Recipes for Success

I’m developing recipes this week for the California Olive Industry. Do you have any idea what that means? Chances are, if you are like most people I’ve come in contact with over the years, your answer is no. And guess what, I’m not going to tell you. (A gal’s entitled to a few secrets).
What I will tell you though is what to look for when hiring a recipe developer for your next marketing campaign. A qualified recipe developer…
1. Works closely with the rest of the marketing team to make sure that recipes stay on strategy.
2. Knows the target audience and develops recipes that appeal directly to them.
3. Makes sure the client’s product is prominently highlighted in each recipe, not just tossed in willy nilly without making any sense.
4. Tests and retests recipes. If consumers cannot prepare the dish according to instructions, they are not likely to come back for more.
5. Considers not only how the recipe will taste, but how it will look. Recipes are great tools for ads, direct mail, web-based marketing, etc, make sure they’re eye catching.
That said, I’ve got lots on my plate today…

The Fro-Yo Comeback

I just learned on Cooking with Amy that a new Pinkberry imposter is lurking around the corner from my house.
If you have any interest in food and live on either coast, chances are you have friends marveling over Pinkberry, Red Mango or any of the new frozen yogurt joints springing up all over the place. My intro was made on my trip to NYC when a friend insisted that I splurge on a green tea topped with berries and a regular flavor (not to be confused with vanilla) topped with mochi and chocolate chips on my first night out. Let me assure you, these are not to be confused with old school fro-yo of the 80′s like TCBY. No, no, no…that’s like comparing Aunt Gert’s chopped liver to Thomas Keller’s fois gras tochon.
The new fro-yo is all about maintaining the true tang of yogurt in a frozen form, not recreating soft serve ice cream. Oh, and it’s totally cool too! Now, for those who need a reason to buy–that’s it. It’s not a health food or a weight loss program (you can go on thinking that if you want though.). It just tastes really, freakin’ good. It also happes to have a unique texture that is more like gelato than soft serve, but not quite. All this stuff makes it seriously addictive, a what more does a good trend need? That also explains why I’m out the door to try me some Tuttimelon right now.