The Food Section: Appetizers

American-style Feedlots Come to Argentina

While Argentina is known as the land of purely grass-fed steak, the use of American-style feedlots is surging -- as much as a third of the nation's cattle may be fattened in feed lots this year.

Copia Closes (for Now)

Copia, the financially distressed food and wine center in Napa, has shut its doors while it seeks cash to continue operations.

Don't Say Bud, Say Bière

Shareholders of Anheuser-Busch have approved a $52 million takeover by Belgian-based InBev, creating the world's largest brewer.

The Bagels of Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Times profiles the bagel giants of L.A.

Towards a Less Grody Grocery Cart

The Wall Street Journal explores the grocery cart-sanitizing industry.

Chef Ferran Adria Defends McDonald's

World's most popular chef: I want to eat at McDonald's [Telegraph]

Italy's Growing Cheese Crisis

While the cost of milk and other raw materials for making Parmigiano Reggiano have spiked, the wholesale price of the cheese has continued to drop for the past four years. The producers blame large supermarkets -- which buy the bulk of the cheese on the market -- for dictating low prices. An oversupply of cheese is also pointed to as a factor. With many Italian cheese producers facing bankruptcy, Italy's cheese producers are calling upon their government to intervene and shore up prices.

Italy's "king of cheese" in crisis plea on prices [Reuters]

Rachael Ray to Open Burger Joint

The New York Post reports that TV chef Rachael Ray plans to open a burger joint in Midtown next year.

"I'm going for a '60s back-in-the-day Rat Pack-y kind of hangout, and I want the bar to be really central [and] the burgers to become a very social thing," said Ray. "I want people to come to the bar to see beautiful proper martinis being made and to enjoy some sliders while they're doing business or sit in the dining room and have fine dining in ground form."

Choose Your Patty! [New York Post via Eater]

Investing in (Hic) Liquid Assets

As Wall Street teeters toward collapse, investors are turning to more tangible investments like precious metals and commodities. So, why not put your money into wine?

According to Food & Wine, a series of wine investment funds -- similar to mutual funds -- have cropped up for investors seeking to cash in on rising prices of Bordeaux. In fact, wine may be particularly attractive right now due to its "noncorrelation to other asset classes" (meaning wine prices are unaffected by the mortgage defaults and the vicissitudes of rising and falling -- or plummeting -- stock prices).

And, if the weak economy does finally catch up with wine prices, your investments tank, and we've entered a new Depression, you can always grab a corkscrew and drink your assets as the world crumbles around you.

Is Wine a Smart Investment? [Food & Wine]

Kraft Replaces AIG in Dow

Kraft Foods will replace ailing AIG in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Kraft will be the only food maker in the 30-stock index.

Culinary Careers

One hundred ways to make a living as a professional eater.

Food Prices Spiking

Food prices are forecast by the USDA to rise by 5 percent to 6 percent this year, making it the largest annual increase since 1990.

Millionaire Chefs

Pulling down $18 million a year, Rachael Ray tops Forbes' list of the 10 top-earning celebrity chefs. Not far behind is Wolfgang Puck at $16 million. Mario Batali comes in seventh place with annual earnings of $3 million. Rounding out the bottom of the list at $1.5 million are Bobby Flay and Anthony Bourdain.

Balducci's: Halal Edition

Gourmet food retailer Balducci's is opening a store in Dubai next month. There will be no pork products for sale, and all of the meat will be halal.

The Office: Celebrity Chef Edition

When UK workers were polled about how their personalities compare with those of celebrity chefs, almost half identified themselves with the organizational skills and attention to detail of The Fat Duck's Heston Blumental. One in five identified with Gordon Ramsay, at least in terms of "working well under pressure" and being "single-minded about achieving results."

Food Makers See Profits

Kraft Foods and other food makers are reaping the rewards of recession economics as consumers abandon restaurants for eating at home.

In Memorium: 600 Closed Starbucks

Starbucks customers lament the passing of 600 outlets that are slated to be shut down: "Why must you take my store?...Please, I've been faithful to you in these trying economic times, won't you do the same for me?"

New York Magazine Buys MenuPages

New York Media, the publisher of New York magazine, has acquired MenuPages.com. Interestingly, not only will the local magazine own the site's New York City restaurant menus, but also control its online database of national menus (comprising seven more major cities).

