Each week, writers and editors of Restaurant SmartBrief work to bring you the most interesting and relevant food and restaurant industry stories. Along the way, we come across cool tales that don’t make the brief, and we take the chance Friday to share a few with you.
- When Prince Albert of Monaco ties the knot next month, chef Alain Ducasse will have spent a few sleepless nights and passed along much of his stress to the staff helping him prepare and serve the wedding feast at his first-ever state dinner, according to The Associated Press.
- Most spas aren’t big on meat, but chef Ivan Bertelli created cured-meat therapy at Hosteria da Ivan near Parma, Italy. Chef and author Faith Willinger describes a recent visit to Bertelli’s salumoterapia salon in The Atlantic and tips readers off to what’s next – lard massage.
- The Pepper Project is a nonprofit that partners to raise U.S. interest in Cambodian products, starting with Kampot black pepper, an intense aromatic version of the spice, according to Los Angeles Times’ Daily Dish.
- The modern jury’s still out on genetically modified food, but Daily Mail explored evidence that cavemen were creating GMO rice in search of a heartier food crop.