Danielle Custer, Director of TASTE

“This year I resolve to do 3 things:

1.   I’m a good supporter of local farms and cooking which I will continue but this year I will support my small local restaurants (including TASTE) more though attendance and eating at full price. I will minimize my use of the word “Happy Hour” and choose to meet friends for “food, drink and discussions” as I feel Happy Hour has begun to hurt our restaurant economy. Diners are expecting to be able to eat food for less than what it costs and it is shortening our dining sustainability.

2.  Spend more time “in the moment” less time “being busy”

3.  Continue to learn, plant and grow my  2^nd year Square Foot Garden.”

Chef Wayne Johnson, Andaluca

Chef Wayne Johnson

“My first is to spend more time with the loved ones, and my second (which may tie in with the first) is to get in 15-20 ski days this year. Oh, and watch more movies this year (I was not that good at it last year).”

Chef Christine Keff, Flying Fish

“ I gotta get to the gym!”

Chef Robin Leventhal, Crave/Top Chef

“My resolution this year is to celebrate, through food, the individual experience as a means of connection. I will embrace and unify all of my eclectic roots and weave them playfully into an ever-changing menu.”

Chef Jeremy McLachlan, Salty’s on Alki

“My New Years Resolution is to eat better. Yeah, I know it is lame but I want to give you a glimpse into the Executive Chef’s life. Working with great products everyday you would think that we eat like kings. The problem is when I get off work all I want is a Liter of Veltin’s German Beer and a few corn dogs.  We all have our weaknesses and mine is beer and corn dogs.”

Where Ya At Matt?

Chef Matthew Lewis, Where Ya At Matt

“My resolutions for 2011 include the following:

1. Workout a minimum of 3 times a week. I know trite but true.  I try to eat in moderation, which allows me to eat what I want (most of the time), but adding exercise to this makes me feel even better!
2. Cooking more with my son.  Being a busy single dad, we often go out to eat… a lot. He is three and there is no better time than to get him hooked on cooking and nutrition than now!
3. For my customers, add a few more healthy but tasty options to the menu!”

Chef Gavin Stephenson, The Georgian Room

“I would ideally like to be able to never serve high fructose corn syrup again!”

Chef C.J. Hetherington, TASTE

“My resolutions: #1Get my passport. #2 Travel to Italy/Spain or somewhere in Asia. #3 Ski till my legs fall off this winter #4 Cook my ass off!”

Chef/Author/Teacher Becky Selengut, also Twitter Troublemaker @chefreinvented

“My resolutions are to get the &*$ out of Bank of America and switch to BECU, and to perform stand up at an Improv Night.”

Chef Lisa Nakamura, Allium on Orcas

Chef Lisa Nakamura

“1. To be more creative with local ingredients (I admit, sometimes I fall into a rut.  For example, does chard always have to be braised, and if it is braised, why not try shaking that up?)

2. To be happy with what I have and to not keeping thinking the grass is always greener on the other side (which is hard, because in truth, it’s that drive that pushes me to do so many things).

3. To stay in the moment more.  2010 was a tumultuous year, with health scares, new endeavors, embracing challenges, overcoming fears.  I would like to stop more often to smell the roses and revel in that moment right there and then.

4. To blog more, not because I think my opinion is so important, but because it is an exercise that clears my thoughts and puts into perspective the jumbled thoughts there.”

Chef Kurt Stolte, Tidbit Bistro

“My resolution is to start reading books made out of paper again. I’m taking it old school.”

People like to talk about beautiful, delicious food on Twitter

Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of the basics, such as, what exactly are we doing here on social media? 

I listened in on a teleseminar presented by the National Restaurant Association this week, and Stacey Kane, director of marketing for California Tortilla, presented some great, simple tips about why restaurants should care about and use social media.  You’ve probably heard them before, but for those few timid souls who have still not made the leap to Twitter or Facebook yet, here’s a short recap on why you should use social media:

1. Viral marketing - your message spreads fast and has wide reach
2. Virtually free - social media tools are free and the cost is only your time and energy
3. Immediate – you put a message out there and people see it/respond right away
4. Continuous customer engagement – you stay connected even after customers leave your restaurant, and you have access to follow up with surveys, thank you for visiting messages, trivia, specials, etc

And if you now “see the light” and are ready to Tweet away or create a Facebook Fan page, what’s next?  Here’s a few more bites from Stacey about how to get started:

• Decide who will handle the duties of tweeting/posting – they must be able to speak in your “voice” and have time to participate
• Listen!  Check out the major social media sites and listen to what people are talking about, investigate what they are already saying about you, do your homework
• Pick a platform – decide what target market you are trying to reach and which sandbox they play in (Twitter or Facebook or other), and then go and play where they like to play!
• Decide if you will offer discounts, specials, etc. to followers – and be sure everyone in your company knows about it and how to execute those offers

And I would add one more key component - develop a social media strategy and stick with it!  You really need a road map of where you want to go and how to get there – or you may end up in Poughkeepsie when you were headed for Tallahassee!  There are many social media consultants and advisors (like myself) who live and breathe these activities every day – use us!  Let us help you, and then you can do what you do best – make delicious food for your awesome customers – win-win for everyone.

