Nearly half of U.S. adults (46 percent) are eating out at restaurants as frequently or more often than they did a year ago, according to a recent national survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Dairy Queen.

Most consumers surveyed (89 percent) who eat out in restaurants said they are likely to take advantage of discounts such as value meals, coupons and frequent customer cards/membership programs. The choice of where to dine is based primarily on price and menu variety, according to 71 percent of survey respondents.

Dairy Queen commissioned the study to learn how the economy is affecting consumer dining decisions. Just over 2,800 adults across the nation were surveyed about their dining habits.

To learn more about this study, visit www.businesswire.com and search for Dairy Queen.

Are foodies a driving factor behind the enduring popularity of dining out?

Link: http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/sandwich-anyone/

Perhaps Friends' character Joey Tribbiani had it right on his never-ending quest for the perfect sandwich. What's better than fresh meat and vegis nestled between two (or more) pieces of bread and slathered with oils and dressings? A sandwich can be as simple and basic or as gourmet and artisan as one can imagine.

Check out the pictorial essays on sandwiches in the New York Times. What's your favorite-- a Cuban, a gyro or maybe just a traditional BLT?

Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104057146

According to National Public Radio, the grilled cheese sandwich has received a makeover. The question is, what took so long? As almost every other food product has been revamped by foodies to be more artisanal or gourmet, it only stands to reason grilled cheese would also one day meet this fate.

But, while grilled Jarlsberg and Granny Smith apple on raison walnut bread may be some people's idea of grilled cheese heaven, traditionalists aren't having it. "Others view anything other than sliced American cheese on Wonder Bread an affront to the iconic grilled cheese," says NPR.

So, which camp do you fall in: Traditional or With a Twist?

Some people are surprised by what they find when they first visit Green Charter School in New Orleans: a beautiful and productive organic garden overflowing with a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables tended by public school students in grades K-8. 

Changing the way urban kids eat, live and learn is the primary mission of The Edible Schoolyard NOLA (http://www.esynola.org/), based on the original program in Berkeley, Calif., founded by Alice Waters. The program integrates organic gardening and seasonal cooking into the curriculum, culture and food programs at Green Charter School.

The Edible Garden is thriving and has hundreds of seasonal vegetables, herb, flower and edible tree varieties. The garden is approximately one-third of an acre and current spring crops include okra, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, strawberries, blueberries, ground cherries, citrus, spinach and squash. Over the past year and a half, the garden has produced more than 500 pounds of produce that is used in the program’s cooking classes. In the garden, students learn how to grow their own food organically, while science and math lessons are reinforced at the same time. In the kitchen, students learn how to prepare and enjoy nutritious and delicious meals using garden-fresh ingredients.

Real Food for Real Kids is one of the program’s main mantras. We believe that all people should have access to “Good Food,” which is food that is healthy, affordable, green and fair. In addition to the garden and kitchen programming, ESY NOLA is spearheading the transformation of the cafeteria feeding programs (universal breakfast, lunch and snack programs) at Green Charter.

Over the past two years, we’ve added a daily salad, fresh fruit and vegetables, and whole grains to the cafeteria offerings.

Think kids won’t eat their vegetables? Think again. As Alice Waters says, “If they have a hand in growing it, and cooking it, they will eat it.” We are literally creating the demand for fresh, healthy foods from the ground up, and it is working.

If that’s not enough, the program also works with families and the larger community through its Open Garden Days and special events. This year, ESY has added Family Food Nights to its programming, teaching whole families how to cook nutritious, fresh foods on a budget. To address issues of community food access, middle school students bring extra produce and seasonal transplants to a local farmers’ market, providing fresh, organic produce at an affordable price to the larger neighborhood.

Taking care of ourselves and each other, through the growing, sharing and enjoying of food is our way of rebuilding our community. Never underestimate the power of food and those who grow it and prepare it for others. It has changed our world for the better.

– Guest column by Donna Cavato, director, ESY NOLA, published in the May 2009 issue of Foodie News.

Consumers’ growing interest in seeking out sophisticated versions of comfort foods – “things we ate when we were kids” – is one of many driving factors behind the trend toward increased sales of gourmet, specialty and premium baked goods.

Everyone agrees that homemade baked goods outshine those that are store-bought, thanks to higher quality ingredients, as well as the personal touch and love that goes into the baking. Even top-end baked goods at the most exclusive markets beloved by foodies usually fail to measure up to home-baked cookies, cakes and pies.

However, patrons of the Pound Cake Company in Benson, N.C., attest that the sweet treats that come out of this unique bakery, which is housed in a former elementary school, are just like homemade because of the love and commitment to quality that owners Jan Matthews-Hodges and Bobby Jenkins put into each and every baked good. And unlike most store-bought baked goods, the treats produced at the Pound Cake Company are all made by hand, with an attention to detail and commitment to quality that is second to none.

“We believe in this age of mass-produced sameness, there is still room for high-quality gourmet products made by hand by people who care about what they do,” Jan told Foodie News. “Our mission is to provide high-quality products at an affordable price while at the same time providing jobs and opportunity to the rural community where we live and work.”

The company employs 18 full-time and part-time bakers who can turn out thousands of baked goods every week. That means 5,000 to 6,000 pound cakes for Valentine’s Day and Easter and more than 10,000 during the Christmas holidays.