Fodder for Thought: Week 27

While you’re busy running service, we’re scouring the Internet in search of the latest and greatest stories to hit the airwaves. This week, Eater explores the rising costs of Vanilla, Tasting Table breaks down cooking technology for the 21st century, and Bloomberg Pursuits uncovers the truth behind Le Cirque’s closing in NYC.

Tasting Table | Get Smart
Internet-savvy devices are taking over your kitchen counters. Making minimal-effort meals are trending up, as hungry consumers snap-up new technologies that promise to make lives easier/better/taster. Tasting Table takes a moment to explain the current culinary revolution, sizing up new gadget such as the June, which can identify whatever you’re cooking and automatically set a cook time and temperature, to the Paragon, which uses your phone to alert you when it’s time to flip your chicken cutlet. With all these innovations hitting the market, the life as illustrated by The Jetsons may not be too far off after all.

Bloomberg Pursuits | The Troubling Economics of One of the World’s Great Restaurants
The decline of the legendary Le Cirque restaurant in NYC is a lesson to all about the pressure of unstable rent increases, and what can happen when soaring real estate prices seemingly go out of control. With rent topping at “under $1,000,000” annually, it’s little wonder why Le Cirque is shutting doors. Bloomberg explores the current restaurant rental market, and looks into the costs associated with offering a fine dining establishment.

Bon Appetit | The Cult-Favorite Wood-Fired Grills Taking the Restaurant World by Storm
Summer grilling season may have passed, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your tri-tip dreams quite yet. Enter Grillworks, a cult-favorite that’s swept into the top kitchens helmed by legends including José Andrés, Tom Colicchio, and Danny Meyer. Bon Appetit traces Grillworks history from backyard hobbyist griller to top chef must-have. If you need a more winning endorsement, Andrés says of his Grillworks, ““Until you work with something like this, you cannot know what a grill is.”

Eater | Pastry Chefs Forced to Get Creative as Vanilla Prices Soar
Vanilla has become a precious resource to party chefs around the globe, as prices top out at $750 per kilogram. After a cyclone hit Madagascar, the world’s leading producer of vanilla, the price has sourced far out of reach for many restaurants. Reminiscing on the days when a gallon sold for $70, Eater takes a dive into the world of vanilla, and how catastrophes across the globe effect your local menus.

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