Trend Alert: Getting rid of bad food writing clichés

In our Eat Your Words course that just finished on Saturday, we had a running list of culinary writing clichés that really need to be locked in the basement for a very long time. (Yes, you are allowed to trot them out if you are trying to make a point, be ironic or funny, or if they are in keeping with the "voice" of a passage.)

Dianne Jacob, author of Will Write For Food, was obviously thinking along the same lines as we were. Her November 15, 2010, post, "The Worst Food Writing Words" has received 99 comments to date. My favorite "worst" is drinkerie. Gag.

Oh and anyone in the Edmonton area who would like a copy of Dianne Jacob's newly revised and updated book Will Write For Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More (2nd edition, 2010) on the fundamentals of good culinary writing can contact me. I have two more copies to sell from my big box of books.

Eat Your Words Class of 2010/2011 - Food Trends

(Above photo via Julie Van Rosendaal's Cherpumple "cake / pie" hybrid as seen on Babble's Food blog. Dessert's answer to the turducken!)

Trend-spotting is a major part of any culinary writer's skill set. We talk about tuning into these trends and keeping a running list as we spot them. Here are the trends we compiled in class yesterday.

• pop-up restaurants
• “foodcations” (an off-shoot of the "staycation" trend)
  
• locavore
• raised wild game (elk, bison, wild boar, reindeer, etc)
  
• craft beer-and-food pairings
• ginger beer
• food security issues
• sustainability
• food ethics
• cupcakes or NOT (this is a trend that just won't die even when it's dead)
  
• macarons
• gastro-pubs
• covercharges at restaurants
• enomatic systems
• wine bars
• tapas – again
• raw milk
• lentils
• quinoa
• infused spirits
• bacon -- still, it's a mainstay trend
  
• meat-stuffed inside other meats trend, and in fact, any food stuffed inside other foods (see yesterday's Wall Street Journal article featuring Calgary food writer Julie Van Rosendaal's Cherpumple dessert.)
  
• pork belly
• sugar backlash
• 80s fashion (so we're wondering how that will manifest itself in the food world)
  
• growth of casual fine dining (aka premium casual)

Here are some links to other trend lists:

• enRoute magazine's annual Food Issue (Nov 2010) list of trends noticed by writer Sarah Musgrave in EnRoute's Top Restaurant Trends 2010 (quail eggs, plums, pescuterie, radishes...)
  

• Epicurious' Food Trends for 2010 (homemade beer, butchery, Vancouver) Note this was a list for 2010 compiled in late 2009.
  

• The Globe & Mail's food predictions for 2011 (pie shops, smaller indy restaurants on a shoestring budget, "dirt" as an ingredient???)

• Here's what the Canadian Chefs Congress in May 2010 identified as major trends that professional chefs are seeing (edible ocean greens, sustainability ranking and certifications of ingredients like fish, underutilized species, etc.)

• 2010 food trends out of Australia (food cocooning at home; local across all sectors; need for treats; a little trade up; being squeaky clean to gain trust)

What are the trends on your radar? We'll add them to the list.

Via Twitter, we had a comment that waffles should be added to the list. Via Comments, Peter Bailey, the beer columnist for The Tomato and great book blogger, adds IPA and Imperial to our list of "in" beers for 2010/11. Thanks Pete.

And here's another trend round-up out of the UK: Food Trends to Peak in 2011: Special-needs, Urbanism, On-demand from The Independent Food & Drink pages.

Food-Writing Course Alert: Nov 6 & 13, Edmonton

The snow is flying in Edmonton, and that means, it must be time for my Eat Your Words food-writing course that I teach at Grant MacEwan University, City Centre campus in Edmonton.

This is a very lively two-Saturday course where we cover everything from getting your first published credits to how to spot food trends to pitching to small, medium and large newspaper and magazines. We cover the essentials of building your food-writing career: from starting a blog to getting a book deal, if that is your goal. The classes tend to be about 10 people and it's a very free-flowing discussion where everyone brings their knowledge and their expertise to the table.

