Food & Drink

A Calabasas-based chain of fast-food restaurants, BurgerIM, and its owner, Oren Loni, have been sued by the US FTC (Federal Trade Commission) for allegedly enticing consumers to buy franchises using false promises, pocketing tens of millions of dollars from over 1,500 individuals lured into purchasing failing franchises.  The Acting Associate Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission

Organic chickens may become too expensive to produce in the U.S. without crops from Ukraine to feed them. The war in Ukraine and its horrific violence will have ripple effects that reach the unlikeliest places. The besieged country, known as the breadbasket of Europe for its fertile soil and bountiful harvests, is one of the

Topline Wheat prices continued to skyrocket this week—hitting their highest level in 14 years on Thursday—as experts warn the escalating conflict between major exporters Russia and Ukraine could lead to a rise in food prices, which have already been hard-hit by surging inflation. Key Facts Chicago futures for wheat prices continued to surge higher on

Diageo North America has opened a new 225,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Plainfield, Illinois. Diageo Lincolnway features two new high-speed canning lines poised to bolster the beverage giant’s RTD portfolio, allowing Diageo to produce 25 million cases of malt-based beverages and spirits-based RTD drinks a year at the facility. The parent company of Smirnoff, Crown

You’re going to want a scoop of this. Or not! Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams just announced the highly-anticipated return of its most polarizing flavor to date – Everything Bagel. Originally launched in January of last year, a time when all of our stay-at-home palettes could use a little intrigue, the savory, garlicky, buttery ice cream

Precision fermentation is a relatively new food technology that is rapidly entering the mainstream. Products such as milk protein, animal fats, collagen, honey, lobster, egg whites and more are receiving hundreds of millions of investor dollars. They are being rapidly commercialized for the mass market without the raising and killing of animals. These products are being marketed to a young

Paul Golitzin is president and director of winemaking for Washington State’s Quilceda Creek, producer of some of the world’s most treasured Cabernet Sauvignon. Last fall Golitzin announced that his winery acquired an additional 22 acres of Champoux (pronounced “shampoo”) Vineyard in the Horse Haven Hills AVA of Columbia Valley. This 187-acre vineyard is considered to

Cashiers have arguably the toughest job in grocery retail. They are the last interaction and most important impression a customer will have in a store. As much as pricing, assortment or displays, they determine the experience for shoppers. Cashiers also collect most of the payments that a grocery store receives, despite being low paid, sometimes

Chotto Matte, a high-voltage destination for Nikkei cuisine, is growing. Not just with one new locale or a souped-up renovation — new locations in Doha, Riyadh, San Francisco, and London (the brand’s second location in the city) are in the works, with properties in Washington and Manchester to follow. “We’ve also secured Rome, Beverly Hills

Let me start with “before” and “after” shots from the Prosecco production area of northern Italy, to provide a little context for the commercial transition between silk worms (”before”) and Prosecco (”after”) in this particular part of the Veneto region. There were in fact four silk worm factories in Valdobbiadene at the time. In the

A long history and a diversity of grapes drives the country’s winemaking Tough times for Ukrainians includes the wine industry, which suffered a loss after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, the formerly autonomous state within Ukraine and its historic center of production. The 2014 invasion, notes the Wines of Ukraine web site, “has been a

As Russia began its invasion of neighboring Ukraine on February 24th, the world watched— and reacted. On top of the deeply devastating human elements of war have been the unavoidable global political and economic implications and potential impacts on global food security. In the Caribbean, economists and leaders are reflecting on how conflict in the

The eastern European country has a long, respected history of producing wine The whole world is focused on Ukraine this week. It might seem trivial to look at the country through a less-urgent lens at this time, but since wine is what I write about, I wanted to learn more about those traditions. And what

Tidal waves of panic tempered by excitement keep hitting a married couple as they drive their elegantly constructed Italian car from Milan, Italy, down to the town of Montalcino in Tuscany. “What could be the emergency?” wondered the wife as they were called down to Montalcino with an urgent message. “Maybe… no, it couldn’t be

Campari is experiencing strong double-digit growth coming out of fiscal year 2021, as the Italy-based beverage giant reports €2.17 billion (US$2.47bn) in sales — on 25.6% growth compared to FY2020. Sales rose by 20.5% over 2019. Despite hurdles posed by the omicron variant, sales continued to register at 20.9% in the fourth quarter, up 12%

When the Bronx Brewery debuted a decade ago in the Port Morris area of the Bronx on East 136th Street, some considered it a risky venture because of the Bronx’s tarnished reputation. But the Bronx Brewery has prospered, and proving that point, it just opened a Manhattan satellite brewery in February of 2022 in the East

The James Beard Foundation has announced the 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists in advance of the returning James Beard Awards®, and Texas is incredibly well represented among the nominees. The Lone Star State garnered semifinalist nominations in every category, with 20 outstanding chefs from all corners of the state competing for the coveted Best Chef

When Chelsea Brewing Company closed at Pier 59 at Chelsea Piers in 2014, after deciding not to renew its 20-year-lease, it was the last remaining brewpub operating in Manhattan. Its closing symbolized how tough it is to sustain a brewpub in pricey Manhattan.  But that hasn’t deterred co-owners John Dantzler and Joe Correia from opening

Molson Coors reported today that they closed out 2021 with a solid fourth quarter that saw a 14.2% increase in net sales. Those numbers were delivered despite several challenges flowing from the pandemic, including returning restrictions due to the Omicron surge and an inflationary economy. The global beer maker reported fourth-quarter earnings of $80 million

Cottage cheese is traditionally eaten plain or paired with breakfast among U.S. households, but over the past a few decades, it’s been slowly falling out of fashion due to changing consumer behaviors and intensified competitions mainly from yogurt. Now emerging cottage cheese brands touting nutrient-dense ingredients and sustainable agricultural practices are staging a massive comeback