Nourish the Thought

Your Five Senses - Your Last Supper

Recently I came across the book, My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews and Recipes by Melanie Dunea. The author wrote to 50 famous chefs and asked them to describe their last ideal meal.  I found some of their responses to be surprising and as distinct as the chef themselves.  And the Vanity Fair - style portraits only add to the work.  Each revealing the personality of the chef.  I mean, who wouldn't expect Anthony Bourdain to pose nude, except for a strategically placed butchered leg bone.

As I flipped through it I couldn't help but wonder what my last supper might be.  Would I choose something daring & unfamiliar or would I turn to my favorite comfort foods, either homemade or restaurant favorites.  Giving this more thought, my only question might be how many courses am I allowed?

So, if you had to describe your ideal last meal, what would it be?

Live from Sial - Final Day

The last day in the beautiful city of Montreal started out with an alarming surprise.  It was about 4:00 AM that fire alarms and sirens started blaring through the inside of the Hyatt hotel.  The PA system was telling everyone to evacuate immediately.  Oddly enough, I had slightly awoken earlier smelling smoke but just dismissed the thought.  I threw on my jeans & flip flops then grabbed the passport and computer then started the 10 story decent down the staircase with all of the other blurry eyed & stunned guests.  The smell of smoke was strong and the overall vibe expressed the concern and confusion of all.  The hotel guests piled into the street and camped out in the cold, as Montreal's finest began to take on the fire, squelching the billowing smoke and flames.  Within an hour, all was well under control and we ventured back to our rooms for a couple hours of sleep.

That had to be one of the more interesting hotel experiences I have had as of late.

Sial was a refreshing, but late start to the day.  One more look at the passion put into the craft of the products displayed at the conference.  The key to innovation is relevance - relevance to the consumer in benefit, pleasure, health or practicality.  Another commonality between top innovators is the creation of a unique, ownable point of difference.  True innovation truly changes the landscape!

In an attempt to decode & illustrate the innovations that I experienced these past 3 days, let's touch on what was mentioned yesterday on the blog, as some of the overarching trends:

• Citizenship = eco or social conscience
• Sensory Experience = we use all 5 senses when we experience food and beverages
• Premium = a sophistication of product deliverables; delivers a promise to consumers
• Convenience = we all feel the daily time crunch of our schedules and lifestyles
• Human Element = touches people on an emotional level, resonating a response
• Exotism = this is about perception and the way products make us feel; think super foods, the allure of African spices and fruits, foods from Spain
• Healthful Quality = nutrition, natural, organic, green
• Small is BIG! = appropriate portions, bite-size indulgences
• Complex Flavors =  bottom line - it's gotta taste good; full bodied flavor profiles with depth
• Dark = as in chocolate
• Fruits are everywhere = used as a major ingredient call out

Food IQ would love to start a consortium of trend and innovation ambassadors from around the globe.  Shoot me an email (right side of the blog under "email me") detailing your innovation findings or discovered trends.  We would love to see what is happening at world tradeshows, in restaurants, on grocery store shelves, in magazines and in your lifestyle.

Food for Thought: when you deliver an innovative product to a consumer - be sure to deliver on your promise!

Live from Sial - Day 2

Day 2 has found my eyes opening wider and my mind sponging every ounce of creativity.

There were a lot of fabulous Canadian products showcased at Sial; my favorite being maple caramel.

The overarching buzz at Sial came from the following call outs:

• Organic & natural
• Premiumization
• Fruits - exotic seemed to have bigger call outs
• Authentic ingredients/techniques
• Sustainable/environmental concerns

One of my favorite products today was avocado oil from Chile.  The vibrant color embellished the thought of we all eat with our eyes first.  The assertive flavor and creamy smoothe mouthfeel is condusive to an array of culinary possibilities.  Another interesting product was square veggie chips with flavors like herbes de provence, sundried tomato & basil and pesto.

Innovative packaging and innovations in food & beverage go hand in hand; as packaging can be that point of difference that positions the product with an ownable point of difference.  It was interesting to walk the show and see what caught my eye and then reflect on why some products resonated more than others.  For me, simple clean packaging that evokes an emotional connection or functional solution is key.

more tomorrow...

Live from the Sial Conference in Montreal

I have the fun and excitement of attending the Sial Conference in Montreal for three days, checking out the latest food & beverage innovations from around the globe.  Sial is the platform for revealing new and emerging trends.  Brands, products and businesses from Canada, the U.S. and more than 80 countries have gathered in this vibrant display of passion for their craft.