Here are the specifics:

Eat Your Words
Do you have a discriminating palate? Do you love to concoct your own recipes? Do you have a nose for food trends? And do you want to get paid for doing something you love? Food is a hot topic, and editors are always looking for insightful, original, and well-written food and drink articles and recipes. Learn how to take your passion and put it down in words for newspapers, magazines, radio, and the Internet. $174, noncredit

WRIT 0155 (570)
2 Sat, Nov 6 & 13
9 am - 4 pm
Instructor: Jennifer Cockrall-King

For more information call 780-497-5346.
To register call 780-497-5000.

OR send me an email for more information.

Edmonton PSA: MacEwan Writing Works Spring/Summer 2010 Workshops

Click on the above images to enlarge.

Edmonton PSA: MacEwan Writing Works Spring Workshops

Hi all,

The MacEwan Writing Works (Edmonton) has just come out with the spring 2010 line-up of writing classes.

The courses range from grammar refreshers to blogging classes. These are open to writers of all levels. The above link has the complete list of courses. Here's a poster for a couple of highlights.

Eat Your Words Food Writing Course at UBC Okanagan

I'll be teaching another one-day foodwriting course at UBC Okanagan campus on March 27, 2010. The course runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring samples of your writing, or ideas you'd like to get working on. You don't need to have any prior writing experience, just a serious passion for communication your food- and drink-related points of view to the world.

Don't delay, register now and get your foodwriting mojo working.

The Future of Story: Writing Workshop in Edmonton Feb 5 & 6 2010

This conference / workshop has a list of great writer-speakers.

Of interest to anyone in writing or story-telling. Register before Dec 11 to take advantage of the early-bird pricing. For more information, click on the MacEwan School of Communications page here and follow the links for detailed programming information and on-line ticket sales. Tix are $30 to $85 depending on the event.

A cure for the 'Oh, what do I make' blues

Albertans are entrepreneurs, and our foodies are no different. Read about Edmonton home economist (and friend of mine) who realized several years of work by going the self-publishing route with her book: Cook! Self-publishing is becoming much more attractive to cookbook writers (certain types of cookbooks have a long shelf-life), and given the fact that so much of promotion and media is now left up to the author, it makes sense to explore this option.

Liane Faulder did a great job covering it in yesterday's Edmonton Journal Bistro section. Click here to go to the story. A cure for the 'Oh, what do I make' blues

Food Trends for 2010

The Eat Your Words class of 2009 has come up with trends for 2010:

mojito cakes are the hottest thing

Great Cookbook PR advice from authors of Earth to Table

Cuisine Canada has a great food blog, featuring news about and interviews with Canadian top Canadian food writers and cookbook authors. I just read a post of particular relevance to any food writer working on a cookbook project. Jeff Crump, author of Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm (Random House Canada, 2009) discusses how he used social media and the internet to have a ready-made fanbase for his book which has just been released but which is getting a lot of buzz and media attention. That translates directly into sales and bigger crowds at book signings. It also landed them an audience with Martha Stewart, the holy grail of exposure in the US cookbook market. Here's the post I'm talking about.

In short, the promotion actually starts when the writing starts, so that when the book is finally published, you come out swinging in the book sales department. That gets you on the media radar and the best-seller lists which in turn fuels more book sales. There's no time these days to wait for a book to build an audience because there's always another cookbook right behind it vying for that shelf-space at the bookstore (or in COSTCO). Remember: it's standard to have a year to write the book after inking a book deal with a publisher; THEN the book is a year in editing and production). So, aspiring cookbook authors, start your Twitter / Facebook / Blog engines now!

So many literary events...start your daytimers

Thursday, October 22, 2009
How to Pitch Panel
Want to write for magazines and see your byline flashing back at you? Don't know where to start? Learn how to focus your pitches and sell your stories to noted Alberta magazine editors. These tips are straight from the pros and this panel is highly recommended for any writer looking to improve their batting average.

Featured editors:
- Barb Dacks, Legacy
- Michael McCullough, Alberta Venture
- Omar Mouallem, Avenue Edmonton
- Joyce Byrne, Venture Publishing

Grant MacEwan University, 10045 - 156 Street
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Room 436
Free event, open to the public


Friday, October 23, 2009
The Inside Story on Magazine Features: Q & A with a Magazine Pro

AMPA and LitFest are hosting a special professional development session with New York Times Magazine editor, Paul Tough.

