The List

My mother is famous for saying, “I’ll make a list.” This can mean anything from a shopping list to a contents log for boxes stashed away in the attic. For Mom, there is a list for everything, and everything belongs in a list. Though I’m not quite as dedicated to organization, I do find lists to be handy for keeping track of some of the essentials in my life. Things like restaurants.

The concept is very simple: whenever I hear about a restaurant that piques my interest, I add it to my “Must-Try Restaurants” list. The List hasn’t quite reached spreadsheet proportions, but it’s definitely heading in that direction. Because there are a lot of different reasons why I go to restaurants, The List includes some vital statistics, plus some additional goodies that I find to be helpful in deciding where to eat on a given night. If you’re just starting out, here are the basics you’ll want to include in your restaurant list:

1. Name of restaurant
2. Address (also include the name of the neighborhood if the address isn't immediately familiar)
3. Phone number
4. Type of cuisine

For the hardcore among us, you may also want to include the following:

1. How you heard about the restaurant (If it turns out to be a good lead, you’ll want to remember where you got it from. And if it was a friend who referred the restaurant, they’ll be flattered when you thank them for such an expert recommendation.)
2. Hours of operation (This may require some initial research, but it will make future referencing very efficient.)
3. Website address (for quick menu perusal)
4. A brief description of the atmosphere and scene (Am I in the mood for intimate conversation or people-watching?)
5. Price range (If you’ve had a starving-artist month for income, you don’t want to mistakenly book yourself for dinner at the Four Seasons.)

The List has been incredibly valuable to me, since I am notoriously indecisive and have an unreliable memory to boot. Now when I’m asked, “Where should we go to dinner?” finding the answer is a snap. There’s no more brain-wracking, trying in vain to remember the name of that 7-syllable Greek restaurant somebody once told me about during a choppy cell phone conversation. Instead, I simply whip out The List and check out my options.

Looking for a hot new restaurant to try? Check out TasteTV’s profiles and chef demonstrations to see what America’s greatest kitchens are cooking up.

TV Land Adds New Broadband Video Player

Yet more activity on the web for niche or specialty television markets


"TV Land will launch a new broadband video player on its Web site late this summer which will allow fans to stream full-length episodes of both classic shows from the network's library along with TV Land originals.

The new broadband player will debut on Aug. 24 as part of a larger overhaul of TVLand.com.

Each month, full episodes of a single classic series will be featured, starting with the 1960s western Daniel Boone in September, followed by Star Trek and That Girl later in the year. In addition, in September, select clips and outtakes from the misunderstanding-filled Three's Company will be highlighted in the new channel.

While a growing number of cable networks have launched branded broadband video channels on the Web over the past year plus, most have focused on repurposing extra footage from original series owned by that particular network--such as MTV Overdrive's Laguna Beach After Show. "

TasteTV's MySpace Page

If you didn't know we had a MySpace page, then stop by and become a friend, leave a comment, and all that jazz!
The address for member "IC FoodTV" is http://www.myspace.com/indiefoodchannel

New TasteTV Host

Greetings! My name is Laurie Gauguin, one of the newest hosts on TasteTV. You’ve probably seen a few of my segments on the network, and I thought you might want to know a little bit about me.

I’m a chef and have worked in professional kitchens for the past 10 years. I’ve been hired to cook everything from fat-free vegan meals to decadent 5-course banquets. The past several years I’ve focused on pastries, after going back to school then apprenticed under a French pastry chef. So, I guess you can say I’ve done it all.

At times I’ve been challenged to coax flavors out of a limited variety of ingredients. Other times I’ve had every rich, decadent ingredient at my disposal and have been given carte blanche to make whatever I wanted. But, whatever a chef is getting hired to cook at the time, it’s always important to have a broad view of the culinary spectrum. My diverse professional background helps me to appreciate, and offer insight to, many styles of cuisine.

There are a lot of great things in store for TasteTV, and I’m excited to be a part of the lineup. I’m located here in San Francisco, and I can’t think of a better place to be. The abundance of farmers, vintners and artisan food producers is astounding and inspiring. Join us as we interview wine makers, watch cooking demonstrations from the hottest chefs and bring you inside some of the most renowned restaurants in the nation.

If you haven’t already seen it, tune into my “PS Chocolates” interview on “Chocolate Television” and watch me sample some incredible truffles and talk chocolate with Peter Schmitt, owner of PS Chocolates. There’s always something great happening on TasteTV, so tune in!

technorati tags:TasteTV, restaurants, video, content, food,
Chocolate, wine, recipes, cooking,
Restaurant Reviews,
Chef, ITV

We're Glad to be Aboard!

First, we, the producers of the How To video podcast, would like to thank TasteTV for inviting us to be a part of this exciting experience, and for letting us post to their blog! In our posts, we will talk about the experience of producing our show; discuss our philosophies on cooking, creativity and our business; and most importantly, with an emphasis on the easy-to-prepare and inexpensive, we'll share recipes, favorite foods, tips, and visit some of Madison, WI's most deserving hot spots.