A fine combination of the aroma of Scotch whisky with the unique taste of black tea with honey; paper thin wisps of California wine wafers, yes I said wine wafers that turn into a sinfully good after-dinner treat when splashed with a small sip of wine; ice cider-maple liquors-and honey wines that will warm your heart and soothe your soul; acai-goji berries-pomegranate-baobab-hibiscus-ginger-cranberries are all poised to continually fill store shelves and resonate with our healthful lifestyles; 100% aloe vera drinks that not only taste great, but also give you the health benefits that have been touted since 1500 B.C. 

Ok, if that wasn't a mouthful of innovation to make your mind wonder and appetite beckon for more - then try to put yourself in this epicurean's shoes soaking in all of the products at Sial.  I am gleefully experiencing sensory overload to say the least.

The most unique product of today was water in a tube.  Think of natural water encapsulated in a "toothpaste" type recyclable aluminum tube with a screw top cap.  It is highly portable and holds cold, better than plastic.  Other notables were the array of African fruits & spices that reiterrated what we had thought were upcoming flavors.  I was suprised by the array of pickled vegetables, pestos, tapenades and various spreads and/or preserves.

At the conclusion of the days events, I spent the evening walking the Rue Notre Dame and Rue Saint-Paul; enjoying the sights and a good meal.

Pics will be posted on the blog shortly.

more tomorrow...

Your Five Senses - Pizza Goes Green

"Saving The Earth One Pizza At A Time"

This is the tag line for a relatively new pizza company called Pizza Fusion.  Micheal Gordon and Vaughan Lazar started this upscale gourmet pizza parlor in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida a few years ago with the mantra of serving pizza in it's purest form.  This company is completely dedicated to as they call it "sustainable business". 

Pizza Fusion was built literally from the ground up on the idea of being environmentally conscious.  The concrete is composed of 30 % recaptured industrial concrete, drywall is made from 95% post-consumer content, ceiling panels are 74% recycled aluminum cans and 24% post industrial metals.  They are offsetting 100% of their energy usage with the purchase of renewable wind energy certificates, and what I think is the coolest way they are "green" is their delivery vehicles are hybrids.

Now let's get to the pizza; Pizza Fusion presents a 75% organic menu, featuring an eclectic offering of gourmet pizzas, sandwiches, salads, desserts and organic beers and beverages. With 20 organic and 14 natural topping options running from arugula, sun dried tomatoes to wild caught Key West shrimp.  The beverage selection is comprised of Boylans natural sodas, Naked Juices and Butte Creek Brewing's organic brews among others.  Pizza Fusion has something for everyone who is earth friendly.

So, in honor of Earth Day (April 22) please send any natural or organic businesses in your area, and we would be happy to showcase those on this blog.

Our Five Cents - Sneakers

Ok, here's our extravagant tip - so we talked about the cool Nike kicks; but what we left out was an even cooler sneaker storage trunk (on wheels), by Pinel & Pinel, for you to get your investment off the cluttered closet floor and showcase them like they deserve to be.

While you are at it, before you slip off your leather bling, clean your sneakers with Jason Markk.  It is supposed to be the sneaker cleaning end all be all.

That's it - 5 cents worth of sneaker info for the fanatics.

Costa Rica Baby!!!

Just got back from a weeks vacation in Playa Azul, Costa Rica!  The food was simply prepared, fresh, full of high flavor & quite delicious.  Local favorites were rice & black beans; marvelous ceviches; anything mango and limes as a flavoring agent.

My most memorable food experiences were the quite interesting "Club Burger" consisting of two buns with lettuce/tomato/onion sandwiched with a hamburger patty, a 4 ounce grilled chicken breast, 2 strips of bacon and a hard fried egg.  You gotta cowboy up for this one.  Another was the homemade habanero hot sauce a street vendor was splashing over her freshly scooped bowls of beans & rice (out of the back of a truck) - this one will jack you up.  Another indelible memory was the back woods excursion, off the beaten path to a local pescaderia, which was actually someone's home.  We bought fresh Dorado and U-10 shrimp to cook back at our place; as well as, scored a fresh melon from the yard as we exited.  Needless to say - that evening's dining experience was amazing.