Paul will discuss how to develop a killer feature story, plus it's your chance to pick the brains of this star editor. So bring your questions and get ready to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.

Stanley A. Milner Library, Sixth Floor, Room 7
2:00 pm
Cost: $10 for AMPA members and students. $15 for non-members.
Registration is required.

To register, email Alberta Magazine Publishers with your name, phone number and email address.



Friday, October 23, 2009
Small Press & Maga/Zine Fair
Hosted by the Edmonton Small Press Association (ESPA) and AMPA

Stanley A. Milner Library, Library Theatre Lobby
12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Free and open to the public

AMPA & ESPA team up to present a one-day event in the Library Theatre Lobby to expose you to some of the great literary activities happening in our backyards. Find some of your favourite magazines like filling Station, Legacy, Notebook, Penguin Eggs, Synchronicity, and more, all in one place.


Friday, October 23, 2009
RAMM cocktail reception followed by films presented by the North of Nowhere Expo
Metro Cinema, Citadel Theatre, 9828 101A Ave NW, Edmonton

5:30 pm: Come check out Alberta magazines and have a bite and some vino on us!
7:00 pm: Radical Jesters: A Film about Media Hoaxers & Culture Jammers with HONK! No Noise is Illegal
8:30 pm: American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein
Admission to films is by donation, recommended donation $8 to $12


Saturday, October 24, 2009
RAMM cocktail reception followed by films presented by the North of Nowhere Expo
Metro Cinema, Citadel Theatre, 9828 101A Ave NW
6:00 pm: Come check out Alberta magazines and have a bite and some vino on us!
6:30 pm: Freedom of Expression: Resistance & Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property
7:30 pm: You, Me & the SPP: Trading Democracy for Corporate Rule
*plus post-film Panel Discussion, Director in Attendance
Admission to films is by donation, recommended donation $8 to $12





October is Read Alberta Magazines Month! Enter to win a Bellstar getaway to Canmore.

RIP Gourmet magazine...listen to editor Ruth Reichel's CBC Interview

I have played this interview in my food writing classes, time-permitting, because Writers & Company's Eleanor Wachtel interviews Gourmet magazine's (then) editor Ruth Reichl, and Wachtel asks all the right questions. This is a great one-on-one discussion of Reichl's long career and relationship with food. If you want to know what drives a great food editor to do what she does, take a listen.

I'm glad the CBC has resurrected the interview in light of the recent news that Conde Nast has shuttered Gourmet magazine. Grab a snack, coffee or tea. It's worth the hour spent listening.

Support your local writers, editors, photographers, designers and publishers

It's cold outside, which means it's October, which also means it's Read Alberta Magazines Month (RAMM). Yes, put your money where your mouth is and renew your magazine subscriptions; it's the chief selling point for a magazine to a potential advertiser, so yes, your $20 matters! And buy, buy, buy local magazines instead of giant lattes. They're the same price, but one lasts longer.


This year, Alberta Magazine Publishers are also campaigning to convince the Alberta government that local magazines matter, both economically and culturally. So, check out What is Ed Stelmach Reading, and send a letter to the premier. Besides, it's funny to see the various magazines zip through Stelmach's hand on the main flash page.

Pitching Workshop from the Pros

Here's a great looking course for anyone looking to sharpen their pitches to editors...

What Not to Pitch – Style your Magazine Query for Success
9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m., October 17th
MacEwan University, City Centre Campus
$10 for members; $20 for non-members
Hosted by Get Publishing Society and Alberta Magazine Publishers Association

Magazine editors and experienced writers will give you the tips and tools to put your best foot forward to successfully enter, branch out or specialize in magazine writing.

Editors Tracy Hyatt from Westworld and Gregory Kennedy from Where Edmonton are just some of the people you will meet at this interactive session that will include magazine pitch dos and pitch don’ts. Understand print and digital magazine trends. Learn about topics that never go out of style. Find out how to create eye catching storylines to pitch to different magazines. Get the scoop on opportunities to strut your writing for new magazines. For sophisticated and experienced writers, find out how to develop a niche for yourself. Leave this session with the inside scoop on how to make your query pitch shine, get an editor’s interest and get your writing published into magazines.

