Hershey adding heat to Kraft's bid for Cadbury?

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported Friday that the charitable trust that controls Hershey is pushing the Pennsylvania-based chocolate-maker to launch a $17 billion bid for Cadbury.

Last week, Kraft made a formal offer for Cadbury, reiterating its earlier $16 billion-plus bid for the company. Cadbury again decidedly rejected Kraft.

With Hershey seeming more likely to make an offer, a bidding war for Cadbury "is a definite possibility," said Erin Swanson, a stock analyst for Morningstar Inc.

Chicago Tribune

White Castle stuffing :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Side Dishes

White Castle stuffing :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Side Dishes

It's No Pizza the Hut . . . but looks tasty?

check it out

Coca-Cola Launches New Packaging for Minute Maid

The Dieline

My Arteries Just Became Fully Blocked

Recipe
2 pounds thick cut bacon
2 pounds Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce
1 jar of your favorite barbeque rub

check out more heart-stopping pix and a description

Thanks Nick

Guy Fieri hits the road, not for dives, but for concert halls -- latimes.com

Guy Fieri hits the road, not for dives, but for concert halls -- latimes.com

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That's a lot of golden arches

McDonald's plans to open 1,000 new restaurants next year and renovate 2,300 existing locations.

At a meeting of company investors on Thursday, the fast-food giant said it would focus on opening new restaurants primarily in the U.S., Germany, France, Russia, China and Australia.

Read the full article here

Kraft Turns Hostile In Bid For Cadbury

Kraft Foods turned hostile in its bid for Cadbury on Monday, making a formal but unchanged takeover offer which now triggers a bid battle for the British confectioner which could last up to three months.

New York Times

The only gum ad I'd like to be in

Topline's 'The Kiss': Holy Crap

Chocolatey cereal doesn't appear to cure h1n1

Chalk this one up to a supercharged political environment that now attaches suspicions to cereal-box labels as well as virus vaccines: Kellogg has just announced that it is backing away from the “Immunity” claim on its Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies cereals.

As we reported Tuesday, critics recently scored Kellogg for emblazoning the claim, “Now Helps Support Your Child’s IMMUNITY” on the front of the packages after boosting the daily value of antioxidant vitamins A, C and E in the cereals to 25% last spring, from the earlier 10%.

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera protested that Kellogg’s claim implied that its cereals could help protect kids against the swine-flu epidemic, and might mislead parents -- though Kellogg had been developing the line for more than a year, well before the advent of the H1N1 scare, and rolled it out in May.

Of course, the ubiquity of the virus by now, the deaths it has caused, and the ambivalence of American parents about the H1N1 vaccine created a sensitive landing place for such allegations

read the full article here

For Kraft, What Price Cadbury?

After Tuesday’s results, the food company, led by Irene B. Rosenfeld, reaffirmed its interest in Cadbury, but stressed that it would maintain a disciplined approach. Kraft said it would continue to deliver — with or without Cadbury. But acquiring Cadbury would help it on the growth front. In late October, Cadbury raised its forecast for revenue and operating margins and now expects sales to grow by about 5 percent.

NY Times

Food Network expanding to Asia | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

Food Network expanding to Asia | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

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Taco Town! (or truck)

From the Enquirer.com

Taco Trucks!

People have been asking me if there were any taco trucks in Cincinnati for awhile now–they’re so popular on the west and east coast, and some other cities in between. But, no, we haven’t had any.

Now, suddenly, there are two taco truck businesses getting started. Unlike those cities, these are not owned by Mexican immigrants, but they sound like a lot of fun, and like they’re going to bring a great new element to eating out in Cincinnati. They are from Habanero and from Roy Silcott of Hyde Park Tavern.

Max Monks of Habanero is really doing a burrito truck. He will have his on the street this month. The Habanero Burrito Wagon will be a mobile catering truck, funkified with Clifton-style grafitti art, and ready to deliver burritos to bars and clubs late night, to sporting events, festivals, concerts–where ever there are a lot of people hungry for burritos.

His burritos will be made in the Clifton store, kept hot and be ready to deliver. They’ll have their signature Mad Max Fish Burrito, Calypso Chicken and the meatless Chuba Cabre. Soft Shell Tacos, salads, Mexican sodas and desserts will also be available.