Cooking.com: $13 Million in Venture Funding

Online retailer Cooking.com has raised $13 million in venture capital to "expand editorial and social-networking operations," open a new distribution center, and extend its "Powered by Cooking.com"network.

The $6,100 Melon

A jumbo black watermelon auctioned in Japan on Friday was sold for a record $6,100, making it one of the most expensive watermelons ever sold in the country. Last month, a pair of "Yubari" cantaloupe melons sold for a record $23,500.

Fortune Tacos

Dichos: taco-shaped cookies with Mexican proverbs tucked inside.

Ramsay Threatens Moving to F****** Australia

Your daily f****** Ramsay: The chef tells The Sun that he would like to abandon London in a decade. "Another ten years then I’ll f*** off to Australia and retire," he said. "I’ll open a restaurant in Queensland and open the f****** thing one day a week and close six days and just open for the fun of it."

Chicken Run

UK chef and author Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is calling for a mass revolt by shareholders in Tesco, Britain's largest supermarket chain, over its sales of cheap, factory-farmed chickens. Fearnley-Whittingstall, a Tesco shareholder, is leading a campaign (Chicken Out) to force the company to withdraw its claim that it supports animal welfare or adopt minimum standards set by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

How Yelp Works

The New York Times inquires into how Yelp has succeeded where other restaurant review sites have failed.

Rice Crisis

While there is no shortage in the U.S. supply of rice, many people in San Francisco's Asian community are stockpiling rice amid skyrocketing rice prices and fears that shortages ravaging other nations will eventually come here.

Extra Virgin Angst

While the world attempts to deal with the fallout from rising food prices -- from rationing to riots -- one man opines about what the crisis means for food snobs.

Of Milk and Microbes

Harper's goes inside the raw milk underground. Via gastropoda.

From Crabs to Cake

Smith Island Cake, a layer cake originating from a remote island in Chesapeake Bay, has been named Maryland's official dessert. With decllning exports of crabs, Smith Island residents hope the cake will attract tourism.

Big Changes at El Bulli

Chef Ferran Adrià reveals plans to transform El Bulli into a "place of investigation," with a smaller kitchen and much fewer tables: "Imagine a company like Pixar: think about what would happen if they didn’t have time to create. It would be impossible. Our dream is to cook for one or two tables every day...We could then present our new creations all over the world."

Wafflegate

Belgian wafflerie Wafels & Dinges is accused of serving other people's waffles.

NYT: Bottles, Organics, and Plums

Good reading in the Times' business pages today: After reports that Canada will outlaw bisphenol-a in plastics, Nalgene plans to stop using the suspect chemical in its bottles; Price hikes hit organic foods; and the connection between the color of plums and luxury advertising.

Will Food Prices Ever Fall?

While international concern about soaring food prices may be growing, underlying inflation in farm costs may mean that they won't come down any time soon. As long as costs for fuel and fertilizer spiral upwards, farmers will need to command higher prices for their crops.

Know Your Yogurt

Frou-frou frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry has settled a class-action lawsuit over accusations that the company made bogus health claims about its product. Despite the $750,000 settlement, Pinkberry has denied any wrongdoing (read the original complaint and settlement documents here). Pinkberry's ingredient list and nutrition information are now online.

Rise in Food Prices Spurs Demand for Dirt

As the price of rice doubled in Haiti in the last year, desperate Haitians have turned to a cheaper alternative: dirt. So-called "dirt cookies" are made of clay, salt, and vegetable shortening. Incredibly, the increased demand has caused the price of clay to rise too, by 40 percent.

Recession Special, Part II: The 99-Cent Store

The Times extols the virtues of the 99-cent store, where bargain ingredients become the basis for a five-course menu prepared by master chef Eric Ripert. Earlier: Sales spike at so-called "salvage grocers" as the economy spirals downward.

Starbucks to Transform Stores Into Coffee Shops

Shockingly, this is not a headline from The Onion. After recent rumblings about taking steps to "reignite the emotional attachment with our customers," followed by the retraining of its baristas, Starbucks has announced a plan to get serious about coffee. The chain will acquire the vaunted Clover coffee machine, develop and produce new espresso machines, and create a social networking site, My Starbucks Idea (already denounced as "simply a corporate propaganda site"). Read more employees and customer feedback at Starbucks Gossip.

