Wednesday, November 18, 2009

How To Cook Disclosure

I walk a fine line with what I will and won't post on this site, it's become part creative writing experiment, part food business information and yes, part marketing for the business - not unlike cookbooks that are published by food producers, equipment makers, retailers and in olden days, radio shows.  I have a few in the Collection:  a S. S. Kresge book of 50 recipes for marshmallows ("Marshamallows are delicious, appetizing and unusually wholesome"), a Jell-O recipe book by Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone, whose Jell-O Radio Hour was sponsored by the food producer back in 1937.  There are many more examples, currently the Williams Sonoma cook books are sold in several stores, and are respected and purchased by many home cooks.

My hope is that readers find this blog credible enough to return here to read more, which requires keeping an eye on the quality of what is posted.  Likewise, hopefully it creates an interest in what we offer at the restaurant, and Hubby knows that requires keeping an eye on the quality of the guest's experience.  And while I try to tell it like it is, I work within the confines of my "food life" of friendships, business relationships and information that can't or won't be disclosed, which is why you won't find restaurant reviews here or information overheard at events.  Not only would it be disingenuous for me to tattle or downgrade a competitor, it is also perhaps disingenuous not to include this information, either way it impacts the credibility of what you might read here. 

But I think there is an interest in how people in the hospitality industry really conduct their lives, because in some ways it's a been glamorized, dramatized and self-aggrandized to the extent that people are beginning to recognize that artificial flavoring has been added.   This isn't the real lives most of us live, we see each other at charity events and occasionally at each others places of business, a few of us have worked together before and have formed close family ties.  And sometimes we even get to take awesome work-vacations together.   Even though we are competitors daily, we also enjoy tasting each others successes, so I choose to leave the bad stuff out of my blog, and revel in the good news (as she throws those 3rd quarter state tax receipt reports in the trash).

It's more of a life than I ever thought I'd enjoy, and I'm thankful every day that I have this opportunity.  If by not challenging or disclosing negative information makes this less of a news source and more of a marketing source, so be it.  It was never intended to be either, really.  And so in the interest of full disclosure, I should probably warn anyone who continues to read this blog:

I'm trying to sell you something good.

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