No matter what your personal opinions are on the foodie trend, you can’t deny that an increased appreciation for good food has lead to an increased support of DIY gastronomy. In the beginning stages of the column earlier this year, we covered the growing trend of amateur involvement in culinary culture. Independent food markets and home-run bakeries are just the beginning of a whole group of people that celebrate their love of food on a daily basis. The amateur food movement is like bake sales on steroids, so to say.
And that’s a good thing if you’re a food lover, because not only can you perfect your own craft, you can also take advantage of those around you. In fact, thanks (once again) to the internet, it’s becoming easier and easier to spread the DIY food love.
Let’s say you live on a food centric block; you’re probably constantly sharing recipes and popping a new recipe test run in a tupperware so your neighbor can try it out. Add social networking to that equation and you’re primed to reap the benefits of an amateur foodie culture gone wild.
The beta version of a food focused network called Super Marmite was recently launched in France. The location-based service allows cooks to post what they’ve got in the works, how many extra servings they’ll have and how much it will cost to get you a taste of the fare. For someone who often makes too much of one thing, or simply doesn’t have enough room in her freezer to keep the latest culinary endeavors, a site like this sounds intriguing. For the consumer, it also provides an alternative to fast food and restaurants.
In the U.S you can opt for a similar service, Book of Cooks. The site allows professional and amateur chefs to set up online restaurants or bakeries to showcase their goods, and exploring them is as simple as clicking the region where you want to find food and diving right on in.
Of course you quickly get into the legal questions related to selling food for consumption by others, but the concept of regional sites that focus on food sharing is not only one that promotes community, but maybe even smarter, healthier food choices.
Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground. Each week, Anna will be taking a look at something new and different that’s taking place in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to culinary avant garde.
Image: Book of Cooks