To Register

Email your name and contact information to patwood@shaw.ca and send a cheque to What not to pitch" Workshop c/o Cynthia Dusseault, Treasurer, GPCS, 14011 - 91 Avenue, Edmonton AB, T5R 4Y1. Make the cheque payable to Get Publishing Communications Society. Include your contact information, including your email address, with the cheque. Receipts will be provided at the workshop. Enrolment is limited.

Edmonton's Fall Literary Season Kicks Off in Style, Oct 13 at The ARTery at 7 p.m.

The first exciting event to kick off the Edmonton literary season (a.k.a. October, or whenever the first of the winter-type weather drives us all indoors) is the launch event of the Edmonton Literary Saloon, a fantastic concept dreamed up by local literary lights Marina Endicott (Good to a Fault, Open Arms) and Lynn Coady (Mean Boy, Saints of Big Harbour, Strange Heaven).

To launch this Saloon series in high-style, Coady and Endicott anticipate a very special evening will feature scintillating readings and some gossipy conversation with award-winning authors from the House of Anansi: Karen Solie (Pigeon, 2009), Lisa Moore (February, 2009) and Shani Mootoo (Valmiki’s Daughter, 2009). It's a steal of a deal at $5 to attend and rub elbows with the likes of so many great writers in a room. If that doesn't convince you, maybe this will. SEE YOU THERE!







Join the Edmonton Literary Saloon on Facebook too.

Blogging and Tweeting...Oh how things change.

Every fall, I teach a foodwriting course or two. I've got a one-day course coming up soon at University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna (October 17) and a two-day course at MacEwan College in Edmonton (November 7 & 14). Last year, I had a few bloggers sign up and I actually used them as my impromptu "experts." (That's the point of blogging...there's no diploma or credentials to become a blogger so the playing field is nice and level.) It really became a round-table discussion amongst peers on blogging do's and don'ts, and what works for them, what doesn't.

That was so last year. I realize I have to whip up a proper component about blogging and also Twitter. It's almost a given now that if you want to get your work seen and "respected", you need to be on-line in some form or another. I must admit, despite my usual reluctance to these sorts of things, I've become addicted to Twitter lately and find it quite useful for information gathering and spreading. I think it also takes the pressure off of bloggers to blog every day.

In other words, I'm compiling good articles or advice on food blogging and tweeting...all and any comments, advice, links are most welcome:)

Dianne Jacob's What Makes a Great Food Blogger link came in from a link via Dinner with Julie thanks to her "Blogher" sidebar.

Eat Your Words Food Writing Course at UBC Okanagan

I'm really excited to announce that I'll be teaching my one-day food writing course, Eat Your Words, on Saturday, October 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the UBCO campus. This course is geared to food writers of all levels and covers basics of taking your passion for food, restaurants, and cooking and putting it down on paper, the internet and radio. We'll brainstorm ideas, talk trends, look at pitching to a food editor and figure out how to get your ideas and projects to the next level. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

The cost is $175 plus GST. Email cs.ubco@ubc.ca or call 250-807-9289 to register.

UBC Okanagan (Kelowna) offers great creative writing and continuing education studies and seminars. Click here to go to the UBC Okanagan Continuing Education page with the new fall course lineup.

2009 Canadian Culinary Book Awards -- Shortlist

The Shortlist has been announced for the 2009 Canadian Culinary Book Awards. And they are:

Short-listed in the English Cookbook Category are:

• The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book: The Essentials of Home Baking by Elizabeth Baird (Transcontinental Books, Montreal);

• Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes by Jennifer McLagan (McClelland & Stewart Ltd., Toronto);
  

• Small Plates for Sharing, Laurie Stempfle, Ed. (Company’s Coming Publishing Limited, Edmonton).

Short-listed in the English Special Interest Category, books about food, but not cookbooks, are:

• Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Random House Canada, Toronto);

• Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood by Taras Grescoe (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, Toronto).

