food

In a rough economy your shopping might be limited to the basics. But no matter how bad things get people still need to eat.

At the recent Pebble Beach Food and Wine event sponsored by American Express Publishing, I sat down with celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck. Since arriving in Los Angeles back in 1975, Puck has expanded his empire from his flagship Hollywood restaurant Spago to supermarket pizzas and frozen foods. Wolfgang says he wanted to create food that people could afford when money is tight.  read more »

The weak economy may have cost you a job or a raise, or even what food you buy.

I spoke with celebrity chefs Jacques and Claudine Pepin at last weeks Pebble Beach Food and Wine event sponsored by American Express Publishing. The stars of their own PBS shows said the recession has forced people to economize on what food they buy, by becoming more aware of using all their food and avoiding waste. Claudine says people are finding better ways to make leftovers more palitable and cooking more meals at home with local products. And in order to stay in business this is a tactic Claudine says more restaurant chefs should adopt.  read more »

Most people don't like risking their dinner on a restaurant where they've never been. So if you want your meal to be worth your money there's only one go to guide for everything edible.

The 2010 Zagat guide was just released and its pages are filled with everything you need to know about nearby eateries. From the best family restaurant to the best newcomer to the best bang for your buck the Zagat guide ranks restaurants on their food, cost, service and ambiance.  read more »

In todays weak economy, consumers are cutting back on frills such as eating out. Not good news for restaurants hoping to fill their tables.

At the recent Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival sponsored by American Express I talked with Roy Yamaguchi, Head Chef and Founder of Roy's popular restaurant group about how he views the recession. Yamaguchi says its all about location.

"For us we have locations in a lot of different cities so some of the cities of course have taken a bigger hit than others. For instance in Honolulu our restaurants are still doing quite well but on Maui with the failure of two airlines and the lack of tourism on that island our business is tremendously down."  read more »

The state of the economy has devastated many industries but what about food. Can the restaurant business survive this recession?

At last weeks Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival sponsored by American Express, French Chef and TV personality Jacques Pepin told me that while the food business is doing fine now it the time for more people to learn their way around a kitchen.

"I think the business of food is as great if not greater than it has ever been even with the recession. Actually it may be a catalyst for people to cook even their own stuff, or do a little gardening or cook at home and this is less expensive than any restuarant."

His daughter Claudine Pepin is also a chef and says one thing her father forgets is that business depends on talent.  read more »