All of the food expressed the passion of the people that prepared it.  Check out the pics posted on the bottom right side of our blog.  Enjoy!

Your Five Senses - High Fructose Corn Syrup

For today's post I am wondering what's next?  With Trans Fat being removed from just about everything in both restaurant products and supermarket offerings, I can't help but wonder what is next to be "removed"?

One theory is that whatever food or ingredient deemed to be unhealthy or potentially life threatening to our kids is what gets the most buzz and attention, therefore could be the next target.

For me, a mom of a one year old, I have been paying more attention these days to High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Will it be the next ingredient targeted for removal or at least some sort of regulation/labeling within the food industry? What do you think?

What is High Fructose Corn Syrup? Is as sweetener made from corn. It is composed of either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, with the remaining sugars being primarily glucose and higher sugars.

In addition to providing sweetness at a level equivalent to sugar, HFCS makes food such as bread and breakfast cereal "brown" better when baked, gives chewy breakfast bars their soft texture and also protects freshness. HFCS keeps products fresh by maintaining consistent moisture.

So it it bad for us and our kids?  The fact that it has sugar in the name puts it in a category to be mindful of for most. And it is found it tons of things: soda, granola bars, jellies cereals, cookies, candies, pastry, bread, ketchup, cough syrup, crackers, whipped toppings, pickle relish, cranberry sauce, ice cream, salad dressing and those are just a few of the major areas.

So I am wondering a few things:

1. How do you feel about HFCS? Do you think it should be the next target for removal or regulation?

2. What's the most surprising food item you found HFCS to be found? Where was it listed? #2 in the ingredients list or #10?

3. If it is a listed ingredient and let's say it falls in the first five, does it change your mind about purchasing that product?

Our Five Cents - Soda or Coffee?

More than half of you agree with me; soda in the morning, not coffee.  But why are so many of us choosing this cold, caffeinated morning beverage?

Could it be rebellion?

If you grew up in a house similar to mine, Mom had the final say, and it was never, "Make sure and drink your soda in the morning."

Now I can have soda whenever I want.

Young adult phenomenon?

Harry Balzer, an NPD executive vice president who has studied American eating habits for more than 25 years, said the growth of soda for breakfast is probably related to the fact the heaviest consumers of soda are the 18 to 25 year old group.

In all actuality, it shouldn't be too surprising that soda as a breakfast choice is rising.  According to a study commissioned by a milk group, nearly half of the U.S. population 4 years and older, consumes soft drinks on any given day.

And yet, despite this growth in popularity of soda for breakfast, both Coke and Pepsi have formed alliances with coffeehouses.  Pepsi distributes Starbucks products and Coke has partnered with Caribou Coffee, the nation's second largest coffeehouse chain.

So it seems no matter your beverage of choice in the morning or your reasoning for drinking it, the debate over which is better to have will continue.

Your Five Senses - New Nike kicks

I think a road trip to Japan is in order; as one very hip sneaker has been released oversees by Nike - but unfortunately it has not made its way to the U.S.  I thought my Steve Madden's and Josef Seibels were pretty stylish...but they may take a momentary back seat.          

These Wingtips rock!  A patent leather wingtip design on a sneaker; who woulda thunk it?  These have a lot of style and allow you to show your personality; dress em up or dress em down - they would be sure to get attention.  Looks like they have the comfort and quality of Nike and the edge of something unique.

In a recent online article; Lauren Arvonio, a spokeswoman for Mindset Media, said sneaker buyers were more likely to fly by the seat of their pants.  "It is often said you can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear, and now we have some hard data to back that up," Arvonio told Reuters.  I get the whole shoe thing - and these would definitely make a personalized statement.

Mindset Media, a media company that examines personality traits of different consumers, found that people who buy more than three pairs of sneakers a year are 61 percent more likely to have the qualities of a modern leader.

These qualities were defined as having ideas and vision, and a style with others that is both inclusive and decisive.  The survey of 7,500 people, using market research group Nielsen's online panel, found multi-sneaker buyers were 50 percent more likely to be very assertive and 47 percent more likely to be spontaneous.

I don't know about you, but I could wear the heck out of these.  Or at least until another cool look was discovered (although I am in the 1 to 2 pair of sneakers per year range).  What is the coolest shoe, shirt, hat, piece of jewelry or funky accessory that you own or have seen?  Let's see if we can compile a group of personal style pics that would make any shopaholic envious.