You’ll be able to follow the truck on Twitter. It will say exactly where they’ll be and how long they’re planning to stay. It might say “5 p.m. at the US Bank Arena for hte Phish Concert or Mt. Lookout Square from 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m., etc.

Senor Roy’s Taco Patrol is from Roy Silcott, chef/owner of Hyde Park Tavern. Their truck will be a UPS style truck, wrapped in vinyl with a colorful logo, able to hold 3 workers, and equipped to make and assemble tacos, burritos, nachos, and salads in the truck. Silcott says they’ll be downtown every day, at sporting events, outside bars, hanging around construction sites. Their menu will include pork al pastor with pineapple in adobo sauce, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, marinated flank steak. “It’s about bring ing affordable, quality food to the street.” he said. They’re a few weeks from being ready, but they’ll be out on the street this fall, too, and ready to go full-out by the spring. They’ll be on Twitter as well, so you’ll be able to check from your phone or computer the best way to get your Mexican food fix.

So- let the taco battle begin!

Get the Marinara Sauce Ready - World's Largest Meatball

World's Largest Meatball
Chef Mathew Mitnitsky of Nonni's Italian Eatery cheers after his restaurant broke the world's largest meatball record on Nov. 1, 2009, with this massive entry. The Concord, N.H., restaurant bested the record by 25 pounds with a meatball certified by Guinness as the world's largest.

Check it Out

The Windows 7 Burger

Love Windows? Love Burgers? To promote Windows 7 in Japan Burger King had this great promotion.

Check out someone who ate it.

Check out someone who hacked it.

thanks Chris. R

Could you eat pizza for 30 Days straight for 3 Meals a day?

Craig Scharoff's dream food is sausage pizza. And he has no doubt that he can eat it all day, every day. In fact, Scharoff is so confident that he is putting his money where his pizza-loving mouth is.

Near the end of September, one of Scharoff's co-workers at Greenwood Associates in Highland Park posted a notice on LTHForum.com, a Chicago-based culinary chat site, announcing a wager he'd entered into with Scharoff.

According to the co-worker, Ronnie Kaplan, the terms of this "low four figure" bet are simple: Scharoff "must eat sausage pizza for every meal during the month of October. The pizza must contain crust, sausage and cheese. All toppings, with the exception of lettuce on Taco Pizzas -- yes, he loves them -- and arugula and prosciutto -- he has no idea what either of these are -- must be cooked into the pizza. He cannot have dessert, chips or side dishes of any kind. No salads, no cereals, no slaw. Any significant caloric intake must be pizza."

Read the full article here

What kind of person are you?

Your choice of beer can be as telling about your personality as what kind of clothing you wear or the car that you drive. And if you don't drink suds at all, or change brands depending on your mood -- well, that says something

What are you?

. . .he and his team found generic differences as well. For instance, people who prefer domestic beers over craft beers or imports are generally middle of the road in their politics. They're not nearly as conservative as people who don't drink beer at all, but not as liberal as people who prefer more exotic beer.

Read all about it here

Thanks Liz S.

What kind of person are you?

General Mills shelves SmartChoice program

Golden Valley-based food maker General Mills Inc. announced they would no longer participate in the Smart Choices labeling program after the program was criticized for misleading consumers about the nutritional value of some foods.

General Mills joined Kraft, PepsiCo, ConAgra Foods, Kellogg, Riviana Foods, Sun-Maid and Unilever in phasing out the program from their packaging.

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Not So Fast . . .

From Cincinnati.com

The Business Courier reported today that Martin Wade, who owns the Relish Group of restaurants, has sent JeanRobert de Cavel a letter reminding him of a non-compete agreement he signed.

I confirmed the story with Wade. According to him, deCavel agreed that he wouldn’t open a restaurant within a 120-mile radius for a year after leaving the group (which used to be called the JeanRobert French Retaurant Group. .Wade says the year hasn’t even started yet, because the partnership was never completely dissolved. DeCavel’s name is still on the liquor licenses, and so, says Wade, the chef still owns 20% of JeanRo Bistro, Local 127, Greenup Cafe and Chalk. “How can I move on if he’s still part owner?” he said, and pointed out that deCavel’s new restaurant is opening as direct competition. “His restaurant is right in between two of mine: his address is 713 Vine. Ours are 413 Vine and 1211 Vine.” Plus he plans to open December 1, right at the beginning of the holiday season.