Class dismissed

Related post: 5 Reasons Why Restaurants Should Use Twitter

31 flavors of blog posts in 31 days!

I thought I knew, but I think I better make sure before we go much farther – and definitely before I start my “31 blog posts in 31 days” project today! 

I hope I haven’t confused anyone, but my business is going through a bit of a metamorphosis these days, and I’m re-focusing this blog to ensure I’m on track and reaching those I most want to help (and work with!). So I’m following the wonderful example set by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger fame, and I’m committed to posting every day this month – and I’m confident I will have found my stride by April Fool’s Day.

Last July I launched this blog as I began the transition from working as a personal chef to helping restaurants and food companies navigate the crazy world of social media.  The blog began as “Life Is a Buffet” but has now been folded into my Incredible Chef web site here and serves as my home page.  And don’t look now, but I’m working on a company name change, to more accurately represent my services, so look for a sparkly new moniker soon! But I’m getting ahead of myself…

So what is this blog now?  I am here to help restaurants and hospitality companies with their communications and marketing efforts.  It is a many-splendored thing I offer - guidance with social media, email marketing, blogging, twitter, facebook, word of mouth networking, promotions and contests – all very fun and exciting things to drive more business to their companies and increase their visibility.

I believe I offer something unique to my clients – public relations agency experience, personal chef savoir faire, demonstrated social media expertise, and most importantly, an unabashed love of helping people in the culinary world talk about what they love to do.  Seriously – how many of my breed do you know??

So today I start the task of showing you exactly what I can do and why you should believe me.  And it’s going to be a fun ride!  So tell me, what do you want to know about this world I’ve described?  Please let me know below in the comments and I’ll be back every day this month, delivering information cooked-to-order, just for you…bon appetit!

But, this idea is just bursting to be shared, so I’m going ahead with it – and guess what? It actually will be supported and guided by the 3 words I chose. Double bonus!

So today I embark on the “do 20 actions 10 times each in the year 2010″.  The reactions have ranged from “20 things? That’s a lot!” to “10 times? Big deal – that’s easy!” to “interesting”.  And I agree with them all.

But, I do believe this idea will give a blueprint to the year, and provide consistent, specific goals throughout the year that will provide balance, improvement and perspective to my life. And that’s a good thing.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle

I will spare you the details of the entire list, but I’d like to share a few of the activities to give you an idea of where I’m headed.  Plus, maybe you can help me accomplish some of them – don’t be shy!

One of the first business books I plan to read in 2010

Read a business book

- I already have a monthly book club that typically covers fiction/literature/etc. and I read my fair share of food-related books…but this year I need to consistently stay up on general business trends, ideas, best practices, etc. that will support my social media coaching endeavors.  Fitting in 10 of these books will be a challenge, but well worth pursuing.

Attend live arts performances – Every time I attend a concert, play, comedy show, or the like, I am so inspired, energized and entertained.  And I always wonder why I don’t go more often! So, I will do more to support the great cultural opportunities we have in our area - have any suggestions?

Meet new Twitter friends in person – It’s so easy to have “friendships” on Twitter, but how many of your followers have you actually met? Would they know your name if you walked up to them in person and used their REAL NAME, not “Hi, I’m @soandso? I was thrilled to finally meet some Twitter friends face-to-face this year - @kathycaseychef, @ChefRobinL, @nancyleson, @SeattleMaven, @HeinzMarketing, @JeffreyJKingman – just to name a few.  And it made it so much more interesting to tweet with them – and know that they’d actually reply and/or help me!  If I can meet at least 10 more of these Twitterific (ugh!) people in 2010, I’ll be very happy.

But I want...

Eat gluten-free or sugar-free for a week

- I’ve tried every diet under the sun (sound familiar?!) but one thing I know for sure…when I restrict my gluten/wheat/carbs intake, I feel much better and lose weight.  Ditto with the sugar, but that’s much harder thanks to my favorite two words – dark chocolate!  Taking a seven-day break from these tasty treats about once a month should help keep my diet balanced and keep my health in check.

Teach a Twitter class, with at least 15 attendees – I’m focused on improving my presence as a Social Media Coach and am committed to helping people learn to use social media tools well for fun, business or whatever they desire.  And I believe there’s more than enough interest to fill at least 10 of these classes, either beginner or advanced. And I should mention, another goal is to work for at least 10 non-food related companies this year, to diversity my experience and knowledge.

Swimming with the dolphins in Puerto Vallarta - definitely a 1+ night getaway!

Go on one-night (minimum) getaways

- I must admit my dogs (Buddy and Griffin, the amazing cocker spaniels!)  have ruled the roost in this area.  Rather than work at finding a suitable housesitter, we often choose not to get out of town for a weekend or take that week-long vacation or go camping, because the dogs either can’t go with us or there’s no one to stay with them. That must change!  Also, if I am to meet another goal of visit a different state 10 times, that will require doggie care – must find ASAP! I’m sure someone would love a few weekend getaways on the Edmonds waterfront with a partial view…hmmm???

So there you have it – a quick glimpse into my 20 actions to be repeated 10 times each, for a terrific 2010!  What do you think? I’d love your feedback and/or your own ideas and goals – let’s hear it!