iGrill & Eye-Fi Keep Your Eye on them

The Consumer Electronic Show came and went like a cool breeze on a warm summer’s night. Here was the Event City Creative Magazine, at one of the largest electronic shows in the world with only 72 hours to see over 80,000 products – Yeah Right!! As my 10 year old and his friends would say, EPIC FAIL!! I’ve always maintained this should be a week long show, what better reason to stay in Las Vegas for a few extra days.

So what did we find at this ultimate Electronic Industry’s playground?

iGrill, first ever Bluetooth enabled grilling/cooking thermometer and App

I’ve recently had the chance to speak with some of my Catering friends, food people at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco (what a great partner this product would make with some of those awesome BBQ Sauces we sampled), and lots of Grilling fanatics about a new device, and they all asked the same questions – What is it? What does it do?

Here’s the overall idea: iGrill is an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch-friendly cooking and grilling thermometer that runs off of 4 AA batteries and provides a  temperature readout in digital format on its own screen. It does not need an electronic device to use. It uses a long-range (200-foot) transmitter using Bluetooth technology to communicate with a free iGrill application. Ok, that’s pretty simple, right? Good. Are you sitting down? Here it where it goes way beyond the “out of the box” of any typical digital cooking thermometer. The iGrill offers both digital and analog readouts, a timer, guidelines for cooking different types of meat that can show you the progress for whatever you’re cooking, and even integrated recipes. iGrill also has the ability to optionally connect with two metal probes — one’s included in the package — and works at temperatures of up to 400 degrees. White or black versions are available, they come with a built-in stand, a wrap-around thermometer cable, and a nice glow-through front face.

Sure you have to ask yourself the question is it certainly worth the $100 you’ll spend for this functionality? Well that is entirely up to you, but we are certainly intrigued enough (and we hope you are too) that we’ll be looking forward to doing our review on this newest gadget for the fine professional food service company, to the grilling enthusiast. Of course I will most certainly look forward to anticipating the outcome of our grilling experience. Gotta run, I have some decisions to make- Chicken, T-bones, Mahi Mahi, oh my….

Eye-Fi Memory Card Does Work For You

The Eye-Fi card is the 1st wireless memory card. It looks, stores media, and fits into cameras just like a regular SDHC card. But this card is special. The Eye-Fi card has built-in Wi-Fi that uses your existing wireless network to effortlessly transfer photos and videos to wherever you desire.

This is not the first time Event City Magazine seen this, and it certainly will not be the last. A very promising device, we are looking forward to doing a thorough review on this unit and all of the features it has to offer.

Visit the Eye-Fi Website for the latest information on this product.

Everyday theft of some type of electronic mobile device is not an uncommon occurrence, especially with the rising prevalence of expensive gadgets in the general populace. Not to mention all the information we store on our smartphones and laptops these days, including confidential business and personal documents, company e-mail, personal finance apps, so much private information its even more important to protect your device from loathsome characters.

Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce you to my new best friend, GadgetTrak Mobile Security, which is now launching in version 3 just in time for CES 2011. Along with its companion apps, this handy service provides comprehensive protection for laptops, smartphones, and tablets in the event they’re lost or stolen.

GadgetTrak consists of five major features to help you protect your data and find your device. For one, you can remotely wipe any personal data, including photo, e-mail, contacts, and texts. You can also back up any of this data using government-grade encryption, which is a nice feature for those who don’t want to lose all the data in a wipe. The software is also tamper proof, so once it has been activated, no settings can be changed; the service will even notify you if the thief removes the SIM card.

GadgetTrak uses a combination of GPS, Wi-Fi positioning, and cell tower positioning to help you find your missing device. There’s an alarm functionality, which lets you trigger a loud siren, which can serve as a theft deterrent or a location aid, even if the phone is set to silent.

GadgetTrak Mobile Security 3 is available for $34.95 per year for laptops and non-iOS smartphones and tablets. A one-time 99-cent download from iTunes is all it takes for iOS users to enjoy the service. In my humble iPinion, that is certainly a small price to pay for your peace of mind.

Nolan Apostle – Contributing Editor, Producer
Cheryl Boyd – Writer, Blogger
Danny Hewlett – Photographer, Camera-person
Event City Creative Magazine
Event City BlogaZines

All materials copyright of their respective owners. All other materials copyright ©2001-2011 Event City

Fancy Food Show Comes to SF Moscone Center

Nolan Apostle, Contributing Editor
Cheryl Boyd, Reporter & Photographer
Event City Creative Magazine

The Fancy Food Show is the largest West Coast specialty food and beverage trade-show in the industry opens up today in San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Event City will be there covering all of the latest and greatest from the food and beverage world. It is the only show you’ll find everything you need under one roof.