Big Food Courts Niche Blogs

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on the efforts of food giants like Kraft and General Mills to sway  niche food blogs devoted to reviewing convenience foods.

Confusion in the Meat Aisle

Hormel Foods and Cargill are expected to begin labeling meat sold at Target stores that has been treated with carbon monoxide in order to make it look bright red and appear fresh. Essentially, the label will warn customers against trusting their eyes to assess the freshness of meat which has been doctored to appear fresh by fooling the eye. Wha? The label will read: "Color is not an accurate indicator of freshness. Refer to use or freeze by" date.

The Restaurant Slump and Working Women

The Wall Street Journal reports that the a leveling off in the percentage of women in the workforce has contributed to a long-term slump in restaurant visits. Other contributing factors: an increase in the percentage of dudes cooking at home, and the "foodie phenomenon," whereby TV chefs have made it seem "cool" for families to stay home and make dinner.

Cooking at the Margin

As food prices continue to rise, restaurants high and low are replacing expensive ingredients with cheaper alternatives and eliminating low-profit entrees from their menus (infographic)

Books and Bordeaux

Amazon.com has entered a partnership with wine.com, America's largest online wine merchant, to sell wine over the Internet.

Recession Special: "Salvage Grocers"

With the economy spiraling towards a recession and a rise in food prices, sales are are spiking at so-called "salvage grocers." Chains such as SharpShopper and Amelia's sell "closeouts," which include food products nearing or exceeding their expiration date, discontinued items, and outdated seasonal foods.

Dept. of Shondas

Kraft Foods, Inc. is set to unveil its newest breakfast offering, called Bagel-Fuls -- frozen bagels filled with cream cheese.

Curry Crisis

An immigration charity has urged the British government to ease curbs on Bangladeshi migrant workers and prevent a shortage of cooks and waiters in the UK's curry restaurants.

Starbucks: Retraining Baristas

Starbucks will close all of its stores (7,100 nationwide) for three hours on February 26 to retrain baristas "in creating the perfect shot, steaming the milk and all the pieces that come together in a drink." Via Starbucks Gossip.

Trader Joe's to Bar (Some) Chinese Imports

Due to concerns about food safety, Trader Joe's will begin phasing out garlic, spinach, and other "single ingredient" foods imported from mainland China. However, products that include Chinese ingredients will continue to be sold by the grocery store chain.

Starbucks to Smell More Like Coffee, Less Like McDonald's

Starbucks founder and CEO Howard Schultz has announced that the chain will stop serving breakfast sandwiches "because, in short, the scent of the warmed sandwiches interferes with the coffee aroma in our stores, which is key to the coffee experience that forges our connection with customers." He said the move is part of an overall effort to "reignite the emotional attachment with our customers." For reaction, visit Starbucks Gossip.

Braun Sheds US Market

According to Food & Wine, Braun will stop selling kitchen appliances in the U.S. this year, phasing out products beginning in March.

Ramsay Heads East

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is seeking to extend his restaurant empire into the Czech Republic.

Food Mergers: Candy Donuts and Clamato Beer

Dunkin Donuts has teamed up with Mars to offer candy-topped donuts, and Anheuser-Busch has introduced Chelada, a Clamato and Beer conction.

Fresh Direct Going National

New York-based grocery delivery service Fresh Direct is planning to take its business national, though no timetable has been set for the expansion.

A Fuqing Mess

The New York Times reports on Fuqing, one of the centers of China's booming seafood industry, where fish are raised in filthy farms contaminated with sewage, industrial waste, and pesticides.

Chocolate 2.0

The co-founder of Wired magazine has created a chocolate company, Tcho, that bears similarities to a Silicon Valley start-up (the first batch of chocolate is currently in "beta" testing).

The Rise of "Agflation"

Ethanol subsidies in the U.S. and rising wealth in Asia have led to unprecedented "agflation," high food prices at a time of abundance. The Economist looks at the winners and losers worldwide.

DIY Wine

How San Francisco's Crushpad tapped into the desires of aspiring vintners.

World's Most Expensive Dessert

Serendipity 3 sets a Guiness world record creating a $25,000 variation on its "Frrozen Haute Chocolate" laden with gold, diamonds, and truffles.

The Art of the Power Breakfast

The Wall Street Journal's Raymond Sokolov seeks good food where the big shots go for power breakfasts.

The Secret Life of John Mackey

The Wall Street Journal reports that John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, posted messages on Yahoo Finance stock forums under an alias, "Rahodeb" (an anagram of Deborah, Mackey's wife), touting his company's finances, critiquing rival Wild Oats (which Whole Foods is now acquiring), and complimenting his own coiffure: "'I like Mackey's haircut,' Rahodeb said. 'I think he looks cute!'"

Bottle Boom

A short history of the $15 billion bottled water industry and what it says about American culture.

Deer Sushi, Anyone?

In the face of a major tuna shortage, Japanese sushi chefs may turn to deer and horse as sushi substitutes. "It’s like America running out of steak," Tadashi Yamagata, vice chairman of Japan’s national union of sushi chefs, told the New York Times.

Fake Sugar Showdown, Part Deux

A settlement between rival artificial sweeteners Splenda and Equal falls apart. Earlier: Fake Sugar Showdown.

"Whole Planet"

Brits contemplate the arrival of the first Whole Foods branch in London.

Pigging Out on Fatty Snacks

With corn prices rising due to increasing demand for corn-based ethanol, hog farmers are feeding their pigs trail mix, cheese curls, tater tots, candy bars, and other fatty snacks.

Farmers Face Off Against Slow Food

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a number of Bay Area farmers are upset with Slow Food leader Carlo Petrini for his characterizations of the San Francisco's Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market (more on the controversy here).

The Price of Not Eating

In order to cut down on leftovers, some Hong Kong restaurants are charging diners 64 cents per ounce of food left on their plates. Via Gourmet.

Rise of a Super Deli

The New York Times traces the long term planning behind the growth of Zingerman's into a $30 million business.

Dairies Rush to Get Organic

Hundreds of dairy farmers are rushing to convert to organic milk production to take advantage of less stringent requirements for conversion. The new regulations take effect in June.

Is Local Too Costly?

The San Francisco Chronicle tests the commonly held belief that eating locally is more expensive.

Small Plates, Big Business

The new Condé Nast business magazine Portfolio explores the economics of small plates.

Fake Sugar Showdown

The maker of Equal is suing the maker of Splenda over the contention that Splenda is misleading consumers by fostering the notion that the sweetener is made from sugar and is natural.

Food Jobs Flourish

The Los Angeles Times reports on the brave new world of food industry jobs -- from beer sommelier to cheese affineur.

Frozen Meals for Locavores

Eat Local, a new market based in Seattle (official site), is dedicated to providing microwaveable prepared meals made with produce and meats that are locally sourced, seasonal, and sustainably raised.

Burger King Goes Cage-Free

Burger King has announced that it will begin buying eggs and pork from suppliers that don't confine their livestock to cages and crates. This comes on the heels of Wolfgang Puck's pledge last week that his company will use products only from animals raised under strict humane standards.

In-store Dining

Inspired by Seattle's Pike Place Market, London's Borough Market, and other food markets, Whole Foods plans to transform the grocery shopping experience by developing in-store eateries. More: A recent Whole Foods press release touts the opening of Rustica Minardi ("our interpretation of an Italian osteria") at its new Bowery store opening March 29.

The "Flatbread Factor"

A new study suggests that as nations get wealthier, tastes change: sales of flatbread, for example, tend to increase as urbanization demands more convenient meals, and sugar-based candy gets replaced with high-end chocolate.

STealth Openings: Still Possible?

Business: With the current saturation of media coverage of new restaurants, is it possible to have a stealth opening?

McTrademarks

Business: Bolshoi Mac, McBaby, McMemories, McScholar, and other McTrademarks owned by McDonald's.

Tortillas and Protests

Business: Rising corn prices in Mexico cause a spike in tortilla prices, fueling protests.

Refugee Conditions for Orange Harvest

Business: The Guardian reports on the dire conditions for migrants working on Southern Europe's Christmas orange harvests.

Krispy Kreme Opens in Japan

Business: Krispy Kreme opens its first outlet in Japan; iMaid Cafe expands into North America.

Organic Milk Scorecard

Business: Cornucopia Institute scorecard employs a five-cow rating system to rank the integrity of 68 different organic dairy brands and private-label products.

Seminoles Buy Hard Rock

Business: The Seminole Tribe of Florida has bought the Hard Rock chain of restaurants, hotels, and casinos.