He says the dispute could end up in court. “It’s a terrible shame.”

DeCavel says he’s disappointed that Wade took this dispute public, that he would rather it was handled by their lawyers. “We should be willing to work these things through ourselves instead of in public. “

Energy BBDO, Beam Global Spirits Relationship Ends

Energy BBDO, Beam Global Spirits Relationship Ends

Get free grilled chicken at KFC today | Cincinnati.com | The Cincinnati Enquirer

Get free grilled chicken at KFC today | Cincinnati.com | The Cincinnati Enquirer

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Cadbury increases pressure on Kraft with sweet results

Cadbury stepped up the pressure on Kraft yesterday to raise its proposed £10bn takeover offer after reporting unexpectedly strong third-quarter trading figures.

Financial Times

Hershey's 3rd-quarter profit rises 30%

Chocolate maker Hershey Co., helped by price increases and lower costs, reported Thursday that third-quarter profit rose 30% from last year and its raised its full-year profit outlook.

Marketwatch

Ladies - Would You Date this (annoying) Top Chef?

Anybody interested in dating this guy? Anybody? Anybody?

Report: P

Report: P&G may buy Sara Lee unit | Cincinnati.com | The Cincinnati Enquirer

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Is it really 1/2 sugar and 1/2 grain?

Looks like the FDA is going to take a closer look at those "Smart Choices" and other manufacturer labels that we can find on our cereals and other food products.

Check out the story here

Beauty of the Bento

Just was forwarded this piece on Bento Boxes - definitely check it out - here's the snippet

An article in The Times last month described a growing number of Americans inspired to take time to make beautiful box lunches, Japanese bento-style. The bento meal, often served in elaborate boxes with foods chosen for their colors and shapes, goes back to at least the 14th century. In recent years, national contests have been held in kyaraben, the craft of making imaginative food displays in boxes typically the size of a book.

What does the care devoted to the visual details in a packed lunch suggest about the culture? Why is such value placed on aesthetics in everyday life in Japan?

• John Maeda, Rhode Island School of Design
• Kenya Hara, art director of MUJI
• Nick Currie, artist and author
• Denis Dutton, professor of philosophy of art

Read the Full Article Here

Thanks McKenzie

ConAgra campaign instills pride in employees

Since ConAgra completed an image makeover in June, it has targeted employees, not customers or investors, with the highest volume of marketing. The goal is to build a network of informed employees who will advocate for company brands, supermarket staples such as Healthy Choice, Hunt’s, Chef Boyardee and Peter Pan peanut butter.

“I think it helps, just in terms of employee familiarity with what we’re working on,” said Teresa Paulsen, a company spokeswoman. “Even if somebody doesn’t work in a (research and design) lab, they can talk about our innovation and products with friends and family.”

Omaha.com

It's hard to be a critic . . .

They arrive cloaked in secrecy, often using fictitious names and sometimes donning disguises.

Restaurant critic Frank Bruni says he used credit cards with pseudonyms to try to keep his anonymity.

They aren't spies. They're restaurant critics, whose mere presence can make even the calmest chef shake in his or her chef whites.

And one critic strikes even more fear than the rest.

"The zenith, the pinnacle is the New York Times restaurant critic," says Jimmy Bradley, owner of The Red Cat restaurant in Manhattan's Chelsea section.

For the past five years, that position has been held by Frank Bruni, a former political reporter whose witty restaurant reviews garnered him a loyal readership.

Restaurant owners do everything in their power to spot a critic in the crowd. And in a cat-and-mouse game, critics try every trick in the book to go unnoticed, so they'll be treated like anyone else.

Bradley has been keeping tabs on Bruni, compiling a dossier that describes Bruni's preferences, his aliases, his usual dining companions, even his clothing.

"He likes to wear pretty funky sneakers," Bradley shares.

Read the full article at CNN.com