• 80,000 specialty foods and beverages
• More than 1,300 exhibitors from 50 countries
• 17,000 attendees
• Plus these exciting Show Features

If you’re not familiar with the Fancy Food Show it is the premier trade-show for the industry. Whether you are a Restaurant, Caterer, Hotel Property, any kind of eatery, any venue serving food & beverage products, bars, nightclubs, food stores small and large, even Meeting and Event planners that offer their clients VIP Gifts or other similar type of products on a regular basis, this show is a must for you to attend.

The specialty food industry as a whole is a thriving and vital part of the U.S. and global food markets. A wide range of manufacturers, distributors, sellers and others make up the supply chain that brings innovative specialty products to the end consumer. Event City will continue to report on the many details about this exciting industry.

So what really are Specialty Foods? Specialty food products are foods and beverages that exemplify quality, innovation and style in their category. They are often known for their authenticity, ethnic or cultural origin, commitment to specific processing rules or traditions, superior ingredients, limited supply or extraordinary packaging.

What Does “VIRGIN” & “EXTRA-VIRGIN” In Olive Oil Mean?

By Nolan Apostle
Contributing Editor
Event City Creative Magazine

Our Editorial research Team at Event City Creative Magazine has recently found some interesting information that we are sure those in the Culinary and Hospitality world will appreciate. Let us know what you think.

The purity of some extra-virgin olive oils is being challenged.

A recent report found that 69 percent of imported oils and 10 percent of domestic oils sampled from grocery stores shelves in the U.S. did not meet the international standards that define the title of extra-virgin.

But what do these terms really mean? Is there a measurable difference between the virgin and extra virgin labels?

According to the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), the answer is yes. Extra-virgin olive oil should come only from virgin oil productions and contain no more than .8 percent acidity. During the extraction process, no chemicals should be used. Extra-virgin olive oil should be cold-pressed, which means that no heat over a certain temperature was used during processing.

Then of course, there’s the taste. Olive oils with the extra-virgin designation should have superior flavor and aroma. It is recommended that they be used in salad dressings, to dip bread in, or to drizzle on top of sauces.

Extra-virgin olive oils are fragile. Exposure to high temperatures and even light can lead to their deterioration.

The labels “pure olive oil” and just plain old “olive oil” indicate a blend of refined and virgin production oil. Olive pomace oil is obtained by using chemicals in the extraction.

Currently, the USDA lists four grades of olive oil, which were established in 1948. The highest quality bears the cute name U.S. Fancy, or U.S. Grade A.

The word olive derives from the Greek elaia and possibly the older Armenian term ewi, “oil.” Shakespeare apparently coined the name Olivia, from the male name Oliver. The olive branch is a traditional symbol of peace that dates back at least to the Bible, when a dove brought Noah an olive branch to indicate the discovery of land.

The olive branch may signify peace, but why is the avocado known as the “fertility fruit?” Find out here. Retrieved this from Dictionary.Com’s Hot Word section.

Gelato Classico at Fancy Food Show

Hipster Celebrity Chef, Martin Yan and Bay Area-based Gelato Classico joined forces to showcase a new Gelato Classico recipe. Gelato Classico received the honor of putting the finishing touch on a four-course meal served to guests during two interactive Chinese cooking demonstrations by acclaimed celebrity chef Martin Yan at his Bay Area Yan Can restaurants recently. The final course of the light, fresh, and flavorful Chinese meal featured zesty Gelato Classico Fresh Ginger gelato drizzled with a rich, five-spice caramel sauce prepared by Yan Can Executive Chef A.J. Faung. Both Gelato and Yan will be at the San Francisco Winter Fancy Food Show this next week.

Capacity crowds at the lunch and dinner events at Yan Can restaurants in Pleasant Hill and Santa Clara, Calif., were captivated by Chef Yan’s characteristic blend of education and entertainment. The celebrated host of over 3,000 cooking shows broadcast worldwide, including the now classic “Yan Can Cook,” Yan enjoys distinction as a certified Master Chef, a highly respected food consultant, a cooking instructor, and a prolific author. His diverse talents have found expression in 30 cookbooks, including the award-winning Martin Yan’s Feast.

Gelato Classico and their Sorbetto Classico are popular brands at Special Events, Meeting Facilities, Concerts, Parties, and various venues. Used widely in Hotels, Bed and Breakfast locations, by Caterers, Restaurants, Cafes, various venues and of course Ice Cream shops. Event City will be covering the Fancy Food Show this week and keep your eyes peeled for the months following the show for more Food show coverage.

Manufactured by Caffe Classico Foods, Gelato Classico ultra rich and creamy, hand-crafted Italian-style ice cream is made with Real California Milk and thehighest quality ingredients, including fruits and nuts imported from around the world. Likewise, non-dairy, fat-free Sorbetto Classico all natural fruit sorbets have a high fruit content that delivers intense flavor. In addition, all of the products have no added air for a dense, smooth texture.

Caffè Classico Foods produces about 50 flavors of Gelato Classico and Sorbetto Classico at any given time, including time-tested favorites and seasonal selections. Fresh Ginger is one of several Asian-inspired flavors currently offered, along with Lychee and Green Tea. What started as a single gelato shop more than 30 years ago has evolved into an industry leading brand offering food service, restaurant, and retail pack sizes, as well as licensed Gelato Classico shops.