Three books are short-listed for the Canadian Food Culture Category, books that best illustrate Canada’s rich culinary heritage and food culture:

• Anita Stewart’s Canada by Anita Stewart (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, Toronto);

• Apples to Oysters: A Food Lover’s Tour of Canadian Farms by Margaret Webb (Penguin Group Canada, Toronto);

• A Taste of Canada: A Culinary Journey by Rose Murray (Whitecap Books Ltd., North Vancouver).

The contest is also open to Canadian French-language books. Short-listed in the French Cookbook Category are:

• Gibier à poil et à plume: découper, apprêter et cuisiner par Jean-Paul Grappe (Les Éditions de l’Homme, Montréal) ;

• Ricardo : parce qu’on a tous de la visite: cuisiner en toutes circonstances par Ricardo (Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal);

• Les secrets des sauces révélés par Jérôme Ferrer (Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal).

Short-listed in the French Special Interest Category, books about food but not cookbooks are:

• Manger, Un jeu d’enfant par Guylaine Guèvremont and Marie-Claude Lortie (Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal) ;

• Répertoire des fromages du Québec, Édition augmentée by Richard Bizier and Roch Nadeau (Les Éditions du Trécarré-Groupe Librex inc., Montréal) ;

• Les vins du nouveau monde, Volume 2, by Jacques Orhon, (Les Éditions de l’Homme, Montréal).

In the French Canadian Food Culture Category is:

• Québec capitale gastronomique by Anne L Desjardins (Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal).

Cuisine Canada is a national alliance of Canadian culinary professionals who share a common desire to encourage the development, use and recognition of fine Canadian food and beverages. For more than 140 years, the University of Guelph has contributed to Canadian cuisine in its programs in agriculture, food science, hospitality and tourism management and is the home of one of Canada’s best cookbook collections.

The Canadian Culinary Book awards are sponsored by: Agricultural Adaptation Council, CanolaInfo, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Chicken Farmers of Canada, Parmalat Canada, Beef Information Centre, The Ancaster Old Mill, Niagara College Teaching Winery, The Fairmont Royal York, Niagara College, Borealis Grille & Bar, George Brown College, Georgian College, Liaison College, Rootham Gourmet Preserves, Harbinger Communications, Stratford Chefs School and Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association.

Blue Pencil Cafe

This is the first I've heard of the Canadian Literature Centre (home-base is the U of A Humanities Department) but it seems to be home to some very interesting literary events in Edmonton...including this one:

Food and Wine Writing Course at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna

Yes, I'm taking my show on the road this summer! First: I'm teaching a food and wine writing course at UBC Okanagan's campus in Kelowna. The course, called "Writing the Okanagan Food and Wine Story" runs Monday, July 27 to Friday, July 31 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is $249 plus GST. To register, call Elaine Crebo at 250-807-9981 or email ccs.ubco@ubc.ca.


I've paired up with veteran Kelowna-based wine writer Julianna Hayes for this. Please pass the word on to anyone you know who might be interested. What a great excuse for an Okanagan vacation this summer.

Here's the pitch:

Thirsting for a career in wine writing? Hungering for a way to satisfy those food-writing cravings? The Okanagan is the perfect setting to be inspired and get writing during this hands-on, experience-driven week for the food-and-wine-loving writer. Kelowna-based wine expert, Julianna Hayes (www.vineliving.blogspot.com), will teach you how to turn those swirls, sips, and winery visits from mere tours into compelling wine stories. Alberta-based, award-winning food writer, Jennifer Cockrall-King (www.foodgirl.ca), will explore ways to get to the heart of food stories, either from your own travels or those discovered in the heart of BC’s wine and orchard country. This course will teach budding food and wine writers how to turn their oenological and culinary passions into inspirational articles for newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. Price includes wine tastings. Participants must be 19 years of age or older to register.

Instructors: Julianna Hayes & Jennifer Cockrall-King
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(Then I am launching The Okanagan Food & Wine Writers Workshop, which will be three days of small group professional development with some of Canada's best food and wine editors and writers. Stay tuned. I'm just finalizing details and I'll post them here as well as on the workshop's official site.)