Hale & Hearty: Celebrity Chef Soups

Hale & Hearty will feature celebrity chef-created soups from mid-January until mid-March of 2014. Chefs Geoffrey Zakarian, Andrew Carmellini, John DeLucie and Marc Murphy have been confirmed for now. A portion of the proceeds from each soup sold will be donated to charity.

Whole Foods Coming to Gowanus

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 17th— Whole Foods will be making its grand premier on Third and 3rd in Gowanus, Brooklyn, after eight tedious years of construction. This isn’t just any Whole Foods— the most highly-anticipated Brooklyn location will boast a rooftop farm and beer bar, a take-out noodle shop from Yuji Ramen and an array of artisinal specialties from Brooklyn producers.

“Food Box” Specialty Market Opens in Long Island City

Jamestown Properties, owners of Chelsea Market, recently opened “Food Box,” Long Island City, Queens’ newest specialty food market, inside the Falchi Building. So far four vendors have claimed their territory, selling Jamaican, Peruvian, Thai and Texan specialties, and an artisinal cheese shop is in the works. Food Box could just be be the “Chelsea Market” Long Island City has been longing for.

Isis Mobile Wallet: An Easy Way to Pay

Isis Mobile Wallet is a fast and secure way to pay using select Android phones. All it requires is for you to link an eligible American Express or Chase debit or credit card to your phone, hold the back of your phone to the contactless symbol at checkout, and your purchase is complete. This convenient Android app also consolidates offers and loyalty apps from nearby participating merchants so you no longer have to store coupons and cards in your wallet.

Jamba Juice is currently promoting the Million Free Smoothie or Juice Giveaway in partnership with Isis Mobile Wallet. Patrons who download the free app on their smartphone can receive one small smoothie or 12 oz. juice per day at all participating U.S. Jamba Juice retail locations until the company gives away one million of the juices and smoothies.

“Jamba Juice is committed to encouraging Americans to live a healthy lifestyle,” said Julie S. Washington, senior vice president and chief brand officer Jamba Juice Company. “Through this partnership with Isis, we are offering new and existing customers an easy way to enjoy more fruits and vegetables in their diets with just one tap on their smartphone.”

Chef John Besh’s Latest Venture: The BeshBox

Acclaimed New Orleans born-and-bred Chef John Besh recently added one more concept to his ever-growing brand: The BeshBox. Subscribers can find everything from edible delicacies to kitchen tools to signature washcloths. In response to what triggered him to develop his newest project, Chef Besh claimed, “It’s all part of the same thing, trying to make people happy through food and making the world a better place. That’s my line, and I’m sticking to it.”

One BeshBox is priced at $55; three are $160 and six months are $330.

As for the benefits of The BeshBox, Besh reveals, “I always thought if it’s handled properly, it would be such an asset. It’s not just a small gift every month. It starts to stock pantries and spice racks, and you can have the recipe cards all together. This thing can, and will, continue to grow and evolve.”

“Copycat Cuisine”: Is it Sharing or Stealing?

Nancy Kruse of Kruse Company, a company that analyzes food and menu trends, debates whether chefs’ culinary creations should be protected under “trade dress” intellectual property rights. Some wonder why recipes do not have the same legal protection as other operational attributes like logos, signage and decor. Trade dress currently protects authors and musicians, but chefs do not benefit from the same security.

In all fairness, the restaurant world has shrunk. Chefs respond to trends similarly and consequently use the same seasonal and/or trending ingredients to accommodate their target market. It’s no wonder resembling recipes appear in multiple venues, probably in an unintentionally sinister way.

Certain chefs advocate for recipe copyrighting because developing a recipe can be a lengthy process. Seeing their idea on another chef’s menu feels like a violation, understandably. Other chefs however, like Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin and Ferran Adrià of the former elBulli, perceive recipe imitation as a form of flattery. In fact, Chef Adrià encourages the free sharing of recipes and ideas amongst the chef community, and Chef Ripert admits to borrowing ideas from fellow chefs, including Chef Adrià.

Is recipe borrowing menu plagiarism, or just that— borrowing?

10 World-Class Female Chefs

In response to Time’s controversial “Gods of Food” story that almost completely disregarded female chefs, Grub Street payed homage to ten influential female chefs around the world. Time editor Howard Chua-Eoan didn’t manage to smooth things over with his sexist comment in response to why he chose to omit women, “because men still take care of themselves. The women really need someone — if not men, themselves actually — to sort of take care of each other.” Chua-Eon explained Time’s editors “did not want to fill a quota of a woman chef just because she’s a woman. We wanted to go with reputation and influence.”

Here’s Grub Street’s list of ten female chefs who do possess outstanding reputations and whose talents have influenced the restaurant industry:

Alice Waters: Chez Panisse, Berkeley

Elena Arzak: Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain; Ametsa, London

April Bloomfield: The Spotted Pig, The Breslin, The John Dory Oyster Bar, Salvation Taco, New York; Tosca Cafe, San Francisco

Anne Sophie-Pic: Maison Pic, Drôme, France; Restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic, Lausanne, Switzerland; La Dame de Pic, Paris, France

Dominique Crenn: Atelier Crenn, San Francisco

Christina Tosi: Momofuku Milk Bar, New York and Toronto

Judy Rodgers: Zuni Café, San Francisco

Clare Smyth: Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London, England

Gabrielle Hamilton: Prune, New York

Suzanne Goin: The A.O.C., Lucques, Tavern, the Hungry Cat, the Larder, Los Angeles

Thanksgivukkah Doughnuts

Alphabet City’s Zucker Bakery announced plans to introduce a treat that embodies the best of both Hanukkah and Thanksgiving: the “Thanksgivukkah” doughnut. The four versions of this savory holiday hybrid snack range from $3.50 to $5. These are the fillings, each enveloped by spiced pumpkin dough and powdered sugar:

Sweet Potato with Toasted Marshmallow

Turkey Cranberry

Turkey Gravy

Cranberry

M. Wells Steakhouse Opens Tomorrow

Eater announces husband and wife chef-owners Hugue Dufour and Sarah Obraitis, of the original M. Wells and the current M. Wells Dinette, will welcome their third M. Wells sensation tomorrow. Dufour hopes to serve delicacies such as lion meat and rattlesnake at M. Wells Steakhouse in Long Island City, Queens. A wood-fired grill, dessert cart, live lobsters and sea urchins are not out of the question either.

M. Wells Steakhouse will be open nightly for dinner except for Tuesdays, not including tomorrow’s opening day.

 

Push-Button Pizza-Delivery Service

Washington, D.C-based iStrategyLabs is in the process of launching an innovative way of ordering pizza. The “Pie Pal” widget allows users to select the number of pizzas they want delivered. With the push of an LED button, their wish is Domino’s command in thirty minutes time.

Pie Pal is currently seeking Beta testers.