Blog and Social Media Posts
I conceived, developed and executed the content and social media strategies for the launch and operation of iCookbook while at Publications International, Ltd. I also contributed to the development and execution of the social media posts after the launch of WoodlandFoods.com’s consumer-facing website.
iCookbook
I designed a social media strategy for iCookbook integrating multiple digital media (including blog posts, Facebook posts, YouTube walkthroughs of the app, push notifications via Urban Airship and Constant Contact email newsletter). Our digital strategy was grounded by our commitment to iCookbook’s purpose: to help people make and share good food. How then were we to connect ephemeral, digital content with something as real and tangible as a home-cooked meal? The key, it turned out, was one of the elements of iCookbook that was instrumental in setting it apart from other recipe-based mobile apps.
Like many other cooking apps, iCookbook came pre-loaded with recipe content. In our case, I selected more than 2,000 recipes from the catalog of more than 45,000 recipes I managed in Publications International’s content management system. But what really set us apart from our competition was our in-app store.
We built an in-app store as an integral way of engaging iCookbook purchasers in an ongoing relationship with the app. Yes they could tag and flag their favorite recipes—even type in their own recipes— but our in-app store enabled us to offer up themed collections of recipes, and our decision to offer one collection every month free of charge to every iCookbook user meant our users were engaged and active.
Woodland Foods
Congregation Solel
Cookbooks
I edited cookbooks and recipe magazines for Publications International, Ltd. from 2001 through 2012. Our projects were largely designed to feature brand name consumer packaged goods as ingredients or to require specific manufacturer’s kitchen appliances.
I played active roles in all stages of this process starting with the initial consultations with brand managers to outline the strengths and features of their products. I then developed a plan for the publication capitalizing on these attributes. I identified recipes which accomplished these goals and final oversaw the actual production process, creating new recipes (if necessary) and editing manuscripts and reading proofs.
Much of the time we developed multi-year publishing programs that involved multiple publications with overlapping recipe content. I became quite adept at the creative use and reuse of existing content, optimizing the use of my clients’ content development dollars by planning multiple projects–or even multiple years of projects—all at once.
By the time the we came to an agreement with the KitchenAid Small Appliances team to move forward with this project I had been working with them closely for several years, managing the recipes and usage content that appeared in the Use & Care Guide that came packed in the box of their 5- and 6-quart stand mixers. It was a real thrill to work with a brand whose products connect so directly with the more aspirational aspects of modern home cooking.
Crock-Pot® Gourmet Slow Cooking was created to showcase exciting, out-of-the-ordinary recipes. We developed techniques using a simple slow cooker to to bake breads and cakes, steam fish, and even poach pears. This was one of dozens of projects I managed and edited for the company that manufactures Crock-Pot® Slow Cookers and other countertop appliances.
Hershey’s® Chocolate Cookbook contains more than 110 recipes made with ingredients from the classic American chocolatier. The cover is really all about appetite appeal, from the delicate frosting and ripe berries to the luscious chocolate glaze flowing down the sides. The rest of the book is filled with recipes that were just as indulgent and photos that are just as enticing.
Our relationship with the Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker brand and its managers was one of the most fruitful and productive partnerships we had. This book, Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes, was perpetually among the best-selling cookbooks stocked by our retail partners.
Every year we also produced more than 50 magazines sold on newsstands and in the checkout lanes of thousands of grocery stores across the country. Some magazines, like this one featuring recipes made with Nestle® Toll House® Morsels, were created in collaboration with CPG brands. Others were created in novel combinations of the recipe content developed for branded projects and content we created on our own.
Catalog Work
Woodland Foods
Grainger?
Gregg Hollander 