When it comes to cooking beef, we basically have two choices; dry heat cooking, such as grilling, broiling and roasting and moist heat cooking, such as braising and stewing. As the Executive Chef for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association I get to eat my fair share of beef from steaks and roasts to meatballs and meatloaf. It’s all good; however if I was to choose my favorite beef dish, it would hands down be braised short ribs. And this is the time of year to enjoy this slow cooked dish.

I spent my Christmas holidays in Cuba. Beautiful beaches, interesting trip back to the past, a quite unique social experience and an unexpected problem... Food.

"It's about balance and judgment in recipe writing and trying to connect with the person you're writing for."

So said Judith Jones, the legendary editor of Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" during an IACP Food Writing Teleforum on January 20th.

As I arrived back at my Manhattan office headquarters on the first work day of the new year (and the new decade) I took note that the two remaining magazine kiosks that were closest to my office have now been shut down.  No more stealing down to the promenade at lunch to pick up the latest crop of food magazines.  I either walk, or I starve.

The social media management company, Vitrue has just released its list of the Vitrue 100:  Top Social Brands of 2009, and representation from food and beverage companies is surprisingly small.