Issue 44 — Green Food, Not Beer + Last Week's Trademark Bully
Bites
Emily Wilson went to Vespertine for Found LA. “I don’t know that I liked it, but it did something.”
Our Place dropped stainless steel pans. Oops. Already sold out.
Obet + Del’s just soft launched their hashbrown masubi. ok!
I’m still excited for Ina’s memoir (now on pre-order)
‘The world’s first zero carb, zero alcohol, zero taste... beer’ is actually just sparkling water. Not Beer
I wonder if teens will get carded trying to buy it — apparently Target is now carding people to buy zero-proof drinks?
“From the perspective of a big retail chain with multiple locations and hundreds of employees in New York City alone, the safest move is to be over-inclusive and to require ID for all ‘nonalcoholic’ beverages, even if that specific brand genuinely has no alcohol.” HA!
Dieline is moving to a paid subscription model. Free content is on its way out, enjoy it while you can. ;)
Matty Matheson has entered the CPG world with ‘panty staples’ like Creamy Smoky Mac + Maple Molasses BBQ Sauce. The branding is fun. (Find them at Walmart in Canada)
Hill House is opening their first food + bev concept in their Charleston store, serving up fountain soda, coffee, tea, lemonade and sweet treats.
Yet another instance where fashion leans into food + bev to bring people in.
From a reddit thread on Bon App’s class of 2021:
“Every personality had a character that contributed to the group. You'll notice that every one of them that branched off on their own have quirky flaws that don't hit as nice when you watch them in a group where those quirks weren't noticeable. I remember thinking Brad was so hilarious when you pair him with other personalities, but then when you watch his own show, I was like ahh this is a little bit too much Brad for me.” — Quoted in Emily’s April 3rd Newsletter.
Men with market flowers — maybe one of my favorite instagram trends.
Khushbu Shah wrote about Tiny Acts of Restaurant Hospitality that leave a big impact — like the consideration of lemon seeds and having big enough water glasses…
My add — having a plethora of DRINK menus available so that guests don’t have scrabble getting it around the table before the waiter returns.
Chili Crunch Wars
Already feels like old news tbh… After a week of ‘trademark bullying’ Momofuku has said they won’t enforce ‘chile crunch’ trademark anymore. Here’s what happened.
‘Momofuku, the food empire founded by celebrity chef David Chang, is attempting to seize control of the market – or at least the name. The company has sent cease-and-desist letters to companies using the term “chili crunch” and “chile crunch” on their condiment labels and is trying to trademark “chili crunch” with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).’ — The Guardian
Fly by Jing evaded a cease-and-desist letter from Momofuku thanks to the company's use of the term "chili crisp." But founder Jing Gao is standing up for fellow AAPI-owned businesses, and resubmitted trademark requests for the terms “Sichuan Chili Crisp” and “Chengdu Crunch to try and protect herself from future issues.
Bon App had an IP lawyer explain how Momofuku was even able to trademark chili crunch at all.
Then about a week later, Momofuku backed down and gave this statement. ‘Over the past week, we have heard the feedback from our community and now understand that the term ‘chili crunch’ carries broader meaning for many. We have no interest in ‘owning’ a culture’s terminology and we will not be enforcing the trademark going forward.’
Chang also talked about it with the brand’s CEO on a podcast (which I have not listened to)
🗓 Coming Up…
4/26 Mon Petit Canard is coming to Canyon ‘featuring an à la carte menu of classics and new dishes inspired by the setting.’
4/30 + 5/01 Honey House Block Party 🍹
5/04 Backyard Dinner with Friends and Mackenzie Richmond !!! yay :)
Recent Bites — (afew from Santa Barbara)
Koatji Alt. Milk — I picked up a box of Koatji from The Eddy when I was in Santa Barbara — it’s a new oat / koji rice milk blend. Monica made me 2 lattes one morning so we could compare it with Minor FIgures. I think we liked the Koatji better? Froths realll nice. P.S. The Eddy is probably my favorite shoppy shop. Definitely stop in next time you’re in SB!
Dusk Bar at Drift Hotel — At first I was surprised that each oyster came pre-sauced. And then I was surprised how spicy their mignonette was. But these kumies grew on me fast. I’m going to lean into the oyster lime pairing this summer for sure.
Azizam Orange — I’ve been saving this bottle for a special occasion, and Danielle’s surprise baby bach in Santa Barbara felt perfect.
Bub’s — Every time I go, I’m hit with ‘should I try something new’ or should I ‘just get the tuna sandwich…’ This time I switched it up. The trout salad is GOOD. In fact it’s really good! But I regretted not getting the tuna… Always go with your gut guys.
*I heard that Canyon is adding a Fishwife tuna sandwich to the menu this week 👀
Melanie’s Birthday Tablescape — I had the pleasure of being Annie’s sous for the weekend. They dreamed up this fantastical green tablescape covered with tendrils, foraged freakies, heavy vegge and Nour of course. A Challahdad centerpiece, crowd pleaser every time. I love the opportunity to play with color and use my hands. It took me a sec, but I got really good at pinning grapes + melon balling? Anyway...
Just the Crusts — We made a bunch of tea sandwiches for an event at W+R (and in traditional fashion, we cut off all the crusts). But I hate food waste… SO I kept them and made croutons and funky toast sticks all week. Buttered the skinny bits and lined them with anchovies… or just dipped ‘em in good oil. Not a bad snack.
Strange Water — Got this sparkling coconut water from Botanica for Annie, as she keeps saying it’s the ‘Summer of Coconut'’. We were kind of shook with how much we liked it. It doesn’t taste anything like a coconut La Croix (I know a lot of people hate those) but I do want to do a side by side soon.
PSA:
🔗 Last Week’s Most Clicked Link
In case you were wondering, THIS is why Brad Pitt is always eating in his movies…
hi! are you able to link to those adorable yin yang mugs?!
fishwife at canyon, say less 👀