For more information about Gelato Classico, call (925) 602-5400.

Social Media Club – Hosted Cocktail Party II

Event Sponsor A Cocktail Party and Mixer with some good food Sponsored by H&R Block! H&R Block will support the Events & Creative Industries in a number of different ways along with the socialmedianet group. Making sure you find ALL the deductions you can while enjoying an adult beverage to ease the pain…

Host: Social Media Club San Francisco / Silicon Valley

Type: Party – Cocktail Party

Network: Global/San Francisco Bay Area

Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

Location: House of Shields

Address: 39 New Montgomery St.

City/Town: San Francisco, CA

Media Sponsor EVENT DETAILS: Event City will be on hand to preview a special 15-minute presentation, structured more as a Q&A, from H&R Block on what we ‘Social Media’ and/or independent consultants should know about this tax season (writers, bloggers, producers who got 1099′s as well as people with affiliate revenues, contractors working for you for the first time, deductions and even the stimulus package). Event City will potentially put together a similar program for all of our Events & Creative industries. Please feel free to browse the Social Media Tax Center for answers to many of the Tax questions you might have in this genre. You can also see a simple presentation to help you move along with your taxes and also to ask any questions in advance for this presentation or for future reference. If you haven’t filed your returns yet and could use some advice, bring your list of questions and meet 1:1 with a tax professional who will be happy to answer all your questions. Already filed your tax returns for 2008? Come anyway, as you never know what tip you might pick up for NEXT year – or – might even be worth filing amended return. There will be an open bar and some good eats to be shared, all thanks to our friends at H&R Block and lots of opportunity to mingle and make new friends. The hosts, promises to keep the Q&A fairly short, so it allows for mingle time.

To be involved in some of our future Events similar to these please email the Event City Network.

NEW SF EVENTS VENUE OPENS & GOES GREEN

Nolan Apostle – Talent, Producer and Contributing Editor
Event City Live, Event City TV & Event City Creative

BENTLY RESERVE & CONFERENCE CENTER

Plans for a series of events are taking shape quite nicely at the new BENTLY RESERVE CONFERENCE & EVENTS CENTER in San Francisco. On April 9th and 10th, Christopher and Amber Marie Bently, owners of The Bently Reserve, are set to debut it’s new sustainable upgrades and the state-of-the-art Bently Conference Center with a series of events and festivities open to business associates, the media, event managers, meeting planners and the hospitality industry.

The crown jewel of the renovated building is the new Conference Center on the 2nd floor, boasting a variety of sustainable features and innovative technologies for meetings, parties, videoconferencing and corporate events. While it’s no mystery to San Franciscans who host lavish weddings and groundbreaking conferences there, The Bently Reserve is now more unique and appealing than ever thanks to an array of new eco-friendly features and innovative technologies.

Green, energy-efficient highlights include core upgrades like the new building control HVAC system, which was completely upgraded with a digital control, offering centralized on-site and remote temperature control, allowing off-site control for evening and weekend events.

The upgraded lighting controller – the Lutron Lighting EcoSystem™ – (which happens to be one of this writer’s favorite) networks all lighting systems together and allows exact monitoring of kilowatts to accurately measure energy consumption. Advanced lighting sensors automatically detect outside light and adjust the interior lights to maximize energy savings. There are only three other commercial facilities on Earth with the same system installed on this scale.

In addition, the old CFC-based air conditioning chiller units were removed and replaced with a new, modern non-CFC based refrigerant system. This is a huge plus for event planners, especially when you get a crowed room of party-goers, all that body heat can really blast up the temperature in any room; this new air conditioning system will keep everyone nice and cool.

The latest digital technology was integrated into the new Conference Center, making it one of the most appealing destinations in San Francisco for conferences and business meetings. Teleconferencing equipment from Polycom offers high-definition quality and “Continuous Presence”, which allows conference attendees in multiple physical locations to see and hear each other in real-time digital squares on a monitor or screen. A highly-secure network using the latest Cisco Systems firewall and switch equipment creates peace of mind and a network that is secure enough to support government agencies. There is wireless internet available via completely segregated network access throughout the facility. With this system, individuals can connect to the network via their laptops throughout the Conference Center. In addition, there is also a business area with available computer rentals, fax machines, copiers, and scanners. Companies can also select from a variety of comprehensive audio/visual and telecommunications packages to suit their needs.

As you can see from the pictures, this is a beautiful venue, but its beauty is not truly appreciated until you had the opportunity to visit this incredible venue. If you are an Event or Meeting industry Professional, Corporate Planners, anyone involved in the Hospitality or Entertainment industries please send us an email and we will send you a complete detailed email of event schedules and the Venue’s manager contact information.

We look forward to seeing you at the New Bently Reserve Sneak Peak Events on April 9th and 10th in San Francisco.

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