I'd like to share a little about our show. HOW TO is an up and coming video podcast. Our hostess, Madeline, explores everything from the tried and true, to the newest and most exciting trends in fashion, fitness, entertaining, cooking, and so much more! We produce a food related episode about once per month, and for our submissions to TasteTV, we plan on adding a few "extras" that you won't get through our regular podcast feed. And next, a little about "us:"

About Madeline

Madeline has always been interested in media in all of it’s forms. She was the host of a local television show, was the 2005 Miss Latino Chamber of Commerce in Madison, WI, and has appeared on the cover of Madison Magazine. In addition, she likes cooking, crafting, and do-it-yourself projects.

Currently, she is focusing on developing and growing the video podcast, How-To, with Eric Wyeth.
Madeline lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her family and beautiful, obese cats.

About Eric

Eric has been videotaping professionally for over five years, and as a hobby since 1989. Apart from his roles as a Director of Photography, editor, director and producer, Eric also serves as a graphic artist, having designed many of the graphics seen on his web site, advertisments, and DVD menus. In addition, he also authors his company’s DVD content. Eric’s current interests lie in exploring opportunities in new media, specifically, the video podcast “How-To,” which is a collaboration between himself and Madeline Merced.

Eric works and lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his lovely wife, Judy, and his shy cat, Nova.

Excited to Join the Family!!

Hello Everyone,
I'm Falan Taylor- author of "Housewife Cuisine", self-published May 6, 2006.
I am very excited to be joining the TasteTV family. Here is a little bit about me:

I have a unique approach to cooking. Having never been formally trained at a top culinary school, I have earned culinary skills at home and distance learning opportunities such as Gourmet Cooking courses online. It's actually possible to learn to cook from home, and I did this by watching endless hours of cooking shows and distance learning course. I now have the opportunity to take cooking classes in Austin when ever I get the chance.
I have lived in both Italy and Germany during the past 4 years and it's been a world-wind of a ride- professionally. Having been around so many styles of cuisine. Styles that I had never been exposed to in America. I'm only 21 years old- turing 22 this August.

I moved to Europe with my husband when I was just 17 years old. He was in the Navy at the time and I was a high school senior. The military bases in Italy would not allow me to complete my education at their civilian school because of my marriage to my husband at that age. I had to find alternative options to graduating on time. I found homeschool to be the option for me and after being rejected from that school. I decided that if I could find a course for cooking from home after high school, then I would never be denied an education again for any reason.

This is when I came up with Housewife Cuisine. I thought it would be a great idea to show other women that you can teach yourself to be a great cook from home, through distance learning, cooking shows or cookbooks.

It takes great determination to teach yourself anything. I wanted to share my experiences with the world. I designed my own website www.housewifecuisine.com and wrote a cookbook with all the recipes I collected over the past few years. Even though my cookbook is self-published, I still dream big, REALLY BIG! Like many other self published books, there are slight errors- but you should get the idea that I'm trying to convey.

My cooking show, "Housewife Cuisine w/ Falan Taylor" is going to be apart of the Indie Food Channel's line up and I am oh-so grateful for this opportunity to tell my story through the kitchen.

If you only learn one thing in life from me, I would like you to learn that dreaming BIG will open doors that you never imagined. In less than one year, or nearly 6 months, I have gone from having everyone and their momma telling me that writing this book will NOT have any benefits instead of financial ruin and heartache. They also said I would not get my cooking show because things like that just don't happen to people like me( what ever that means). Well I am living proof that it does happen like that some time. What is there to life if you have no dreams, no goals, or anything to look forward too?

Dream BIG and Dream hard you can get there.

Falan Taylor

TasteTV Podcast: Chocolate Television 1

TasteTV's Chocolate Television podcast #1 visits Cocoa Bella Chocolates, and explores new American and Italian Chocolates. TasteTV.com.
ChocolateTelevision1.mov
ChocolateTelevision1.m4v

technorati tags:TasteTV, restaurants, video, content, food,
Chocolate, wine, recipes, cooking,
Restaurant Reviews,
Chef, ITV

TV's 'upfront' ad-selling season limps to A close

TV's 'upfront' ad-selling season limps to A close according to Marketwatch.com. And why is this? Basically because the viewers are going "on demand" to view what they want when they want. They're watching video iPods/iTunes, internet television, cable's Video On Demand, cell phones, you name it. They're just not as hungry to watch scheduled programming on television, at least that's what it says here:

"Advertisers are increasingly looking to other, more targeted media such as cable TV and the Internet to reach their customers. Also, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), a major advertiser, is sitting out the upfront season this year to adjust its ad-buying schedule more closely with the budgeting process for its own brands.
"The market was soft this year, reflecting some movement of marketing funds away from traditional media to more emerging media," Tim Spengler, director of national broadcast at Initiative Media Worldwide. Also, soft demand resulted in a slower than usual marketplace, Spengler said. "In stronger years, there's more of a sense of urgency."

'Ze Famous Clotilde in America

The famous Clotilde, of Chocolate and Zucchini blog fame, just passed through Amercia. if you didn't have chance to meet her, c'est dommage. We hear she's got a great personality, and of course we all know she knows food. We've traded a few emails with her in the past, and she genuinely is sweet. To see more about her US Travels, go to Chocolate and Zucchini

Created some new Intro videos for TasteTV

We completed some cool new intro videos for TasteTV. The best one is on the home page of TasteTV.com, but the other two are on our MySpace page.

here's one of them on Myspacee:

Intro video sample on Myspace



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http://indiefoodchannel.blogspot.com/