AIGA Studio Open House: Come in, we’re open
Last night we had the privelidge of opening our doors to the public as part of the AIGA Studio Open House (Raleigh & Cary edition). Amidst live music, food and refreshments, we were able to meet and mingle with friends old and new and show off our space and our work. Here are just a few snapshots from the night:
Turkey Every Day!
Turkey every day!
Everyone knows about making a whole turkey for Thanksgiving or other gatherings. But folks don’t often consider using other turkey products to celebrate every day meals. Well, we decided to check out some different ways turkey could be prepared. 
We had a potluck lunch, featuring turkey products from one of our long-standing clients, Butterball. We had turkey chili and Mexican lasagna made with ground turkey; turkey sausage, peppers and onions; turkey meatballs in a sweet chili sauce, Shepard’s pie, turkey stuffing casserole, turkey filet mignons; salads with smoked turkey on top, and lots more. What a great spread!
As always, we enjoyed the chance to socialize with co-workers…and this time, we even talked a little turkey.
Greek Festival
Many of you have asked me about the Greek Festival. It’s Sept. 17-19th. All the food is home made by the ladies at the Greek Church in Raleigh. It is wonderful!
So mark your calendars and click on “more info” to see all the details and redeem free admission tickets. Don’t forget the Ouzo! Opa!
HM&P BAGEL-OFF
There is much speculation as to the exact origin of the bagel. One theory is that it was born in Austria in 1683 when a Viennese baker wanted to pay tribute to King Jan III of Poland for saving the Austrian people from Turkish invaders.
Regardless of its ancestry, the bagel quickly caught on and crossed the Atlantic when hundreds of thousands of Eastern European Jews introduced it to New Yorkers in the 1880s.
Sometime in the next 100+ years it made its way down to Raleigh, North Carolina in the form of round insipid bread sold by Bruegger’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. Both versions, a shell of what a real bagel should look and taste like.
One baker in Raleigh, the NY Bagel & Deli on Falls of Neuse and Strickland, was paying homage to the original bagel with their yeasty yet crunchy kettle-boiled version.
The best bagels in the South by far.
The HM&P Bagel-off
This past Friday, I schlepped all around town buying bagels for a blind bagel taste test. Why? Because a few of my co-workers suggested that Bruegger’s makes delicious bagels and couldn’t see why they were any different from those at New York Bagel & Deli. Another co-worker even piped in that Dunkins’ were the best. What? Blasphemy!
And so, to prove my point I conducted an in-office bagel taste test:
Winner: Ny Bagel & Deli.
All in all, a good time had by all.
An Introduction To Social Media For Food Business Owners
This morning I was very lucky to have the opportunity to speak to a group of food business owners whose businesses range from grits milling to barbecue sauce manufacturing. It was a very engaged group with thoughtful questions. I gave a 20 minute presentation as an introduction to social media for food business owners with a focus on setting up a monitoring social media monitoring system.
Here is a video of the majority of my presentation. (See links below the video)
Important links mentioned in the above video:
