FoodWire offers a monthly update on what’s cooking on
The Food Channel®, as well as a quick preview of what’s coming soon to our menu. The latest recipes, the hottest trends—it’s a quick and tasty buffet you can scan at a glance.

Our Gulf Tour: New Orleans on the Rebound

As frequent visitors to The Food Channel know, we are rounding up some of the best articles from around the Web that tell the stories of the inspiring comeback of the cooking, culture, and spirit of the Gulf region taking place in the aftermath of the disastrous oil spill. Recently we dispatched our video crew to New Orleans to shoot a documentary on the progress being made there. While on location, the crew filed several stories on some of the remarkable locals making a difference in the Crescent City. We were there for Emeril Lagasse’s Carnivale du Vin event, a celebration of wine and food, and benefiting a variety of local charities. We had a blast at the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival which featured an amazing sandwich competition, great music, and 40,000 revelers. Our hungry crew devoured juicy burgers at a pop-up restaurant, and ate more raw oysters than we could count—often at pre-dawn hours—during a tour of Louisiana oyster beds—which, sad to say, are struggling mightily. Stay tuned, our documentary film is coming soon.

Top Foods to Watch in 2011

In addition to our annual predictions of the top ten food trends for 2011, our fearless food forecasters have also chosen a top ten list of foods to watch in the coming year. Here are some that we expect people will be talking about—and putting into their mouths: Small pies will be big in 2011. Some observers have dubbed them the “next cupcake.” We see both sweet and savory pies coming on strong. Nutmeg has been pegged as an aphrodisiac—especially for women. If it’s going to spice things up in the bedroom, we expect it to be used liberally in lots of recipes this year. And moonshine’s gone legit. Watch it shine on in the new year. Click here to see the rest of the top ten.

Our Top Recipe Picks for 2010
		At the end of every year, our chefs and editorial staff vote for their favorite recipes of the past 12 months. We figure you’ll be intrigued as to which recipes we foodies liked best of all. Coming in at Number 10 was this Caramelized French Onion Dip, which was a big hit at our Fall Harvest party. See the full top ten.
Carolina Style Sliders with Coleslaw These southern sliders tied for the Number 7 spot. A great little mini burger.	Orange-Marmalade Cookies These cookies were the top vote-getter in the highly competitive cookie category. Super yummy!	Candied Bacon Fudge Finished in the top three, combining two of the most indulgent flavors in the world—lusciously.
Get the very latest on what’s happening and what’s going to happen. • Upscaling Humble Foods • Caution: Men Cooking • If We Teach It, They’ll Eat It
SurfingThe Channel
	Funny Commercial for Bacon Mayo The Bacon Salt guys from J&D Foods are always cracking us up with their wacky new bacon products. This TV spot for their Baconnaise spread made us laugh out loud.
	An Original Christmas Cookie Story Book Yes, the holidays have come and gone, but if you didn’t get a chance to check out this original children’s story book, you really should see it. Available as a page-turning online picture book, or in video form. Little Ella is so adorable!
	Post-Spill Fish Aren’t Merely Surviving, They’re Thriving According to writer Lou Dolinar, sea life is flourishing in the Gulf. He says the lack of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico after the oil spill has actually ushered in a marine renaissance that has overwhelmed the negative environmental consequences.
	Feeding Your Facebook Appetite Network with fellow foodies from around the world. Check out the Food Channel’s Facebook fan page.