argued, it’s an opinion that people outside of the area may find very useful.

San Franciscans will continue to patronize the restaurants where they like to eat, no matter what rating they receive in a bound book. If anything, I think they will become even more loyal to their favorites. From what I’ve observed around town this week, it’s evident that locals believe that cuisine has helped define San Francisco. And now these same San Franciscans are choosing to define their cuisine themselves, instead of deferring to the opinion of an outsider.

For those of you outside of the New York or San Francisco areas, Michelin plans on covering more U.S. cities in the near future. So, stay tuned.

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Cooking classes today are as much about entertainment

KAREN HERZOG of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says that "Cooking classes today are as much about entertainment as they are about picking up new recipes." No argument there from us.

She also says that Milwaukee, land of beer and sausages, is now a hot culinary spot and cooking classes and hands on chefs are leading consumer tastes and time. Here's a particularly good quote:

A "traveling" culinary school now holds court in rural settings such as farms and orchards. The chef prepares recipes with a farmer's field or apple trees as the backdrop.

It's the Food Network in our own backyard.

But area classes offer students at least one thing that celebrity chefs on television cannot: mouthwatering food available for sampling on site, said Barbara Nieft, director of marketing for the Bay View Community Center, which has sponsored food and nutrition classes for more than 20 years.

"We are successful because we offer something Emeril cannot," Nieft said, alluding to celebrity TV chef Emeril Lagasse.

So when TasteTV says it's going to Milwaukee, you'll know why! (maybe Too Many Chefs, Stoned Campbell Disciple, Lakeshore Laments, and Paper Palate will help us set it up)

By the way, we really like the blog Paper Palate and the Well Fed Network.

As a follow up this post, "Milwaukee is Named 'Drunkest City.' us bit completely a bad thing, if no one his behind the wheel of car.



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