Social Networking with Mario Batali? Yum.
I have to admit I thought I was pretty done with newfangled social networks.
Having at one point or another joined every network that seemed even marginally relevant, I had decided to commit to a select few in an effort to control what was a growing addiction. Despite my best intentions, however, my inner foodie was unable to resist the recipe lust inspired by CookEatShare.
A social network for chefs (be they of the professional or very unprofessional variety), CookEatShare aims to create connections between people based on a mutual love of food. Launched in June, the site bills itself as “the world’s largest kitchen” and already boasts chefs such as the eminent Jeremy Fox and Nate Appleman as members.
Whether you sign up or prefer to remain an outside observer, CookEatShare allows users to become “friends”, create, share and review recipes, form groups and start discussions. Truffle-crusted beef tenderloin anyone? I’m partial to the banana split pop.
Intriguing recipes aside, what makes the site unique from the multitude of food blogs and discussion sites out there is the close involvement of professional chefs. CookEatShare creates a valuable link between amateurs stumbling along with their dry pastry crusts at home and the chefs serving dark chocolate tortes to discerning diners. Chefs are able to drum up PR for their restaurants and interact with their fan base while aspiring cooks like myself have the opportunity to try our hands at recipes and actually interact with the pros that painstakingly developed them.
So while I won’t be going to Babbo anytime soon, here’s to hoping Mario Batali joins the site’s ranks and hands over the recipe to his famous papardelle bolognese. It’s unlikely that my attempts will compare to his much lusted after version, but no doubt that disappointment will be tempered by our new online “friendship”.
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Hazel
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Nexus