snack

snackwire.national: sex and the james beard awards

Kim Cattrall will be one of the celebrity hosts for this year's James Beard Awards. What does Miss Samantha Jones know about food? Well, she is dating a chef (and no it's not Dave Chang). Remember, you don't have to be invited or a part of the industry to go, you just have to buy a $450 ticket. Click on through for the full press release after the jump.

snackwire.national: kiddie chef casting call

Do you think your kid has a knack for cooking and an interest in the environment? Maybe they're the next Rachel Ray or Al Gore. Do you have the chops to be the ultimate stage parent? Whole Foods Market is doing a national casting call for kids aged 8-17 to host their new online show "Whole Earth Generation." Entries can be submitted here on YouTube - or if you're in New York City, there's an open casting call at Whole Foods on the Bowery tomorrow from 10AM-2PM. Complete press release and details after the jump. 

snackwire.national: coffee counter attack

Today Dunkin' Donuts launches a coffee counter attack. While all the Starbucks are closed this afternoon, Dunkin' Donuts is having a 99-cent sale on all small lattes, cappuccinos and espresso drinks from 1PM-10PM. Fully caffeinated press release after the jump.

snackwire.national: starbucks closing tomorrow

If your local Starbucks is your office or favorite rendez-vous point, and you're planning on spending some quality time there tomorrow afternoon, be advised you will need a Plan B. Tomorrow from 5:30PM to 8:30PM (local time) every single Starbucks owned store around the country will be closed for a massive synchronized staff training program. Likewise - if you're a coffee shop located next-door to a Starbucks, you might want to plan for some additional traffic. This has been a Snack PSA.

The official corporate press release can be found after the jump.

snackwire.national: top chef the cookbook

Top Chef: The Cookbook coming in March 2008 from Chronicle Books, along with games, cutlery and more! Full press release after the jump.

snackwire.national: word up, locavore

"Locavore" is the 2007 New Oxford American Dictionary word of the year. Nice to see green cuisine well established. But how about a new word for foodie? Maybe we can work on that for '08. Full press release after the jump. 

snackwire.national: 20 essential books to build your culinary library

Here's a list of the 20 essential books to start your culinary library from the James Beard Foundation's Book Awards Committee. There are books for barbeque, Chinese, seafood, vegetarian, Mexican, wine, baking and desserts. I am surprised that Larousse Gastronomique, the encyclopedia of French cuisine, is absent. And Japanese? Noticeably absent, though arguably one of the most significant ethnic influences in 20th century American cooking. Sushi alone has had prolific impact. Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art, is considered by most to be the definitive tome.

Complete press release and list after the jump. Comments are open for debate.